Key considerations
- Available for £12,500
- 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol turbo, front-wheel drive
- Comes in several powers, all great
- Practical and cheap for the performance
- 300hp AWD ST estate is a real sleeper
- Big used choice is keeping prices sensible
OVERVIEW
If your ideal vehicle is something that will deliver sporting thrills just as easily as it will deliver your family and their accoutrements to their destination, you've been spoilt for choice in recent years.
One notable addition to the do-everything ranks was the Seat Leon Cupra of 2014. There had been earlier Cupras of course, but the '14 car was different. It was based on the gen-three 5F Leon of 2012, the second car (after the Mk7 Golf) to receive the new, one-size-fits-a-lot MQB platform on whose development the Volkswagen Group had spent a tidy $8 billion.
What the new steel and aluminium platform brought to the Leon was a handy increase of nearly 6cm in the wheelbase, boosting rear legroom and boot space. It also brought welcome reductions in overall length and weight (up to 90kg on the old Leon) and a 5-star Euro NCAP crash rating, plus a strong package of modern safety tech including lane keeping, driver fatigue detection and automatic post-accident braking. In short, the basic car was a very good foundation for the new Leon Cupra of 2014.
The Cupra choice came as a three-door SportCoupe (SC), a five-door hatch (a £300 uplift on the SC, and the choice of 56 per cent of Cupra buyers) or a five-door ST estate (from 2015). Between 2014 and 2020, when it was succeeded by the gen-four KL1, the 5F Cupra's 2.0 litre TSI turbocharged four sprinted up a power ladder which started with the 265hp Cupra 265 of 2014-15 and culminated in 300hp-plus versions.
The 265 could only be had in SC three-door form, and only with a six-speed manual, but its 280hp 280 sister offered the choice of that or a DSG six-speed automatic. There was also an electronically controlled mechanical limited slip diff. Even the lower-powered 265 could do the 0-62mph run in 5.9sec. You could chop a tenth off that in a 280, and two-tenths off it in a DSG 280. The ST estates at this time were around 0.3sec slower across the board. All models could hit 155mph.
The 280 had new 19in alloys, gloss black exterior trim pieces and a roof spoiler. The option of a Sub8 Performance Pack (celebrating the car's Nurburgring time of under eight minutes) added side skirts and Brembo four-piston brakes with 30mm larger ventilated discs. New, lighter 19in alloys were also part of the Sub8 pack, which morphed into the Ultimate Sub8 pack in the early spring of 2015. The changes there were mainly weight-saving via the removal of various cabin parts like four of the eight speakers, the centre console armrest and the rear air vents. The standard climate control was binned in favour of a simpler heater. Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres could be added to either Sub8 pack at extra cost.
The 265 carried on unchanged for 2015, but in that year the 280 became the 290. The 290's power increase didn't affect the 0-62 times of 5.8sec (manual) or 5.7sec (DSG). The limited 155mph top speed stayed the same too.
Both the 290 and the 265 ran through into 2016 but that was the last year for both cars. The lower-powered car was dropped altogether for 2017 while the 290 became the 300, again with no real changes to the 290's headline performance figures. The exception was the 300 ST 4Drive estate which, came with a DSG/all-wheel drive transmission. Despite its extra weight (1,545kg) it would blast through the 0-62mph test in a Civic Type R-beating 4.9sec.
In 2017 there was a Leon facelift, marked on the outside by restyled bumpers, revised LED headlights and a slightly wider grille, and on the inside by a new eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system featuring Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and MirrorLink. In 2018 WLTP testing requirements introduced the marvel of particulate filters to petrol direct injection cars (the 'GPF' you'll see on some Cupra ads stands for gas particulate filter) and knocked the front-drive hatch's power rating back down to 290 spec. The ST estate stayed at 300 spec. The three-door SC body option was dropped in 2018 because of low sales.
The ultimate gen-three Leon Cupra, in terms of power figures at least, was the 2018-19 310hp/280lb ft Cupra R, 799 of which were built. These cars had more extreme bodykits with a rear diffuser and a spoiler but only 24 were right-hand drive cars so they're effectively invisible and/or unavailable on the UK used market. We're not considering them here.
Not that it matters much. Any regular Cupra will do the job. One British magazine did a 2014 dry-weather track test between the 280 Cupra and the Golf R. Both had the VW Group 2.0 litre turbo four engine. Both had 6-speed DSG boxes. The R was 20hp more powerful, 22lb ft torquier, several grand more expensive and it had all-wheel drive, which would have given it an edge in poor conditions, but the Seat was 70kg lighter. On a smooth track in dry weather its lightness of foot and pointier front end was enough to win the day. Which came as a something of a shock to the well-rated bloke behind the wheel.
Today, a 2014 Golf R will cost you at least £14,000. The starting price for a 2014 Cupra 280 is £12,500. If you think that might be a saving worth making, read on.
