SEAT describes the unveiling of the brand?s first and much-awaited SUV as the start of a new era for the brand.
The Ateca has been revealed in Barcelona ahead of its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March. It will reach UK showrooms in September.
With crossover-type vehicles still mushrooming in popularity ? having recently become the most popular type of car in Europe for the first time ? the Ateca is seen as crucial to the Spanish brand?s efforts to significantly grow its annual volumes.
The Ateca will be targeted directly against the biggest-selling SUVs such as Nissan?s Qashqai, and hopes to secure customers with its distinctive design combined with the practical features its rivals offer.
It is built on the Volkswagen Group?s widely used MQB platform, effectively evolved from the Leon hatchback, and will be offered as a five-seater only, in front or four-wheel drive configuration. SEAT claims some of the best use of space in the segment within the Ateca?s 4.36-metre length, with 2WD models offering 510 litres of bootspace, 4WD versions 485 litres. The all-turbo engine line-up will range across an entry-level 1.0 TSI petrol unit of 115bhp, a 1.4 TSI with 148bhp and cylinder deactivation, and three diesels. The 1.6-litre unit offers 114bhp and there are a pair of 2-litre variants of 148 and 187bhp. Best fuel consumption figure is 66mpg, lowest CO2 emissions 112g/km.
SEAT promises Ateca buyers plenty of technology, including assistance systems such as Rear Cross T...