The SEAT Leon Cupra R gets launched in the UK - again
The SEAT Leon Cupra R – the hot SEAT with the running gear of the VW Scirocco R – finally arrives in the UK.
We ran a story back in March heralding the arrival of the SEAT LEon Cupra R to the UK and bemoaning the fact that it had taken SEAT six months from showing the Cupra R in Frankfurt to actually getting their act to the UK.
Now here we are three months later, and guess what? SEAT has sent us a press release to let us know the SEAT Leon Cupra R is here. Again. How many nore debuts does this Iberian VW Golf R with the running gear of a Scirocco R need? Still, it’s a meaty little SEAT – and a very welcome addition to UK roads – so we shouldn’t moan too much.
So now it’s here, what do you get? The SEAT Leon Cupra R gets the Golf’s 2.0 litre turbo 4-pot with 261bhp, 258lb/ft of torque, a 0-60mph of 6.0 seconds and SEAT’s XDS electronic diff. It goes on to a top speed of 155mph.
And it’s a cheap way to a Golf R. You don’t get the planted feel you get in the Golf R because the Cupra R is front wheel drive. Instead you get slightly madder car more like the Scirocco R with an electronic limited slip diff , XDS, trying to do what the revoknukcle does in the Focus RS – tame the torque steer.
We haven’t driven the Leon Cupra R yet. But it’s not going to depart too far from what the Scirocco R and Golf R offer – which we have driven. So with a price of £25,205 – and the Golf R at £30,345 and the Scirocco R at £28,505 – it’s something of a bargain.
Just as long as the SEAT Leon Cupra R is really here this time. And it’s not just a trick.
SEAT Leon Cupra R Video
SEAT Leon Cupra R Photo Gallery
