Tuesday 24th February 2015

SEAT Leon Cupra 280: PH Fleet

A tough few weeks for the Leon as its £30K rivals highlight some weaknesses

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To be honest, this hasn't been a great month for the Leon. There's still a great deal it does very well indeed (and I will continue to make the case for it), but a few rivals have shown up areas for improvement.

Chalk and cheese as hot hatches go!

The first was a week in Dan's NotImpreza. Its victory on the SEAT? Powertrain. Yes, the engine is laggier and less efficient but it's also more exciting. The Leon is keen but the Subaru revvier still once it's passed 3,000rpm, the boxer noise much more pleasing than the Cupra's augmented soundtrack as well. Moreover, the gearbox is a delight, short and precise in throw with perfect weighting and nice pedals. The Leon isn't bad but the STI is tangibly better. If you like manuals, and I certainly do, the Subaru's relationship between its engine and gearbox are a joy.

Next up? Ford Focus ST. There can be no doubt the SEAT is faster, particularly through bends where that VAQ 'diff' can work its magic. It's easily better looking too. But there's something quite endearing about the Ford, at least there was on a drive back from Spain. A brawny engine that shows what enhanced noise should sound like, a decent chassis that doesn't require any setting up plus an affordable price make the Ford hard to argue with.

The hatch already had a tough job...

And now KM14 XHO faces the enemy within, the Leon Cupra estate. Personally the curio appeal of a fast estate, plus the acceptable price premium and negligible dynamic gap would swing the decision in favour of the wagon. Some kind of Leon/Focus rematch in whatever format back in the UK would surely be fascinating.

But things are looking up for the poor old Cupra. Having experienced the Performance Pack on the estate launch, I'm confident it will make the SC hatchback even more thrilling down a B-road. It's easy to forget just how fast this car is. Even Dan commented on the pace having swapped a Ferrari FF for it; with more grip and more stopping power it should be incredible. Unfortunately there still isn't a confirmed date for the availability of UK press cars. Soon, honest!

Though it may have not have been flavour of the month during February, the Leon Cupra remains an excellent hot hatch. I maintain that what it lacks is some visual clout. It's a sharp looking car (hot Leons always have been) but struggles to be noticed. I am to blame slightly for choosing the Dynamic Grey paint but it was a very uninteresting palette of options.

Come on, it can't be that hard!

And that's the most important issue. The first Leon Cupras were never actually that wild aesthetically but they were offered in yellow and that made them interesting. Orange and green were offered on the Mk2 Cupra and the popularity of those hues must prove there is demand. The fact SEAT UK had press cars wrapped in orange surely indicates they're keen too. Someone very senior at SEAT needs to get yellow back on a Leon Cupra. Soon.

Until then, this car will continue to ferry people around very quickly with little fuss. Two more nearly rivals are around this month too in the form of the Juke NISMO RS and Audi S3 saloon. Certainly one of those won't go unnoticed!

 

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FACT SHEET
Car: SEAT Leon Cupra 280
Run by: Matt
On fleet since: July 2014
Mileage: 9,170
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: From Subaru to ST, rivals highlight a few Leon flaws

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?
Slower Cupra battles faster Cupra. Wins. Huh?
Cupra driven by others, verdicts mostly positive
An Anglesey road trip plays to the Leon's many strengths
Others may excite more, but the Leon's hard to fault

[Source: What Car? via YouTube, lead image by Tom Begley].

[dgmx5]

Fast Seats in yellow look great for the first 6 months then as they fade the Ovni Yellow looks something far less appealing. The Mk1 LCR remains the best looking fast Seat. The 280, especially in estate form, is a tempting proposition if only it could have had the purposeful menace of its spiritual predecessor.

[Dale487]

The Subaru & Ford are in the same ball park, so they are rivals but the closest matches are from with VAG; Golf GTi & Octavia VRS - which offer a similar level of day to usuage & performance. These other cars are more raw but less refind.

[AJB88]

dgmx5 said:

Fast Seats in yellow look great for the first 6 months then as they fade the Ovni Yellow looks something far less appealing. The Mk1 LCR remains the best looking fast Seat. The 280, especially in estate form, is a tempting proposition if only it could have had the purposeful menace of its spiritual predecessor.

I had a MK2 Leon Cupra R in yellow and that didn't fade as they have changed the colour.

