After a first contact with the new SEAT Leon on the outskirts of Barcelona, we returned to the Spanish city to discover its sports variant, the new Leon Cupra.
“The most powerful series model ever produced by SEAT”. As has been customary in recent Leon Cupra, the Spanish brand once again bet everything on its sports car. At the invitation of SEAT, we came to the Parcmotor Castellolí circuit, in Barcelona, to test all the qualities of the new Leon Cupra, which is about to hit the national market.The most powerful series model ever produced by SEAT
This is, in fact, the great flag of the new Leon Cupra. The Spanish brand did not want to leave the credits to someone else's hands and managed to extract 10 more horses (it's already tradition…) from the well-known 2.0 TSI block. As if that wasn't enough, torque rose from 350 Nm to 380 Nm, available between 1800 rpm and 5000 rpm. In Portugal, the new Leon Cupra will only be available with the DSG dual-clutch gearbox.
According to SEAT, in addition to the improvements in the technical sheet, the differences with the previous model are felt on the road or, in this case, on the track - first contact with the new SEAT Leon Cupra soon on our website.
Four-wheel drive… only in the van variant
Most likely, the “oldest” will remember the first generation of the Leon Cupra, a version that debuted a four-wheel drive system. Now, the new Cupra will be available – only for the ST variant – with the 4Drive traction system, one of the great novelties of this new model.
As always, dynamics is once again one of the priorities for the brand's engineers. The Leon Cupra is standard equipped with Adaptive Chassis Control (DCC), Progressive Steering, Electronic Stability Control and Haldex VAQ Slim Differential.
TESTED: We've already run the renewed SEAT Leon
The car's dynamic characteristics can be changed using five driving modes to choose from: Comfort, Sport, Eco, Individual and CUPRA. In this last mode, the accelerator, gearbox, DCC, Progressive Steering System and the limited-slip differential gain a sportier response.The qualities of the standard Leon in a sportier style
Aesthetically, there are no big surprises. The Leon Cupra maintains the fundamental design features of the new Leon and adds a sportier styling. On the outside, it is worth noting the larger front air intakes, redesigned front and rear bumpers, and the traditional details with the Cupra signature: aluminum door sills, red brake calipers, double chrome exhaust pipe and a spoiler rear. The Performance Pack also adds a set of 19-inch wheels with body-color rims.
Inside, the Cupra logo dominates the leather-covered steering wheel, while the door panels are lined in Alcantara, with carbon fiber accents that are repeated on the sports seats. For the first time, Leon Cupra received a center console with Connectivity Box (which includes a wireless mobile phone charger and GSM antenna with signal amplifier for areas with low coverage), not forgetting the eight-inch screen and the other technologies of the family Leon.
Prices
The new SEAT Leon Cupra arrives in Portugal next month , with the following prices:
Seat Leon SC 2.0 TSI Cupra – €45,078
Seat Leon 5P 2.0 TSI Cupra – €45,629
Seat Leon ST 2.0 TSI Cupra – €46,779
Seat Leon ST 2.0 TSI Cupra 4Drive – €48,779
