Cupra Ateca V 2024 review

You could be forgiven for forgetting about the Cupra Ateca small SUV.

Having been around globally since 2016, it’s Cupra’s oldest nameplate, and it’s quietly been taking a back seat of late as the Spanish brand’s newer-generation vehicles like the Tavascan and Terramar soak up the limelight.

Not only that but the Ateca won’t be replaced with a new generation when the current model reaches the end of its lifecycle, begging the question: why are we revisiting it?

Well, the Ateca will continue to soldier on in Cupra’s Australian lineup until the end of 2025 at least, but with an expanded lineup.

Previously the Ateca has only been available as an extra hot and spicy VZx variant, but now a new, more affordable V has joined the range, shaving the cost-of-entry down by more than $10,000 to become Cupra’s most affordable SUV. So perhaps there’s life and relevance in the old Ateca yet.

Crucially, however, as the sexy Spanish cousin of the Volkswagen Group portfolio, Cupra’s also promise an extra element of flair, dynamism and excitement beyond just value, so does this stripped-back version cut the mustard as a sporty and spicy alternative to something like a Skoda Karoq?

Certainly, Cupra has achieved a strong balance between value and fun with the Leon V hatchback, which is arguably the pick of that model’s lineup, so let’s see if the Ateca can capture that same V magic, starting with value.

The Ateca V is priced at $49,888 driveaway as part of a launch offer that will be available until at least the end of the year, and after which the price will revert to a regular cost of $51,990 before on-roads.

That’s a not-insignificant difference between the V and the VZx, which is currently available at $63,990 driveaway. So what do you miss out on?

Well for a start, it gets a detuned version of Volkswagen Group’s EA888 2.0-litre turbo four cylinder, making for 140kW/230Nm – the same as the Leon and Formentor V – as compared to the VZx’s 221kw/400Nm.

You still get 19-inch wheels, but they have silver accents instead of copper on the VZx, and you also miss out on quad exhausts. Visually, however, the Ateca V doesn’t look that dissimilar to the VZx so you aren’t losing out too much in that regard.

Like the VZx, power is sent to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. You don’t get dynamic chassis control on the V, though you can option it as part of a Tech Pack that also brings with it a Beats premium sound system and 360 degree camera for $2900.

So far, so good. However, what you do have to contend with is an exterior design that looks a generation old, especially in the face of the flowing curves of the Terramar and Tavascan.

By contrast, the Ateca is more upright and boxy. That’s a subjective consideration, and to my eyes, while Ateca’s design is clearly older, it remains evergreen clean and quite handsome.

Inside, it’s a similar story: some may appreciate and be drawn to the ‘old-school’ vibes and aesthetic, while other may be put off by them.

While it may look like a mid-2010s interior, the Ateca nails the traditional car interior brief. Everything is where you expect it to be located, everything works as you expect, and ergonomically it’s all sound.

This extends to a good driving position, a lovely racy steering wheel, excellent visibility, easy-to-use climate controls with permanent physical buttons for key feature adjustment. And there’s even an old-school transmission selector, too.

It’s also all solidly screwed together and feels well built, while incorporating enough new tech so you don’t feel like you’re stuck too far in a previous gen.

The 10.0-inch digital instruments are clear and have lots of configurability, though if I’m nitpicking the font makes ‘S’ and ‘5’ look very similar, which meant I did a double take a few times when I was travelling between ‘51-57’ km an hour in ‘S1-S7’ forward gear ratios.

As well as this, a 9.2-inch media display worked well during my launch drive, and you also score a wireless charging pad as well as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Beyond that, the Ateca V is equipped with a black leather interior, power driver’s seat with memory, heated front seats and steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, and more.

The ambience is undeniably Euro and it mostly befits the circa-$50K driveaway price point.

What you do miss out on compared to the VZx interior are that grade’s signature blue leather seats, tri-zone climate control, as well as the 360-degree camera and Beats-branded audio system (that you can option into the V with the Tech Pack).

The rear seat environment is positive too, where leg and headroom is good, as is the visibility, and the seats are comfy too.