[J4CKO]

Kind of cant see the point if its knocking on 30 grand and you can have a 4wd Golf R with more power and probably better residuals for not much more ? and the Focus RS is coming, another 40 bhp and 4wd also for 30 grand. I guess its more a Golf GTI/Focus ST competitor but it doesnt seem cheap enough to get in on that action.

Am I missing something ?

[pppppppppppppppp]

J4CKO said:

Kind of cant see the point if its knocking on 30 grand and you can have a 4wd Golf R with more power and probably better residuals for not much more ? and the Focus RS is coming, another 40 bhp and 4wd also for 30 grand. I guess its more a Golf GTI/Focus ST competitor but it doesnt seem cheap enough to get in on that action.

Am I missing something ?

You are. I have a mk 7 Golf R and considered the Cupra. While they clearly share much, they're also quite different cars. Personally I don't want a bright yellow car and would rather have a car that doesn't stick out too much or attract attention (mine's black). I couldn't care less what other people think of my car, or me for that matter.
The Leon's a very different, and less conservative car. Simple, yes, with no pointless spoilers or bonnet vents but more of a diversion from standard-looking cars than the Golf is.

The lack of 4wd can be a good thing. Personally I like having the 4wd but in most situations it's just adding weight, even more so considering the clever diff on the Leon. It also takes up space which means a less practical boot.

It's also still less expensive. Yes, it's "almost" the price of a Golf, but it's still a couple of K off (can't remember exactly the difference although I'm sure someone will point it out), which is still significant.

For me it was the much nicer interior which made me go for the Golf (I do some long journeys). I loved the Leon to drive and never even test drove a Golf, thinking it would be much the same. In many ways it is.

[And172940]

dgmx5 said:

Fast Seats in yellow look great for the first 6 months then as they fade the Ovni Yellow looks something far less appealing. The Mk1 LCR remains the best looking fast Seat. The 280, especially in estate form, is a tempting proposition if only it could have had the purposeful menace of its spiritual predecessor.

I had to look back at the photos after reading the first line to see if it really had yellow seats

[Crafty_]

J4CKO said:

Kind of cant see the point if its knocking on 30 grand and you can have a 4wd Golf R with more power and probably better residuals for not much more ? and the Focus RS is coming, another 40 bhp and 4wd also for 30 grand. I guess its more a Golf GTI/Focus ST competitor but it doesnt seem cheap enough to get in on that action.

Am I missing something ?

The golf with the same options is £34,560. So about 16% more, I'd say that was a fair bit.

The Focus RS is a bit shouty (not to mention bloody ugly at the front), the Leon is a bit more subtle, sort of the thinking mans hot hatch if you like.

It competes with Golf for price, but not performance, where it kills the GTI. The Focus ST is a class below both in terms of price and performance imho.


The Mk1 Cupra R didn't need the bright yellow paint, it was/is a good looking car.

This model is too subtle, it needs the same touches as the Mk1 had - a modest rooftip spoiler, skirts and a different set of bumpers. Its almost as if they couldn't be bothered, so stuck the engine in and stuck a cupra badge on it. The sub8 pack thing (aka "we got caught cheating with lap times fix kit") still doesn't add much, apart from some iffy styled wheels.

It would seem the strategy picked for SEAT is you can't challenge the GTI on looks or price, but its ok to have a hotter engine.

[redroadster]

If you are not bothered about badges save some money and buy the skoda vrs or shell out the extra and drive a golf !

[iloveboost]

redroadster said:

If you are not bothered about badges save some money and buy the skoda vrs or shell out the extra and drive a golf !

They're better value for money, but if you start down that road eventually when it ends, everybody ends up in a Kia Picanto. Is that what you want?!

Bright 'crazy' colours make a performance car stand out, but personally I'd rather not have a bright green or bright yellow car. I think it would be nice to have shades or types of colours, that are unique to the performance model. That way you get all the benefits of the car standing out, without it being OTT. Tastes vary though, and I quite like some chrome wrapped supercars, so clearly I have no taste.

[blearyeyedboy]

Thread resurrection here.

There will be many fans of the Civic Type R's aerodynamic addenda, red accents and sod-off spoiler but it's turned a few people off (including Blearyeyedgirl! )

I wonder if a few people will have another look at the Seat now? Meganes are all very well but if you need 5 doors, don't want to look like a Max Power escapee and you want a rapid FWD hatch (or now estate!), I can see it winning a few more hearts.

You'd have to be nuts to buy one for list price, but fortunately I doubt you have to...