Cupra Ateca after modification – “Rubbing the noses of other drivers is a lot of fun”

Do you often see Cupra Ateca on Polish roads? I admit that I rarely have the opportunity to meet him. It’s the same as the Seat Ateca. Of course, it is easier to see its technical relative, the Skoda Karoq, on the road. There are many of them. The problem is that no Karoq has a powerful car under the hood, ie a 2-liter TSI engine with 300 HP. And among the three mentioned, such a powerful engine is only available in the Cupra.

Was the 2.0 TSI with 300 HP enough to impress our reader? Mr. Artur admitted in an interview with Moto.pl that he fell in love with the Cupra Ateca immediately after entering the showroom. Then he focused not only on the car itself, but also on its equipment and performance. He also admitted that at the time of purchase, the competition had little to offer – “for a car with the same equipment and the same good performance, I would have to pay more in the showroom of Audi, BMW or Mercedes.” His partner was also tempted by the Spanish car, and instead of the Cupra Ateca, he chose the large Tarraco Seat.

A good starting point

The Cupra Ateca with 300 HP and all-wheel drive is a good place to start. And a very good thing to fix. “I’ve always thought of doing something in a car,” I heard from my interlocutor. Very quickly, a plan was created to create a unique Cupra on the market. And not only in Poland, but also in Europe. How many heavily modified SUVs from the Kvasiny plant are on the road? The owner decided not only to change the appearance of the car, but also dedicated himself to mechanical modifications. The list of changes is extensive.

The owner of the car took his first steps in the workshop in Gdańsk, where the mechanics installed a new program, added a Forge supercharger and a hybrid turbocharger (it differs from the factory one with higher operating parameters to bring it closer to performance. turbo in performance issue). It’s easy to guess that the goal was better performance. The focus was on a significant increase in torque, not power (contrary to appearances, this is not always the case). The effect? From 300 HP in the factory version, the Cupra has changed to a powerful version of about 450-460 HP.

Cupra Ateca Gareth SC

Cupra Ateca Gareth SC

Cupra Ateca Gareth SC

Cupra Ateca Gareth SC

Cupra Ateca Gareth SC

Cupra Ateca Gareth SC

What about the brakes, you ask? They remained unchanged in the first round, which was not a good decision. The car owner quickly found out about this, which only accelerated the implementation of the next phase of the project. The Cupra Ateca also got new bearings (the factory ones, unfortunately, had to be replaced), connecting rod and forged pistons. Unfortunately, it turned out that new problems appeared quickly. The owner had many doubts about the work of the workshop in Gdańsk and decided to hire specialists from Szczecin. There, the engine was dismantled and prepared for the installation of new pistons (which means grinding the cylinders). It doesn’t end there.

Of course, the better the performance, the more the suspension needs. Hence the necessary modifications. The mechanics used a set of adaptive shock absorbers from the Volkswagen Golf R, new springs and spacers. The factory brake system was replaced with another factory set. However, the sponsor was the Cupra Formentor VZ5 (390 HP and 480 Nm in the series). KW coilover suspension is planned. But even without that, the Cupra Ateca has become close to the surface and no longer resembles a sports family SUV as before.

Cupra Ateca Gareth SC

Cupra Ateca Gareth SC

Cupra Ateca Gareth SC

Cupra Ateca Gareth SC

Cupra Ateca Gareth SC

Cupra Ateca Gareth SC

It runs better. How much better?

What is it like to drive a highly modified Cupra Ateca with over 460 HP? “The filling did not fall out of the teeth,” the owner laughs and assures that he has not lost much comfort – “you can still drive it calmly and easily, not only in the city, but also on the road. “Naturally, you had to get used to the new brakes, because the modified Cupra it is more aggressive, loses speed and rarely skids, even with the factory characteristics of the ABS and ESP systems. Driving as if on rails has become new. – called transparency.

What’s most exciting about the powerful Ateca? “When I was driving around the Poznań track, I set good times and did not give up on the most powerful cars. Their drivers were surprised by my SUV. But the most interesting thing is to rub the noses of the drivers on the most powerful cars. They rarely expect that Their SUV will easily take from under the lights ” – says Mr. Artur. How simple? Well, the test results: acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h is 3.2 seconds. It usually takes a long time for the driver to fasten the seat belts.

What’s next? Our interlocutor does not hide the fact that he would like to make a few mechanical changes to the car that he does not want to part with. – But if the Spaniards are preparing something new and more powerful, why not try it – he says. One thing is certain. Even with the heavily modified Ateca, the driver has no shortage of patience. And this is difficult to estimate.