SEAT is Becoming Cupra - Ateca Buying Advice

[ateca_23]

Hi guys, I'm in the midst of buying a nearly new (<5k miles) SEAT Ateca Xperience Lux automatic 1.5 eco tsi 23 plate from an approved used SEAT dealership. Quite happy with the price paying approx 26k and they are giving me £3k for my 10 year old vauxhall. I'm happy with the spec of the car and any higher spec (historically) would be the 300hp Cupra types (as they were exclusively high performance cars). But I've just realised that SEAT will cease to exist in the next few years and Cupra will effectively become SEAT to a large extent (Cupra will have more basic trims- essentially a SEAT badge change to Cupra).
So what I'm wondering, is it worth pulling out buying my 1.5 eco tsi SEAT and attempting to get a 1.5 eco tsi Cupra for a similar-ish price in like 6 months?
I've currently signed a contract and paid a £200 deposit, but I'm a cash buyer and I've done the deal at distance i.e. internet/phone (so I should have more buyer protection, in theory) and i have not received the car or paid the outstanding amount of £20k+
My two specific questions are:
1) what would you guys do in general, try to get a Cupra version of the 1.5 Ateca for the same price?
2) do i have a leg to stand on to pull out of the deal?

Thanks in advance for any insights. I'm new here and also new to buy a car at this price (hence the wobble!)

 

[Tell]

Well Seats will continue to be built for some time. Suppose to be no new specific models will come of the market with a Seat badge, no new designs since they haven't announced any as the Cupra badge is the new flagship. Probably positioned up market from where it is. Possibly / probably Skoda will take the Seat slot. Well of course there are plenty of Seat Cupra cars about before they split the brand into two. Those people are happy with their Cupra Leon 3 etc.

I wouldn't worry about it, new Cupra brand models will be EVs so the petrol / diesel side models will go out of production 2030 - 2035. The dealership is more interesting that Cupra dealers are spread more thinly. Whether they have been told the process yet to become Cupra ones, pass. What happens to the Spanish factory pass. Thoughts are they will close. Ateca is made in the Czech Republic along side the Skoda Karoq. Tarraco is made in Germany alongside the Allspace.

Models coming along from Cupra announced are on the Cupra side of the board. EVs unless I have missed something. The Tavascan next year.

The CUPRA Tavascan concept car becomes a reality | CUPRA

The future is here, and it is electric. Meet the CUPRA Tavascan concept car, CUPRA’s first all-electric road vehicle, with the most advanced car technology.

www.cupraofficial.com

I'd sort of expect a smaller version later to replace the Ateca. The Tavascan I reckon fits into the Tarraco / Allspace / Kodiaq slot. Where you look at VAG chassis plans and work out what fits what. That's an ID5. So you'd expect something on an ID4... probably will be told what that is.

You eyeball the VW ID series and cross reference:

Volkswagen ID. series - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

One suspects it's an ID4 version that would be the Ateca replacement.

MEB platform:

Volkswagen Group MEB platform - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Then you place the Cupra Raval and Cupra Terramar. Terramar is supposed to be a hybrid. That probably won't happen.

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Question was

On 1. Seat's will be around for a bit 5+ years at least. It's conceivable they could say from that day on all Atecas wil be badged Cupra at some stage or just run with the same two brands. Nothing wrong with driving a Seat Ateca over the Cupra Ateca with the same spec and enjoying the savings of nearly new Seat v a new Cupra made on the same production line.

On 2. suspect you wouldn't get the deposit back.

Will pass on the actual value of the deal. The Seat brand demise won't happen overnight. Cupra is taking the brand upmarket. Reckon they got to decide what they are going to do with the Spanish factory on the Leon / Arona etc front first before the existing shared models where they brand get the branding dropped. Seat brand will die as each model comes to the of its life, that will be 2035 with petrol and diesel phased out. I'd say 10 years, if you want a completely new model designed by the Spanish design centre it's going to be a Cupra. VAG will have to be careful to manage their Seat / Cupra dealerships regionally.

​

 

[ateca_23]

Hi Tell,

Firstly thanks for taking the time to reply- I've only been on the forum for a short period of time and have noticed your presence in helping others out on their queries- appreciate you likewise helping me out.

