Land Rover Discovery VS Cupra Ateca
Land Rover Discovery
Likes
- Comfortable on-road
- Capable off-road
- Air suspension
Dislikes
- Price-tag
- Wheels and tyres not suited to off-roading
- Spongy brakes
Cupra Ateca
Likes
- The 'mysterious' brand
- Volkswagen quality and engineering
- Lower price into the Ateca model
Dislikes
- Safety tech could be more cutting edge
- Fuel economy on the high side
- No head-up display
Summary
Land Rover Discovery
The Land Rover Discovery is a bit of a classic with 4WDers – and while it’s never attracted a massive and passionate fanbase like its hard-core stablemate, the Defender, it’s done okay for itself.
There used to be a clear distinction between the Discovery and the Defender. The Discovery was always your Landie of choice if you were after a luxurious smooth-riding 4WD, while the Defender was a gruff, rough-riding, hard-core adventure machine.
Read More about the Discovery
Well, with the new Defender being so refined, so well-appointed, so comfortable and so nice to drive – it’s almost like a Discovery in disguise – is the 22MY Discovery even relevant any more?
More importantly, does it make sense as your next seven-seat 4WD wagon?
Read on.
| Safety rating | |
|---|---|
| Engine Type | 3.0L turbo |
| Fuel Type | Diesel |
| Fuel Efficiency | 7.5L/100km |
| Seating | 7 seats |
Cupra Ateca
Not many people even know what a Cupra Ateca V is… and this is the second best thing about this small SUV. The first best thing is that Cupra is owned by Volkswagen.
So, this means you can have your mysterious SUV not many other people drive while knowing it’s underpinned by one of the largest car manufacturers in the world which makes cars millions of people drive and one which also has a reputation for high quality vehicles.
The big news here is the Ateca model range has a new and lower entry fee with the arrival of this V grade. See, until now the only Ateca Australians could buy is the high-performance VZx which while really sporty also came with a pretty big price tag.
Read more about
- New car sales slowdown coming? How Cupra's fully refreshed 2025 line-up including updated Leon, Formentor, plus all-new Tavascan and Terramar will drive sales despite uncertain economy
- 'We have two key assets that are not that easy to copy': Cupra not worried about Chinese onslaught of brands like Aion and Zeekr as arrival of Cupra Tavascan and Born VZ electric cars draws closer
- 'To bet on EVs only is too risky!' Cupra plans to sell sporty combustion cars for as long as there are buyers
So, how much is the Ateca V and what do you get for the money? We found this out at the Australian launch along with how practical and safe it is and what it’s like to drive.
| Safety rating | — |
|---|---|
| Engine Type | — |
| Fuel Type | — |
| Fuel Efficiency | —L/100km |
| Seating | — |
Verdict
Land Rover Discovery8/10
The Land Rover Discovery D300 S is a great family-friendly 4WD wagon.
It’s quiet, refined, and supremely well appointed; it’s also very nice to drive on-road and it’s a lot of fun – and very capable – off-road.
It’s packed full of driver-assist tech and its Pivi Pro system is a real treat to use once you’ve mastered the art, which doesn’t take long.
But you could say all of those same things about the new Defender.
So, is the Discovery still relevant? I reckon it is … at least for the time being.
Cupra Ateca8/10
The Cupra Ateca V is a much needed more affordable way into this small SUV while still offering a high-end feeling with plenty of standard features. Yes, the V isn't as high-powered as the VZx but it's still great to drive in the city and on the open road. Big on the inside and small on the outside the Cupra Ateca can perform urban and (small) family duties well.
Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accommodation and meals provided.
Design
Land Rover Discovery
As always, I’ll avoid waxing lyrical about the styling of a vehicle – suffice to say, it looks good.
In terms of dimensions, this Discovery is 4956mm long (with a 2923mm wheelbase), 2220mm wide and 1888mm high.
It has a listed kerb weight of 2437kg.
Cupra Ateca
Once you know the Cupra Ateca V is closely related to the Volkswagen Tiguan and Skoda Karoq you can definitely see a resemblance. Still, all three have their own look with the Cupra clearly given the role of being the fierce, sporty one.
While the Ateca V doesn’t have the same menacing styling as the VZx, it’s definitely a seriously sporty looking SUV with its 19-inch alloys, aggressive front bumper, triangular LED running lights and blacked out wing mirrors, roof rails and CUPRA lettering across the tailgate.
The bronze Cupra logo really signals the sporty intent of this brand and I’ve been told on more than one occasion that it looks like a biohazard symbol by people confused by what it is I’m driving. According to Cupra the blade-like design represents “the sense of belonging to a clan”.
Measuring 4381mm long, 1841mm wide and 1625mm tall with 2630mm wheelbase the Ateca V is about 15cm shorter in length than a Tiguan, but as you’ll see in the practicality section the interior dimensions might be larger than you think.
