What is happening with the SEAT Ateca 2.0 TDI 150 CV 4x2? SEAT finds the solution

Things are not exactly calm at SEAT. The launch of the Ateca SUV, one of the most important for the Spanish firm in recent years, has caused more than one headache among the brand’s executives.

Indeed, an alleged homologation problem has brought with it a chain of misfortunes that the brand now has to resolve.

The Ateca is SEAT’s first SUV, a move that can almost be described as “necessary” in a market where anything carrying “SUV” in its name has infinitely greater chances of success among a public that has grown accustomed to, and embraced, this type of car based on a passenger car, in which practicality, image and an elevated driving position are its greatest assets.

SEAT arrives “late” to an already well-established segment, with the Nissan Qashqai as its creator and undisputed leader. The Ateca, built on the modular MQB platform and based on the Leon, offers a more refined image, a quality interior and a very wide range of engines.

It is in the matter of engines that SEAT has found its problem. In an initial phase, the Ateca would arrive with TSI petrol and TDI diesel engines, all four-cylinder, turbocharged and with direct injection. In addition, SEAT announced the option of front-wheel drive and selectable all-wheel drive.

A few weeks ago, one of the versions that a priori could have enjoyed the greatest success, the 2.0 TDI 150 CV with front-wheel drive, mysteriously disappeared from the brand’s catalogues. Its disappearance also brought cancellations and blocks by the brand of orders that had already been signed.

In an early phase of the problem, the brand argued through social media that the setback was caused by excessive demand for that version, and that to correct it this variant had temporarily been withdrawn from sale. Furthermore, in the words of SEAT Spain, the vehicles were “undergoing the usual tests carried out routinely to complete the homologation process”.

It seems that SEAT, in a dubious manoeuvre, initially sidestepped the issue in order not to clarify the causes of this delay, something that appears to be confirmed by the article from our colleagues at KM77.com. Indeed, the Ateca 2.0 TDI 4×2 reportedly did not pass the homologation tests, due to a problem with its engine emissions.

A timely official response would have avoided many problems for the Spanish brand

So why has the 2.0 TDI 150 CV version with all-wheel drive had no problems? The answer lies in the anti-pollution systems used in the two versions. While the front-wheel-drive variant uses a particulate filter, the all-wheel-drive Ateca relies on urea injection -AdBlue-, a more complex and expensive solution.

To date SEAT has not officially communicated any information in this regard, but we do know that the Spanish firm is offering customers who had placed an order for this specific version the option of accessing the same model with all-wheel drive at no extra cost to them.

The 4×4 version, as we have already mentioned, uses a urea solution to meet the Euro 6 anti-pollution standard. Furthermore, it differs from the 4×2 in aspects such as the rear suspension layout: the front-wheel-drive Ateca fits a trailing-arm rear axle with a torsion beam, whereas the 4×4 mounts an independent multi-link system.

Besides the suspension, the other significant change is obviously the drivetrain, which goes from front-wheel drive only on the 4×2 to selectable all-wheel drive via a 5th-generation Haldex clutch on the 4×4. This system improves traction, but worsens the consumption figure, rising from 4.4 l/100 km in the combined cycle for the 4×2 to 5.1 l/100 km for the 4×4, commercially named 4Drive.

Finally, SEAT appears to have found the solution to the Ateca’s problem. The logical step for the brand was the one it has taken, namely fitting AdBlue also to the two-wheel-drive version, so that the variant can now be homologated. This process will entail a significant outlay for the Spanish brand, which has also seen its image damaged after several weeks of silence.

Technical specifications of this car

CrossoverSEAT Ateca3 versions · from 33,442 €