SEAT Leon Cupra R ST Abt

The Spanish estate’s new toy has finally been unwrapped

THE FIRST FEW MONTHS OF CAR ownership should be an exciting time. You’re basking in the novelty of something shiny and new. There’s that ‘new car smell’ every time you open the driver’s door. And there are none of those little annoyances (a squeak here, a rattle there) that can creep in with age and miles.

But they can also be frustrating months. Because, like a kid who’s just crept downstairs at four in the morning on Christmas Day, you’re itching to try out your new toy, but you’re being held back by the tedious chore of running in.

Thankfully, KM19 PXA is now fully run-in. And that is good news, because it means I now have access to the little box of tricks beneath its bonnet. As I mentioned last month, our Cupra R was specced with the optional Abt tuning pack, and while this is normally installed at a SEAT dealer, I took our car to Abt distributor Richter Sport near

Milton Keynes to see what’s involved.

To say it was a speedy and painless process would be an understatement. A quick check of the car’s existing ECU and download of software from Abt in Germany and the kit – an additional ECU that sits inconspicuously above the car’s battery – was ready to be fitted by Richter MD Neil Ridsdale. Once in place, a further check via the car’s diagnostic port was all that was required, and with no warning lights on the dash I was good to go less than an hour after arriving.

So, what do you get for ticking the Abt option on the order form? Power is up from 296 to 345bhp, with torque also heading north from 295 to 324lb ft. For £500 that sounds like something of a bargain, especially when you consider this is a manufacturer approved upgrade, so won’t affect your car’s warranty.

The ST was already quick, and the early signs are that, whilst the modification hasn’t suddenly turned it into a fire-breathing monster, this is a car with some serious clout. SEAT claims twotenths are shaved off the standard car’s 4.9sec 0-62mph time, while top speed goes from 155 to 163mph – pretty impressive figures for a compact, 2-litre family estate. And that 4.7sec time seems eminently achievable with launch control activated (traction control off, select Sport mode, left foot on the brake, throttle to the floor until the revs settle at just over 3000rpm, foot off the brake and… WALLOP!).

You do, however, have to feed it 98 RON if you want to access that extra performance (the engine has to be at operating temperature, too, before the new ECU will fully take control).

I think it’s safe to say the next few months with the ST Abt are going to be very interesting indeed… Jonathan Baker

Date acquired July 2019 Total Mileage 2116 Mileage this month 576 Costs this month £0 mpg this month 32.8