The alarm clock rings, 5 AM. It costs a lot but it is a special day and I will go out at night (not at night) to spend a day with SEAT. In the preview of the press kit that SEAT sends us, I read something from Ateca,of a Toledo and a special version of the Ateca, but since it was going to be my first event on cars.com, I just let everything happen.
I did read the roadmap for the day. Departure from Madrid at 7 AM, arrival in Barcelona and Test Drive of the Seat Ateca 2.0 TDI of 150 CV of about 120 kilometers to reach the La Codina Circuit. We already know the Ateca and on the channel you have a few reviews of it. In my case I was able to take this 2.0 TDI to the circuit and return at the end of the day with the 110 CV 1.0 TSI that we have also driven here. As I tell you, little more to tell you about this compact SUV at the performance level because the day had two more protagonists.
Three SUV and other numbers
Upon arrival and after getting lost through an exit from the airport we could see roughly what the day awaited us, a fairly muscular Ateca and the champion of the Baja Aragón of 93, the Toledo Marathon that was being prepared in a field among the trucks of the SEAT Históricos team. We had our second coffee of the day at about 10 am and went to the press conference to receive instructions on how we were going to spend the day.
The reason for this very special event was to celebrate the sales milestones of the Ateca in Spain and in the world. Since 2016, when SEAT got on the “SUVneta”, the TOteak has sold all over the world more than 480,000 units of which, 100,000 have been sold in Spain. Currently, SEAT’s medium SUV, let’s remember the Arona as the small one and the Tarraco as the big one, is the third best-selling model in its segment in the Spanish market (segment led by the Tucson and followed by the Sportage) with accumulated sales in June 2023 of 8,120 units this year.
Since the 2020 renovation, the model has maintained its commercial trajectory based on three fundamental pillars: value for money, comfort, and a modern and sporty appearance. And of course, taking into account the technological factors that we demand today, a connected vehicle, with driving aids and other basic requirements that in this case are included from the basic version, the Ateca Reference. In addition to a range of quite interesting financing offers.
In other directions we saw how the SEAT Arona and the SEAT Ibiza join the Ateca as the brand’s best-selling models with 53,600, 43,800. and 36,500 units respectively (cumulative data in world sales in 2023). We also had a brief mention of Cupra looking at the accumulated sales data, which amount to 107,000 Cupras delivered, 60,900 of them Cupra Formentor. In this more business area that the press conference closed for us, we leave you the information that SEAT SA has delivered 28.1% more vehicles this year compared to 2022 as it overcomes the semiconductor crisis that has affected us so much.
Seat Toledo Marathon
The first of the surprises was waiting upon arrival and upon leaving the press conference we were able to get closer to see in detail the car that gave SEAT the first international victory in its history.
The SEAT Históricos team preserves the only surviving unit of the two built from the SEAT Toledo Marathon, and we had it in front of us. I remember my VHS tapes that they bought me with the press at the time and seeing images of the SEAT jumping in the Rally-raids of the 90s, when I opened the driver’s door while recording some video for the channel I remembered this nostalgia of going down to the kiosk and buying another tape. The instrumentation, with that thousand buttons in a “sports minimalism” remains intact. It smells of fuel in the cabin and the structure, bucket seats and driving position exuded years and years of competition.
The sporty finishes with the sponsors, something that particularly caught my attention, were in the same order of perfection despite the fact that SEAT started the Marathon project in 1990, first with a version of the Ibiza in 1989 but finally with the SEAT Toledo. This project was developed according to the competition standards of the T3 Group for off-road prototype vehicles on a multitubular structure and with 330 hp of power with a mid engine which distributed this horsepower to all-wheel drive with a lockable center differential and self-locking differentials on both axles.
After appearing in society in 1992 and accumulating 5,000 km of tests, the Toledo Marathon was able to debut in the Baja de Portugal driven by Josep Maria Servia and his co-pilot Enric Oller. In Baja de Aragón, a second unit of the Toledo Marathon debuted at the hands of Cyrill Neveu, arriving at the Grecia Raid and doing a double in the first international victory for SEAT. In 1994 they contested three off-road rallies, getting on the podium on all three occasions, everything pointed to the Dakar but a team decision made SEAT Sport jump into the World Rally Championship with the Group A SEAT Ibiza GTI that took over from the Toledo Marathon.
With this legacy, it was impressive to hear a cold start of that 330 CV engine and see how it moved on the La Codina Circuit test track. Everything I saw on VHS a few years later, just a few feet away. We could not do the co-piloting due to the tight times of the event. I was left with an extreme desire, but having been able to see how a Rally-Raid car moves a few meters away deserved the early start. The next one won’t escape me.
This unit of the SEAT Toledo Marathon will participate in the regular Rally-raid «Rally Classic Africa» from September 16-23 accompanied by some very special Ateca units…
The Seat Ateca Marathon
After the numbers, the Rally-raid atmosphere was the time to go up to this very special Ateca. Since I didn’t see anything and I went to Barcelona blindly, I had no idea what they were doing six highly equipped Atecas at the event. The first thing that caught my attention was an Ateca decorated for racing, very “Repsol” style with equipment with a shovel, sand plates, very high. Many things that I liked too much.
At the press conference we were introduced to the units of the Ateca Marathon. An Ateca of 150 hp with all-wheel drive as standard and the following improvements:
- Braid Fulltrace T Dakar 16″ rims
- BF Goodrich All Terrain Tires
- Front bumper and metal sump cover
- Front Runner African Roof Rack
- T-MAX lifting jack 120 cm
- Osram 90W 54 cm light bar
- Sand unblocking plates and matching shovel
- black skirts
As we say: a Ateca of series, I emphasize this, with things above… We went to the test track of the circuit of about 9 kilometers. An off-road track with some quite compromised points and perhaps it is because I do not like the SUV label, but He did not trust excessively in the abilities of the Ateca. Well, I was wrong and for good.
The cSet of tires and rims, wonderful. Nothing moved. You stepped on it and it responded, full grip and the most striking thing is that the standard suspension accompanied the car in every inclement terrain. He thought it would take some “magic suspension” but no, the suspension was stock with slightly higher springs to give the Ateca a bit more ground clearance and better handling in a rally-raid.
As I told you, a brief test but where we were able to get the most out of a standard Ateca with a couple of technical and aesthetic additions. Three of the six Ateca Marathon that we saw in the event will go to Africa with the Toledo Marathon to live closely the 30th anniversary of his debut in the five stages that the “RallyClassics of Africa” lasts.
a round day
At the end of the event, where we were left with long teeth about not being able to “co-pilot” / sit next to a professional pilot and maintain dignity by holding a camera without moving too much, we returned to the Airport towards Madrid with the Ateca 1.0 TSI. Another trip to compare the ride comfort of the compact SUV (which has it) and take out those differences with the Ateca Marathon that we had been able to drive and enjoy.
And this has been my first event at Coches.com, thanks SEAT for the day and good luck in Africa. For my part, thank you for reading the piece of text and leave me in the comments if you have any questions and what do you think of this more day-to-day content.
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