With the sporty top model Cupra has Seat now also the last Leon variant undergo a facelift. The engine power climbs to 221 kW / 300 PS. The earlier variant numbered 265 PS is no longer available. From 34.020 Euro fun starts (three-door) and extends to 39.220 Euro for the station wagon. The difference between the cheapest and most expensive basic model is not only due to the body shape, but due to the fact that the station wagon now with four-wheel drive and dual clutch at the start rolls. With a standard consumption between 6,8 and 7,2 liters Superplus per 100 km you can live in the light of the driving values. The four-wheel drive makes it to highway speed within 4,9 seconds, while the front-wheel drive variants consistently allow themselves between 5,6 and 5,9 seconds for this discipline.
And this is exactly where the discussions begin - especially among the driving dynamics fans, who usually want to deliberately decide whether it should be all-wheel or front-wheel drive. Slip on the wheels of the 300 PS-4-wheel drive verkneift even on wet road. If you take the Cupra harder, it reveals its typical driving character. First he turns sensitively with his smooth-precise electric power steering, to take the turn largely neutrally and sprinting with maximum grip out of the curve exit. Unlike the front-wheel drive variant. It understeers noticeably when cornering under load and tends to peal as soon as the accelerator pedal makes contact with the floor pan - at least in the lower speed range. Since the hydraulic-mechanical differential lock with lamellae package provides relief if necessary, tames the torque balance of the turbo but not completely. Absolutely safe from traction problems is here only above 80 km / h and on handy asphalt. Then the compact marches forwards and reaches almost any speed up to 250 km / h effortlessly. At the traffic lights, too, the biting and two-liter fueling the potent tailpipes of his sports exhaust requires a cautious gas foot so as not to paint unintentionally black lines on the street.
Next question: circuit or automatic? The unobtrusively sinking double-coupler during casual cruising is a gain in comfort in everyday life - only with spontaneous requests for services could he downshift a bit more quickly. If you want to have a perfect grip on the translations, the switch is the better choice, even if the driving activities require a bit more attention here. Especially since the strand seems buttery soft - there is no annoying jerk when engaging yet makes the shift lever resistance at work. Too bad that Seat supplies the traction-rich all-wheel drive only in conjunction with the dual-clutch transmission. And only in combination with the station wagon, which at least comes up with almost one and a half thousand liters of luggage space volume with folded backs, in the event that one likes to find the three-door visually pleasing.
Incidentally, the Cupra has received a facelift, which refers primarily to the intrinsic values. So you will find now, for example, an electric parking brake before, by eliminating the handbrake lever to improve feeling of space and ergonomics. In addition, the manufacturer promises more powerful LED full headlights and an optimization of the extensive driver assistance from autonomous emergency braking on the active cruise control to traffic sign recognition, the hit rate should now be greater. Tech freaks now also get a colorful ambient lighting, and the menu on the eight-inch screen presents itself again. (Patrick Broich / SP-X)
