2021 Seat Cupra
The 2021 Seat Cupra is formerly known as SEAT Sport could be 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 also introduce a highly-equipped First Edition variant, which adds a host of additional safety technology to the VZ2 variant, like a traffic sign recognition system, predictive cruise control and lane change assist.
The 2021 Cupra Leon was made, engineered and built at the firm's new purpose built facility in Martorell near Barcelona – and it will face rivals just like the Hyundai i30N and Ford Focus ST. However, it'll also need 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 makes it onto the Cupra Leon, albeit with a 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 exterior, the Cupra Leon certainly sports a more menacing look than its SEAT relative – and not merely because of the two unique matte paint finishes available. The leading bumper has a large open air dam, and also a new copper-coloured logo on its grille. Depending on the model, there's also an option of 18- or 19-inch alloy wheels finished in silver, black or a mix of copper and black. There's an exceptional full-width rear light bar on the five-door hatchback and estate models, which is complemented by way of a new rear bumper that houses a set of copper-trimmed tailpipes and a heavy rear diffuser. In accordance with Cupra, the changes also increase the Leon's aerodynamic performance – this latest model is eight percent more aerodynamically efficient than the previous version.
The SEAT Cupra model currently available is the firm's e-Hybrid, although the range is placed to expand early next year with a line-up of petrol-powered models – probably the most potent that will generate 306bhp. The Cupra Leon e-Hybrid's powertrain comprises a turbocharged 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, an electric motor and a 13kWh battery pack. The system has a mixed output of 242bhp and 400Nm of torque, which Cupra says is sufficient for a 0–62mph time of 6.7 seconds. As an added benefit, the device features a claimed fuel economy figure of 217.3mpg and an emissions figure as low as 30g/km of CO2. With the full charge, the battery also offers enough power to supply 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 couple 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 comes with an output of 242bhp and 370Nm of torque. Like the GTI, it'll send drive to the leading wheels via a dual-clutch automatic gearbox and a digital 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 greatest Leon to sprint from 0-62mph in 4.8 seconds and onto 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 based on the car's driving mode.
An extra layer of awareness, Pedestrian Protection senses when someone crosses in front of your car or truck and alerts you with light and sound before automatically braking. By predicting the movement of your CUPRA, Electronic Stabilization Control monitors the progress of the wheels and gets control when they start to slip. The Seat Cupra will even introduce a highly-equipped First Edition variant, which adds a number of additional safety technology to the VZ2 variant, such as a traffic sign recognition system, predictive cruise control and lane change assist.