Bad news! Seat have sold their entire UK allocation of the new Leon Cupra R with all 24 units already accounted for. It seems as though their confidence in its ability to sell over here was just a little too low. After all, it is the fastest Leon they’ve ever made…
It’s powered by the same 306bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged inline-four as the Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport S and like its Gsrman counterpart, all of that power is put down through the front wheels. Most front-wheel-drive cars would struggle to handle that much power but not this one. Again, like the GTI, some differential trickery helps to pull the car into the corners with the additional assistance of super sticky Michelin Cup tyres.
Power is transmitted to the wheels exclusively by a 6-speed manual gearbox, or at least it is in the UK. 0-60mph takes 5.8 seconds and top speed is limited to 155mph. Though it may not quite be as fast or as exciting as the Civic Type-R it certainly is a substantial amount nicer to look at. Only available in black or grey, it’s guaranteed to look mean. I’d probably even go as far as to say it looks smarter than the Golf!
If you were fast enough to get your name on the 24-person shortlist, it would have cost you £34,995 (plus £855 if you wanted the Michelin Cup tyres). Being the fastest Leon yet, it’s only fair that it’s also the most expensive. Having said that, there aren’t any optional extras to further bump the price up like there are on other cars. Touchscreen nav, Beats stereo, full phone connectivity, 19in alloys, LED lights, bucket seats and all the Alcantara you could wish for come as standard.
What do you think of the Leon Cupra R? Would you have been tempted or would the £35k pricetag have put you off? Let us know in the comments section below or via our Facebook and Twittef pages.
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