Photo: Decoches
The Ateca is without a doubt a major bread-earner in the SEAT household, occupying the sweet spot of the crossover segment under the larger and more expensive Tiguan. But it was never a top contender in the looks department, something the company wants to fix with a facelift next year.
We have some spyshots of our own, including some of the hot 300 horsepower version from Cupra, but the 2021 Ateca has been spied with much less camo by the Spanish blog Decoches. Even though some parts are covered up, you can basically see everything.
First off, there's a new grille, shaped like a hexagon and featuring a new mesh pattern shared with the next Leon hatchback. Headlights are also brand new, not just a revised version of the old setup, which shows SEAT put more money into this facelift than the ones for other cars in the past.
Everything is supposed to look more rounded and posh, which is the new brand direction, started by the Tarraco. After quickly glancing at the diamond-cut wheels, we want to point out that the back sports small changes to the bumper and fresh taillight graphics.
This particular prototype is front-wheel-drive, like most crossovers in Europe, but AWD should be available on some models. New versions of familiar engines will be introduced too, like the mild-hybrid versions for the 115 horsepower 1.0 TSI and 130/150 horsepower 1.5 TSI.
Unless the rumored 1.5 TDI base diesel turns out to be real, the 2.0 TDI will be the only oil-burner available, with outputs ranging from as low as 116 hp to perhaps as much as 200 hp. The Cupra model will obviously survive since it's been spotted with this facelift, but that 300 hp mental setup could be joined by some kind of plug-in hybrid model.
It will be interesting to see how far they go with the interior. Things like a fly-by-wire DSG shifter and tablet screens are in the parts pool, but installing them might not make financial sense.
First off, there's a new grille, shaped like a hexagon and featuring a new mesh pattern shared with the next Leon hatchback. Headlights are also brand new, not just a revised version of the old setup, which shows SEAT put more money into this facelift than the ones for other cars in the past.
Everything is supposed to look more rounded and posh, which is the new brand direction, started by the Tarraco. After quickly glancing at the diamond-cut wheels, we want to point out that the back sports small changes to the bumper and fresh taillight graphics.
This particular prototype is front-wheel-drive, like most crossovers in Europe, but AWD should be available on some models. New versions of familiar engines will be introduced too, like the mild-hybrid versions for the 115 horsepower 1.0 TSI and 130/150 horsepower 1.5 TSI.
Unless the rumored 1.5 TDI base diesel turns out to be real, the 2.0 TDI will be the only oil-burner available, with outputs ranging from as low as 116 hp to perhaps as much as 200 hp. The Cupra model will obviously survive since it's been spotted with this facelift, but that 300 hp mental setup could be joined by some kind of plug-in hybrid model.
It will be interesting to see how far they go with the interior. Things like a fly-by-wire DSG shifter and tablet screens are in the parts pool, but installing them might not make financial sense.
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