Earlier this year, SEAT took the wraps off the Leon Cupra 290. Now the range has been facelifted, and the hottest model’s outputs increased to 224 kW and 380 N.m, putting it somewhere in the region of the Volkswagen Golf R (which is sadly detuned for SA) and Audi S3.
And that makes it the most powerful SEAT ever produced.
Wagon fans be glad to hear that this variant receives the full-fat output too, but with the added benefit of all-wheel drive mated to a dual-clutch transmission. The hatch, unlike the Golf R and S3, remains front-wheel drive.
Together with the enhanced output, the Leon Cupra also comes equipped with safety features such as traffic jam assist, lane departure assist, adaptive cruise control and pedestrian protection.
Adaptive chassis control, a progressive steering system and an electronic self-locking differential will all be standard equipment.
Obviously, these two examples will not be offered in South Africa (what with the VW Group brand pulling out of SA a while back), but it raises the question: would you have one if it were available here?
