Trim Levels Announced for SEAT Ateca Baby SUV

With the SUV/crossover market booming, it's no surprise that SEAT has jumped on the bandwagon with the brand new Ateca. It sits on the MQB platform meaning it shared most of its underpinnings from smaller cars such as the Leon, as well and sister company VW's Tiguan. The Ateca sees itself in the same market, then, as cars like the Ford Kuga and Nissan Qashqai.

Entry-level S features air conditioning, 16-inch alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights and a generous 5-inch touchscreen with USB connectivity.

SEAT expects mid-spec SE to be the Ateca's best-seller. Standard equipment for SE is great, with dual-zone climate control, cruise control, rear parking sensors and 17-inch alloys coming as standard. SE models are even blessed with some luxuries like LED tail lights and an upgraded 8-inch touchscreen with Bluetooth as well as CarPlay and Android Auto.

If it's real off-road luxury you want, XCELLENCE is where you should be putting your money. Satellite navigation, automatic lights and wipers, leather upholstery, LED headlights and 18-inch alloys all help tempt potential buyers. Also included is keyless entry and go, a rear-view camera, a drive mode selector which changes the car's performance characteristics, and even wireless phone charging.

It's difficult to see how SEAT could improve upon this, but that's exactly what it plans to do in May when the First Edition is confirmed. It's expected to be produced in limited numbers and feature even more tech.

SEAT has used its best range of engines for the Ateca. Entry-level S is available with a 1.0-litre petrol engine or a 1.6-litre diesel, both of which produce 113 bhp. It's the petrol that starts the price list rolling, at £17,990. SE gets these engines, plus a 1.4-litre 'EcoTSI' petrol with 148 bhp, and a 148 bhp 2.0-litre diesel unit which is optionally available with the class-leading dual-clutch 'DSG' automatic transmission.

XCELLENCE features the 1.4 EcoTSI and 2.0-litre 148 bhp unit (manual or DSG) too. You can also specify '4Drive' four-wheel-drive on the 148 bhp 2.0-litre diesel in manual form, however if you opt for DSG automatic you'll have to put up with a power upgrade to 187 bhp. This is the most expensive model, coming in at £29,990.

Facelifted SEAT Ibiza Gains Cupra Model with 189 bhp and 320 Nm

SEAT has been manufacturing the Ibiza since 1984 and it's now in its fourth generation. It's this Ibiza that is the latest to undergo the Cupra treatment. 

The latest generation Ibiza Cupra joins the facelifted Ibiza family with a 1.8-litre petrol engine. It produces 12 bhp more than the old 1.4-litre supercharged petrol engine and an additional 70 Nm. This means there's a total of 189 bhp and 320 Nm, the latter of which being available across a broad 1,450 to 4,250 rpm spectrum. Nought to sixty-two mph is completed in 6.7 seconds, and the supermini goes on to a top speed of 146 mph. SEAT likes to think that the Cupra will achieve 45.6 mpg, but you can easily knock 10 mpg off this if not more in the real world.

The 6-speed manual gearbox replaces the previous dual-cluch automatic, with 4 out of every 5 hot superminis being equipped with manual transmissions. Other changes include larger front brakes and adjustable damping and steering. 

All of this means great fun on the weekends, but where the facelifted Ibiza really excels is in its technology. Standard equipment for the Cupra is a 5-inch touchscreen infotainment display with Bluetooth and steering wheel-mounted controls. 

Automatic headlights and wipers, an electronic differential lock and Cupra sports seats join the equipment list, alongside 17-inch alloy wheels, tinted rear windows, bi-xenon headlights, LED daytime running lights and tail lights and cruise control. 

If that's not enough, the Ibiza Cupra Black adds sportier red brake calipers and an upgraded 6.5-inch touchscreen with 3D mapping and voice controls.

Pricing for the Cupra starts at £18,100 and climbs to £18,900 for the Cupra Black before options. It's available in showrooms now.

Ateca SUV Joins the SEAT Range

The all-new Ateca will be built alongside the next-generation Škoda Yeti and is the first of three exciting new SUVs to come from the Spanish auto maker. It's predicted to be joined by a smaller Ibiza-based model, followed by a larger 7-seat range-topper.

Despite being based on the same platform as the VW Tiguan, the highly-anticipated Ateca is likely to be a fair bit cheaper. It's estimated that the range will kick off with a starting price of some £18,000.

A familiar Volkswagen Group engine choice will make its way into the new model. The entry-level 1.6 TDI will produce 113 bhp, with a 2.0 TDI available in 148 and 187 bhp guises. MPG figures range from 56-66, with the petrols coming in at 46-53. These include a 113 bhp 1.0 TSI and a 148 bhp 1.4 TSI, the latter being a four-cylinder engine that's able to cut off two in order to improve fuel economy.

Most buyers will opt for front-wheel-drive, but the option of all-wheel-drive will be available too, as well as manual or dual-clutch automatic transmissions.

Outside, the Ateca's face is particularly SEAT, with its double grille. The headlights, borrowed from the Leon, are optionally available as full LEDs. The rear end's sharp creases takes some inspiration from the next-generation VW Tiguan, but work very well on this smaller SUV.

VW Tiguan

Inside, the dashboard is unmistakable Volkswagen Group. Luxury features such as an engine start button, an electronic parking brake and an optional 8-inch touchscreen point towards the future, but we still get everything we love from the current generation of SEATs. Full Link allows full smartphone integration, and wireless charging makes its debut into the SEAT brand.

Traffic Jam Assist takes full control of accelerating, braking and steering at "traffic jam speeds", whereas Emergency Assist ensures that the driver is awake by providing visual and acoustic reminders, followed if necessary by a pulse of braking. Should the driver not respond, the Ateca will slow itself down to a safe stop.

