The new Seat Leon Cupra is not exactly a new car but
a rather slightly updated version of the previous model. That’s ok as the last
Leon Cupra is already one of the most capable hot hatches in the market and
Seat now only made it a bit better, upgrading the engine to now produce 300 PS and 380 Nm of peak torque, instead of the 290 PS and
350 Nm before.
Seat continues to offer the Leon Cupra with either a
six-speed manual or a dual-clutch gearbox and three different bodystyles: the
three-door SC, the regular five-door and the ST estate version.
You’ll see that
the highlight of the new model is the addition of a Haldex all-wheel drive
system to DSG-equipped ST estate models. The added traction combined with the
more practical bodystyle is surely going to make this version of the Leon Cupra
one of the best reasons not to buy a boring crossover.
Seat says that the Haldex AWD can send up to 100
percent of the torque to only one wheel if necessary, with the system working
in coordination with the electronic assist systems of the car, thus allowing
for the brakes to be used less frequently and fewer interruptions to the power
delivery from the stability systems.
Seat hasn’t released any performance figures yet,
letting us only know that the top speed continues to be limited at 250 km/h and that CO2 emissions range from 153 to 164 g/km, depending on the
version. The previous 286 hp front-drive version was capable of a 0-100 km/h in 5.7 seconds with the DSG transmission.
Features like the DCC, the front electronic
differential and the adaptive steering continue to be standard, with the new
Leon Cupra also benefitting from the updates introduced in the whole range,
including a set of new improved full LED headlights, the Pedestrian Protection
and Emergency Assist systems, an optional Traffic Jam Assist for DSG-equipped
models and two new metallic paints; Mystery Blue and Desire Red.
