First look: Seat unveils a Spanish flier

VOLKSWAGEN’S Spanish brand Seat will unveil its hottest-ever hatch at the Frankfurt motor show next month in the form of the 195kW Leon Cupra R.

The most powerful production model ever to emerge from the Martorell-based car manufacturer, the front-drive Leon Cupra R uses the same engine featured in VW’s Scirocco R – a highly modified direct-injection version of the Golf V GTI’s EA113 2.0-litre turbocharged engine, which in this application develops 195kW (265bhp) of power at 6000rpm and 350Nm of torque between 2500rpm and 5000rpm.

This matches the power output of Seat’s title-winning Leon TDI World Touring Car, and enables 0-100km/h acceleration in a claimed 6.2 seconds. Seat claims further that the R-rated Leon will devour a standing-start kilometre in 25.7 seconds, and will not ease off until it reaches its 250km/h maximum speed. Fuel consumption is rated at 8.1L/100km.

Bigger brakes are needed to haul in the hot Leon, with 345x30mm discs at the front and 286x12mm rotors at the rear. In order to cope with the power running through the front wheels, the vehicle also uses the VW Group’s XDS electronic limited-slip differential, which is linked to the standard stability/traction control system.

Other highlights of the Leon Cupra R include 19-inch five-arm double-spoke wheels wrapped in ultra-low-profile 235/35-section rubber. There are ‘R’ decals on the central grille, hatch and the instrument panel, and a ‘Cupra’ logo on the front bumper, hatch, seat backrests and steering wheel.

The cabin also features sports bucket seats clothed in Alcantara, white LED lighting on the instrument dials, aluminium pedals and black trim prevailing throughout.

Standard features run to dual-zone climate-control air-conditioning, six airbags, a trip computer, cornering foglights and an eight-speaker stereo.

While Seat remains off the agenda for a return to Australia, the Scirocco R is under consideration to sell alongside the soon-to-be-released Golf VI GTI, which relies on the VW Group’s 154kW EA888 2.0-litre TSI turbo engine.