New Seat Ateca FR model starts at £24,960

The new Seat Ateca FR trim level offers a glimpse of how the range-topping Cupra model will look when it arrives later this year, and will cost from £24,960 when it goes on sale in July. 

The FR commands a premium of between £2810 and £2920 over the equivalent SE model, and adds standard 18in or optional 19in alloys, redesigned bumpers, body-coloured wheel arches and side skirts with aluminium trim and a contrasting black spoiler on the outside and aluminium door strips, a leather-wrapped steering wheel with a gloss black insert, Alcantara trim on the seats or optional leather and red stitching on the inside. 

It's available with three engine setups; the 1.4-litre TSI, 2.0-litre TSI and 2.0-litre TDI, with the 2.0-litre TSI only available with a DSG gearbox, and a choice between manual and DSG for the others. 1.4-litre manual setup is the cheapest, at £24,960, and 2.0-litre TDI 4Drive DSG is the most expensive, with a £30,930 price tag. It closely matches the top-spec Nissan Qashqai Tekna, which by comparison, starts at £25,085 and maxes out at $30,235.

Like other Seat FR models, the Ateca FR adds aggression to the car’s design and could share some body parts with the Cupra, which is expected to use the 2.0-litre petrol engine used in the 286bhp Leon Cupra to produce as much as 300bhp.

The FR comes with a choice of turbocharged petrol and diesel units with power outputs of between 148bhp and 187bhp, mated to manual or DSG-auto gearboxes. FR models also get optional all-wheel drive with the diesel engines and most potent petrol. Dynamic Chassis Control and variable steering is also available.

The car will be officially launched in May at the Automobile Barcelona show. First deliveries are expected in August.