SEAT Leon Cupra R ST | Spotted

It’s sort of been forgotten now, what with the latest one not exactly setting the world alight, but the last Leon Cupra was a really good hot hatch. Put simply, it looked great, had loads of power and represented decent value. But even more than that, with the Mk7 Golf as its base the Leon was also a much keener handler than it had ever been previously. Prone to some axle tramp, yes, and not exactly Civic Type R capable, but a fun car to drive nonetheless. 

And SEAT offered up what hot hatch buyers were after. Or at least the kind of stuff that lends the car some credibility. There were performance packs that brought bigger brakes and stickier tyres (and even deleted some equipment, at their most extreme), a cheap Q car in the 265hp model, a standard manual, three doors, a Golf R hatch and estate alternative on the cheap… For every kind of hot hatch buyer, there was a Leon Cupra to suit. Now, probably because people didn’t buy enough of the cars we think they do, there are Cupra-badged Leons with 150hp, a boring plug-in hybrid and a 300hp 2.0-litre that costs from £40k. 

The peak for the previous car was the Cupra R, offered as both a hatch and estate in quite different specifications: the hatch was front-wheel drive and manual, the wagon DSG and AWD. While power was there or thereabouts against standard, a couple of chassis changes (including Brembo brake calipers, extra negative camber and more aggressive tyres) brought some welcome bite to the driving experience. Both neatly encapsulated how broad the appeal of the Cupra was, the hatch as much fun as anything else front-driven and the wagon offering up a comprehensively talented compact fast estate package (for a price). 

This is one of the 150 sold to UK buyers, and benefits from the addition of an ABT tuning package. This was offered to new customers for £500, boosting power and torque to 350hp and 325lb ft, which meant it could scoot to 62mph in just 4.7 seconds. No doubt it could be made even faster still, if desired, thanks to the eminent tuneability of the EA888 engine. The Cupra could be a junior RS6 before you know it. 

Speaking of which, the previous (and only) owner of this R is selling to buy something larger for a growing family – surely the Audi is the logical step from here. The Leon has covered 23,000 miles since 2019, was serviced in September and benefits from four recent new tyres as well (though now a Continental rather than the super-focused Michelin). The whole thing looks in fine fettle – ‘fastidiously maintained’, says the ad – inevitably a simpler design inside and out than what’s followed but arguably none the worse for it. Probably smarter than the equivalent Golf R, too. 

This one is for sale at £30k; when new the Cupra R carried a £4k premium over a standard 4Drive estate, which has actually now extended over time – the lowest mileage, latest standard models are £23k. The earliest all-wheel drive, DSG wagons are from £16k. That being said, none of these will drive as nicely as the R, look as smart or boast the rarity appeal (that should help when selling next time around, too). As was the case just a few years ago, it looks like a pretty persuasive package. Let’s hope for something similar from Cupra in the not-too-distant future.

Engine: 1,984cc, four-cyl turbo
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch automatic, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 350@5,500-6,400rpm
Torque (lb ft): 325@2,000-5,200rpm
0-62mph: 4.7 seconds
Top speed: 155mph (limited)
MPG: 39.2 (NEDC)
CO2: 164g/km
Year registered: 2019
Recorded mileage: 23,000
Price new: £38,475
Yours for: £29,995