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New Ateca Models - is it worth a change?

6K views 12 replies 7 participants last post by  Rory 
#1 ·
I've had my Ateca Xcellence for about 28 months and done 28,500 miles. The dealer has proactively offered my a new model Xcellence Lux 1.5 Petrol for a cost to change of less than 12K. I generally hang on to a car for 3 to 4 years before changing and 12K seems a lot to me for a change after a little more than 2 years. What do you think? Is the 1.5 engine better than the 1.4? Do I need a Lux (they spec'd it because I added top view camera and elec tail gate to my old Xcellence)? They also have one in stock.

Any thoughts appreciated
A2A
 
#2 ·
Was in the exact same position. My Xellence will be 3yr in Feb but we need an auto now. Out of my shortlist of replacement cars, sadly the Ateca was first to go, simply because it's direct replacement was of lesser spec than the car I have and to be honest nothing has changed. Apart from a few little bits here and there an Xcellence Lux is the old Xcellence we have. Don't get me wrong, I love my car but spending all that money for the same thing? IMO Top view camera redundant when you have park assist.

Had a look around at the competition - wanted a small(ish) petrol auto which had a boot capable of carrying golf equipment. A 1L would have done fine but they've dropped the auto and you can't get higher spec cars with that engine so 1.5 it is. Had a brief drive in one... 1.5 supposed to be more refined but I must admit I thought it was more vocal than 1.4tsi That said, it was a cold morning when I test drove the demo.

Had a quick look around and made a shortlist of Q3, Tiguan, Karoq, X1, CX-5 and 3008. ( Q2 too small, VW T-Cross too small, could have got away with a T-Roc but wow how expensive is that and surprised how cheap it felt inside. A Tiguan worked out cheaper in the real-world).

First time ever inside a 3008 - it's certainly different but if you want a car with good spec it was so expensive. Killer was it had hill hold but not auto-hold. Caught me out on many ocassions coming up to traffic lights, the car would hold for a few secs then roll back if on a hill. You need to use the electronic brake like a normal handbrake. VAG's system far superior.

Found BMW dealers frustrating, couldn't get a straight answer out of them as to price. Finally managed to find a car that suited but incredibly it meant my insurance jumping by £300 a year and depreciation was an issue. Massive boot but my Android phone had issues with BMW infotainment. The drive is no 3 series either - I preferred driving the Ateca.

Found Q3 a bit on the basic side to be honest, like all Audi's I would have had to tackle the options list.

Tiguan fitted the bill in SE-L trim ( R-Line wheels ridiculously large ), but the car felt wider than others.

I liked the CX-5 but the engine / auto transmission felt old school. I don't want a non-turbo 2L engine that returned 34mpg just to go around town.

The Karoq on the otherhand. Always preferred Ateca exterior but the karoq interior is superior IMO. Their top model seemed better equipped too not to mention looking better built than the Xcellence Lux. Skoda seem to use more quality feeling parts. Icing on the cake was an extra £1000 on top of existing offers which ended a few days ago.
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the run down of your options Golfmk56. That was an interesting read. Sounds as if the new models don't have anything compelling for the old Xcellence model. The Karoq sounds interesting but maybe I should just gang on to what I have.
 
#4 ·
I moved from a 1.5 petrol Karoq (top trim level) to a 2.0 diesel Areca (top trim level) and other than the Diesel engine suiting me better I think the interior of the Karoq is nicer. The Ateca is a very nice car but the Karoq just edges it on the inside ..... but I wouldn't go back to a VAG 1.5 petrol unless/until the problems are 100% sorted out.
 
#6 ·
One of the reasons I've avoided PCPs and leases is I can pretend depreciation doesn't happen if I never work it out. :) The per month calculation - £429/mth - is a bit of Gulp! moment.

You can get cheaper models, but going for top spec trims is always going to be expensive. I don't think there is a right and wrong answer, or even a 'best thing to do'. We generally buy our family cars new and keep them until something forces a change - I know last time we px'd a 7yr old car the dealer said we'd kept it too long, it was too old for them to retail and most of its value had gone.
 
#7 ·
There's a generally accepted graph of depreciation for the average car. 60% lost in the first 3 years. That being the case, you could only lose a maximum of the last 40% in the next 4 years so all the dealer was doing was getting annoyed as his firm don't sell properly 'used' cars. This PCP consumerism driven car swapping every 2 or 3 years isn't exactly good for the planet.....but is for the dealers/manufacturer/shareholders etc
The only way to fathom the true cost of owning a car is to keep all receipts or costs and do a pence per mile calculation. Done it twice (Yaris diesel over 98k miles/6 years was 22p per mile, Transit Custom 2.2 d was 37p over 48k miles/3 years)
 
#8 ·
Mr-M said:
...but I wouldn't go back to a VAG 1.5 petrol unless/until the problems are 100% sorted out.
I've read about the issues for sometime and the 1.5 was off my shopping list. Started reading of owners having their cars fixed several months ago and I can assure you there is no kangarooing on latest 1.5 DSG. I test drove an Ateca ( from very cold - demo covered in ice ), a Tiguan and now own a Karoq.
 
#9 ·
Accord2Ateca said:
Thanks for the run down of your options Golfmk56. That was an interesting read. Sounds as if the new models don't have anything compelling for the old Xcellence model. The Karoq sounds interesting but maybe I should just gang on to what I have.
If we didn't require an Auto I'd have held on too. Such a good car with a great engine that's never missed a beat. I'm told the reason for the spec changes was due to WLTP - each option adds weight to the car therefore the car has to go thru WLTP tests multiple times. Hasn't stopped Skoda / VW and Audi from offering options so that may well be sales talk.
 
#11 ·
Just had a look at the Spanish website - yes, completely different option list to what SEAT UK import.

My Spanish amounts to 'Ola' so having a bit of difficulty understanding the configuration, but it reminds me of something else that put me off another Ateca - they still use the old tech. For example, the pictures dictate a Blind Spot Monitor with the orange light on the glass. Both VW and SKODA ( probably Audi too?) now have the orange light on the mirror housing - it's more prominent now. SEAT don't seem to offer the high-end 9.2" infotainment and I presume new models still don't have a passenger door mirror that dips when reversing?

I'm assuming these things will be coming SEAT's way soon but seems an awful lot of money to pay for something that's begining to feel a little dated.
 
#13 ·
Golfmk56 said:
Just had a look at the Spanish website - yes, completely different option list to what SEAT UK import.

My Spanish amounts to 'Ola' so having a bit of difficulty understanding the configuration, but it reminds me of something else that put me off another Ateca - they still use the old tech. For example, the pictures dictate a Blind Spot Monitor with the orange light on the glass. Both VW and SKODA ( probably Audi too?) now have the orange light on the mirror housing - it's more prominent now. SEAT don't seem to offer the high-end 9.2" infotainment and I presume new models still don't have a passenger door mirror that dips when reversing?

I'm assuming these things will be coming SEAT's way soon but seems an awful lot of money to pay for something that's begining to feel a little dated.
If you use Google Chrome it should translate automatically.

The differences across VAG brands has always happened - years ago we got an Ibiza because the Polo at the time still had a cassette player.
 
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