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NEW HORRIZONS

With so much choice out there in terms of hot-hatches, it really is a buyers market and the new SEAT Leon Cupra is proving pretty buoyant

When my mate got back from nine months of backpacking through Eastern Europe, I wholly expected the 17 stone (prop forward) semi-retired Arthur Daily to be donning a fist full of photos of his new hotel complex, canvas trousers five times too big and a gorgeous Czechoslovakian wife. What I didn’t expect was that he’d be signing off all of his UK business assets to his dippy younger brother, putting his city pad up for sale and Jetting over to Spain to be with the girl he left three years ago. The up side of this ridiculous saga was that for three months everything was back to the way it always had been; Friday night Polka, Saturday nursing the after effects of Tiger beer and Vindaloo curry while Sunday we were the Fifteen geriatric oaths on the pitch sliding on our bellies and discovering parts of our lungs we hadn’t used for years.

Though as our hairy legs and Wham-style dress sense certainly wasn’t doing anything for the glam West London pushchair brigade which were looking on, it was obvious we weren’t out of touch with our own choice of wheels. You see my mate (the one who’s deserting us for the 5ft squeaky-voiced hairstylist in Barcelona) has always been a bit of a spock when it comes to cars, not to mention having the disposable income to keep expanding his fleet which up until now has had quite an Italian bias. Last week though it wasn’t just the prospect of Spanish sun and L’oreal locks that was making him go all soft in the head, he’d even fallen a cropper to the new Leon Cupra from SEAT. Of course at first all the guys were giving him a real ribbing for taking the whole ‘Viva Espana’ a little overboard. Obviously I wanted to join in the taunts and make him feel like a little lost boy outside the clan however it was plainly clear that we were all just green with envy. Having also test-driven this new hot hatch a couple of weeks back I had to confess that it was a beautiful machine.

True enough the guru of all race SEATs now has a stampede of almost 240 horses tugging at its front wheels. This force is generated by its VAG TFSI 2.0litre engine which is also at the heart of the Golf GTi and Audi’s S3. The new Cupra’s supped up version is indeed a handful so all of you could have been Platos, Turners and Thompsons out there (SEAT’s line-up of BTCC drivers) should have a field day exposing the many exploits of your long since tangible youth. The status of this little hot hatch will also be bolstered by the manufacturers BTCC victory last year.
This sport, unlike Formula One, tends to be more gritty, less simulated and harder to call – especially with the new rules in place which level out the playing field. The draw of course is the way they push seemingly average road cars to their extremes. Now by average I am referring to the road version’s functional and affordable positioning in the market and the fact that you can beast it quite a bit and still drive it to work.

The cupra’s adhesive capabilities are another conclusively air-tight claim, its rabbit crunching 18” rubbers pursed tight to contorted tarmac, brakes ready to asphyxiate any run away power. Surprisingly perhaps for a car that tips the scales at 1375kg it has a distinct lack of body roll. You can however feel this lateral shift of weight when it’s hooked through corners. Conversely this just highlights the chassis’ anti-gravitational reflex; what’s more it drives with even more flair than its GTi donor. This may even be partly due to the not so clinical connection you get with a manual transmission. It’s the old school experience, the kinesthetics that make you part of the chain reaction. Those of you who were holding out for a DSG transmission will be pleased to know that there is a new Leon T FSI FR with 200PS that sports this ultra-slick double clutch system.

On the Cupra although the six speed manual transmission is brisk and well-attuned to the engine, the lever itself is curiously odd in shape and somewhat oversized. Parts of the interior styling are also a bit awkward looking; ok, so slanting the centre console slightly towards the driver seems like a pretty sensible idea as is having a cavity in the transmission tunnel to store odds and ends but it ain’t as pretty as it could be. What are aesthetically pleasing though are the commercially cushioned bucket seats and the white-backed instrument dials. Cupra livery and red stitching are also prominent enough to distinguish it from the FR.
From an on-lookers perspective the 2007 Cupra is mainstream eye candy but it openly steers away from a rude-boy audience, toning down its Spanish curves and avoiding any jutting out spoilers or fat exhausts. That’s not to say you won’t get a name for yourself if you get a cramp in your right foot at the lights. The Cupra certainly makes the most of its larger turbocharger, sizeable fuel injectors, more efficient pistons and advanced brain mapping. What this results in among other things is being able to dart to 60mph in a tyre smoking 6.4 seconds. Continue to floor it and this shapely Spaniard will power through to an all out 154mph. Indeed its one hell of a match for its non-motorsport avengers; the likes of Mazda’s 3 MPS and the Vauxhall Astra VXR. Although these two can out muscle it with sheer performance, the Leon Cupra is dynamically self-assured.

For a figure of £19,995 (which undercuts the GTi by almost a grand) you get plenty of standard kit including six airbags, dual-zone climate control, a CD player with MP3 capability, bi-Xenon lights and that all important leather detail where its needed most. Drive it sensibly and you’ll get a combined fuel figure of 34mpg; drive it like my mate Mark drives and you’re likely to half this. Then again why would he quibble over a few pennies when the rest of his fleet cost him more in maintenance than the Cupra does new? It appears that our love sick mate Marco at least has some of his nuts and bolts in the right place.

Verdict

FOR: Dangerously beautiful, heaps of power, excellent body control, effortlessly engaging, generous standard equipment and fair pricing.
AGAINST: Centre console and weird-shaped gear lever lets down the over all aesthetics of the interior.
CONCLUSION: You’d be gutted if you overlooked the Cupra this year; all the track time that has shaped it, the nerdy technology that sets it apart and the lifestyle practicalities that keep evolving make it a truly exceptional piece of kit.

Spec

ENGINE: 2.0litre TFSI
Co2 (g/km)/tax: 199/-
POWER: 240PS
TORQUE (lb/ft): 220lb ft from 2200 to 5500rpm
0-60mph (sec): 6.4
TOP SPEED: 153
MPG: 24.8/43.5/34.0 (urban/extra-urban/combined)
TRANSMISSION: six-speed manual
SUSPENSION: Front: stamped wishbone structure with aluminum steering knuckles. Rear: independent four arm multi-link axel. Springs lowered by 14mm compared to basic Leon
BRAKES: 345 x30mm ventilated discs
WHEELS: 7.5J x 18″ alloys
TYRES: 225/40 R18 tyres
WEIGHT: 1375kg
PRICE: £19,995
RIVALS: Mazda 3 MPS, Vauxhall Astra VXR, Ford Focus ST