Seat Leon Cupra R (2009) first official pictures

By Gareth Evans

First Official Pictures

20 August 2009 10:59

Seat has unveiled its most powerful production car ever, the new Leon Cupra R, with an S3- and Scirocco R-matching 261bhp.  

Performance figures for the front-wheel drive hot hatch look good: 62mph is dispatched in 6.1 seconds, the top speed is 155mph, and yet the Cupra R returns 34.9mpg. Thank the high-tech 2.0 turbo engine from the Volkswagen group, which in this incarnation makes 261hp. Helping get all that power through the front wheels is XDS, the same system you'll find on the Golf GTI that effectively mimics a limited slip differential through the use of electronic wizardry.

Stopping is taken care of by 345mm (front) and 286mm (rear) discs that nestle behind a set of white 19in alloys, and the interior features Alcantara bucket seats, a sprinkling of ‘Cupra’ and ‘R’ badges (which also make their way onto the exterior), a multi-functional leather steering wheel and funky white LED lighting on the instrument dials.

The Leon Cupra R will be unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show in September and is expected to cost around £21,000.

By Gareth Evans