SEAT Ateca review – Interior & comfort

If you’re trading up from a SEAT Leon, you’ll feel right at home, as large parts of the interior are shared between these models. That means dials that are easy to read, heater controls that are simple to operate and a big touchscreen that provides quick access to the bulk of the on-board technology.

The 2020 facelift was fairly subtle but items like the door panels and steering wheel were given a makeover to keep things fresh, and the infotainment system received an overhaul. The touchscreen still sits in the dashboard rather than on top of it, so the Ateca doesn’t feel quite as up-to-date as the newest Leon or the Cupra Formentor.

SEAT Ateca dashboard

The biggest change with the Ateca is a rotary dial on the centre console, which allows you to select from various drive modes, including off-road, sport and eco. As with the Leon, there are a few slightly low-rent plastics used in places you won’t routinely touch or see, but generally it feels solid and high-quality. Best of all, all-round visibility is very good, despite the Ateca’s bulky stance.

Facelifted versions of the Ateca get a bigger touchscreen (8.25-inches for entry-level models and 9.2-inches from SE Technology onwards) that's effortless to use, while all models benefit from a digital driver’s display in place of the analogue dials in earlier models. This measures eight-inches in all but the top-spec FR Sport and Xperience Lux trims, which get a larger 10-inch system.

Equipment

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Six trim levels are currently available: SE, SE Technology, FR, FR Sport, Xperience and Xperience Lux. As standard, the Ateca features air-conditioning, an infotainment touchscreen, a digital driver’s display, Bluetooth, keyless-entry, seven airbags, driver drowsiness detection, tyre-pressure monitoring and autonomous emergency braking, which can automatically brake to avoid a shunt.

SE includes 17-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control, a leather steering wheel, cruise control and all-round parking sensors. This version also gets SEAT's Full Link smartphone connectivity system, which is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, to allow you to control your device from the car's touchscreen. Facelifted models now feature the same LED daytime running lights as more expensive models, so few people will even notice it’s the entry-level model.

SE Technology adds 18-inch bi-colour wheels, a 9.2-inch infotainment display and SEAT Connect remote access. In addition to SE Technology, the FR trim brings sports seats, progressive steering and aluminium pedals, as well as an eye-catching bodykit, stiffer, lower suspension and a different design of 18-inch alloy wheels. FR Sport adds some more styling tweaks, a larger driver’s display and heated front seats. The now-discontinued FR Black Edition took the popular route of offering black exterior trim and black wheels, while it also got a nine-speaker Beats audio system.

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The Xperience trim provides a range of luxury-car features, such as adaptive cruise control, a heated windscreen, traffic sign recognition, and a rear-view camera. It's fitted with privacy glass, microsuede upholstery and 18-inch wheels. The range-topping Xperience Lux gets the same upgraded digital driver’s display as the FR Sport, along with heated leather seats, a 360-degree camera view, powered tailgate and 19-inch wheels. It’s also now fitted with SEAT’s Pre-Crash Assist safety system as standard, which uses the front camera data to tighten seatbelts and close windows as well as applying the brakes before a likely impact.

Options include a panoramic sunroof and ambient interior lighting, at around £1,400 on SE and SE Technology models, or £1,200 on other Ateca trim lines. To improve practicality, boot divider nets cost £200, a towbar is £810 and we'd recommend spending the £140 for a space-saver spare wheel in case of a puncture.