2023 Cupra Ateca cars for sale

The Ateca was the first model to be solely branded ‘Cupra’ (a portmanteau of the words ‘cup’ and ‘racing’, if you were wondering). Now, although a tall SUV is perhaps not the most natural fit for a brand focused on driving fun and sportiness, the Ateca actually proved to be quite a hoot. 

That’s largely thanks to the drivetrain, which mates the trusty EA888 2.0-litre turbo four – as seen in myriad VW Group products with Haldex-type four-wheel drive and a seven-speed DSG transmission. The result is 300hp, a 0-62mph sprint of 5.2 seconds, a top speed of 153mph and a smile on the face of the driver not normally in keeping with the sort of reaction you get behind the wheel of a family SUV. 

It’s also pretty good value, being a fair chunk cheaper than its closest sporty SUV competitor, which is probably the closely related VW Tiguan R. 

Don’t expect to be wowed by Caterham-like agility (this is still a tall, relatively heavy SUV), but standard adaptive suspension does a decent job of keeping body roll in check, albeit at the expense of a pillow-soft ride.