Tuesday 7th October 2014

SEAT Leon Cupra 280: PH Fleet

Well the most powerful version with a manual has to be the best Cupra, right? Not necessarily...

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The lad in the Fiesta Zetec S would have been clueless. He'd just been following a Leon diesel or similarly limp petrol model towards the dual carriageway (far too closely I might add). 120hp and a dollop of youthful over exuberance would see to the SEAT down the slip road, no worries. Poor, ignorant youth...

SEAT needs a new wheel designer pronto

The gap put between said juvenile in his fast Fiesta and the red Leon Cupra 265 you see here was laughable. Genuinely. Even by Leon Cupra standards it's exceptionally discreet, not great for hot hatch extroverts but an ideal (and really quick) Q car. Should a hot hatch be that way? That's a discussion for another day...

Anyway, the cosmetic differences between the 265 and 280 Cupras are: 18-inch wheels rather than 19, body coloured mirrors instead of black ones and a missing rear spoiler. Without that Cupra badge on the back it really could pass for a 1.4 TSI. Perhaps the Fiesta driver didn't see that.

Mechanically the only difference is 15hp. The adaptive dampers and VAQ 'diff' are still present, as is the 258lb ft torque peak from the Cupra 280. According to the stats, the torque band is marginally smaller in the 265 (1,750-5,300rpm) than in the 280 (1,700-5,600rpm). The performance difference is so minute you would need a side-by-side comparison to tell them apart. There's only a tenth in the 0-62 times and, unsurprisingly, the characters are identical; torquey but revvy too and very, very fast.

Cupra badge is the key; both are very fast

But it's the wheels and tyres that make a bigger difference, other than just making the Cupra appear more anonymous. The 280 runs 235/35 R19 Bridgestone Potenzas and the 265 uses 225/40 R18 Continental SportContact5s. The smaller wheels give the red car just that tiny bit more compliance and flow along a bumpy road. The 280 isn't crashy by any stretch but the 265 is just preferable in Britain. A direct comparison on the same roads at the same time would be interesting to assess how different the two tyres really are but it would take something extraordinary from the 280 to change my mind. The lower powered car is nicer to drive. And at £25,960 before options it's £1,250 cheaper compared against the base price of the 280.

So why isn't SEAT raving about the Cupra 265, the car fast Leon that everyone really should be buying? Well for a start that's not the model surrounded in the Nurburgring lap time saga and simple marketing wouldn't have you promote the cheaper, less powerful car. Moreover, it's only available as a three-door manual; once the hot hatch dream, now just a bit impractical as pocket rockets have become fast family cars and everyone apparently needs a five-door auto.

However, if that isn't you and you are after a hot hatch that isn't as shouty as an Astra VXR or as uncompromising as the Megane, you could do a whole lot worse than the Cupra 265. It may not look much but it's something of a hidden hot hatch gem. Next month: a comparison that our 280 actually wins.

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FACT SHEET
Car: SEAT Leon Cupra 280
Run by: Matt
On fleet since: July 2014
Mileage: 2,815
List price new: £26,945 before options (£29,650 as tested, comprising Leather Pack with Winter Pack £755, Driver Assist Pack including high beam and lane assist £295, Safety Pack £115, SEAT Sound System £250, Adaptive Cruise Control and front assist £500, space saver £95 and Dynamic custom paint £695).
Last month at a glance: Cupra battles Cupra and the result is not what you may expect

Previous reports:
A 280hp Leon arrives, all discussion is on the damn paint
Against racer and hot hatch nemesis the Leon does just fine
Quick and capable yes, but could it be more so?

 

[Dale487]

I can't beleive how understated the 265 looks - may be its the colour or that the 280 has darker (as well as larger) wheels.

I would have thought that a 265 5dr only would have made more sense than a 3dr - wider appeal?

Sounds like the perfect Q car - as said in the article - same chassis as the 280, only 15bhp down, more power than the Golf GTI PP & it looks like a 1.4 TSi. But with £25-30K to spend on a hot hatch you are spoilt for choice at the moment - from VW group alone & the market at large.

[eybic]

I thought that about the looks too Dale, it blends in nicely.

[rob.e]

Nice write up. Not the first time that smaller 18" wheels have be shown to be the better choice for driving vs. blingy 19"-ers that the marketing departments seem to favour.

Any news on that elusive performance pack?

[ManOpener]

I'm still miffed they don't do a 265 in 5-door form. Prefer the smaller wheels and am undecided on the spoiler.

