In order to really experience the style and drama of a pace-setting performance SUV, you have to head to Scotland. With majestically twisting mountain roads that arc and soar their way into the sky, there’s no better backdrop – and no tougher test of power, acceleration and cornering grip.
That’s why we took the new Cupra Ateca (which What Car? recently named the best performance SUV you can buy right now) to the north-west Highlands. Our aim: to conquer one of the UK’s most intoxicating and thrilling roads – the Applecross Pass.
But we weren’t alone. As our destination is one of the toughest and most challenging climbs in the UK, we were joined by a pro cyclist. Our quest: to prove that mountain-scaling performance is all about man and machine, working in perfect harmony.
To learn more about the new CUPRA Ateca, head to cupraofficial.co.uk
A distinctive sense of sporting style
Think CUPRA, and you immediately think performance. Born from SEAT’s hugely successful racing division, this new brand is defined as much by its legacy for track-bred substance as it is by CUPRA’s distinctive modern premium style.
Underneath its muscular skin – with a honeycomb grille, gloss black detailing, 19-inch diamond-cut alloys, and that attention-grabbing CUPRA logo – the CUPRA Ateca was engineered to deliver where it counts, making it perfect for a challenging road such as the Applecross Pass.
Built in 1822, and styled like the roads of the European Alps, the gradient on the Applecross Pass can be as much as 20% as it climbs its way to a 2,054ft summit. On a damp day like this, the asphalt surface – designed more for winter endurance than outright grip or smooth comfort – can also prove challenging.
A cosseting premium interior
Easing into the CUPRA Ateca with keyless entry, it feels incredibly premium and refined, without ever losing that sense of performance drama, with Alcantara® trim, copper stitching and gloss black and carbon-fibre-effect surfacing offering a compelling blend of textures as we settle into the cosseting sports seats.
It’s the perfect cocoon from the grim weather outside, and we pity the cyclist struggling to clip into their pedals, before settling on that hard, bony racing seat.
A large crisp high-res digital cockpit display sits directly in our eyeline and works with the 8-inch central touchscreen to let us customise our view – whether it’s the 3D navigation essential for tackling remote mountain roads like these, media from a compatible Apple CarPlay or Android Auto phone, or something more performance-focused, such as a prominent rev counter, oil temperature and G-forces.
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