LIVING WITH A... SEAT ATECA
SECOND REPORT Practical, smooth-riding SUV is a fine companion for our photographer
Practical SUV is perfect companion for our hardworking photographer.
AS Auto Express’s senior staff photographer, I put my fleet car to work more than most – which is why the choice of model I run is an important one. I’m usually darting around the country travelling from shoot to shoot, so something economical that’s large enough to swallow all my photography gear, plus has a comfortable ride, is generally preferable.
In 1.6 TDI Ecomotive form, the SEAT Ateca certainly ticks the first two boxes. I’ve been averaging 45.7mpg over the past few months, while the boot is big enough to carry my kit – and, as the picture here shows, on occasion, me. However, this is where my slight issue with the ride comes in.
If you’ve ever wondered how we get the shots of moving cars in Auto Express, they’re taken from a tracking vehicle – usually the Ateca. At our test venues, I can jump into the boot or shoot out of the door or side windows, and a soft suspension set-up is generally preferable to ensure I get a pin-sharp image.
However, the Ateca is on the firm side. It’s not uncomfortable, as body motion is nicely damped by the taut-feeling suspension, but there’s more feedback through the chassis than in its rivals. Still, there are benefits to this when we leave the test track and hit the road. For a tall crossover it handles sweetly; plenty of cars such as the new Peugeot 3008 have challenged the SEAT for supremacy on the tarmac and lost; it’s that good to drive.
It feels like a slightly raised Leon, with the same precise steering and body control as SEAT ’s family hatch. Even with the dampers’ tighter control, the huge 510-litre capacity means I can easily get comfortable in the boot. That’s not a phrase you’ll hear too often, and while most people judge load space by how many suitcases they can squeeze in, if a car can accommodate my frame in a photography harness and still give me enough space to shoot, it’s definitely practical. The SEAT scores highly here.
Recently, though, I’ve been experiencing the firm ride a little more acutely than I’d have hoped, as the tyre pressure-warning system pinged an alarm highlighting I had a flat. Granted, this wasn’t the car’s fault, but without the £110 optional space-saver spare, there’s only an inflation kit under the boot floor. I was reluctant to use expanding foam for fear of damaging the rim, but thankfully there was enough air in the tyre to allow me to limp to the nearest garage for a repair.
It’s the only real hiccup I’ve experienced with the Ateca so far. Thanks to some clever storage features, such as a drawer under the driver’s seat, it’s balancing work and family life nicely. Long may this continue.
“Ateca feels like a slightly raised Leon, with the same precise steering and body control”