Ok I'll need to do my homework and look into the links provided- thank you for the effort gone to.

I'm assuming that if i was to pull out I'll not get the deposit back, and that's fine, i thought that's what the deposit was for- refundable when the deal is done, lost otherwise.

Apart from the Cupra Ateca 1.5 V2 having cupra styling and a heated steering wheel, it's exactly like a SEAT Ateca Lux in terms of features, but it appears to cost the best part of 10k more at the minute and i suspect that is because Cupra is currently still assumed to be the the 'top of the line SEAT' but as we know Cupra/VAG is pivoting on this to have lesser trim and smaller engine Cupras (that are like more like SEATS of old/present).

I think car-wise the car I'm looking to but is good in any respect, but I'm thinking that when i try to sell in a few years time the fact that 'SEATs aren't made anymore' will negatively impact the car's fuel valuation, and that's what I'd like to avoid if i could.

Thanks again.

 

[jcbmally]

I think your looking to much into it, I would save the money and get the one you have looked at. A car is only worth what someone is willing to give you regardless of if it’s still made or not. I remember when SAAB folded the cars still sold and still do. Cupra or Seat, it’s still an Ateca unless you go for a new Cupra model. Cupra quality has stepped up but personally I think, as Cupra, they run the risk of loosing customers due to pricing, especially with what’s in the market from other makers. My opinion of course but the Ateca is a very good car but most of all get what you really want.

 

[ateca_23]

I think your looking to much into it, I would save the money and get the one you have looked at. A car is only worth what someone is willing to give you regardless of if it’s still made or not. I remember when SAAB folded the cars still sold and still do. Cupra or Seat, it’s still an Ateca unless you go for a new Cupra model. Cupra quality has stepped up but personally I think, as Cupra, they run the risk of loosing customers due to pricing, especially with what’s in the market from other makers. My opinion of course but the Ateca is a very good car but most of all get what you really want.

Thanks jcbmally, some good points in there and I'll take them onboard. True a car is only worth what others will give you for it, but it's also true what people will give you for it could be influenced if the badge ceases to exist (or it's superceded) for example. But i accept your Saab point- well put.
It looks to me that VAG are trying to thin out their mid range offerings as it's getting saturated and consolidate Cupra and SEAT. It'll be interesting how they price the Cupra range and trims as right now they seem as expensive as VW.

 

[Tell]

Well Seats are going to be around till they repurpose that Spanish factory or / and alter the Seat dealership network to let Cupras be sold in them. Time horizons must be 2035 at the latest. 5 years is what dealers are told so I understand. They could take any new offerings from Skoda and slap a Seat badge on them given there are no new models coming out of Seat now.

I wouldn't worry about it. There will be face lifts of existing models but then you are looking at the new Cupra EV range for the rest. The Cupra Atecas were traditionally the fully specced big engine Atecas with added bling. They dropped how you could buy the Ateca on the Seat side as I think on Skoda and VW. So I've got stuff on mine (optional extras) not available now on a Seat Atecas. 360, panoramic roof etc. It was a rub to me that after having 360 for parking you wouldn't go back so any future model would have to be a Cupra. Over thinking on my part given that it's all Cupra in the long term as it turns out.

Btw it did irritate some Cupra Ateca owners when they put that 1.5 TSI engine on the range. I'd buy and enjoy (the Seat Ateca). The petrol and diesel will be old hat in 10 years time if you keep it as long as the other so branding won't be important.

You could be scientific look at the used price of Ateca Seat and Cupra 1.5 TSI, the price new, deprecated and extrapolate if the TSI has been sold long enough in Cupra form. Sort of thing I'd attempt to do. Work out whether the badge kept it's value.

On a general point the Ateca isn't cursed with the MQB Evo platform issues as the Leon 4 and Formentor that goes across the whole of the Vag range. Those issues are suppose to be, being fixed. Just mib3 issues which are not so great.

 

[Tell]

Mind you, you could always buy a Karoq which is identical to an Ateca but not as good looking (the front being more ugly). That way you won't have a car with a discontinued badge .

History was the Spanish design team gave the design drawings to the Skoda factory so they converted them into build instructions then on the back of that they built the Karoq some months later. Same pressed steel and fittings. The Skoda practical bits got built into the Karoq which aren't in the Ateca but I never said that. More storage bays I recall.

