Cupra Ateca V 2024 Review

The 2024 Cupra Ateca V medium SUV has been launched with a $49,888 drive-away introductory price. However, that is only guaranteed until the end of 2024 when it will be reviewed.

At that money, logical rivals include smaller medium SUVs such as the turbocharged all-wheel drive versions of the Mazda CX-5 and within the wider VW group, the Skoda Karoq Sportline 4x4, which shares its powertrain with the Ateca V. The Cupra undercuts them both.

There’s more competition even closer to home from the soon-to-be-updated coupe-SUV Cupra Formentor and all-new Cupra Terramar coming in 2025.

All up, including the Tavascan EV that launches in December, Cupra will offer four different medium SUVs in 2025!

The only other model in the Ateca range is the significantly more expensive ($63,490 plus on-road costs) VZx, which comes with a more potent version of the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine, adaptive suspension and performance brakes, as well as a small list of equipment extras over the V.

These are limited to a sexier steering wheel, a nine-speaker Beats audio system versus eight-speakers for the V and a surround-view camera rather than a reversing camera.

The V’s 19-inch wheels are black and silver while the VZx has black and copper (which is Cupra’s signature colour) and the leather trim is black rather than blue. It has hidden exhausts rather than the quad pipes that stick out the back of the VZx.

But other key equipment is shared. Both engines hook up to a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox with paddle shifters that drive all four wheels, while the exterior is very similar with the same body kit, LED headlights and power-opening tailgate.

Inside there’s a fully powered driver’s seat, heated front seats and steering wheel and dual-zone climate control with adjustable rear vents.

The infotainment systems run through a 9.2-inch touchscreen and includes embedded sat-nav and wired and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There is also a 10.25-inch digital instrument panel that can be configured in views ranging from traditional twin dial to modern minimalist.

The Ateca V also comes with seven airbags and a driver assist suite including autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping, blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert. There is no ANCAP rating.

Happily, both Atecas come with a spare tyre, albeit a space saver.

Like all Cupras, the Ateca V is protected by a five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty and backed by five year’s roadside assist. Service intervals are set at 15,000km/12 months and a capped-price service program charges $990 for three years and $1990 for five years.

Cupra presents itself as a niche sports and performance brand and it’s nice to see the 2024 Cupra Ateca V fulfill the brief.

It looks purposeful on its big wheels, has subtly aggressive exterior and interior style and proven underpinnings from the Volkswagen Group larder – MEB platform, 140kW/320Nm EA888 engine, sports suspension tuned for body control, direct electric assist steering and on-demand all-wheel drive.

It feels instantly welcoming and at home on winding country roads as so many sports-tuned VWs do. There’s enough punch, enough turn, enough grip and enough steering surety to make this an entertaining drive. It helps that the front seats are heavily bolstered to hold you in place, too.

Okay, it’s not capable of the same extremes as the VZx but then those extremities are difficult to access most of the time simply because of the strictures placed on modern motoring.

A lower power output of 140kW also delivers better fuel economy for the Ateca V compared to the 221kW VZx. The V claims 7.1L/100km (ADR) and delivered 7.4L/100km on drive loop that included frugal freeway ambling and thirstier mountain roads.

It runs on cheaper 95 RON fuel, versus 98 RON for the VZx.

The more affordable Ateca V may not look that daring compared to rivals in-house and external, but thanks to its boxy shape, what this SUV also does well is release plenty of interior space made more welcoming by soft-touch surfaces. Two of your gangling teens will fit comfortably in the rear seat and three at a squeeze for a short trip.

The boot, with rear seats upright claims a healthy 485 litres. All this in an overall body length of just 4381mm.

For some people the 2024 Cupra Ateca V is just going to be just that bit too focussed.

Ride quality on standard passive sports suspension and 19-inch rubber will be irritatingly nobbly and occasionally just plain jarring.

Compounding that is plenty of road roar across coarse chip surfaces, which takes some refinement gloss off the experience.

You can option adaptive suspension as part of a $2950 pack, but it’s a toss-up if the slightly more amenable comfort setting is worth the money.

The VW dual-clutch transmission also delivers its usual tip-in throttle recalcitrance. It’s better than it once was but still prone to indecision when revs are low and a choice to preselect the next gear becomes harder for it to determine, often resulting in driveline lag.

The good news is that once up and running and especially when set in sport mode or being shifted manually (via lever or paddle shifters) it’s a snappy, supportive transmission that aids the fun times.

It is likely to be phased out of production soon and it won’t be replaced. Cupra Australia is guaranteeing it will stay in local showrooms until the end of 2025, but how long it survives after that it doesn’t know or won’t say.

The age expresses itself in several ways – there’s no hybrid electrification with or without plug for the engine, there’s no independent safety rating and there’s no huge digital screen running across the dashboard.

Instead, the infotainment touchscreen is small and embedded in the dash, rather than sitting along the top of it like a fence.

But there’s good news for those amongst us who dislike stabbing at a touchscreen to fulfill basic functions, with buttons and dials to control audio and air-conditioning. See, getting old isn’t all bad.

The 2024 Cupra Ateca V is not for anyone – too focussed, too small, too obscure, too old, too … well … too not-Toyota.

Even taking all those factors into account, the Ateca V does a convincing job as a run-out model.

The introductory equipment and pricing equation adds up well compared with logical opposition at the compact-end of the medium SUV segment.

Meanwhile, the mechanical package moves beyond merely competent to light and fizzy enough on its wheels to be genuinely satisfying and involving to drive, albeit without quite the brutal adrenal buzz the Ateca VZx delivers.

It’s the sort of car that can cope with the shopping run and school drop-offs as well as enjoyably tackle a winding road.

2024 Cupra Ateca V at a glance:
Price: $49,888 (drive-away)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 140kW/320Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 7.1L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 160g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Unrated

Join the conversation at our Facebook page
Or email us at editor@carsales.com.au