And lo, a week after Seat unveiled the facelifted Ateca crossover, it’s given us a fast one. The new Cupra Ateca – it’s not strictly a Seat, remember – uses the same 300hp 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine as the old car. It drives all four wheels through a 7spd DSG, whose quick shifts allow 0-100km/h in a respectable 4.9secs.

So what’s new? Not much, if we’re honest. No big mechanical changes, just a few tweaks to the steering calibration and throttle response to “give the vehicle maximum agility and enhance feedback”.

Looks a bit different thanks to a new grille, bumpers and LED lights, while inside you get a cleverer infotainment system and a button-heavy steering wheel.

Over and above the standard Ateca the Cupra gets, among other things, DCC adaptive chassis control, a special ‘Cupra’ max-attack drive mode, a louder quad exhaust and optional 18-inch Brembo brakes. Oh, and lots of copper-coloured details, more supportive seats and various other schporty touches.

The pre-facelift car does a passable impression of a hoiked-up hot hatch, and we can’t see this new one being any different. We’ll let you know when we’ve had a go. In the meantime, why not go read about Cupra’s arguably more interesting new cars – the brand-new Cupra Leon and bespoke (in that there isn’t a pedestrian Seat version) Formentor crossover thing.

STORY Tom Harrison