The Ateca V’s cabin is full of dark-coloured materials with black leather upholstered sports seats and steering wheel. In the same way it feels like Batman designed the exterior the interior it has a ‘Made in Gotham City’ feel with a brooding style incorporating high quality textures and surfaces.
Practicality
Land Rover Discovery
The interior has a real premium feel about it, but it still serves as a very practical space.
The third-row seats can be either manually folded down into the floor to use that area as cargo space, or lifted up into a seating position.
There is a load-space cover, light, luggage tie-downs, bag hook and 12v in the rear, and two USB charging sockets for the third-row passengers.
The second row is a 60:40 electric-folding set-up with manual slide and powered recline, centre headrest and armrest, as well as map pockets, and door-moulded recesses. Second-row passengers get two USB C and one USB A charging points, air vents, air-con controls and more.
The front seats are 14-way electrically-adjustable with captain’s armrest, grained leather seat facings with Ebony interior; the Pivi Pro 11.4-inch touchscreen with digital radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto; as well as one USB A and three USB C points.
The Discovery has a fixed front and rear panoramic roof.
Cupra Ateca
The Ateca V is only about 4.4m long which is a lot shorter than a Kia Sportage, Nissan X-Trail or Subaru Forester, which are truly mid-size SUVs. So, the Ateca is a small SUV but on the larger side compared to say a Volkswagen T-Roc.
Despite its fairly diminutive exterior proportions the Ateca V has excellent storage and is remarkably spacious. If you have a young, small family and want a five-seater SUV big enough for them but small enough to make urban driving easy the Ateca V ticks both boxes.
Up front there are the gigantic door pockets, two cupholders, a decent-sized covered centre console bin and under-dash storage with wireless phone charging and two USB ports.
The second row is incredibly spacious for a small SUV with so much room for me at 189cm tall to sit behind my driving position. Headroom is excellent, too.
There are also cupholders in the fold-down armrest, two USB ports and big door pockets.
The back door apertures are tall and wide which makes getting little kids in and out of their car seats easier for parents.
A 485L cargo capacity is large for the class and under the boot floor is a space-saver spare wheel.
Price and features
Land Rover Discovery
For reference, this Discovery D300 S has a price-tag of $101,875* (plus on road costs).
As standard, the seven-seat Discovery’s list of features is considerable, as it should be at this price-point, and includes a 11.4-inch Pivi Pro multi-media touchscreen (like an all-in-one vehicle operating system, but more about it later), Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, fixed sunroofs, 3D Surround Camera, height-adjustable air suspension, 20-inch five-split-spoke, gloss silver wheels, and a whole lot of driver-assist tech.
There are also plenty of optional features available, which obviously push the price up the more you add to your Disco.
Our test vehicle was equipped with a stack of those extras and, because of that, its price-tag was $110,910* (plus on-road costs). (Prices correct at time of writing.)
Optional features on our test vehicle include Advanced Off-Road Capability Pack ($3970, twin-speed transfer box (high/low range), All Terrain Progress Control, Terrain Response 2, Configurable Terrain Response; Active Rear Locking Differential $1110; Tow hitch receiver $1000; Leisure Activity Key $960; Black Roof Rails $940; Privacy glass $920; Premium carpet mats $640; and wireless device charging $455.
By the way, the Discovery is available in a variety of colours including Fuji White, which is on our test vehicle, as well as versions of black, blue, grey and silver.
Cupra Ateca
The Ateca model now has a lower priced grade called the V and it lists for $51,990. That’s more than $10K less than the top-of-the-range VZx which has been out for a couple of years and lists for $63,490.
The Ateca V might be less expensive but the features list is still impressive. Coming standard are 19-inch alloy wheels, sports bumpers, LED headlights, running lights and puddle lights. There’s a proximity key and power tailgate with gesture control, too.
Inside black leather upholstery is standard, so are heated front seats and steering wheel, there’s dual-zone climate control, a power driver’s seat, a 9.2-inch media display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and wireless phone charging.
As for options, you can have a panoramic sunroof for $1850 and premium metallic paint for $490.
There’s also the optional 'Tech Package' for $2950 bringing a Beats stereo system and a 360-degree camera. But the best thing about the pack is it also adds dynamic chassis control which adds adaptive suspension, so when you select 'Comfort' mode the suspension becomes softer, and in 'Sport' mode the suspension firms for better handling.
Rivals to the Ateca V include the Lexus UX and Volvo XC40 but also its Volkswagen Group cousins such as the Skoda Karoq and VW Tiguan R-Line.
Under the bonnet
Land Rover Discovery
The Discovery has a 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder twin-turbo-diesel engine – producing 220kW at 4000rpm and a whopping 650Nm at 1500-2500rpm – working with a mild hybrid system.
Those impressive power and torque figures don’t tell the whole story of just how well the Disco’s engine is able to punch this big unit along the road at a comfortable clip and – bonus – its chunk of torque, useable across a decent rev range, comes in very handy when off-roading.
