Monday 7th March 2016

SEAT Leon Cupra V6: PH Blog

Never heard about the four-wheel drive, V6 Leon Cupra? Read on...

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It's a misprint. It has to be a misprint. How could there be chance to drive a Leon Cupra V6 when there's never been one? In the UK all Cupras and Cupra Rs were four-cylinder, definitely. They were very popular, and early ones make good Sheds now. But a V6? No. Even if it was LHD-only, someone must have heard about it...

We were wrong; there was a Leon Cupra V6. Built in small numbers and only in LHD between 2000 and 2002, it was the first SEAT to be made with more than 200hp. It was also built by SEAT rather than SEAT Sport, explaining its more subdued appearance. The Cupra bumpers and wheels are fairly subtle, for example, with just a badge on its pretty little rump and a few adornments inside marking it out. Much like the Golf V6 4Motion with which this car shares so much, the Leon is a very discreet fast hatch.

The biggest surprise inside is the light. Sounds daft, but we've become so used to cars with huge pillars and tiny glasshouses that to sit in a regular hatch from 15 years ago is a revelation. You can see! Moreover the steering wheel is a sensible size, as is the gearstick. The Leon shows very well how needlessly OTT so many interior features are now.

Start it using a key (!) and the 2.8-litre VR6 settles to a muted idle after the merest hint of a growl. The drive is taking place on the Terramar circuit so, as well as being not that detailed, it won't be for very long either. And it's been recently restored by SEAT. Off we go then...

Having driven the new Cupra 290 just a few minutes beforehand, immediately you can sense the drag of the four-wheel drive in the older car. There's more inertia in the powertrain, and the clear impression of car hauling around a fair bit of mass. Indeed the spec sheet reveals a 1,483kg kerbweight, the V6 not a light hot hatch by any stretch.

Now the Golf V6 4Motion never enjoyed the best reputation as the most enjoyable hot hatch, and the SEAT certainly did nothing to overturn that on this brief drive. What it did do however was act as a reminder of how nice large capacity naturally aspirated engines really are. It revs freely, sounds great and responds to the throttle nicely, completely at odds with the overly sharp Cupra setting on the new car. Yes, it's not that fast and, yes, it probably uses loads of fuel, but it goes to prove that turbo engines still cannot match the pleasure of using an atmospheric one.

Even this recently restored example felt a little slack in its damping and clearly wouldn't keep up with a new Cupra on any road, but as a curio the V6 Cupra was really rather pleasant. It seems unlikely that engines other than four-cylinder turbos will be seen in hot hatches from now on, so a bit of diversity is certainly welcomed round these parts. Though if we're deciding between V6 hot hatches of the early 2000s, mine will have an Alfa badge on it...

 

[j_s14a]

The closely related Corrado VR6 is a much better car, even without the AWD. It handles better, is faster, more economical, has a much nicer driving position, and genuinely feels special. It is even very practical, seating four adults when necessary, and the rear seats fold down to give a fairly gargantuan boot for a hatch.