Photo: SEAT
SEAT, the Spanish automaker owned by the Volkswagen Group, has prepared a concept car for the 2016 Paris Motor Show. The Ateca X-Perience is slated to make its live debut in the French capital, demonstrating how off-road capable the SEAT Ateca can be.
This is not the first time SEAT has used the X-Perience moniker in its product line. The Leon X-Perience station wagon, for example, in a genuinely good car, albeit its electronically controlled Haldex coupling 4Drive all-wheel-drive system feels more at home on the road rather than off the beaten track. The 15 millimeters (0.6 inches) of additional ground clearance help with softer things like greenlaning, but nothing more.
The Ateca X-Perience Concept, however, benefits from an all-wheel-drive system with a proper off-road driving mode and enough ground clearance to hold its own when the going gets bumpy and muddy. In addition to Snow and Off-Road driving modes, the AWD system also integrates Hill Descent Control. This feature helps when driving down a steep hill: HDC handles braking, the driver is left to focus on steering.
Other than the funky orange tones, non-scratch paintwork, and off-road ready front and rear bumpers, this is your regular SEAT Ateca, down to the engine. Under the hood, the Ateca X-Perience Concept hides a 2.0-liter TDI turbo diesel with 190 PS (187 HP) and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque, which is connected to a dual-clutch transmission.
SEAT is keeping its lips sealed about the prospect of taking the Ateca X-Perience from concept to production, but then again, chances are it will happen. In 2017, the Spanish brand has promised us three new models. Could the Ateca X-Perience be one of them? I sure hope so.
“The X-Perience is an exercise to show the Ateca family’s possibilities and potential in the future. We know that with the Ateca, we can go much further and it will be on display at the Paris Motor Show,” declared Dr. Matthias Rabe, SEAT VP of R&D. “With the Ateca X-Perience we can go beyond that which we already have in the series. It’s for the customer that wants to go further, taking it to the extreme, for weekend adventures, and of course, off-road.”
The Ateca X-Perience Concept, however, benefits from an all-wheel-drive system with a proper off-road driving mode and enough ground clearance to hold its own when the going gets bumpy and muddy. In addition to Snow and Off-Road driving modes, the AWD system also integrates Hill Descent Control. This feature helps when driving down a steep hill: HDC handles braking, the driver is left to focus on steering.
Other than the funky orange tones, non-scratch paintwork, and off-road ready front and rear bumpers, this is your regular SEAT Ateca, down to the engine. Under the hood, the Ateca X-Perience Concept hides a 2.0-liter TDI turbo diesel with 190 PS (187 HP) and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque, which is connected to a dual-clutch transmission.
SEAT is keeping its lips sealed about the prospect of taking the Ateca X-Perience from concept to production, but then again, chances are it will happen. In 2017, the Spanish brand has promised us three new models. Could the Ateca X-Perience be one of them? I sure hope so.
“The X-Perience is an exercise to show the Ateca family’s possibilities and potential in the future. We know that with the Ateca, we can go much further and it will be on display at the Paris Motor Show,” declared Dr. Matthias Rabe, SEAT VP of R&D. “With the Ateca X-Perience we can go beyond that which we already have in the series. It’s for the customer that wants to go further, taking it to the extreme, for weekend adventures, and of course, off-road.”
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