New Ateca

andrewpain

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Jul 5, 2014
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Meppershall Beds.
quite a few manufacturers now use this ploy to give the driver the pleasure of a sporty engine sound, and yet keep the exterior noise low, so as not to upset environmentalists, Brussels bureaucrats, passers-by, and, of course, those sheep:)
 

Lukin

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May 31, 2016
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Samoa Orange
Mato Brown
Jungle Green

All the colors (that Green is quite extraordinary) can be looked at in the Seat UK configurator page. I've also checked the Spanish site and there the color palette is a bit different. There's a Beige Capuccino option available. Which leads me to a question.
I recently saw a Leon painted in something that would fit Beige Capuccino name perfectly, and I'm wondering how one can order such version?
It was parked a few blocks from the dealer and had no plates. Yeah, should have asked the dealer (will do next time I'm there), but maybe someone knows the answer. Also, the very bright blue paint - is that Nevada White?

Regarding Ateca itself: am I the only one who sees it as a beefed up Skoda more than a beefed up Seat? From the sides it's a Fabia, and the back is straight from Superb. I bet VW will just exchange the face and sell it as Skoda Kodiaq next year.
 

Tell

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The green on the UK comparator site I don't think replicates what the colour that it will be, whilst elsewhere where you see the more vivid colour it should be called jungle frog green, rather than jungle green. The Seat configure site colour to me seems to be dead forest jungle green rather than healthy forest jungle green. The German Seat site has the same dead colour so I would expect they have got that wrong colour or the name across all of the Seat websites.

I would quite like the Beige Cappuccino if it was the same colour as my Altea Sport "silver" that goes down with a hint of beige at times. It was actually called "Platinum Grey" as I've pulled he paper work but takes on the colour of beige and bronze rather than silver. Now if Beige Cappuccino was the same colour I would be more than happy. I need to inspect the colours at a Seat dealer ideally on an Ateca but that won't be for a while I guess. Decent discounts and I would take the plunge.

The Kodiaq is going to be the 7 seater Skoda for 2017 and the Yeti replacement is for 2018 which will be the potential sister car to the Ateca. The Ateca has the Leon lines in it with the angular shapes. The story so far on the Leon. Mk1 will skip that as to who designed it. Walter de Silva designed the the Altea and Mk2.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_de_Silva

Walter joined from Alfa and gave the Altea the Alfa 156 lines since that was his style. The Leon was getting tired so they used the same design styles on that to "Alfa" it up a bit. So that's the Mk2. He moved over to Audi in the middle of designing the Altea, but continued on it, so it was marketed as being designed by Audi. After the release of the Altea they wanted to give the Leon the Altea looks which they did for the Leon Mk2.

For the Leon Mk3, my design interpretation on this one is they went for a Teutonic Art Deco look, so you have the angular effects on it, the angular wing mirrors etc, still has the Walter concept in it to an extent. The creases which Alfa were big into were shifted to Seat. Along comes the Ateca which keeps the angular look of the Mk3 and gets the pronounced honeycomb grill. The Spanish design studio is suppose come up with the Ateca. Walter is the big white chief of VW design so one suspects they have to keep him happy. All those angular criss crosses that you see in the design drawing of the Ateca light cluster are Art Deco. Looking at the front of the Leon Mk3 that's pretty Art Deco, they have have now taken that round the back as well to the light cluster on the Ateca :).

Well Sadek Amin Garcia is the chief designer for Seat taking up the reigns. Sunday Times interview in 2015 makes an interesting read:

http://www.driving.co.uk/news/inter...s-little-white-lie-at-coventry-design-school/

It all about “Tensional”, “sculptural” and “characterful”. Which he explains so you're left wondering art deco perhaps, those angular bits :).

Then in another interview it's turns out he designed the 2012 Europa League logo:

https://translate.google.co.uk/tran...dpress.com/2012/03/26/amin-sadek/&prev=search

Which does have an art deco feel to it :). That was a give away in 2012.

I suspect that most Leon Mk3 owners don't realise that they are driving an art deco influenced car and it's just been upped a bit on the Ateca. I pass on what the design influences are of the Skoda range accept boxy for some of them. Certainly Walter's arrival to Seat in the motoring press was well documented at the time and given he's head of VW design group he probably takes a special interest in the Seat designs keeping it fairly unique from the other brands in the group. Seat says itself it wants it's own design style across models.

