Abt creates 370hp Seat Leon Cupra ST

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

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.