| SEAT is fast becoming a favorite on British | | | | vision from the centre B-pillar when glancing |
| roads as more and more customers warm to | | | | over the right shoulder when looking to |
| Spanish flair linked to Volkswagen | | | | overtake. |
| excellence. | | | | |
| | | | But the Cupra has a generous amount of inside |
| It's certainly a brand on the ascent, with an | | | | space, bags of rear legroom and a generally |
| impressive 15 per cent sales increase last | | | | airy feel. |
| year. | | | | |
| | | | SEATs are rightly famed for their huge boot |
| And the Leon, in particular, had a fantastic | | | | space, and the Cupra is no exception. It's |
| 2006 with sales up by an impressive 42 per | | | | extra deep, with unobstructed full width. |
| cent. | | | | Rear seat backs fold down to form an almost |
| | | | flat platform, creating a really useful load |
| Nothing has boosted its image more than the | | | | area if you really need to fill up, though |
| Leon's flagship Cupra - the hot hatch that | | | | they don't fully tumble. |
| has captured the imagination of a generation | | | | |
| of thrill-seekers but is still recognised as | | | | Some aspects of the car verge on the quirky, |
| a desirable and practical day-to-day family | | | | adding to its mystique. I can remember few |
| car. | | | | other cars I have driven that have |
| | | | crab-action wipers that park vertically at |
| Now the new Leon Cupra has burst onto the | | | | either side of the windscreen. And the |
| scene and become SEAT's most powerful | | | | massive front pillars sweep back at an |
| production model to date. | | | | amazing angle. |
| | | | |
| The rakish and sporty Cupra boasts fantastic | | | | A word of praise for the totally simplified |
| looks, with great road presence, and its | | | | ergonomics - this is a car that's easy to |
| performance figures are eye-watering. | | | | find your way around quickly and main dial |
| | | | displays offer clear, precise readout. |
| The five-door hatchback's raw figures give a | | | | |
| revealing glimpse of the car's awesome power | | | | I still can't quite understand why the |
| potential, thanks to a 2.0-litre T FSI | | | | handbrake is sited over the other side of the |
| turbocharged petrol engine which really does | | | | centre console slightly too far away and my |
| pack a punch - standstill to 62mph in a | | | | only minor criticism of the car is that the |
| blistering 6.2 seconds and a top speed of | | | | rear wiper only clears the centre of the rear |
| 153mph should be fast enough for even the | | | | window, leaving the sides untouched. |
| most demanding enthusiast driver. | | | | |
| | | | But at under £20,000, the Leon Cupra is |
| Yet SEAT's most potent model can still return | | | | one of the most strikingly original, dynamic |
| around 34mpg on the combined cycle. | | | | and satisfying hot hatchbacks around. |
| | | | |
| The car is also orally exciting, with a | | | | Don't take my word for it - ask all the |
| low-down menacing burble at low speed that | | | | drivers queuing up to buy it. |
| rises to an urgent rasp when it nears the red | | | | |
| line. | | | | # Factfile: |
| | | | |
| Like many of today's best engines, the | | | | # SEAT Leon Cupra, £19,995. |
| Cupra's power comes through so smoothly and | | | | |
| effectively and the car never feels | | | | # Most powerful SEAT production car to date. |
| flustered, however much horsepower is | | | | |
| flooding through. | | | | # 240PS from turbocharged 2.0-litre T FSI |
| | | | engine, which is exclusive to SEAT, featuring |
| The driver is assured of total involvement in | | | | direct injection and 16 valves. |
| all the action, with tight steering, | | | | |
| excellent handling and razor-sharp control | | | | # Similar gearbox to Leon FR but with |
| and feedback, linked to agile handling. | | | | slightly modified ratios and reinforced to |
| | | | cope with higher torque output. |
| The driving experience is boosted by the | | | | |
| Cupra's slick, fast and wristy six-speed | | | | # 18-inch alloys, aggressive front air |
| gearbox and the Cupra tackles corners with | | | | intakes with black lower lip, black mirror |
| relish, boasting confidence-inspiring grip | | | | housings, glossy back B- and C-pillars, |
| and control. | | | | trademark oval exhaust pipe, CUPRA badge on |
| | | | bootlid, red painted brake calipers. |
| Although the ride is firm to hard, and | | | | |
| knobbly over bad surfaces, generally the car | | | | # Bucket-style front sports seats, |
| is equally at home as an everyday workhorse | | | | metal-covered pedals, Cupra-branded |
| as an exciting weekend racer. | | | | instrument cluster, steering wheel and |
| | | | gearknob. |
| The deeply raked front screen is visually | | | | |
| quite alarming from the inside until you get | | | | # Lowered suspension set-up, lighter front |
| used to it and there is a little blocked | | | | axle through use of aluminium. |