Photo: SEAT
It seems all the Volkswagen brands are competing for who can make the most unreasonably expensive hot hatch. The Leon Cupra family just received 2017 updates and among them is a 300 horsepower engine that can be coupled to AWD.
SEAT calls its system 4Drive, but we are talking about the same Haldex 5 coupling as in the Golf and Octavia. It can send up to 50% of the torque to the back when it senses the font is being overloaded.
You can only specify this with the ST Cupra wagon, and you have to pay... a little extra. You see, while the basic ST Cupra with a manual costs, €35,520, AWD and the standard DSG bumps the price to €39,220.
That puts it uncomfortably close to the Golf R, which costs €40675 as a hatchback and €44,800 as a wagon. Still, almost 40k has to be unreasonable for any SEAT, even if it costs 10% less than a VW equivalent.
But wait, there's more, as the infomercials say. We looked through the online configurator, and there is no standard color, meaning that you are obliged to spend at least another €600 on paint. So actually, the normal price is just a couple of hundred euros short of 40k.
And it's not like this will be the fastest ST Cupra. For that, you're going to have to look at the multitude of Orange and Black Cupra Performance packs, which cost up to €3,480 and can include anything from 4-piston Brembo brakes to Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires, the kind they used on the Nurburgring.
While a family-friendly, AWD hot hatch sounds like a great idea, you're never going to see any great dealer deals on this car because nobody will have it in stock. A regular €34,320 5-door Cupra hatch might come down to €30,000 or lower with incentives.
SEAT might have over a dozen Cupra configurations on sale, but we still think they are missing out because they deleted the 265 about a year ago. Some people might want fewer frills and 18-inch wheels with higher profile tires.
And did they really have to install an e-brake on the Cupra? How are we supposed to do handbrake turns now?
You can only specify this with the ST Cupra wagon, and you have to pay... a little extra. You see, while the basic ST Cupra with a manual costs, €35,520, AWD and the standard DSG bumps the price to €39,220.
That puts it uncomfortably close to the Golf R, which costs €40675 as a hatchback and €44,800 as a wagon. Still, almost 40k has to be unreasonable for any SEAT, even if it costs 10% less than a VW equivalent.
But wait, there's more, as the infomercials say. We looked through the online configurator, and there is no standard color, meaning that you are obliged to spend at least another €600 on paint. So actually, the normal price is just a couple of hundred euros short of 40k.
And it's not like this will be the fastest ST Cupra. For that, you're going to have to look at the multitude of Orange and Black Cupra Performance packs, which cost up to €3,480 and can include anything from 4-piston Brembo brakes to Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires, the kind they used on the Nurburgring.
While a family-friendly, AWD hot hatch sounds like a great idea, you're never going to see any great dealer deals on this car because nobody will have it in stock. A regular €34,320 5-door Cupra hatch might come down to €30,000 or lower with incentives.
SEAT might have over a dozen Cupra configurations on sale, but we still think they are missing out because they deleted the 265 about a year ago. Some people might want fewer frills and 18-inch wheels with higher profile tires.
And did they really have to install an e-brake on the Cupra? How are we supposed to do handbrake turns now?
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