In terms of rear amenities, there are map pockets behind both front seats, two USB-C connections, rear air vents and a fold down centre armrest, with cup-holders and a ski port opening to the boot.

Downsides? Some scratchy plastics on the door tops for rear passengers.

As for the boot, the Ateca V packages a decent 485 litres of space behind an electric power tailgate, and also houses a spare wheel, too.

Cabin wise, the Cupra Ateca V is decently specified for the price, and well packaged for a smaller-stature SUV competitor.

But does it drive like we expect a Cupra should? In a word: yes.

Our Australian launch drive consisted of a very decent stint of what was predominantly country driving in regional NSW, where we encountered a lot of windy roads and also a lot of potholes.

Steering is expectedly sharp and direct, with a nice progressive feel to it, coupling with a ride and handling experience that was very positive.

The Ateca V feels light and agile on its feet. Sure, it’s less rapid point to point than a VZx (7.2 seconds 0-100km/h versus 4.9), but while some may desire that extra power, the base V is still amply swift enough for most people’s wants. By the seat of the pants, the V isn’t left all that wanting for power.

Really, it’s more of a momentum car that’s fun to ring out carrying speed and decently engaging once you do.

Body control is solid, and there seems to be a decent amount of communication from what felt like a playful chassis.

For the most part the transmission was smooth, if perhaps a bit slower to respond off the mark when not in sport mode. But generally, the powertrain delivers an intuitive experience with what felt like nice pairing between the engine and transmission.

The bigger chunk of my drive was spent in manual transmission mode, using the steering wheel-mounted paddles to shift gears myself, adding to the sporty flavour of the drive experience.

A side note to this – I appreciated that the drive modes could easily be switched between using a physical dial mounted near the gear selector, as opposed to being integrated into the touch screen only.

When it comes to ride comfort, the suspension damping feels well sorted. I wouldn’t go as far as saying plush given it had a firmness and overall feeling of tautness to it, but it also manages to muster up decent compliance.

Other vehicles could have easily felt out of their depth on the high-speed, windy, pothole covered roads we navigated, but the Ateca V handled them with aplomb. It never felt uncomfortable on these roads, and even in Sport mode it always feels composed.

Furthermore, I didn’t drive the V with dynamic chassis control optioned either, but I did not feel like I was missing out either. So at its basic level, while the V has less specs and less power than a VZx, you’re not short-changed when it comes to a sense of inherent quality, or the clearly well-engineered bones of the chassis.

As for safety, the Ateca V comes standard with a full suite of passive and active safety features including adaptive cruise control, driver fatigue detection, travel assist, lane assist, blind spot monitoring with rear cross traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors, and seven airbags.

I used the Travel Assist feature, which combines the functions of the adaptive cruise control with lane assist and it seemed to work very well during my highway stint. Furthermore, none of the active safety features intruded on the drive experience, either.

As for ownership costs, Cupra offers a number of service packs on the Ateca V. Three years will cost you $990 and five years $1990, with service intervals of every 12 months or 15,000 kilometres.

The Ateca V requires minimum 95 octane fuel and sips a claimed 7.1 litres per 100 kilometres. There wasn’t much opportunity to assess frugality at an often fast-moving launch program on local backroads, so we’ll leave an economy test for another day.

All Cupra model are currently covered by the brand’s five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.

So, while the Cupra Ateca V may on one hand seem a bit outdated, last-decade and old-school, I walk away with the feeling that this package still offers something relevant and even compelling to a specific type of buyer.

The Ateca is ageing gracefully, and many will appreciate the pragmatic functionality of the older-style interior that isn’t over-loaded with tech. And it couples with an SUV experience that is decently practical, spacious and comfortable, for a reasonably seductive sub-$50K price on road.

Crucially, for that money, you’re getting a European vehicle that does seem to have – at least judging by my launch drive experience – that little bit of spice and fun-to-drive factor that buyers do expect from a Cupra.

If that’s what you want from an SUV, then get in while the Ateca is still here. And don’t overlook the cut-priced V version if you’re hoping for driver-centric rewards, as it might well surprise you.