SPECIFICATION | SEAT LEON CUPRA 280 (2014-on)
Engine: 1,984cc four-cyl turbo
Transmission: 6-speed manual or DSG auto, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 280@5,350-6,600rpm
Torque (lb ft): 258@1,750-5,300rpm
0-62mph (secs): 5.8 (man), 5.7 (DSG)
Top speed (mph): 155
Weight (kg): 1,421
MPG (official combined): 42.2
CO2 (g/km): 149 (157 for ST manual)
Wheels (in): 18
Tyres: 225/40
On sale: 2014 - 2020
Price new: £28,530
Price now: from £12,500
Note for reference: car weight and power data are hard to pin down with absolute certainty. For consistency, we use the same source for all our guides. We hope the data we use is right more often than it's wrong. Our advice is to treat it as relative rather than definitive.
ENGINE & GEARBOX
Put an average Joe in the seat of a 265 and then a 280 without telling them which was which and the chances of them getting the model right just from the performance wouldn't be much higher than 50/50. It didn't really matter which one you chose because both iterations served up lashings of power and torque.
There were four modes: Comfort, Sport, Cupra and Individual to program in your own settings. There was a clear difference in throttle response, chassis feel and noise when you engaged Cupra mode. For some, pressing the flag button was best left to the track. Selecting Sport for the throttle, sound and diff settings and Comfort for the steering and damping was a popular combo. If you couldn't be bothered with Individual, then Comfort mode was highly useable on UK roads. Overall the selection of modes was well judged.
The shift operation of the six-speed manual was light and positive, but the gearing was arguably a little too low, forcing the engine to run at the best part of 3,000rpm for 70mph. The lower-powered FR models ambled along with fewer than 2,500 revs on the clock at the same speed. The cruising gears of the DSG (a £1,320 extra taken up by more than seven out of ten buyers) were also fairly low. Shifting was predictably smooth in normal use but the DSG software would throw in upshifts even if you were in manual mode and hadn't asked for one, or double downshifts even after a gentle foot-based request that could easily have been dealt with by the torque of the engine rather than by a downshift.
It was a shame that the 290's launch control system was pretty poor, rudely dumping the clutch at 3,000rpm and making no real attempt to mitigate the wasteful wheelspin that blighted the first two gears with the foot hard in. Allegedly, some DSG owners were warned by their dealers that more than three uses of the launch control would invalidate the warranty.
All 5F Cupras had stop-start tech. Considering the performance that was available the Cupra's ability to hit over 40mpg in steady use was praiseworthy. Even in harder/mixed use you should expect numbers in the low to mid 30s, and around 300 miles from a full tank. You should try to use premium fuel.
There was an issue with a small batch of IHI turbocharger units on very early 5F Cupras which was attributed to imperfect manifold sealing surfaces. Nowadays however there is little to stop you enjoying Cupra life. Even serial hot hatch owners will be impressed by the performance, but you can never have too much of that and the engine is basically strong, so tuning is obviously an area of interest. Here are some examples of what can be achieved. A Stage 1 ECU job on a 280 or a 300 will typically lift power to over 360hp and torque to over 360lb ft. Stage 2 on a 290 will hoist the power to over 390hp and torque to nearly 420lb ft. The hardware for that would typically include a non-res turbo-back exhaust and maybe a front-mount intercooler and induction kit.
The clutch on the manual cars can a weak point on standard as well as remapped cars. Problems are usually flagged up by slip in the higher gears. In addition, some owners have had engine coolant issues. There were discussions about the presence of a silica bag of gel in the coolant header tank, reportedly put there to reduce corrosion. If it split the gel could block the heater matrix. Water pump housings have failed and there have been instances of particles of silicon sealant (used in the pump replacement process) getting into the valvegear.
CHASSIS
On Leons with 150hp or more the MQB chassis had multilink rear suspension. Cupra springing was stiffer, as you'd expect, and you could ramp up the damping firmness still further by selecting Cupra or Sport modes. There was a fatter rear anti-roll bar too. That component list suggested a bone-jiggling ride, but the range-standard adaptive Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) did a very efficient job of blending comfort and control. An RS Megane was more rewarding from an overall handling perspective and a Focus ST wagon was more fun if you were into fast estates, but the Leon's mix of speed, stability and security was more than enough for many. One mag likened the Cupra ST estate to a junior Audi RS6 Avant.
The steering was 'progressive', adjusting from a 1.4 turn ratio to 1.1 in fast bends, and although light in operation even in the beefiest Cupra mode it gave reasonable if not exceptional feedback. The mechanical diff didn't do all that much to keep the nose of the car on a tight line when exiting a corner on maximum noise though. That, combined with the amount of power on tap, could result in high rates of front tyre wear on trackdayed cars.
SEAT specially configured the Cupra's stability control and gave it a Cupra Drive Profile with a two-stage traction and ESP system and the option to disable all chassis intervention.
BODYWORK
Not everyone was in love with the styling of the gen-three Cupras. The three- and five-door bodies had plenty of interesting creases and swages and the standard of construction was respectably high, but the overall look could seem a bit clumpy.
