These sports SUVs promise all the fun of a hot hatch but with added practicality.They’re fairly affordable, too – especially when you buy used
Price today
£27,000*
Cupra Ateca 2.0 TSI 300 4Drive List price when new £36,695 Available from 2019-present Combines the practicality of the Seat Ateca family SUV with storming performance
TRADITIONALLY, DRIVERS ON a modest budget looking for a bit more speed and fun would put a hot hatch at the top of their shopping list. The recipe was simple: you took a family hatchback, put a more powerful engine in it, stiffened up the suspension and sexed up the looks.
Times move on, though, and while hot hatches still work for some drivers, the SUV is now the plat de jour. The good news is that the same upgrades can be applied to cars like that too.
The only problem is that many of these sports SUVs cost an awful lot of money. However, a couple of exceptions to that rule are the Cupra Ateca and Volkswagen T-Roc R, both of which are not only moderately priced when new but also look conspicuously good value when bought at two years old.
Both come from brands within the VW Group, so it’s no surprise that they use the same 296bhp turbocharged 2.0-litre engine, seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive system. Both retain the practicality of the regular SUVs on which they’re based while offering up suitably impressive performance. But are there any notable differences between them that might influence your buying decision one way or the other?
DRIVING
Performance, ride, handling, refinement
Given that these two cars produce the same power, it’s no surprise that their 0-60mph times are separated by the slimmest of margins, with the heavier Ateca falling just 0.1sec short of the T-Roc’s impressive time of 4.7sec.
In practice, the difference isn’t even noticeable. After a small pause while the turbocharger spins up, each SUV accelerates with the kind of ferocity that would put some sports cars to shame.
Maximum pull is available from 2000rpm all the way through to 5200rpm, so their gearboxes don’t even have to shift up or down that often for you to make rapid progress. The T-Roc sounds better when building speed, though, even if you go for a car with the standard exhaust rather than the Akrapovic system that was an expensive option from new.
The T-Roc has the advantage when it comes to handling, too. From its quicker and more precise steering to its vice-like grip on the road, it feels more like a hot hatch than an SUV. What’s more, you’re more aware of the power being sent to the back wheels
