Cupra, Seat’s fresh-faced performance sub-brand, has revealed its first product, the Cupra Ateca, ahead of a Geneva International Motor Show debut. And the hot SUV may well serve to preview the long-rumoured Volkswagen Tiguan R.
Of course, the Tiguan and Seat Ateca are closely related, with both running on the Volkswagen Group’s MQB platform. And the new Cupra Ateca ? which features normal, sport, individual, snow, off-road and “Cupra” modes ? is fitted with the VW Group?s familiar 2,0-litre four-cylinder EA888 TSI engine, which in this configuration delivers 221 kW to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
The result is a claimed 0-100 km/h time of 5,4 seconds and a top speed of 245 km/h.
The Cupra Ateca will furthermore be offered with a “Performance Pack”, which adds Brembo brakes, leather upholstery and carbon-fibre trim for the rear spoiler, side-mirror covers and dashboard. Adaptive suspension and an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system are optionally available as well.
The Cupra Ateca’s reveal naturally leads to speculation that Volkswagen may soon unveil its Tiguan R, with prototypes having already been spotted testing at the N?rburgring on a number of occasions. Question is, will VW’s version also use the Golf R’s 2,0-litre four-pot, or will it inherit a detuned version of Audi’s 2.5-litre, five-cylinder mill? Time will tell…
