SEAT Ateca practicality and boot space

• Interior of the Ateca is very practical
• Lots of passenger space to spread out
• Also plenty of storage space

Two-wheel drive cars are more capacious with a 510-litre boot expanding to 1,604 litres with the rear seats down. You can flop the backrests down with handles located in the boot for convenience too.

Pick a four-wheel drive car and you lose 30 litres of space in the boot but gain the ability to tackle more challenging terrain. The ride height remains the same and there’s no additional underbody protection but you do get a hill descent control system, to help get down steep slopes safely.

Inside there are deep door pockets and cubby holes dotted around the cabin to help stow things while on the move. Top-spec cars also get a wireless phone charger, which sits under the media system - a handy place to store and charge your smartphone.

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Will it fit in my garage?

When you consider the amount of space on offer inside the Ateca, it’s surprising that the exterior seems so compact. It’s very easy to manoeuvre in and out of parking spaces thanks to plenty of big windows, as well as assistance from the parking sensors and/or cameras where fitted.

Once you’re out of town, it’s also very easy to judge thanks to the higher driving position and the compact dimensions. It’s very easy to drive.

Will my luggage fit?

With 510 litres of space, the Ateca’s boot trounces many of its rivals for luggage capacity with the rear seats in place. With them folded, a total of 1,910 litres is on offer, which is also very impressive.

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The boot floor can be set at two heights to boost practicality, and the physical process of moving seats about and removing load covers is also very simple and stress-free.

Safety

• Plenty of safety equipment as standard
• Euro NCAP awarded it five stars
• Driver assistance tech can be added

The SEAT Ateca has been awarded a full five-star rating by Euro NCAP, and it’s easy to see why. You get seven airbags, traction control, an electronic differential lock (called XDS), hill-hold control and a tyre-pressure monitor all as standard.

All cars also come with Front Assist with City Emergency Braking and Pedestrian Protection, Tiredness Recognition and a Multi-Collision Brake system as standard. All use cameras and sensors to detect an impending collision and take evasive action.

Various driver assistance packs enable you to add things like traffic jam assist, which controls the steering, brakes and throttle at low speeds, a lane-keeping assistant, rear cross traffic alert, blind-spot monitor, traffic sign recognition and adaptive cruise control. You’ll have to pay extra for these, though.

Finally there is the emergency assistant, which keeps an eye on the driver and can send visual and audible alerts or pump the brakes in an emergency, before autonomously slowing the car and activating the hazard lights.

Watch: SEAT Ateca Euro NCAP crash test