Clearly the marketing people see Leon owners as potential buyers but that presupposes they want this kind of car. One suspects that Seat needs to pull in new people from other brands and it's just a bit transparent to say got a Leon, you need an Ateca, more likely got an Altea you need a Ateca. But then they have sold more Leon's to Altea's so prefer not to say that which gives them a challenge. The building on the success bit of the Leon doesn't really get them too far if Leon owners are happy with their low slung saloons and don't see a need for an SUV. I look at a Leon and think backache from sitting too low.

It wouldn't be true to say that Skoda designers had a hand in the Ateca just because it's built in a factory that they use. VW group itself decided that they would make the Ateca in the East European plant since it was more economic than Spain and had capacity. Basically the plants are deployed by the VW group to manufacture across the brands and the design studios are retained in the countries. The famous VW parts bin they have access to wherever the car is made. The designers create the folds and shapes in their sketches, CADs and models, the engineers accommodate this using the modular designs of VW and the VW standard components :).
 
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Tell

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A useful check on discount sites is to compare the new Tiguan with the Ateca. My check today seems to reveal that Seat are tardy on this running at about half of the Tiguan on similar spec cars with similar RRP. I suspect the flag has yet to be dropped on this. On paper the two taking orders is running one month behind or so.
 

m0rk

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May 19, 2001
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I checked out my company's 'Car Scheme' prices today.

For a 60k/3yr maintained lease, the similar specced Ateca (SE of some sort 1.6TDi) - which is broadly similar to my Qashqai in performance and spec was listed

£110/month more than the Nissan.

SEAT need to go sharpen their pencils, or go home with this one.
 

Tell

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They have done their first edition mail out tonight to put potential customers in contact with local dealers so something is moving. Mark what did the £110 / month come out as a percentage of the Nissan cost.

The brokers best at the minute seems to be about 4 percent off the RRP against 11 percent for the new Tiguan with a similar RRP and spec to what I'm interested which is the 4x4 DSG. So on that basis you would get a Tiguan or pay the premium for an Ateca which you would get delivery of next year when they would be offering 15 percent off so you think why bother. Just knock it off now and stop being silly.

On another matter I note that the Irish Seat site has the Cappuccino Beige, making 12 colours in their download leaflet dated May against the UK sites 11 colours dated April 2016. Both will be right hand drive, I can't see they are making Cappuccino Beige just for the Irish RHD market. They also show some different availability dates and months for equipment which are not mentioned as far as I can see on the UK one.

This site has the colours in it which is when I started to hunt for Cappuccino Beige knowing it wasn't on the UK list but mentioned I think in this thread before.

http://www.teintes.fr/2016/03/seat-ateca-couleurs-colors.html

All a bit un satisfactory at the minute.
 

rambalad

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Nov 1, 2013
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Merseyside
Talking of colours did you notice Tell that Seat Ireland don't rip off their customers by charging extra for the other 2 solid colours. Also why don't the Irish ever have an alarm fitted as standard, my Irish import Altea from 2004 didn't have one either so it must be a historic thing?
 

Tell

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Definitely had one with my UK Altea 2004. You wouldn't think they would change the build specs given that the UK is a bigger market than Eire.

OK it seems no discounts till the launch date, just been told that. So everything is at the RRP prices on pre orders. Obviously you have the special edition that might have stuff thrown in. Put the feet back up again. That colour doesn't exist either.
 
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m0rk

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They have done their first edition mail out tonight to put potential customers in contact with local dealers so something is moving. Mark what did the £110 / month come out as a percentage of the Nissan cost.

Nissan QQ 1.5 ntec+ (£388/m - full maintenance 60k/3yr)
ATECA DIESEL ESTATE (2016) 1.6 TDI Ecomotive SE 5dr £494/m - full maintenance 60k/3yr)

About 25% give or take.

Emissions are much higher at 112g/km too on the SEAT vs (I think) 101g/km for my Nissan - P11D value much the same.... but ultimately higher BIK tax, and more out of my allowance.

The Nissan is a storming deal... Just in my office there are nine other QQ's, all on Arval
 

Tell

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I feel as if I've been marched up the hill and back again by Seat UK.

The QQ works figures you quote do look good against the Ateca. The broker costs also look good, perhaps not as good as your 25 percent against the Ateca in capital cost. Seat to me come in at a lower RRP but aren't of course discounting anything or not a lot. Dealers discretion one assumes rather than a corporate policy which is to tell dealers that's how it is as I understand. So the net effect is it doesn't look that competitive. The selling point for Seat is it's a Seat and it's new but one suspects that won't pull people in, in droves other than to take a free test drive.

