Tesla Model Y vs Cupra Ateca

What's the difference?

I don’t think I’m overselling it to say that this is the car that could make or break Tesla in Australia and around the world. 

Crazy, right? That seemed impossible not so long ago, back when the brand appeared untouchable. But new competition, largely from China, plus the giant Musk-shaped elefant (it is German for elephant…) in the room, has seen sales and profit plummet.

Just last month, for example, the Tesla Model Y lost its best-seller crown in Australia to BYD, admittedly in the weeks before the new 'Juniper' version arrived.

The point is, a new version of its biggest seller is a Very Big Deal. But have they changed enough, and changed it well enough, to cut through the noise?

We put the cheapest variant, the Tesla Model Y RWD, to the test to find out.

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.