Potential new Ateca owner, advice needed.

Aaz

May 21, 2011
513
0
Kent, England
Hi all,

I am looking at a few options for my next car and the Ateca is very high on that list. I am after a bit of owner feedback.

Need help with picking the engine, torn between 1.4TSI or 2.0TDI, would prefer DSG.

How does the 1.4tsi perform? Is it as economical as it says?
Does the DSG and 4drive combination make the 2.0tdi not very economical?

Other running costs, I assume the 1.4tsi would be cheaper to maintain?

I do around 10k miles a year and would be buying used.
I have constantly switched between petrol & diesel cars, currently have a petrol 2014 mazda3 2.0, now but part of me wants to go back to diesel for the power & MPG, however if the 2.0tdi is not that economical, then I may be swayed.

Thanks in advance.
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Hi all,

I am looking at a few options for my next car and the Ateca is very high on that list. I am after a bit of owner feedback.

Need help with picking the engine, torn between 1.4TSI or 2.0TDI, would prefer DSG.

How does the 1.4tsi perform? Is it as economical as it says?
Does the DSG and 4drive combination make the 2.0tdi not very economical?

Other running costs, I assume the 1.4tsi would be cheaper to maintain?

I do around 10k miles a year and would be buying used.
I have constantly switched between petrol & diesel cars, currently have a petrol 2014 mazda3 2.0, now but part of me wants to go back to diesel for the power & MPG, however if the 2.0tdi is not that economical, then I may be swayed.

Thanks in advance.
icon_e_biggrin.gif

I wonder why you were asking about the 1.4 TSI rather than 1.5 TSI till I read the bit about purchasing second hand. 1.5 TSI only coming to the Ateca in My19. Then it has leap frogging issues which are now being solved with reprogramming. I know it had a reputation before it came to the Ateca. The issue goes across the Vag brand.

If second hand with 10,000 mile annual use the old one rolled out about don't have a diesel may not apply since it's probably devalued by now and it's what you like. 4Drive at launch in the UK was only available on the 2.0 TDI, not on anything else. I wanted 4Drive due to possible snowy conditions in rural use. Getting on for 3 years service costs are not great although I did get a free service plan due to a misbuild on the lack of wireless charger.

From memory I'm getting about 45 mpg. Range is about 450 miles or so. The do the active / passive regeneration every 200 miles, nothing to get too excited about. Active and you turn off you hear the fan running. Passive does it without extra fuel if going fast. It sorts itself out. Don't do short runs in it. No good for SCR which is what is on the 2.0 TDI. Mixed use is fine, not school runs / station runs only. It is DSG.
 

Aaz

May 21, 2011
513
0
Kent, England
I too would like 4drive ideally, however I can be swayed against if running costs are not great. SEAT do fixed priced servicing, so would it not be the same price regarding that? £195 for minor service, £295 for major service. I get the extra cost for the 4x4 but is it that much extra? Also there is AdBlue to take into account if I’m correct, albeit it’s fairly cheap and last a while.

I like the power of the diesel over the petrol, concerns are the resale value and the extra sanction on diesels that will eventually come in, being a Euro6 engine it should be fine for a good few years yet I would think. Regardless, I do still favour the diesel with 4drive. I think I overthink things bit too much!

The one I was looking at was £19,490 2.0TDI 190, 4drive, Xcellence. 35k miles. MY66. However, I feel I could get some money knocked off that price.

What exactly is a short run classed as? Less than 5 miles I guess? My commute to and from work is a 24mile round trip, mixed roads. It would get longer runs occasionally at weekends.
 

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I too would like 4drive ideally, however I can be swayed against if running costs are not great. SEAT do fixed priced servicing, so would it not be the same price regarding that? £195 for minor service, £295 for major service. I get the extra cost for the 4x4 but is it that much extra? Also there is AdBlue to take into account if I’m correct, albeit it’s fairly cheap and last a while.

I like the power of the diesel over the petrol, concerns are the resale value and the extra sanction on diesels that will eventually come in, being a Euro6 engine it should be fine for a good few years yet I would think. Regardless, I do still favour the diesel with 4drive. I think I overthink things bit too much!

The one I was looking at was £19,490 2.0TDI 190, 4drive, Xcellence. 35k miles. MY66. However, I feel I could get some money knocked off that price.

What exactly is a short run classed as? Less than 5 miles I guess? My commute to and from work is a 24mile round trip, mixed roads. It would get longer runs occasionally at weekends.