A broker, that was the managing director told me to wait if I can... so there we have it. It's what is called in management science a queue with discouragement (i.e. you walk away). Meanwhile my Altea is running fine so I'm thinking why bother in the short term although if Brexiters get their way a 20 percent currency shift against the Euro would make today's prices look cheap.
 

m0rk

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May 19, 2001
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I think it's largely down to the ability (or desire) of the Nissan Fleet team to discount the car, and also the rock solid residuals of the established market leader.

Whereas SEAT are doing a Skoda, where they want their car to 'sell' itself so refuse a decent RRP discount. And because it's new to market, or based on the Mk3 Leon performance, it's residual is trashed.

Don't forget the prices I've shown are ex-VAT though, as it's a company expense so VAT reclaimable.... But the scale remains the same.
 

Fred99

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Sep 21, 2013
448
1
Granada, Southern Spain
Prices are much cheaper in the rest of Europe. The current introductory deal in Spain is for an Ateca SE. 1.0tsi, Convenience pack, Driver assistance pack, 4 year warranty and 4 years roadside assistance and full LEDs for the equivalent of £14700.

I don't think you will be able to get the full picture on UK prices and deals until the Ateca goes fully on sale later in the year.
 

Tell

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Pay more and don't have a good residual isn't really a good selling point. Paying cash or some loan knowing that in a few months time deals will be available isn't a good selling point. That's true now since we know they aren't going to be discounted till September and true in September when you know they won't be discounted then since they are looking to find their own price. Net effect is Seat won't be shifting too many on direct sales at these prices except for specials editions perhaps. Doing a good job to alienate prospective buyers. Start looking at the F Pace again they aren't that expensive in comparison.
 

m0rk

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May 19, 2001
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Start looking at the F Pace again they aren't that expensive in comparison.

They're about £700/month for the 2.0d Portfolio spec on Arval. BIK is pretty severe too, so can't imagine seeing too many of them as company cars

V nice though
 

Tell

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I saw one in a pub car park in Northamptonshire just after launch. Problem round here in the outskirts of London it would get trailer ed off as in nicked.

Frustrations with Seat not sorting out their discount structure now looking at the new Tiguan. Had been researching the head end of VW and all of that in relation to the Ateca so was getting a good idea of what comes with VWs. Well the build quality on the Tiguan I would say is better although you are paying for it plus the snazzy 12.3" electronic active cockpit display of mixing the headend images with the speedo etc.

The Ateca I saw didn't seem to have a very good boot, hardboard material that was just tossed in the back to cover the spare. This one had an adjustable boot height and the Tiguan has a bigger boot. I have moaned about that for 4 wheel drive you have to have leather. Think the marketing guys have been too narrow now I'm getting veggie comments from the veggie partner about the leather seats. Well I do sit on mothers leather seats, taken to read I don't really like it and leather seats are for old people. Backlash developing. Uk Seat staff probably like their meat red.

So zero discounts, non veggie friendly car in 4x4 spec is now putting a big negative against it. I'm also going off the look now a bit. Wondering whether it will age well. 4x4 in cloth would take off my negative feelings. I'm now being told it will smell of leather. Read as dead animal. 10 percent discount from Seat and I could cope with the partners views, no appropriate discount and I could spend a couple of thousand more and solve the dead animal seating issue, bigger boot, adjustable rear seats, get 20" bi colour wheels plus the active cockpit display that's only on a few VWs and hasn't made it to Seat yet. A VW only goody. Could be goodbye Seat after 12 years, hello mothership VW.

I'm keeping the situation under review but intransigence by Seat on discounting will lead me to look elsewhere. Personally I think it's daft to put a deposit on a build if you aren't planning on paying the RRP or a finance plan that's going to cost you. For a cash buyer neither of these you want and Seat aren't dealing. Their offered product range is defective at the top end if you don't want leather seats, veggies and Hindus will be looking elsewhere for starters (assuming cow, if pig something else). So Im disillusioned with how it's turning out but I do have a probable better fall back option that will give me less partner grief which met with their approval (passes the veggie dead animals test on seating and smell). You have had a Fiat, a Citroën and a Seat so it's time to have a VW was said....
 

Tell

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It's so irritating on the leather seats only option, cloth is available on the German spec ones. If you look at the website they don't cost thousands on £ more. 900 Euros for something you don't want.

http://konfigurator.seat.de/seat-cc...0340B6164FC0E6097263D874B2.jvm2?msk=1#carline

Light hearted look at cloth verses leather here, cloth won but good points on either side.

https://blog.consumerguide.com/cloth-vs-leather/

To me just plain stupid not to offer the customer a choice at the top end and railroad them into something that some people clearly don't want. They have pretty lost my order. The canny Germans get the choice.

