2021 Seat Cupra

The 2021 Seat Cupra is formerly called SEAT Sport is the high-performance motorsport subsidiary of the Spanish automobile manufacturer SEAT. The conventional equipment for the entry-level VZ2 model includes 19-inch alloy wheels, a 10-inch infotainment system, keyless entry and an ambient interior lighting system. The flagship VZ3 model is priced from £36,225 and adds petrol blue Nappa leather bucket seats, a heated steering wheel and a wireless smartphone charging pad. Seat Cupra will even introduce a highly-equipped First Edition variant, which adds a host of additional safety technology to the VZ2 variant, such as a traffic sign recognition system, predictive cruise control and lane change assist.

The 2021 Cupra Leon was designed, engineered and built at the firm’s new purpose built facility in Martorell near Barcelona – and it’ll face rivals just like the Hyundai i30N and Ford Focus ST. However, it’ll also need certainly to fend off competition from within the Volkswagen Group, as both the Skoda Octavia vRS and the Volkswagen Golf GTI have now been unveiled. Inside, the copper theme continues, with highlights on the seat stitching, air vent surrounds, and the steering wheel. The wheel itself is comparable in design to the SEAT Leon’s, but gains two new switches, a starter button, and a toggle switch to swap involving the car’s four drive modes. Volkswagen’s familiar 12.3-inch digital instrument panel also causes it to be onto the Cupra Leon, albeit with a brand new “Sport” menu view, which places the rev counter prominently to the centre of the driver’s view, while showing power, torque G-force and turbo boost readouts.

From the outside, the Cupra Leon certainly sports a far more menacing look than its SEAT relative – and not merely because of the two unique matte paint finishes available. The front bumper includes a large open air dam, and also a new copper-coloured logo on its grille. With respect to the model, there’s also a selection of 18- or 19-inch alloy wheels finished in silver, black or a variety of copper and black. There’s an exceptional full-width rear light bar on both five-door hatchback and estate models, which can be complemented by a new rear bumper that houses a set of copper-trimmed tailpipes and a strong rear diffuser. According to Cupra, the changes also enhance the Leon’s aerodynamic performance – this latest model is eight percent more aerodynamically efficient compared to the previous version.

The SEAT Cupra model currently available may be the firm’s e-Hybrid, although the range is placed to expand early next year with a line-up of petrol-powered models – the most potent that will generate 306bhp. The Cupra Leon e-Hybrid’s powertrain comprises a turbocharged 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, a power motor and a 13kWh battery pack. The device has a combined output of 242bhp and 400Nm of torque, which Cupra says is enough for a 0–62mph time of 6.7 seconds. Being an added benefit, the system includes a claimed fuel economy figure of 217.3mpg and an emissions figure only 30g/km of CO2. With a full charge, the battery also has enough power to offer around 32 miles of pure-electric running – and, when attached to an AC Wallbox charger, it’ll recover the full charge in around four hours.

The Cupra Leon range will be bolstered by a pair of turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engines, lifted from the Golf GTI and the GTI Clubsport. The entry-level model starts from £31,450 and has an output of 242bhp and 370Nm of torque. Such as the GTI, it’ll send drive to the front wheels with a dual-clutch automatic gearbox and an electronic limited-slip differential. Cupra has reserved a far more potent version of the engine for the upcoming Estate variant, and it’ll have four-wheel drive. Here, the 2.0-litre unit makes 306bhp, enabling the latest Leon to sprint from 0-62mph in 4.8 seconds and on to a 155mph top speed. The ride has been dropped by 25mm in front and 20mm at the rear over a SEAT Leon, while an adaptive damping system adjusts the rate of suspension response on the basis of the car’s driving mode.

An extra layer of awareness, Pedestrian Protection senses if someone crosses in front of your vehicle and alerts you with light and sound before automatically braking. By predicting the movement of one’s CUPRA, Electronic Stabilization Control monitors the progress of the wheels and takes over should they start to slip. The Seat Cupra will even introduce a highly-equipped First Edition variant, which adds a host of additional safety technology to the VZ2 variant, such as a traffic sign recognition system, predictive cruise control and lane change assist.