Cupra Ateca vs Mazda CX-80

What's the difference?

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.

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.

Despite the similar naming conventions, the new Mazda CX-80 large SUV isn’t a revamped version of the popular CX-8 model even though it technically replaces it.

The CX-80 is actually a seven-seat version of the mid-size CX-60. If you're confused, you're not the only one. The CX-80 joins a loooong list of SUVs that Mazda has brought to our market (including the CX-80 and 90) and while it offers more passenger space than its predecessor, does bigger mean better when it comes to family hauling?

My family of three have spent three weeks with the one-up-from-entry grade Touring G40e to find out for you.