Two years later I met again with SEAT Leon ST Cupra. It was a meeting of "old friends" — you can recall the first meeting here. It gained 10 hp more, all-wheel drive and new technological arguments. As for me, all the same, single and childless — having publicly offended my ex-mother-in-law may not have helped. Ah! and I have less hair...
Razão Automóvel, which was the “reason” for this meeting, registered the most differences over these years. It has grown immensely and is now among the most read car portals in the country. But leaving aside my baldness and our team's victories, let's talk about my opinion about the SEAT Leon ST Cupra.
That lie that doesn't stick…
Let's be honest, no one buys a 300 hp van that delivers 0-100 km/h in just 4.9 seconds with the family in mind. “Honey, I think the best van to take Maria to school is a SEAT Leon ST… Cupra!”. Everything was going beautifully until you mentioned the word Cupra.
But that's what you told your wife, isn't it? You did well, I would say the same thing. But here that nobody listens to us, we know a lot that this is a brave lie.
Even in Comfort mode, the adaptive suspension cannot completely hide the purposes with which the SEAT engineers developed this «missile» with 587 liters of luggage capacity.
It's obvious that the SEAT Leon ST Cupra can fulfill family obligations: the Isofix supports are there, the luggage compartment capacity is there, and the little ones don't mind the low-profile tyres. But that is not its nature. It may be the nature of the rest of the Leon range — and it is — but it's not the nature of this van.
Your nature calls for other movements (we also ask). And unless your children's kindergarten is located between the «VIP curve» and the «tank curve» of the Estoril Autodromo — the last time I was there I didn't see any kindergarten, but I can confirm it — you won't be able to make use of it at all. the “firepower” of the SEAT Leon ST Cupra with the little one behind. One thing is for sure… they will ask! “Oh dad, turn on the way that makes the most noise…”. Yes, but only if you get good grades!
And we, who are over 30 years old, know very well what it is like to drive a car without air conditioning. So the kid doesn't complain about the holes, the suspension is firm but not bothersome. Boys!
what we want
Man or woman, anyone looking for the SEAT Leon ST Cupra is looking for performance. Sometimes you may also want to go out with the family, but above all you are looking for performance.
And performance is something that this proposal by the Spanish brand does not lack. Until the arrival of the Mercedes-AMG E63 S 4Matic+, it was the fastest van on the Nürburgring — even surpassing the Audi RS4. Therefore, in dynamic terms the presentation is done. It's superb.
Compared to the five-door version, the Leon ST Cupra weighs more than 100 kg. The difference would be only 45 kg were it not for the presence of the 4Drive all-wheel drive system — which is not really needed unless you live in a mountain area. The motor power of the FWD version was enough but that's it… you can gain a second in the 0-100 km/h. This van covers 0-100 km/h in just 4.9 seconds.
My conviction about the need for the 4Drive system is so great that I think I've already written somewhere here at Reason Automobile that in dynamic terms a SEAT Leon Cupra 300 (FWD) is nothing like a Volkswagen Golf R (AWD).
However, in Portugal, SEAT Leon ST Cupra is only available with a 4Drive system — as we will see later on, this has consequences for the price.
Going back to the dynamic assessment of the SEAT Leon ST Cupra, the steering is very precise and the stability and traction in corners is undisturbed — it doesn't even compare to the «civilian» versions of the Leon ST. It would be weird if it were otherwise.
As for consumption, always have averages touching the 9.0 l/100 km. An exercise that will give you a "nerve break" because the urge to crush the accelerator is constant. I even managed less, but driving completely unnatural.
It's Cupra but it's SEAT
SEAT has done a very commendable job in terms of infotainment, connectivity and driving assistance systems — it is one of the brand's current “workhorses”. We currently find in SEAT models (particularly the Ibiza and Arona which are more recent) the best infotainment and connectivity systems we can ask for in the segment.
In Leon, more or less the same thing happens — I say more or less, because Golf continues to have the upper hand within the group. Even so, Leon received this year an important reinforcement in active security systems.
We now have active cruise control, lane maintenance system (very intelligent), automatic emergency brake (with pedestrian detection), vertical signal recognition and automatic parking, among others — most of these systems are not standard but they cost a total of 652 euros in the “Comfort & Advanced Driving II” pack. It is worth it! Believe me.
Problems… with this addition of technology, with 10 hp more power and with the standard all-wheel drive system, the price has risen from 43 000 euros asked two years ago to almost 50 000 euros in the base version (our unit was a little bit more expensive, see here) — an increase that is due more to the tax incidence than to the increase in the base price. The State is a thief, we all agree.