Making a car decision you want to minimise your regrets after the event. No discounts and sticky leather seating are likely to turn into big regrets as people claim 15 percent discounts a few months in, you burn your bum on the leather, I get veggie remarks about it. So whilst I would like to stick to Seat there are significant issues and a set of regrets lined up after purchase. The VW route with the new all electronic dashboard you do wonder that it might fail leaving you stranded with no instrumentation doing an Aston Martin 80's car thing on you.

Seems to me the Ateca has too many compromises. Move able rear seats would have given it equality with its sister car to enlarge the boot for flexibility. I could have traded that one if it had cloth seats. Storage is also more limited. The cubby glasses holder under the steering wheel isn't in the Ateca and sealing one is deleted if you have a panoramic roof. You don't get the top dash safe storage area as on it's sister car. Good looks but a load of negatives for the fully specified 4x4 DSG including sticky leather seats. It would have been quite easy to have given a cloth option, put in the move able rear seats to trade boot space, extra storage and talk discounts. But nope. Best of it, the Ateca cloth option in the Xclellance is available in Germany so it would have been no big deal to option it in for the UK.
 

rambalad

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Nov 1, 2013
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Merseyside
I have to say I am losing interest in the new model due to SUK mis-marketing. I mean who wants a 1.0 litre petrol engined First Edition? It might be worth looking at Motorpoint for when they start importing them from Ireland. It's where I got my Irish Altea many years ago and they currently have a load of good spec delivery mileage Leon's in stock.

Other than that the smaller Audi Q2 looks good and that new Toyota coming soon.
 

Tell

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I have to say I am losing interest in the new model due to SUK mis-marketing. I mean who wants a 1.0 litre petrol engined First Edition? It might be worth looking at Motorpoint for when they start importing them from Ireland. It's where I got my Irish Altea many years ago and they currently have a load of good spec delivery mileage Leon's in stock.

Other than that the smaller Audi Q2 looks good and that new Toyota coming soon.

I did check out the Irish Seat site. Brown leather is standard on the Xcellance, 113 Euro for black. No cloth. Least they give you a choice of leather colours plus one more metallic paint. Seat UK specs look trimmed back for no apparent reason if they are built to order. Just a marketing man's approach of saying you can only have it like this whilst other markets give you more options. That generally is the VW approach so it seems that you mix and match more, Seat seems to say you will have this or not at all, you will like leather since we are not offering anything else. Whether this has something to do with them churned out for the rental non owner market, pass on that. Seems to be Henry Ford approach on their top line spec where you would expect them to offer a better choice, not a restricted one and pamper to us with the cash.

As for guys moving from Leons to this. I sat in two Tiguans at the weekend. First one seat adjusted correctly, second I was sitting on the floor, I fell a considerable distance. The manager who drove a Golf GTI had this one, so he had to replicate the GTI siting on the floor position. Expect to see a lot of Leon drives taking the Ateca test drive with just their heads slightly showing above the steering wheel ☺. Oh there goes another Leon driver.

Some people put their back seats on rails using Golf parts for the Altea, I could see people doing that for the Ateca if they could as a project but I don't fancy stripping off the leather myself. Fairly fundamental mistake I think they have made on their Henry Ford approach to the leather only upholstery to the Xcellance.

So I remain a floating voter on the Ateca, dealers have yet to win me over and the package is floored at the top end. It has it's good points that I doubt you are buying into a car that will be remodelled frequently so like the Altea you won't feel you are driving yesterday's car. The technology isn't the latest VW, Leons don't have that either. For me no cloth seats is the biggest issue and mistake by the Seat UK on their top end car. That's pretty fundamental. That means I keep my cash since they aren't making offers I can't refuse and look at other makes and their offers.
 

FRTSIman

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Aug 2, 2013
189
2
Well, SEAT UK have definitely 100% lost me as a potentially very likely Ateca customer, due to the lack of any petrol DSG 2-wheel drive option in the UK! I would have very seriously considered the Ateca as a replacement for my brilliant 3-year old 1.8TSi petrol DSG Leon Mk3 at the end of this year, if SEAT had offered UK customers a DSG 2-wheel drive 1.4 ACT, 1.8 or 2.0 petrol version of the Ateca! I'll now possibly consider the new Audi Q2 instead! I'm really extremely disappointed and frustrated at the continuing obsession with diesel as the versions with the widest range of engine options in the UK!

On the other hand, I may find (once full details are published) that the Audi Q2 is grossly over-priced, simply for the priviledge of displaying the 5 rings on the radiator grill, in which case, this option will also be of no practical use to me either..............
 
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