Friday 8th February 2019

Abt creates 370hp Seat Leon Cupra ST

We all love fast estates, especially when they're made even faster

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The engineers at Abt Sportsline know the EA888 engine like the backs of their hands, with pretty much every performance car to use this ubiquitous VW Group motor having received attention from the German tuner. The latest car to pass through its ranks is the Seat Leon Cupra ST, which has been given such a substantial kick up the backside that it produces 370hp and 339lb ft of torque.

That, EA888 experts will know, is a 70hp and 59lb ft improvement on Seat's specification. It's been achieved through the fitment of Abt's own freer breathing Y-pipe exhaust system and a less-retrictive sports catalytic converter, as well as a custom engine map within a new ECU. It speaks volumes of Abt's belief in the 2.0-litre four-pot's strength that no internal modifications have been made; a two year or 100,000km warranty is provided.

Abt has also kitted out its faster estate with new front and rear anti-roll bars, tightening the chassis to provide what the tuner claims is enhanced "bite" through bends. The wheels are also enlarged to 20-inch items, wrapped in sticky Continental rubber of wafer thin profile and you can, if you so wish, option in sports suspension to turn this DCC-wielding estate into something more permanently focussed.

But by and large, the transformation is largely concentrated on the powertrain. Given how rapid the standard Spanish estate is out of the box, with a point-to-point pace that could worry some supercars, we see that as no bad thing at all.

[JMF894]

Forgive my ignorance but are the 4wd or at least have the option of 4wd?

[Scottie - NW]

I guess the obvious question is how does it compare against an equivalent Golf R estate, as all the feedback I've seen suggests they cost similar but the Golf R Estate drives better.

[Scottie - NW]

JMF894 said:

Forgive my ignorance but are the 4wd or at least have the option of 4wd?

I think from about 2018 MY it is Haldex front biased 4wd.

[st4]

Scottie - NW said:

I guess the obvious question is how does it compare against an equivalent Golf R estate, as all the feedback I've seen suggests they cost similar but the Golf R Estate drives better.

Nothing a set of springs/shocks wouldn't change.

The performance of these are incredible - dull - but undeniably very rapid.

[Nerdherder]

Didn't they drop the Seat name and lift Cupra to be the official brand on what was previously the Cupra line?

[Onehp]

Silly 20", looks awful

If you care about driving on real (UK or similar standard) roads, light 18" improve the car great lenghts



The 100'000km warranty is nice.

[AJB88]

really old news this... I mean I had a Stage 2 Cupra 280 in 2014 with 420ps and there is lots of MQB cars out there with 500+

[nicholasm]

Onehp said:

Silly 20", looks awful

If you care about driving on real (UK or similar standard) roads, light 18" improve the car great lenghts



The 100'000km warranty is nice.

I've been thinking about swapping my 19"s for 18"s, mostly to try and lessen the crash whenever my Cupra goes over potholes. Which wheels have you put on? They look like OZs.

[Onehp]

nicholasm said:

I've been thinking about swapping my 19"s for 18"s, mostly to try and lessen the crash whenever my Cupra goes over potholes. Which wheels have you put on? They look like OZs.

Indeed, OZ Ultraleggera 18x8 et45 5x112, 8,8kg each compared to ~13,7kg for the oem 19" (I hade the performance wheel, those are approx 13kg each). Noticed a significant improvement of both comfort and damping, the difference between good and great imho.

[Onehp]

AJB88 said:

really old news this... I mean I had a Stage 2 Cupra 280 in 2014 with 420ps and there is lots of MQB cars out there with 500+

Was spamming the RS Mountune thread about the 500+ ones, someone mentioned he already saw three seperate ones blown up - quite a lot to be in one place. How many are there, roughly, for real?

The 'new' thing is that ABT offers it on the 4drive Cupra, and iirc both power and torque are higher for being delivered with a 100k km warranty. On top of that, modifications have to be approved by the TüV. Not comparable to unwarranted offerings...

Edited by Onehp on Friday 8th February 13:13

[Terminator X]

Onehp said:

The 100'000km warranty is nice.

Pay through the nose for it though.

TX.

[AJB88]

Onehp said:

Was spamming the RS Mountune thread about the 500+ ones, someone mentioned he already saw three seperate ones blown up - quite a lot to be in one place. How many are there, roughly, for real?

The 'new' thing is that ABT offers it on the 4drive Cupra, and iirc both power and torque are higher for being delivered with a 100k km warranty. On top of that, modifications have to be approved by the TüV. Not comparable to unwarranted offerings...

Edited by Onehp on Friday 8th February 13:13

Never heard about one actually blowing up, local tuner VRS Performance has done quiet a few (MRC are the mapper)

Problem in the tuning world is there are a lot of people who make up rumours.. Found out another SEAT owner was spreading rumours that my car had blown 2 turbos and a gearbox. Car was on original gearbox and turbo when I sold it after 4 years.

[Onehp]

AJB88 said:

Never heard about one actually blowing up, local tuner VRS Performance has done quiet a few (MRC are the mapper)

Problem in the tuning world is there are a lot of people who make up rumours.. Found out another SEAT owner was spreading rumours that my car had blown 2 turbos and a gearbox. Car was on original gearbox and turbo when I sold it after 4 years.

Doesn't it go both ways, if they blow, there are plenty reasons to keep it to yourselve, both as owner and as a tuner... guess we will never know for sure other than the ones we know of personally.

[MikeDrop]

Onehp said:

nicholasm said:

I've been thinking about swapping my 19"s for 18"s, mostly to try and lessen the crash whenever my Cupra goes over potholes. Which wheels have you put on? They look like OZs.

Indeed, OZ Ultraleggera 18x8 et45 5x112, 8,8kg each compared to ~13,7kg for the oem 19" (I hade the performance wheel, those are approx 13kg each). Noticed a significant improvement of both comfort and damping, the difference between good and great imho.

Thing is these cars have really bloated over the years. Most cars have.

Fit bigger wheels, car looks smaller and more nimble.

Vice versa with "crossovers" slight suspension lift, small wheels with big sidewalls and hey presto, you've got an "offroader"

[ToothbrushMan]

in that photo whats the piece of plastic in the arch halfway across the wing and the bumper join? never seen anything like that before?

not some fancy air spat is it?

[Onehp]

ToothbrushMan said:

in that photo whats the piece of plastic in the arch halfway across the wing and the bumper join? never seen anything like that before?

not some fancy air spat is it?

Check again, many cars have them. I'm pretty sure its protection from, in case the tyre catches onto the edge, to keep the tyre from tearing down the bumper. Small tolerances...
Heard plenty other explenations but this is the one that makes sense to me.

[ahenners]

Really fancy a Leon Cupra 300 4drive next, and I think I'd rather have one over the Golf R. To me it looks better, and it goes under the radar a bit more, hopefully less likely to have people breaking into your house for one.

[Onehp]

ahenners said:

Really fancy a Leon Cupra 300 4drive next, and I think I'd rather have one over the Golf R. To me it looks better, and it goes under the radar a bit more, hopefully less likely to have people breaking into your house for one.

Discrete colour, debadge, teddy bear 17" wheels (with MPSS), paint calipers black and nobody will believe it's a fast car even if you tell them it will keep up with a Panamera S V8...

[the_hood]

It might be fast and a great drive, but I just find it very dull both inside and out.

[Onehp]

I think it is a good looking for being estate, but obviously not exiting in the way of a low slung sportscar. As for the inside, it is mostly black with a few chrome bezels, but quality is fine and ergonomics are good too. Of course VAG has nicer interiors, but I don't think they are worth their money, mostly look out of the windows anyway