 

[ateca_23]

Mind you, you could always buy a Karoq which is identical to an Ateca but not as good looking (the front being more ugly). That way you won't have a car with a discontinued badge .

History was the Spanish design team gave the design drawings to the Skoda factory so they converted them into build instructions then on the back of that they built the Karoq some months later. Same pressed steel and fittings. The Skoda practical bits got built into the Karoq which aren't in the Ateca but I never said that. More storage bays I recall.

Hi Tell, yeah i think Cupra having the 1.5L engines is the VAG strategy pivot to bring Cupra down to absorb SEAT models under the one single badge. Because lets be honest the SEAT 2.0L TDi would rinse it by about 2 seconds 0-60mph. A SEAT rinsing a Cupra?? Well this looks like what the future VAG strategy is; looks like they are trying to get customer to buy SEATS by giving them Cupra badges. Quite clever actually, but those with a 'real' Cupra will be a bit pis*ed of that the badge doesn't stand for top of the range anymore.

Also, after doing a bit of research into the Cupra Ateca 1.5L, the better 'V2' trim (yes, there are now multiple trims) doesn't have adjusted cruise control like on the Ateca Lux. The Cupra V2 has a heated steering wheel, bucket seats and Cupra styling (cupra badge and bumpers).

So it's interesting stuff, but essentially from my POV, VAG are consolidating the SEAT and Cupra brands and sacrificing the "Cupra= max performance+trim".

I'm not a fan of the Karoq. As much as it's very similar to the Ateca and reviewers gush over it, it's not as nice on the outside and a bit cheaper inside The seats are cool though.

Have a skim through the 5(!) Cupra Ateca trims being offered now:

Cupra Ateca | Specifications & Dimensions

A complete overview of the Cupra Ateca specs and dimensions. Find out about its size, boot space, equipment, and more.

www.carwow.co.uk

Cheers

 

[jcbmally]

It is a shame that the Cupra brand has been watered down with smaller engines. I remember one of the first Black Leon Cupras around my end looked the nuts and when they took off I was like “wow, I want one”.
Now so many look the same so I play “guess the proper one” by looking at the exhaust outlets etc. But it’s the way of most manufacturers, get them looking like a proper performance car and put an engine in that is economical, cheap to insure etc for the masses.
One thing I will say though is the quality/fit/finish in the Formentor I had was really good, it was way better than my mates Golf R and another Mercedes A Class. The Ateca isn’t as good but it makes up for it with kit I suppose, anyway we all like different things and I applaud that, boring place if we all ran around in the same stuff.

 

[Tell]

Well it's doing a circle from Seat with an additional label of Seat Cupra on it. To the brand split then all under Cupra. Perhaps you'll get Cupra Sporty and Cupra Not So Sporty . If its defined by battery size and whether one or two motors, the size tricky perhaps to tell plus interior seating etc. May be actual different models. It's a wait and see how it unfolds. ICE cars will be dead for new models in 10 years time. We know that. That China factory one suspects is pretty key to Vag. Exciting times.

 

[ateca_23]

I think they will all look sporty (let's be honest, when it comes to the Ateca the difference between the Cupra and SEAT is the lower bumpers and grill that's slightly different) and just the engine size and interior gadgets will differ. Basically Cupra isn't the top trim and engine anymore, it's a range. You might be ultimately right though, it may just devolve into SEAT again with non sporty entry level trims
I'm planning on not going electric until I'm economically forced to by the government (tax me so it hurts). Filling up with petrol is still too convenient and as time goes on I'm sceptical that the EV infrastructure will always be ahead of the demand, for me i couldn't think of anything worse than to be waiting in a queue of people waiting to charge their cars- that's whole other discussion though.
Out of curiosity, what interests you about EVs... Performance (high acceleration, etc), zero emissions (at car end) or financial benefits (incentives, etc)?

Cheers

 

[Tell]

Electric is the way to go. Charging holds them back. For local motoring home charging if you have a drive is ideal. Holidays, yes you might need to get in a queue or think about planning. Use to do 120 mile round trip commutes daily and I didn't have a drive so that would have been a pain. Rural setting, drive and retired can cope. I'll be thinking 2030 to change. Not before.