Any manufacturer R&D boss who parks a test mule of a proposed performance variant outside the restaurant on a press launch has to be doing something right. OK, a SEAT Ateca
with quad exhausts
and a boosted engine might not seem the obvious choice for the next Cupra model. And it's a trick he's apparently played before. But according to Matthias Rabe it is a whole lot of fun to drive, a view apparently vindicated by SEAT's 'ring lap maestro Jordi Gene. And Rabe sees more of a future (that is to say profit) in a car like this than he does Cupra versions of the Ibiza.
Well if this can make money for a Leon R...
Fear not though hot hatch fans - "Leon is Cupra" according to Rabe. And over dinner conversation about whether or not SEAT should regain the wild streak fans enjoyed with the first and second generation Cupras - think the original R, the bodykitted K1 and some of the more outgoing colour choices once offered on hot SEATs - he turned the tables and asked if something more extreme could work. Something limited production perhaps. Something like a
Golf GTI Clubsport S
Certainly if the Leon Cupra - the one we're driving here is the newly updated 300 version - has an issue it's that it's perhaps gone a little bit too sensible pants in its third generation. Where once SEATs catered to more extrovert tastes these days it looks a little Audi-fied in an age of wild looking Type Rs and aggressive Ford RS product. Heck, even VW does stripped out 'ring racer hot hatches these days.
Rabe is too canny to say as much but he's clearly got some stuff up his sleeve. Asked about the whole 'sub eight minutes' thing he says it worked for them at the time, made some noise about the new Cupra and did what was needed. Are they going to go back and take on the Golf? He says not but he knows how to do it with the tools at his disposal. Technology like the adjustable DCC dampers means he can - and has - made Leons with more extreme chassis set-ups than the one signed off for the 300. He likes the tuneability of the VAQ 'diff' and the scope it gives for dialling out understeer. He says he never liked front-driven cars for this reason but now reckons the lack of weight and tools at his disposal makes them more fun to drive than their all-wheel drive equivalents, even though this option has been added to the ST estate version.
Keep an eye out at Frankfurt, says Rabe
It's hard to escape the sense a bit more Spanish passion and some additional fire in the belly of the Leon Cupra would give SEAT a real boost. Some bright colour choices, perhaps a bodykit, a tickle more power or track-inspired chassis settings to keep the faithful happy and a limited run to make it feel special. He likes the idea of increasing the scope for personalisation, be that through additional colours, kits or other upgrades. And though he didn't say it in as many words Rabe advised we stay tuned come Frankfurt later in the year - dare we hope for a new Cupra R, or something along those lines?
If subverting the brand's family crossover with a bit of Cupra-ness counts as a fun project in Rabe's eyes you have to hope this will inform where the hot hatch versions go next.