I like the way SEAT name their cars after towns and villages in Spain and the vehicles don’t have to get a particular connection.

OK there’s the Ibiza, then there’s the Leon and then the Toledo. The latest one to get the naming treatment is the Ateca, a quite grand 4x4 while Ateca is a small village between Madrid and Barcelona. But if I lived there I would be quite chuffed.

There’s only about 2,000 inhabitants and it’s only real claim to fame is that El Cid might or might or not have passed through the town on his way to war.

Quite why SEAT chose this name heaven knows. But this another great model from the Spanish manufaturers and the Ateca will be a big rival for the Nissan Qashqai, the Ford Kuga and the Renault Kadjar.

The motoring magazines that matter have all given the Ateca five stars and when I was out and about on the test drive my colleague Honest John rated it highly.

We particularly wanted to test the one litre version because we didn’t actually believe an engine of that size would pull a vehicle as a heavy as a SUV. How wrong we were.

The 4x4 performed well in all tasks, whatever the size of the engine, and it was a pleasure to drive.

With its one litre engine the Ateca is one of the few SUVs which is available with this option and the three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine is what allows SEAT to start prices off from £18,000.

The engine develops 114bhp but has a six-speed manual gearbox and the price makes it extremely good value for money and means the bottom price makes it £500 less than a Qashqai and £2,000 less than the Ford Kuga.

There are five engines available which are two petrol and three diesels, with power ranging from 114bhp to 187bhp. There are four trims, while an automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive also available.

The other popular engines will be the popular diesel options - the 114bhp 1.6-litre diesel plus 148bhp or 187bhp 2.0-litre engine TDI options. The latter is the only SEAT Ateca engine offered with four-wheel drive.

There's also a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine which provides 148bhp and which might be the ideal for the driver who doesn’t do so many miles.

The top of the range will cost you a tenner short of £30,000.

The majority of engines available in the Ateca have been adopted from the existing Leon hatchback range.

The 114bhp 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo will return up to 54 and emit 121g/km of CO2 on the combined cycle.

The other petrol - the bigger 148bhp 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo, gives more than 50mpg and 125g/km of CO2.

The 114bhp 1.6-litre diesel has 65 mpg and 112g/km of CO2 combined and the bigger 148bhp 2.0-litre diesel has 64 mpg.

The four-wheel drive version drops the combined figure to less than 60mpg.

The powerful 187bhp version which comes exclusively with four-wheel drive and an auto gearbox, returns 56 mpg and 131g/km of CO2.

Boot capacity is an impressive 510 litres and there is a great driving position both flexible and comfortable.

The entry-level S trim has air con, five-inch media touchscreen system with USB connectivity, leather steering wheel, plus split-folding rear seats with a reclining function.

Most of Ateca sales in the UK will be mid-spec SE models, which have dual-zone climate control, cruise control, electrically adjustable, heated and folding door mirrors and rear parking sensors plus all the kit from S models.

Top spec XCELLENCE models come with a full leather interior, 18-inch wheels, LED headlights and reversing camera. SEAT expects the most popular trim to be mid-spec SE, which offers the best in terms of value for money.

The infotainment system is similar to the ones used in the Skodas, VWs or SEATs before. The system is easy to use and can be operated by the dials on the dashboard or with the touchscreen itself.