At first that may seem faintly ridiculous, but when you look at the Venn diagram of price, proportions and performance, the Ateca lives in a little world of its own. To get vaguely comparable speed and power from any other medium-sized SUV, you’re looking at spending around £50k+ on a Porsche Macan S or an Audi SQ5. But although it may be marooned in its own micro-sector, that doesn’t mean it has a free pass. A £40,000-ish Seat – sorry, Cupra – has a lot to prove, starting with how it drives
Pros Hot hatch performance with SUV styling and practicality
Cons £40k for a Seat with somewhat unconvincing branding
The Cupra Ateca SUV is a brilliant family car that’s fast and great to drive, but you’ll have to accept its gloomy interior and boy racer exterior complete with tuner-esque branding.
Pros Surprisingly nimble Fizzing performance Still practical
Cons Boy racer looks Dark, gloomy interior A VW Golf R costs less
The Peugeot 3008 is a fun-looking SUV with a big boot, stylish interior and decent levels of equipment, but it takes a while to get used to the quirky small steering wheel and high-up instrument cluster
Pros Stylish inside and out Big boot Efficient engines
Cons No four-wheel-drive option Entry-level diesel is slow Oddly positioned instruments
The 3008 would have to be the best Peugeot I’ve driven apart from the 308 and I was rather forlorn to hand back the keys.
Pros Bold, attractive styling HUD instrument panel/advanced graphics Comfortable, luxury interior Tech features Dynamic handling Large panoramic roof Powered tailgate
Cons Flat topped steering wheel No powered seats