New SEAT Ateca - car of The Year 2017

The Ateca is based around the same platform as a host of other Volkswagen Group models, including the fantastic Volkswagen Golf and Audi A3. That means Seat has had a tried-and-tested - and very well-regarded - foundation on which to build its new model. Small SUVs like this are, of course, all the rage, so it’s no surprise that the Ateca will have a lot of very competent rivals to contend with. For starters, there’s the closely-related Volkswagen Tiguan and Skoda Kodiaq, while further afield, the Nissan Qashqai, BMW X1 and Mazda CX-5 will put up a strong fight. But in its corner, the Ateca has eye-catching styling and an even more attention-grabbing starting price. Seat’s also claiming it to be the best-driving small SUV around - so there should be plenty here to like.