Cupra Ateca VZ1 or Audi Q3 S Line

[Akinci]

Hey all,

New to forum, test drove a 2021 Cupra Ateca VZ2 today. I want to stay below £40k RRP to avoid the increased road tax so looking at the 2020 facelift VZ1.

Really struggling to decide whether to get this or the Audi Q3 2019 S Line 40 TFSI (190BHP). I knows its biased but as alot are owners of this car are on here, wanted to get some feedback. I really enjoyed both cars but to me the Audi is a more comfortable cruiser, bigger boot 530L and a bit nicer interior. The Cupra in my opinion is more fun to drive due the power, exhaust and more technology for the money i.e. DCC, park and self park assist /w rear/top camera - don't get me wrong the ride comfort/interior on the Cupra is really nice and major upgrade over my current 2014 Leon FR 1.4.

Also does anyone know if the VZ1 comes with the beats sound system and electric tailgate? I know the VZ2 has both with the electric tailgate and virtual pedal but wondered if the VZ1 just has electric tailgate instead?

Thanks,

 

[Mike the_cupra]

I very much doubt you'd notice the difference in boot space. The only real difference would be the 4drive system in the Ateca over the Q3, the difference is about 40 litres. Both cars are essentially the same on the VW MQB platform (please correct me if I'm wrong). If the Ateca has more tech than the Q3, then that would be the obvious choice for me. I don't think the VZ1 has beats, electric tailgate, or adaptive cruise control. But if you can do without those...

 

[BigJase88]

I would much rather be in the Audi. All personal preference i guess. Residuals probably be better in the Audi too

 

[rafletcher]

I bought my Cupra Ateca, because I wanted the perfomance and 4drive that my S3 had, but with more comfort and convenience, and I got both. The Q3 was just waay too much money for the same spec - but as Jase says, it's generally a nicer looking cabin, and residuals may well be better if that's important to you.

 

[Mike the_cupra]

I looked at a Tiguan 190 which went over the £40k mark for a worse spec. If you don't want a fast car there's loads of choice. But you get more car and more tech in the Cupra. I doubt there's much in the residuals, especially now the Tiguan R is like £45k. Any 300PS EA888 will hold their value well, especially when paired with an SUV.

 

[pinky1959]

We have just bought a VZ1 Cupra and it is brilliant , Doesn't have beats or electric boot but is so comfy and great to drive (I am 6 ft 8 tall and have plenty of room .) It really stands out on the road (Silver >)
Are you doing brand new factory build or looking for a car in stock as I think from what I was told the cars are getting scarce ?

 

[Akinci]

I was looking at cars in stock, your right there's not many available. Think I will go with the Audi as there both quattro, my biggest gripe is the Ateca is like a transplant from the Leon interior and had my current Leon for 5 years. So really in comparison the Cupra has the full parking pack with cameras where the Audi will have sensors and reverse cam which is fine with me.

Thanks for your comments everyone, helpful to get insight for both cars.

 

[johnd]

Interestingly I'm considering going in the opposite direction - Q3 Sportback 45TFSI (quattro of course) to the Ateca VZ2 (or maybe Formentor VZ2 - not sure which way I might jump!). Main motivation is the extra power in the Cupra's. 45TFSI is OK, but 300bhp would be around 30% more, which is non-trivial. And that's even taking into account using the Q3 with the gearbox in S mode rather than D, which is pretty essential to getting sharper gear shifts and making faster progress. Problem is that there's no SQ3 model. There is RSQ3 of course but that's almost too much power (400bhp) to be useful on most UK roads, plus it has some drawbacks - higher trims can only be had with 21" wheels and 35 profile tyres, which doesn't appeal too much. And no spare wheel available on this trim either. But cost, value for money and depreciation are significant factors too.

Two things are holding me back. One is that Q3 Vorsprung has pretty much all the toys including things like 360 camera. But second is the toy I'd miss most would be the Google Earth display on the large central display that is standard, certainly on Vorsprung, maybe on other trims too.

Q3 interior is nice-ish but there's definitely a feel that corners have been cut in the interior spec even on Vorsprung - no memory on the seats, no heated steering wheel and the quality of some plastics is just so-so. I do quite like the shape of the Q3 Sportback, certainly at rest, but not quite so sure when I see another one moving on the road, somehow it always looks slightly ungainly. It does have a bit of a tendency to understeer as well, ie the front is reluctant to tuck in eg when powering off a fast roundabout. I know the Ateca is no looker either, but I'm thinking that it's 50/50 vs the Q3 - Ateca = more boxy, less sleek but perhaps a more honest shape.

Main minus of Ateca that I can identify is the somewhat more basic and gloomy interior, but also previous generation infotainment. That said I'm not totally in love with Q3 infotainment either - after 18 months I'm still not totally au fait with eg changing a radio station quickly and simply - just seem to need too many presses of too many buttons. you do get the right muscle memory after a while but still wouldn't say that it's 100% intuitive.

 

[BigJase88]

I was looking at cars in stock, your right there's not many available. Think I will go with the Audi as there both quattro, my biggest gripe is the Ateca is like a transplant from the Leon interior and had my current Leon for 5 years. So really in comparison the Cupra has the full parking pack with cameras where the Audi will have sensors and reverse cam which is fine with me.

Thanks for your comments everyone, helpful to get insight for both cars.

Yeah the Ateca interior is an 8 year old design now and does look dated.