The Adblue is a minuscule cost, about £7 or so for 7,000 or so miles or something like that. You fill it up at a lorry / van Adblue pump. It's the old school people that slush it in with a bottle. The pumps auto stop. Put gloves on and wash any spills off the paint immediately. I just rinse down the filler cap and surface down after. You get plenty of warning on the need to top up the Adblue. Starts at 1,100 or so miles. Filler is under the flap next to the diesel cap.

The maintenance plan work out cheaper than the individual minor / major services. 4Drive according to Honest John, 4drive fluid should be changed at 3 years. Yet to check what the manual says. It does work well in snow.

24 miles would be fine. It's a life of 2 miles at a time that is no good for SCR since it never regenerates fully. Then at 80,000 under normal use they clog up the SCR filter but not there yet and you get them cleaned.

Edit.

The other thing I was going to say from the My19 Seat changed how they sold Ateca. Up to then you could add on as much luxury as you wanted from new so second hand cars may well be specified beyond what you can get now. Assumed due to Brexit and the exchange rate Seat deleted quite a few extras. So you will find variability on what's on the Xcellance cars if the first owner well specified them whilst others didn't. I bought everything apart from the tow hook. Now having the pleasure of luxuires you cant get now :).

I see it shows I have an Irish flag at the minute.... I'm on holiday. I did buy it in the UK and live there in (the UK).:sleepy:
 
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DEAN0

Old Git
Feb 1, 2006
5,288
300
Preston - UK
The other thing I was going to say from the My19 Seat changed how they sold Ateca. Up to then you could add on as much luxury as you wanted from new so second hand cars may well be specified beyond what you can get now. Assumed due to Brexit and the exchange rate Seat deleted quite a few extras. So you will find variability on what's on the Xcellance cars if the first owner well specified them whilst others didn't. I bought everything apart from the tow hook. Now having the pleasure of luxuires you cant get now :).

The change was due to WLTP emissions testing.

Every separate option would need a new WLTP emissions test and this made it too complex and expensive to offer.

Now you have very few options so the testing cost can be kept to a minimum.
 

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The change was due to WLTP emissions testing.

Every separate option would need a new WLTP emissions test and this made it too complex and expensive to offer.

Now you have very few options so the testing cost can be kept to a minimum.

But then you get all those options on German Seats and elsewhere in Europe with the same testing so I reckon it's just heresay evidence. Stuff that dealers say. They have really stripped back what you can buy in the UK against what's available so elsewhere in Europe. Subwoofer system deleted, TSR deleted, navigation plus deleted etc. Virtual pedal not on the Tarraco etc.

Trying to keep prices down as the pound has shifted by just building a limited line for the UK working on the basis that 95% of them or so are never technically owned in the UK so it's their fleet and they want to have cars lined up for selling on.
 

DEAN0

Old Git
Feb 1, 2006
5,288
300
Preston - UK
But then you get all those options on German Seats and elsewhere in Europe with the same testing so I reckon it's just heresay evidence. Stuff that dealers say. They have really stripped back what you can buy in the UK against what's available so elsewhere in Europe. Subwoofer system deleted, TSR deleted, navigation plus deleted etc. Virtual pedal not on the Tarraco etc.

Trying to keep prices down as the pound has shifted by just building a limited line for the UK working on the basis that 95% of them or so are never technically owned in the UK so it's their fleet and they want to have cars lined up for selling on.

The rest of Europe takes Left hand Drive cars so paying for a WLTP test makes sence for the manufacturer.
RHD cars do not account for enough volume to warrant the WLTP investment.
 
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I just built all of this on the Eire Seat site :). Spot what you can't now buy in the UK. Rest my case :).


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I picked the brown seats since I knew they aren't available in the UK.... mine are black :) (incredibly hot this time of year in the sun).

The car alarms they don't install in Spain either. Think that's a VCDS trick to turn it on.

You got all the luxuries on that as mine, virtual pedal, navigation plus, Seat sound system but now sold as Beats with the sub woofer, Heated Windscreen, Panoramic roof, full advanced driving pack.

All the goodies which you can't buy now together. Didn't see park assist on that list thou that gives you full ultrasound useful for hedges in tight roads and row parking without line markings visible where Top View is the best method for precise parking of the Ateca. They were selling Mapcare which Seat UK don't which means you are stuffed with the Plus unless you get it modded.

The Ateca launch PDF with the full spec can be found with the Google "PDF the new seat ateca - Seat Media Center" so anybody looking at the second hand market can check to see what was on the original build. The build codes will reveal all if a dealer prints them off. The levels of driver assistance pack was the confusing thing in the launch material. They are bundles of VW safety features. It's those that have also been lobbed back so you don't get TSR (although it can be turned on with lane assist via vcds), you don't get the city traffic jam option where the car will come to rest and start off again with the flow, only on DSG with the feature.
 
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