2021 Cupra Ateca Breaks Cover With Discreet Facelift, Chassis Tweaks

It was precisely a week ago when Sociedad Española de Automóviles de Turismo unveiled the Ateca facelift and now the brand's performance division is doing the same for the amped-up version. Meet the 2021 Cupra Ateca featuring the same array of styling changes its SEAT-badged sibling received last Monday. The most obvious tweaks are at the front where the full-LED headlights are now more in line with those of the latest Leon and Tarraco.

SEAT Cupra has also slapped on a new bumper that has a somewhat busier design while incorporating a fresh set of fog lights. As we've seen on other recent new models (I'm looking at you, BMW) the corporate grille is larger than before and appears to be derived from the Cupra Formentor plug-in hybrid crossover coupe.

There's not much to say about the rear end as it appears to be a spitting image of what the old Cupra Ateca had, including the full-LED taillights with sequential turn signals. The quad exhausts and numerous copper accents are telltale signs this isn't the mundane SEAT version. Customers get to pick from six different exterior colors and six alloy wheel designs measuring 19 inches. At an additional cost, there are Brembo performance brakes in copper (of course!)

Once you're inside, the array of tech includes a fully digital instrument cluster measuring 10.25 inches complementing the 9.2-inch touchscreen of the infotainment system. Connectivity is well taken care of, with everything from USB-C ports to wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay integration.

While the turbocharged 2.0-liter gasoline engine is carried over with 300 horsepower (221 kilowatts) and 400 Newton-meters (295 pound-feet) of torque, Cupra has made some changes to the chassis. These revisions were implemented for the sake of providing the potent crossover with "the most precise, involved, and distinctive ride possible."

In terms of performance, 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) takes 4.9 seconds to perfectly match the pre-facelift Cupra Ateca Limited Edition, with top speed at a respectable 154 mph (247 km/h). As before, it's offered with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and an all-wheel-drive system.

Cupra will have the revised Ateca on sale in Europe during the third quarter of the year. More than 10,000 units were sold last year, accounting for about 15 percent of all Ateca sales. It's worth mentioning the Ateca was the first model to lose the SEAT badge, followed by the Leon and the Formentor, with the latter actually being a standalone model without a SEAT equivalent.

Much like the regular Ateca, the spicy version is built by Skoda at the Kvasiny plant in Czech Republic. The Volkswagen brand sells largely the same car with the T-RАМoc R. Come to think of it, customers are spoiled for choice in this segment since the VW Group also has a Cupra Leon wagon while the VW core brand will (hopefully) sell a new Golf R wagon.