SEAT Leon Cupra V6: PH Blog
Never heard about the four-wheel drive, V6 Leon Cupra? Read on...
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...
The Corrado's chassis was derived from that of the Mk2 Golf while this Leon was spun off the completely different Mk4 Golf.
Totally agree! I can't get used to cars with Pill-box size windows, with only drivers eyes showing1 (A Pill Box was an armoured concrete defence structure with gun slits, for you youngsters!)
Memories of sitting ON -not IN - Citroen DS seats with clear view all around, or even the more recent late 90s Lexus LS400s or Saabs.
Have to admit I have been looking around for one on and off in the last few years, clearly nearly impossible in the UK now
The handling was also very pudding-like with loads of roll, pitching and yawing.
However the engine was a peach, especialy after a remap, with a silky smooth power delivery and it was just a lovely place to be. The interiors of the MK4 Golfs were really quite solid and luxurious compared to their peers of the time and well-equipped.
I can only imagine this Leon is a similar proposition. Too wallowy to be a true B road weapon, but a lovely thing to drive daily and to cruise in, so long as you are not price sensitive when it comes to running costs.
Good find PH!
The 4WD bodyshells were used for the Seat Supercopa race cars in various countries.
Re-packaged as FWD with 1.8 turbo engines and diff-less independent rear suspension, over 100 were built by Seat SEAT Sport. Drivers like Gordon Shedden and Rob Huff made career steps in these things and it was all televised
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SEAT_Cupra_Champions...
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