Short test: Seat Leon Cupra 2.0 TSI (206 kW)
For those unfamiliar with the story, it's almost a saga, with a little explanation: one of the most important records on the famous Nordschleife is that of a production front wheel drive car. Why is it important? Because he sells cars directly and because customers can identify with him. Last but not least, the car he settled on should be the same as the one you can buy from a car dealership.
The record holder has long been Renault (with the Megan RS), but Seat celebrated the birth of the new Leon Cupra by setting the record. At Renault, they were a little shocked, but quickly prepared a new version and took the record. This is the first almost from the name. Other? The record was not set with this Leon Cupro 280 when we tested it. The one on the North Loop also had a Performance package, which is currently not available to order (but will go on sale soon) and which the test Leon Cupr did not have. But in more detail about the record, both competitors are present and both competitors are in not completely collapsed versions in the comparative test in the next issue of the magazine "Auto".
What did he have? Of course, the 280-horsepower two-liter four-cylinder turbo has a chassis with adjustable shock absorbers and everything else that such a car should have.
The 9-litre petrol engine is powerful enough that the front wheels, even when dry, can often turn into smoke. It pulls well at low revs, and also likes to spin at fairly high revs. Of course, such containers have their price: the test consumption was about 7,5 and a half liters (but we were on the race track in the meantime), the standard one was XNUMX liters (this also has the merit of the serial start / stop system). But hand on heart: what else to expect? Of course not.
The gearbox is a six-speed manual gearbox (you can also imagine a dual-clutch DSG) with reasonably fast, short and precise strokes, but the shifting also has a weak point: the clutch pedal travel is too long for really fast operation. If the old corporate habit is still acceptable in more popular models, then in such a sports car it is not. Therefore: if you can, pay extra for DSG.
Of course, power is transmitted to the front wheels, between which there is a limited-slip differential. In this case, lamellas are used, which the computer more or less compresses with the help of oil pressure. This solution is good because there are no jerks (which means there are almost no jerks on the steering wheel), but in terms of efficiency it is worse. On the track, it quickly became clear that the differential did not match the engine power and the tires, so the inner wheel was twisted too often into neutral when the ESP was completely deactivated.
It was better with ESP in Sport mode, as the bike turned less at idle, but you can still play with the car. Even so, the system allows enough slippage so as not to be annoying, and since the Leon Cupra is mostly understeer and the rear only slips if the driver puts a lot of effort on the pedals and steering wheel, this is also understandable. The only pity is that the car does not react faster and more decisively to smaller commands from the driver (especially from the steering wheel), and the steering wheel does not give more feedback. On the track, Leon Cupra gives the impression that he can be quick and docile, but he would rather be on the road.
Since the chassis doesn't race much, this is where it works best, whether the driver chooses a more or less sporty profile in the DCC system (thus controlling not only the dampers but also the engine, accelerator pedal response, differential performance, air conditioning and sound engine). The winding rough road is the birthplace of Leon Cupra. There, the steering is precise enough to be a pleasure to drive, body movements are precisely controlled, and at the same time, the car does not feel nervous due to the rigid chassis.
In general, it seems that having a good time on the race track is more an accidental consequence than a goal of engineers. On the one hand, this is welcome, since everyday use does not suffer as much as with a more sporty extreme competitor, and on the other hand, the question arises whether it would not be better to make the car even more comfortable for comfortable everyday use. … even to the detriment of some lost hundredths on the track. But since the Group has a Golf GTI and a Škoda Octavia for such drivers, Leon Cupra's direction is clear and logical.
Feeling great inside. The seats are some of the best we've had in a while, the driving position is excellent, and there's more than enough room for everyday family use. The trunk is not one of the largest in its class, but it does not deviate down either.
The package bundle is of course rich: Apart from navigation and a better audio system, radar cruise control and parking system, nothing is missing from the list of standard equipment. It also has LED headlights (in addition to LED daytime running lights) that work great.
In fact, Seat brought Leona Cupro to market very well: on the one hand, they gave her a reputation as a rider (also with a record on the Nordschleife), and on the other hand, they made sure that (also because you can think of this). with five doors, it seems, was also a test) quite everyday, family, does not scare away those who do not want to put up with discomfort to the detriment of sportiness.
Text: Dusan Lukic
Seat Leon Cupra 2.0 TSI (206 kВт)
Basic data
| Sales: | Porsche Slovenia |
|---|---|
| Base model price: | 26.493 € |
| Test model cost: | 31.355 € |
| Calculate the cost of auto insurance | |
| Acceleration (0-100 km / h): | 6,6 with |
| Maximum speed: | 250 km / h |
| Mixed flow ECE: | 6,6l / 100km |
Technical information
| engine: | 4-cylinder - 4-stroke - in-line - turbocharged petrol - displacement 1.984 cm3 - maximum power 206 kW (280 hp) at 5.700 rpm - maximum torque 350 Nm at 1.750–5.600 rpm. |
|---|---|
| Energy transfer: | front wheel drive engine - 6-speed manual transmission - tires 235/35 R 19 H (Dunlop SportMaxx). |
| Capacity: | 250 km/h top speed - 0-100 km/h acceleration in 5,9 s - fuel consumption (ECE) 8,7/5,5/6,6 l/100 km, CO2 emissions 154 g/km. |
| Mass: | empty vehicle 1.395 kg - permissible gross weight 1.910 kg. |
| External dimensions: | length 4.270 mm – width 1.815 mm – height 1.435 mm – wheelbase 2.636 mm – trunk 380–1.210 50 l – fuel tank XNUMX l. |
Our measurements
| T = 25 ° C / p = 1.023 mbar / rel. vl. = 79% / odometer status: 10.311 km | |
| Acceleration 0-100km: | 6,6s |
|---|---|
| 402m from the city: | 14,5 years ( 168 km / h) |
| Flexibility 50-90km / h: | 5,1 / 7,2s (IV/V) |
| Flexibility 80-120km / h: | 6,3 / 8,0s (Sun./Fri.) |
| Maximum speed: | 250km / h (WE.) |
| test consumption: | 9,6 l / 100km |
| Fuel consumption according to the standard scheme: | 7,5 l / 100km |
| Braking distance at 100 km / h: | 36,7m |
| AM table: | 39m |
evaluation
Understandably, with such cars, some buyers demand a very strong racing feel, while others prefer everyday use. At Seat, the compromise is made in such a way that it will be liked by the widest possible range of possible buyers, and the extremists (on both sides) will like it less.
We praise and reproach
seat
utility
capacity
appearance
insufficiently effective differential lock
insufficiently sporty engine sound
test car stickers
