Tuesday 14th November 2017

SEAT Leon Cupra R price announced

More than a Civic Type R and a Focus RS, but there could be just 24 Cupra Rs for the UK

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Alright, we'll cut to the chase immediately, before anybody gets cross: the Leon Cupra R costs £35K. £34,995 to be precise, which by our reckoning makes it the most expensive SEAT ever made. That said it is also the most powerful and most probably the rarest SEAT ever as well, though there can't have been many Toledo V5s sold. Or V6 Alhambras, come to think of it...

Black might work better, yes?

Anyway, the official line from SEAT on announcement of the Cupra R's price is that just 24 of the 799 global will initially be allocated to the UK. That seems a bit stingy given the UK's famously voracious appetite for anything hot and hatchbacked, so let's see if that number is revised in future.

Customers over here will be able to choose between Monsoon Grey and Midnight Black paint without cost, while every car will have a numbered plaque inside too. For the UK the car will be manual-only, as well.

This one is down to £17K now...

Further standard equipment confirmed for the 310hp Cupra R includes keyless entry and wireless phone charging, heated front seats, a Safety Pack, a BeatsAudio sound system and SEAT's 'Navigation System High'; perhaps not crucial equipment for a performance flagship, but it is all additional to the standard Cupra 300 spec and so will explain some of the price difference.

Customers can order a Cupra R right now, with first deliveries in January. Whether it can match the Civic Type R and Focus RS is a question we're desperate to answer as soon as possible. Until then, now seems like as good a time as any to point out that the most expensive Cupra in the PH classifieds is £10K less than a Cupra R, albeit without a Performance Pack. More on the R to follow!

Inspired? Buy a Seat Leon Cupra here

[culpz]

24 of them for the UK seems about right, seeing as the Cupra R moniker is now ruined, with this new model. It's like they've forgotten what the badge means and stands for. All this does is make the standard Cupra 300 look like terrific value and this just some overpriced, ugly garbage.

A real shame. R.I.P.

[IanCress]

Doesn't seem special enough to warrant the price. Exclusive I guess, but can't imagine anyone would be that bothered about missing out.

[nickfrog]

I think it's priced on the "strenght" of the limited supply. If the UK has only been allocated 24 and Seat UK feel that they will all sell at that price then why price it lower ?

[IanCress]

Then when they've sold all 24 at full price, they'll release another 500 to the UK market!

DIdn't another car manufacturer pull that trick? Maybe Renault with the original Clio V6?

[Cupramax]

Crazy pricing, aren't SEAT supposed to be VW's budget performance brand? I had an original mk1 Cupra R, which from memory was £16,995, it was a veritable bargain at the time, that equates to around £26k in today's money.

[Nickbrapp]

So it offers nothing over the standard cupra in terms of power? And then it costs more than a golf R?

You would tend to only buy the normal cupra because it was cheaper than a golf R or s3 so what’s the point in this? You might as well get the AWD with a better interior in the s3.

[ash reynolds]

Contrived exclusivity, the fitted hardware probably won't be that special either. Always got annoyed with the 'pig-iron' single piston calipers on the Golf R.
I think cars like this one in particular are pitched at suckers tbh.

[FN2TypeR]

I honestly do not see the point of this at all - maybe I'm missing something, but it would have to be a big something to justify that price given the saturation in this sector

[Mike1990]

Why can’t they just bring out a Sub8 Performance Pack on the current Cupra like the last one ?

I know this Cupra R has the Hardware but only 24 for the UK and 35k, just seems an missed opportunity.

[WCZ]

overpriced and not special at all, making it a limited production car only works for porsche etc with gimmicks like the T

[Cupra Black]

I had a Toledo V5, great car.

What is the point of this, I saw the headline and thought it would be 4WD.

Seeing as my Cupra 290 has trouble getting any traction (2 sets of fronts gone in 14K) 310bhp through the front wheels is going to be stupid.

[aaron_2000]

So other than an extra 10bhp and some extras, what's the point?

[ash reynolds]

Hmmm, now let me think....which would I choose, the Leon or this with cash in the pocket
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

[Dyl]

Article said:

Customers can order a Cupra R right now, with first deliveries in January

Not if it's on the same production line as the rest of the more standard Leons.

I ordered a Leon in June this year and it's scheduled for build in February 2018. Luckily found a cancelled order of the same spec so have just had that delivered.

Many, many people are on 30+ weeks lead times for factory orders at the moment.

[Dale487]

Dyl said:

Article said:

Customers can order a Cupra R right now, with first deliveries in January

Not if it's on the same production line as the rest of the more standard Leons.

I ordered a Leon in June this year and it's scheduled for build in February 2018. Luckily found a cancelled order of the same spec so have just had that delivered.

Many, many people are on 30+ weeks lead times for factory orders at the moment.

I was told in December '16 it would take 9 months to deliver a 1.4TSI Ateca - saved my self a packet & bought a lightly used ex-SEAT UK Leon estate instead - so you'r not the only one and the Leon is made in Barcelona & the Ateca the Czech republic.

I like the Cupra R personally but agree it isn't the performance step up compared to the old ones. But if you're looking at a fully optioned Cupra 300 & like the styling - go for the R (I see it a bit like the Cayman/Boxster GTS compared to the S - ie you get the extra power for nothing compared to the normal car plus the options you'd need to add to it to make the spec as close as you can to the R).

I like the styling (currently) but will it date really badly in say 5 years compared to a Golf GTI?

[ahenners]

Is the black cupra that is 17k at Kendal seat? It's been on sale there for ages that now.

[Hub]

Cupra Black said:

What is the point of this, I saw the headline and thought it would be 4WD.

Seeing as my Cupra 290 has trouble getting any traction (2 sets of fronts gone in 14K) 310bhp through the front wheels is going to be stupid.

Oddly, the estate now has 4wd, so will probably be quicker than the R!

I agree it doesn't seem 'special' enough or sufficiently distinct from the Cupra to warrant the R badge.

[Matt Bird]

Hi all,

Just to say SEAT has confirmed the Cupra R will be manual only in the UK. If that helps...



Matt

[Ahbefive]

To me it just seems a bit pointless and the attempt of a bodykit with the stuck on bumper tat looks laughable.

On the other hand I'm sure it is a good car and nice to see that it's a manual gearboxed one.

[ARFUR_DAILY]

35K for a Leon. WTF!!!

They're only sending over 25 because they know that there could only be a max. of 25 people stupid enough to sink their hard-earned into one