[Matt Bird]

rob.e said:

Nice write up. Not the first time that smaller 18" wheels have be shown to be the better choice for driving vs. blingy 19"-ers that the marketing departments seem to favour.

Any news on that elusive performance pack?

Thanks! Officially the Pack has to be specified from the factory and can't be retrofitted but we're hoping an exception can be made... If not we're promised the first press car with it fitted in the country. I have a few 'ring laps spare from the Caterham trip and apparently the Megane Trophy R press cars are around soon as well


Matt

[AJB88]

I've got Stage 1 tune and a Brembo 370mm brake kit for mine

[the_hood]

"It may not look much...."

You're right about that! To plain for me.

[dorsetknob]

Interesting article, most of the press I've read has been about the 280. I need a 5 door car for the family so the 265 wasn't an option and I got the 280 which I'm very happy with. Having read this though a 5 door 265 sounds like it would be ideal, especially as there isn't much difference in real world pace. I prefer the Q car approach and although the 280 isn't too blingy the stealth factor of the 265 appeals more, particularly the wheels - if these 18s were standard on the 280 I wouldn't have specced the 19s.

[AdrianGail]

I think the Cupra should have come with some more dramatic styling to make it stand out from the FR/SE/Lower models. Something along the lines of the SEAT Leon Sports Styling Kit (certainly the back, but with the a combination of the Cupra bumper and the Styling pack one with the usual cut-outs below the grille and honeycomb... to tie it in with previous Cupras)





images from SCN

I'd also like to see (when they release one...) a CupraR that takes queues from the Leon Cup Racer!

[Dale487]

dorsetknob said:

Interesting article, most of the press I've read has been about the 280. I need a 5 door car for the family so the 265 wasn't an option and I got the 280 which I'm very happy with. Having read this though a 5 door 265 sounds like it would be ideal, especially as there isn't much difference in real world pace. I prefer the Q car approach and although the 280 isn't too blingy the stealth factor of the 265 appeals more, particularly the wheels - if these 18s were standard on the 280 I wouldn't have specced the 19s.

I'd have thought the slightly more sensible 265 would have made more sense as a 5 door - may the 265 is a 3 door so it sits at the right price point or is it a way of extracting more money from those of us who need a 5 door.

[Lowtimer]

There's really no reason why both 3 and 5 door couldn't be available with the choice of 265 or 280 engine. It's a modular production line, after all. Seems silly not to let someone have a 5 door 265 if they want one.

[Dale487]

Lowtimer said:

There's really no reason why both 3 and 5 door couldn't be available with the choice of 265 or 280 engine. It's a modular production line, after all. Seems silly not to let someone have a 5 door 265 if they want one.

True

[ManOpener]

I really like the back of the Sport Styling pack cars, and the wheels are much better than either of the standard Cupra ones, but the front is less aggressive than the standard car IMO!

[cib24]

The car may be relatively quick but my god is the styling boring! It's like looking the designers had no imagination at all. Actually, there probably weren't any designers which is why it looks the way it does. The same goes for the new Golf as well.

[Lowtimer]

A lot of people want a quick car that won;t attract attention. Basically the same mechanical package is available as a Golf, A3, Audi TT, Scirocco etc so those who want a more in yer face version are well catered for.

[Clivey]

Why not just stick the smaller wheels on the 280 if that's what you want?

Unfortunately, these VAG boxes don't excite me at all. - I say "unfortunately" because this sort of thing is apparently "the future".

[ReaderScars]

Think I would rather go for a mk1 Cayman and keep the remaining £14k as a contingency fund. But of course, I'm probably missing the point as well as being out of touch.

[Lowtimer]

If what you want out of life is an old mid-engined two seater (and all power to you if that's what turns you on) then good for you.

But, yes, the idea of a new FWD family hatch being a direct competitor for an old mid-engined two-seater is absolutely totally and comprehensively missing the point.

I might just as well point out that the new Seat Leon has serious disadvantages as a TV set, rotary cultivator or flat-pack wardrobe.

I have an old cheap Porsche myself but don't consider it a rival for my nearly-new family econo-hatch, or for my old barge estate car.

Edited by Lowtimer on Thursday 9th October 09:29

[JamesD1]

having owned a mk1 (pre-facelift) leon cupra i think they should be understated cars, the cupra R should do the shouting.

the mk1 R and mk2 R and k1 (my personal favourite) do have different looks to the standard cupra and i think thats how it should be and does appear to be.

[va1o]

The 265 seems surprisingly likeable and should be very decent value for money used, just a shame they don't offer it in DSG form!