Other technologies that are halfway to autonomous driving include Active Cruise Control, Traffic Sign Recognition, a blind spot monitor, a camera system to aid in those tricky manoeuvring situations, and a system that warns of oncoming cars when reversing out of a blind parking space.

At 4.36 metres long, the Ateca is just under 14 cm longer than the Škoda Yeti, and 8cm shorter than the new Kia Sportage. Although all-wheel-drive models get a 25-litre decrease in boot capacity, front-wheel-drive models get a 510-litre loading space, putting it ahead of the Renault Kadjar with 472 litres and the Volvo XC60 with 495 litres. It looks to have a useable square opening making it a practical, useable space.

Kia Sportage

Named after a municipality in Aragón, Spain, the Ateca will be launched in the UK in September ready for the 66 plates, but buyers can register their interest as of tomorrow (11/02/16).

SEAT Leon

The first generation Leon took us into the new millennium and on to 2005, sharing its platform with the first generation Audi A3, VW Golf Mk4 and even the VW Bora. The next model lived until 2012, sharing its platform unsurprisingly with the 2nd generation A3 and Golf Mk5.



Shortly after the Paris Motor Show of 2012 the 3rd generation of SEAT's family car became available. It was only offered in its 5-door guise until the 3-door SC arrived in Geneva 2013, followed by the ST estate in Frankfurt 2013.



The latest-generation SEAT Leon shared its platform with, you guessed, it, the latest Audi A3 and VW Golf. It sits on the new MQB platform of the VW Group. It was the first family hatchback to offer full LED headlights, although these do not come as standard.

Entry-level Leons get halogen daytime running lights, a 5-inch touchscreen with Bluetooth and air conditioning. Every Leon comes with electric power steering and height and reach adjustability for the steering wheel, making it easy to get behind the wheel.



Avoid S and opt for SE level Leons which bring 16-inch alloy wheels, front fog lights, cruise control and electric rear windows. Everything a modern family will require.

If you're particularly font of sporty aesthetics, the Leon FR ups the alloys to 17 inches, adds dual-zone climate control, electrically folding door mirrors and the usual bodystyling, inside and out. A feature that makes this car recognisable from afar, day or night, is the LED technology used in the tail lights.



Only the CUPRA 290 gets LED headlights as standard. The LED interior lights means it has the full package for just shy of £29,000. The uprated 6.5-inch touchscreen adds 3D mapping and smartphone connectivity such as Android Auto and CarPlay. Automatic headlights, wipers and a dimming rear-view mirror complete the CUPAR 290.

X-PERIENCE models are available for the ST estate only, and are well-equipped. Dual-zone climate control and rear parking sensors make it easy to live with, but the off-road bodystyling and 4Drive all-wheel-drive system make it practical too.

Top-of-the-range X-PERIENCE Leons get 18-inch alloys, the uprated 6.5-inch touchscreen and LED headlights and tail lights.

Entry-level Leons get a 108 bhp 1.6-litre diesel engine that's capable of more than 70 mpg, but it does cost £10 a year to tax.



SE unlocks a wider range of engines, which consist of 108 bhp 1.2-litre and 123 bhp 1.4-litre petrols and 108 bhp 1.6-litre and 148 bhp 2.0-litre diesels. There's even an economy-orientated 1.6 TDI Ecomotive that can achieve almost 80 mpg, and of course is free to tax.

There is however, a 148 bhp 1.4 EcoTSI petrol engine that makes its way into the FR range, which is joined by a 178 bhp 1.8-litre petrol. Two 2.0-litre diesels are available with power outputs of 148 and 181 bhp.

The CUPRA 290 gets its very own 2.0-litre petrol engine that produces 286 bhp, with claimed figures of just over 40 mpg.

For most families, the 1.4 EcoTSI or 2.0 TDI (148 bhp variant) will be more than adequate.



The Leon shares most of its engines with the VW Golf, however the Golf does offer a lower-than-adequate 84 bhp 1.2-litre petrol and a small displacement 1.0-litre 113 bhp unit.

The Leon has a total of 9 engines, whereas rivals such as the Ford Focus provide a lot more choice, with 14 to choose from plus a bonkers 345 bhp 2.3-litre Focus RS.

The CUPRA 290 will rival the Golf R as opposed to the Golf GTI, although does not quite match the stats of the Focus RS.



There is a niche that SEAT is missing out on, and that's the alternative power market. Both the Golf and the Focus offer all-electric variants of their family hatchbacks, and the Golf GTE fuses a 1.4-litre petrol engine with electricity to form a plug-in hybrid.



Saying that, all of the Leon's engines are phenomenal and provide enough punch when you need it.

I've tried and tested the 1.4 EcoTSI which is punchy enough yet still returns good figures, which is why I've chosen it in my configuration:

SEAT Leon FR Configuration

SEAT Alhambra

Seat has released its new Alhambra. Without going in depth, take a look at what's new!

The petrol and diesel engines have been redeveloped, so Seat says. But what does that mean? The 2.0 TDI 150 PS, 2.0 TDI 184 PS and 1.4 TSI 150 PS are the power plants of the new Alhambra, with economy figures as high as 57.6 mpg and 130 g/km of CO2. In reality though, I wouldn't expect more than 50 mpg from a normal driver on normal roads.

Safety comes in the form of Seat's multi-collision brake system, a Blind-Spot Sensor and Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC).

The inside and outside have been updated with some LED lighting, new trims and a keyless go option. There are also some updates in the technology department with what should be a quicker and more responsive infotainment system.

You can pre-order the Alhambra in May with deliveries expected in the following months.