Still a stonking little hot hatch

As fun family cars go, the Seat Leon Cupra 300 is hard to beat, but how does the 2017 version measure up? Darren Cassey found out.

Say hello to the new and very mildly improved Seat Leon Cupra 300. There’s a small bump in power from 286bhp to 296bhp, but the more noticeable figure is the increase in torque, now 380Nm from 350Nm.

The other major talking point is the move from frontwheel drive to four-wheel drive for the estate variant but elsewhere changes are few and far between,and that’s no bad thing because the Seat Leon Cupra has always been a stonking little hot hatch. As the fun-loving, youthorientated horse in the VW stable, Seat has long been known for having more interesting styling than its more conservative relatives, something that’s continued in the angular face-lifted Leon. The Cupra can be specced with bright orange wheels, orange wing mirrors and an orange badge on the boot. Admittedly, the interior could do with less boring styling to match the brand image, but the build quality is undeniably excellent. Sporty touches to the Cupra model such as half-Alcantara seats help make the Leon Cupra 300 an exciting prospect to drive the second you drop behind the wheel. The estate variant offers much improved practicality over the hatchback models thanks to an impressively sized boot – 587 litres with the seats up, 1,470 litres with them down. Driving down a fun road, there’s nextto-no difference between this and the three or five door models, which makes the estate a more logical choice. It’s only about £1,000 more than the hatchback if you stay away from four-wheel drive. For families looking for an all-in- one, fun family car, the ST Cupra makes fantastic sense. Loads of boot space and plenty of room for the kids makes it ideal for the school run. As can be expected of a manufacturer’s performance halo model, the specification is impressive. Driver-focused aids include a launch control mode for automatic, fourwheel drive cars, while the electronic stability aids can be fully switched off if the driver desires. On the inside, the Leon Cupra 300 gets a sporty flat-bottomed Cupra-specific steering wheel, sports seats clad in black Alcantara and an infotainment system with an eight-inch touchscreen, DAB radio and mobile phone connectivity.

IN A NUTSHELL Seat is pitched as the youth-orientated brand in the VW Group’s vast line-up, and as such the Leon Cupra has a slightly younger target audience than some rivals. However, it sits in insurance group 33E, so expect premiums to be...