At steady motorway speeds there was a little bit more wind noise than you might expect, but you could always press the Cupra button for some additional noise. That would also help to suppress the tyre roar which on the standard Bridgestone Potenzas was borderline loud. As ever, your chosen sub-species of Michelin Pilot would be the obvious replacements, not only reducing the racket, traction and plough-on but also improving bite in both cornering and braking.
LED headlamps were standard on all Cupras. You got a good 380 litres of boot space in either hatchback body style, or 587 litres in the ST estate. Obviously both figures grew considerably with the split-fold rear seats folded away. In that configuration you didn't need the estate to carry two bikes with the front wheels removed plus luggage.
There's a good selection of aftermarket body bits available for these cars. Plastic parts like diffusers, front bumper lip splitters and the like are generally reasonably priced at around £150 an item. For more radical transformations firms like JE Design in Germany will happily supply you with widebody kits, KW-DDC plug and play suspension and the like. The operation of the rear wiper could be juddery.
INTERIOR
In the competitive world of medium hatchbacks, most if not all cars have traditionally had to defer to the Volkswagen Golf when it comes to cabin quality. The Golf's position at the top of the VW Group pecking order had to be protected, so it's not that difficult to see the differences in material quality between it and the fairly bland Seat Leon.
Even so, in isolation the SEAT was still at least as good as the non-VW opposition. Any slightly scratchy plastics in the lower regions of the cabin were offset by a nice Cupra steering wheel, aluminium pedals and sill plates and leatherette bolstered Alcantara seats. Heated leather seats (albeit still with faux-leather bolsters) were a £755 option. Sportier bucket seats that became available from summer 2014 were worth having for their extra support, and the presence of these seats will add value to cars in the used market.
The 280 got a sat-nav as standard, but sadly not one that was quick to wake up. You'd be forgiven for thinking that it didn't accept postcode entries either because the process for engaging that function was far from obvious. There was a digital radio and the configurable digital dash was great, but the sound enhancer that came on all 5F Cupras was a matter of taste. Some found the plastic paddles on the DSG cars to be too small, too flimsy and rather gritty to the touch.
Heated front seats were only available if you laid out £355 for the Winter pack, but that price did include headlight washers and heated screenwash nozzles. The £295 Driver Assist pack provided auto-dip headlights and lane assist. Adaptive Cruise was £500. Seat's upgraded sound system with a six-channel amp, ten speakers and a subwoofer was £250 well spent.
Earlier Leons had problems with a non-opening flap in front of the gearlever but the 5F Cupras didn't suffer from that because they didn't have flaps. There were reports of warm air not coming out of one of the dash side vents. Some pointed to the split coolant header tank silica bag theory but a sticking flap in the HVAC system seemed more plausible.
PH VERDICT
We tend to think of the Leon Cupra as a highly focused hot hatch, and we'd be right to think that too, but the true wonder of the Cupra is that it blows your pants off without compromising on dull stuff like fuel economy and practicality, which is the stuff that makes the straight Leon such a fine family car. The Cupra sacrifices none of the Leon's talents and is a brilliant all-rounder even before you get anywhere near the farthest extent of its performance. When you do you may well wonder why you were ever considering options like the Golf R or the Audi S3.
Which one to get? Let's dismiss the 265 to start with, not because there's anything wrong with them - quite the opposite, there was very little performance difference between any of the Cupras with a '2' in their names - but because they're very rare. People didn't buy new 265s when they could get the more impressive sounding 280 for not much more money. If you're not badge-conscious don't dismiss the 265 if you find one. In fact, you might well be able to use its numerical 'inferiority' as a bargaining chip. The Cupra's feeling of speed was enhanced by its understated styling, particularly in the all-wheel drive ST estate which often comes in grey or silver and is a true sleeper if ever there was one.
Reliability appears to be excellent and running costs are more than manageable. These Cupras tend to be cheaper to insure than the Audi S3 or the Golf R, maybe because there are less of them on - and perhaps more importantly off - the roads, and also because they're less obvious targets for criminals. Main dealer servicing costs are in line with those of other VW Group models at around £250 a go.
There is no shortage of choice in the used 5F Cupra market, with well over 200 examples on sale in the UK at the time of writing and a pretty even-looking mix of manuals and DSG autos. Predictably, some have hit the hedgerows so you'll see plenty of Cat N/S cars for under £12,000, but given that you'll also see plenty of nice looking undamaged cars for £12,500 there's no real need to dip into the repaired pool.
The most affordable car in PH Classifieds as we were putting our guide together was this 74,000-mile 280 SC DSG at £14,500. They're calling it a stage 2 car, but they may be meaning something else by that. For less than £500 extra you can be into this 60,000-mile five-door manual from 2015.
The cheapest estate on PH was this grey DSG 280 from 2015 at £15,950. Higher miles at 87k, but there's full leather and a full service history. An extra thousand quid clips nearly 30,000 miles off that if you go for this 280 manual estate. It too has a full history, but it is due another service now. At the top end of the market, you'll need £32,465 for this 7,000-mile 300 ST 4Drive but that will make you the proud owner of an impressively quick and very useful tool.
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