SEAT Ateca SUV - 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 by 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 recent facelift was fairly subtle but items like the door panels and steering wheel have been given a makeover to keep things fresh, and the infotainment system has been given an overhaul.

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 lower trims and 9.2-inches from SE Technology) that's effortless to use.

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Equipment

Six trim levels are available: SE, SE Technology, FR, FR Sport, Xperience and Xperience Lux. As standard, the Ateca features air-conditioning, an eight-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth, 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.

SE Technology adds 18-inch bi-colour wheels, a 9.2-inch display and SEAT Connect remote access. In addition to SE Technology, the FR trim brings a digital instrument cluster, 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 and heated front seats.

The Xperience trim provides a range of luxury-car features, such as adaptive cruise control, blind spot assist and a rear-view camera. It's fitted with privacy glass, microsuede upholstery and 18-inch wheels. The range-topping Xperience Lux also gets the digital instrument panel, heated leather seats, a heated windscreen, 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 for just over £1,000. To improve practicality, boot divider nets cost around £150, a towbar is £700 and we'd recommend spending the £100 for a space saver spare wheel in case of a puncture.