It has an eight-speed automatic transmission and an all-wheel drive system.
Cupra Ateca
The Ateca V has a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine making 140kW and 320Nm. That’s a step down in output compared to the VZx’s 221kW and 440Nm, but the V doesn't feel underpowered.
A seven-speed dual clutch automatic transmission shifts gears lighting fast with the drive going to all four wheels. Yes, it’s all-wheel drive.
Efficiency
Land Rover Discovery
Fuel consumption is listed as 7.5L/100km on a combined cycle.
Fuel consumption on this test was 9.8L/100km. That’s sound considering I did a lot of high- and low-range 4WDing on this test and the Disco is quite a hefty unit.
The Land Rover Discovery D300 S has an 89-litre fuel tank, so, going by those fuel-consumption figures, I’d expect an effective touring range of about 860km, but remember that figure includes a built-in 50km safe-distance buffer.
Cupra Ateca
Cupra says that after a combination of open and urban roads the Ateca V should use 7.1L/100km. That’s not hugely fuel efficient and urban consumption of 8.6L/100km will mean higher fuel bills than a hybrid SUV of this size.
On the launch we saw a fuel consumption average of 7.7L/100km and that’s after city roads, motorways and country roads.
Once we have the Ateca V in our CarsGuide garage we’ll be able to perform a real-world test of its fuel consumption.
The Ateca V has a 55-litre fuel tank and requires 95 RON premium unleaded petrol. Theoretical driving range is around 775km.
Driving
Land Rover Discovery
The Discovery is very impressive on-road. No surprise really as it has always had a reputation as a comfortable on-road cruiser – and it's lost nothing in this latest iteration.
It is a smooth driving experience: quiet, refined and you suffer little to no noise from outside intruding into the cabin.
The seats are very comfortable and supportive, and that makes it perfect for long-distance trips.
The straight-six engine and eight speed auto are a nice combination, quietly effective, and well-managed.
Acceleration is good with sharp throttle response, so you can crack on the pace when you need to, say, for instance, from a standing start or when you need to overtake a vehicle.
In terms of overall driving experience, there’s nothing too outrageously exciting or dynamic on offer here, because this is a large SUV, but it’s always comfortable and it’s lively enough if you want to give it the boot. There are paddle shifters if you want to get fancy with your up- and down-shifting.
It’s not all good news: visibility from the driver’s seat is a bit pinched out the rear of the Discovery (due to its styling); there is pronounced body-roll through corners; the brakes are quite spongy, with a real delayed-action feel about them; ride is a tad harsh because you are rolling along on 20-inch tyres and rims, which is something I’m not so used to; and, the steering column is manually adjustable only, which I reckon is a bit slack for such a pricey vehicle.
Cupra Ateca
The launch of the Ateca V saw us drive the V and the VZx back-to-back, which highlighted how good the V is for the money when it comes to its on-road performance.
The 2.0-litre engine is superbly responsive with loads of torque for such a small petrol SUV, while the dynamics were equally impressive on winding country roads. Even when those roads occasionally and suddenly turned from bitumen to dirt at 100km/h excellent all-wheel drive traction kept everything under control.
The Ateca V we tested has the optional Tech Package fitted which adds dynamic chassis control and adjusts the suspension in the Comfort drive mode setting to a softer level compared to the firmer level in Sport. The ride in any mode, however, is comfortable with great handling.
As standard the Ateca V is given sports suspension and after a quick sample of the Ateca V with this set-up I also found the ride to be comfortable and composed.
There's good visibility even through the rear window, along with nicely weighted accurate steering and a good pedal feel under my feet make the Ateca V effortless and enjoyable to drive.
Safety
Land Rover Discovery
The Land Rover Discovery D300 S has the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating, based on 2017 testing.
As standard, its suite of driver-assist tech includes AEB, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot assist, lane-keep assist, traffic sign recognition, front and rear parking aids, and trailer stability assist (TSA).
Don’t forget the Discovery’s terrain response system, and front and rear diff-locks.
Cupra Ateca
The Cupa Ateca V hasn’t been tested by ANCAP and the Euro Ncap result of five stars (which is the maximum) has now expired because it was so long ago (2016).
Still, while much of the safety tech isn’t as cutting edge as some new SUVs , there’s AEB, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistance, rear traffic alert plus front and rear parking sensors.
The airbag count runs to seven, including a front centre bag to minimise head clash injuries in a side-impact.
For child seats there are three anchor points and two ISOFIX mounts in the back.
Ownership
Land Rover Discovery
The Discovery has a five year/unlimited km warranty with five years roadside assistance.
The service plan applies over five years/130,000km (whichever occurs first) with a cost of $2650.
Cupra Ateca
The Ateca V is covered by Cupra’s five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, with servicing needed every 15,000km or annually.
You can buy a five-year service plan for $1990 - which isn’t overly pricey.