Orville

I just picked up the Cupra, and first impressions compared to my 1.5 DSG Karoq are:- *It is a LOT faster (pretty obvious) *No more wheel-spin. 4WD puts all of the power-down. *The Karoq has a better DSG gear knob. It is chunkier and more solid that the skniny knob on the Ateca. *12v socket turns on/off with igntion. I prefer the Karoq's always-on 12v, so will fix it soon. It just needs a fuse moved. *No rear 12v socket. Cheapskates on an almost £40k car. *No storage bin on top of dash. *7-speed wet DSG on the Ateca is a lot smoother than the 7-speed dry DSG on the Karoq. Less judder when pulling away and silky between shifts. *Bigger engine/turbo in the Ateca means less responsive than the 1.5 below 2300rpm, but then all-hell breaks loose. *Interior plastics are better in Karoq. *Digital dash is nice, but a biy small for my liking. *MPG after first 250 miles is just below 30. The Karoq averaged 36.

My 1.5TSI DSG loves to spin it's near-side wheel whenever I use moderate or higher acceleration from standstill. I had the alignment checked twice by the dealers and each time they have said all is fine. I put the cars squealy-nature down to relatively-skinny low-end tyres on a car with a light-nose and high/springy suspension. The DSG gearbox is also a little less controllable/adjustable than a manual would be.

The Clubman's interior-space wouldn't work for me. I'm 6ft5 with two teenagers (each over 6ft), and a dog who likes to lay down whilst being chauffeured around in the boot. The Ateca/Karoq only just-about provides enough space.

Mine will be bog-standard apart from the spare-wheel option. I am leasing it and wanted to keep costs as close to £300pm as possible on a 6+35 month deal. Build-week is 48 (this-week), and it should be with me shortly before or after Christmas. I am yet to drive one, and haven't seen one on the roads either, but I know how Golf R's and S3's feel so it shouldn't be too much of a surprise. Dealer is investigating whether the ABT-tune can be officially added to a lease-car. 350bhp with full-warranty would be very nice.

I moved from a VRS TSI Estate (manual) to a Karoq 1.5 TSI (DSG) two years ago. The Karoq is more-comfortable, much-better on fuel (36mpg vs 28mpg), and almost as-practical space-wise. The 1.5 TSI engine offers great compromise between performance and economy, but it is NOT sporty. Out of the two, my wife and kids prefer the Karoq, but I do miss the VRS. My next car (a SEAT Cupra Ateca) has already been ordered and will hopefully offer the best of both worlds (Karoq & VRS).

It will be on personal lease @ 6+35 x £300pm. It's £100pm more than the Karoq SE Tech 1.5 DSG I will be returning. I would have opted for an eco-friendly Tesla Model 3 if the Governments VED policy didn't tax >£40K (incl electric) cars unfairly. Full-EV's should be exempted from the >£40k surcharge, plus VAT-rate should be reduced to encourage EV sales, I guess the Government doesn't want to lose carbon fuel duty revenues too-quickly.

Just ordered a red one😀. It was a toss-up between Rodium Grey and Velvet Red metallic. Red won, solely-because I have not owned a red car for more 20-years, but have owned multiple shades of grey during same period. I asked about any spec changes between 2019 & 2020 MY's, and only real-difference is that 2020 cars get the 9.2" glass-fronted infotainment system as-standard. Went for a factory-order to ensure 2020 MY, plus December'ish delivery fits with my Karoq's lease-expiry.

Thanks for the comments. The main thing I dislike about my Karoq is it's traction. Being the FWD-model, even he 1.5 TSI squeels like a pig every time I push hard with my right-foot in 1st-gear. Puling onto a busy roundabout or finding a gap in traffic can be a little embarrassing. 4WD will solve the problem, and a little extra performance is always welcome. I like the "mildly-agreesive" look of the Ateca, and I think my mind is now set. Now it's just the colour to decide.

I am seriously considering replacing my Karoq SE Tech 1.5 DSG with a Cupra Ateca. My wife loves the size of the Karoq, and I want something a little more-sporty. Without a Karoq RS derivative, the £30K-to-£40K sporty-SUV bracket seems to lack any real competition for the Cupra. The Tiguan 230 TSI seems to be the closest-alternative, but this is 70bhp down on power, and costs £3K more for similar spec. Any thoughts on the Cupra Ateca or possible alternatives? *Kodiaq is too big (for the wife) plus she hates estate cars. Car has to be a comfortable 4/5-seater with room for a dog in the boot. **Mileage is just 6-8K pa, so diesel is not a worthwhile option.

I’d order another VRS tomorrow if Skoda had gotten rid of those horrible split-headlight clusters. I do miss the practicality of my old 2014 VRS Estate - but cannot tolerate the front-end. I do try to like/get-used to them, but it just isn’t happening for me.

In a nutshell, the 1.5 was designed to be more-efficient than the 1.4 within real-world driving scenarios. From the drivers seat it is almost impossible to tell them apart.

Philips 12901HPX2 X-tremeUltinon H4 LED Headlights work extremely well within a 2019 SEAT Mii. There are question marks about legality, but my understanding is that so long as the vehicle has manual headlight leveling, and light output is less 200 Lumen - they do not technically break any laws. On the Mii they provide a spread pattern pretty-much identical to stock halogen. However light is much whiter and the road-ahead is much clearer. At idle there is occasional (very slight) flicker, but neither my wife or kids can notice this. I think it is the 3-cyl engine / small alternator combo which induces slight voltage spokes at extremely-low rpm. Fitting is simple, and light-output is almost as good as the Xenon's on my Octavia VRS. The LED's do not dazzle and I have not been flashed during the 3-months they have been used. I fitted them because the stock halogens were so poor compared to all other recent cars I have owned. They are much cheaper than retrofit Xenon's, but more expensive than budget Chinese LED's. If you want a safer-option go for Osram Nightbreakers. They are brighter and less-yellow than standard halogens, but are prone to blowing every 12-18 months. LED's should last the cars lifetime.

The only person I know who has suffered a cambelt failure says that it occurred just a few-hundred miles after having the cambelt replaced. I think the moral of the story is - let sleeping dogs lie. There is more change of suffering a faulty-install than having the original belt slip/fail.

I was checking this within my daughter's new Mii. Speedo @ 30mph = GPS @ 28mph Speedo @ 50mph = GPS @ 47mph Speedo @ 75mph = GPS @ 71mph The average is around 6% over-read with brand new fully-inflated tyres.

Yesterday I fitted a set of Osram 7915CW-02B LED Premium DRL's to my daughter's new SEAT Mii. Light is brighter (but not too bright) and they look far nicer than the stock very-yellow DRL's. I also fitted a set of Night Breaker Laser H4's at the same time. The OEM headlights were actually okay (reasonably bright and not too yellow), but the Night Breakers are noticeably brighter and whiter. Links for anyone considering the change. Osram 7915CW LED's Night Breaker Laser H4's