[DrWho]

http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/living-with-it/seat-ateca/seat-ateca-xcellence-14-ecotsi-150/

What are your thoughts about it?

 

[Tell]

The fog light warning has been covered here in the past, poor journalists looking for a story again. It's German law you can't speed with fogs on it would be dangerous so the car has a very wide margin then will slap your wrist. Ghizz knows the speed, 40 MPH from memory. There is a way of stopping it but it would just increase the number of loonies that like to drive around in bright light or even in fog at high speed with their fog lights on, so I'm not going to say. Entirely sensible warning.

Covered here

http://atecaforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=417&hilit=fog+lights

 

[Leon]

The journo didn't mention the speed that they were traveling at on the M25. Might have been useful in his conclusion?

 

[Excalibrates]

I've done just under 2000 miles in my car now and I think that's a pretty fair and balanced commentary. I'd agree with nearly everything in it (apart from the SEAT Sound upgrade - I don't have any experience of that).

I calculated my mpg by hand on my last fill up and as the reviewer says, I found it 4mpg short of what the trip computer claimed. So that will need an eye keeping on it.

But overall - pretty much spot on IMO. Living with a car is very different from doing a simple review of it. I still think it's an excellent car and the pick of that market segment - and remarkable value for money compared with its peers.

 

[Golfmk56]

The journo didn't mention the speed that they were traveling at on the M25. Might have been useful in his conclusion?

I can see where the journo is coming from. Even if there is a max. speed limit that triggers a warning message, the car is obviously stationary in the photo, so why didn't the message disappear when the car fell below the speed parameter?

If the driver has to acknowledge the message each time it appears, that'd annoy me too - worse still it'd put me off using my fogs.

No excuses for the window issue tho.

 

[Leon]

I can see where the journo is coming from. Even if there is a max. speed limit that triggers a warning message, the car is obviously stationary in the photo, so why didn't the message disappear when the car fell below the speed parameter?

Have you tried putting the rear fogs on whilst the car is stationary on a clear day? Does it display turn off rear fog light? The photo is for illustration purposes not conclusive evidence. If he had put the speed he was traveling at (say 20mph) and the warning came on, I might give it more credence. That was my point.

 

[Tell]

I suspect they montaged the image into a stationary car from when it was showing or frigged with the car's computer to set 0 mph as the warning limit (although I wasn't going to mention how to adjust it). The window is probably going.

 

[Saggy]

They warn above 40 ..... but goes off a few mins then tells you again

I left min on with the occasional warning until I had traffic behind me that I knew knew I was there and I switched them off

Wasn't a big deal

 

[Tell]

Saggy was that you carrying out a test for the board or anti social behaviour. I'll take the first. I think they photoshopped them into that picture. Mind you if they are on for a minute, slapped the brakes on and took the picture. Think they were short of something to say.

 

[Leon]

Mind you if they are on for a minute, slapped the brakes on and took the picture. Think they were short of something to say.

Not a good idea to slap the brakes on to take picture whilst on the M25!! :lol:

 

[Saggy]

tell that was my experience last week

I Knew to expect it coz if posts here

I am wondering how they got alert to show when stationary

 

[NeilW]

Not seen it myself yet but does it normally cover the clock and gear indicator? Reminds me of the safelock warning I get.

 

[dasalias]

I haven't done many miles in my 1.4 TSI as yet, but I think the review is pretty accurate. I can compare the Ateca directly with my previous 1.4 TSI Skoda Octavia and I agree that the Ateca seems slower to accelerate from low revs, perhaps needing a lower gear out of junctions/roundabouts etc. I think the acceleration at the top end seems about the same. Mpg is about 42.5 according to the trip computer. This is comparable to the Octavia, although I haven't had the opportunity to conduct a real world check. Ateca versus Octavia? Ateca for me.

 

[Tell]

Entirely stupid driving in fog at 40 MPH. If you can safely go at that speed you don't need your fog lights on. Rear fog lights are for pea soupers where the tail lights disappear. If you can see the tail lights you don't need the fogs on.

The journalists would have been better pointing out the safety features of it forcing drivers to be sensible in the use. When fogs are on you can't see the brake lights so you end up shunting the person.... although may be or not the other feature may stop you.

Visibility was down to 50 metres and the electronic information boards on the M25 were showing 'FOG, SLOW DOWN'. These were exactly the type of conditions foglights are designed for.

Yeah and you have been doing at least 40 MPH in those road conditions with visibility at 50 metres in patches... he does look like a boyracer thou.

 

[Saggy]

Entirely stupid driving in fog at 40 MPH. If you can safely go at that speed you don't need your fog lights on. Rear fog lights are for pea soupers where the tail lights disappear. If you can see the tail lights you don't need the fogs on.

The journalists would have been better pointing out the safety features of it forcing drivers to be sensible in the use. When fogs are on you can't see the brake lights so you end up shunting the person.... although may be or not the other feature may stop you

My case
Main A road
Fog patchy
Travelling about 50mph

Cars coming at possible speed behind me would be playing a game of now you see me, now you don't, just as I had been as I approached traffic ahead

My choice was leave in until vehicle behind me, covering my arse so to speak

Then I switched off so as not to blind him

To me that is sensible. I hurt no one by having them on till that point but I protected myself !!

 

[Ghiggz]

I'm also surprised they have gone down the 'pull out always on' style button for the fogs also..
every other car i've had until now has one touch electronic fog buttons (like the stop/start one), so when you turn off ignition they reset to off and you are forced to turn them back on again IF NEEDED...
with the Ateca setup you can leave the fogs on for days without realising as the switch is pulled out..
maybe that's why the warning is also there??

 

[Tell]

That may be standard VW switch gear the assumption is you turn your lights off by hand going anti clockwise when you park up if you haven't got automatic or with automatic you leave them at that. To get them back to automatic you have to take the fog lights off. They might have also reduced the size of the warning light you use to get on the dash when fog lights were on.

 

[Golfmk56]

Reading this post I just don't get the logic. If the fog warning comes on because you're driving too fast, surely the warning message should be reading 'slow down'?

There's normally an orange warning light on the dash to tell you your fogs are on so not sure why I'd also need the message display to tell me.

PS - what about front fogs? Does a warning message appear if you inadventantly leave your front fogs on whilst 'driving too fast for the conditions' , or in daylight, or whatever?

It all stinks of something every manufacturer is guilty off these days - they just don't know where to stop with warning messages. When you think on it, if the warning message does come on whilst driving in thick fog at over 40mph or whatever someone determines is too fast - wouldn't it be safer keeping your eyes on the road than having to look at the panel and take action to acknowladge the message?

 

[Tell]

The car is implementing German law where it's illegal to drive above 40 kph in fog. Fog lights on mean fog speed limits apply. The car is allowing you to break German law by a margin of
30 percent before it warns you.

It can be disabled by Vagcom. I think it's on Golf Mk7s. You find it posted up.

 

[trogette]

We had a Mk3 Fiesta, back in the day, company car. The fog-light switch was right in front of the gear stick, if you were a bit energetic with changing into 3rd you accidentally switched them on. At least there's no chance of that! Was ace in snow though, heavy diesel engine, tiny car, skinny tyres...