We've already looked at the way in which Opel's Astra OPC stacks up against the 2015 Scirocco R. Now it's time to compare the best of Opel against another 280 horsepower speed machine from the same group.
French publication Motorsport Magazine pitted two of the most amazing and desirable front-wheel drive hot hatch contenders on the market. The Astra OPC has a tough time fighting the 280 horsepower SEAT Leon Cupra, which in march still held onto its title of fastest car on the Nurburgring.
Off the line, there really isn't much of a difference between the two similarly sized and similarly powered models. However, Motorsport continues to push them over 200 km/h to find which is faster.
There, the lightness and compact proportions of the SEAT help it achieve a more convincing lead over its German rival. By the time the Astra reaches 210 km/h, SEAT's toy is already nearing 240 km/h.
The specs
Both these cars are powered by 2-liter turbocharged engines making 280 horsepower. The OPC is only available with a manual, but it seems that for the sake of a fair fight, the Cupra has one as well, foregoing its faster DSG option.
0 to 100 km/h in the Leon takes 5.9 seconds, 0.1s faster than the OPC. Both cars are supposed to be limited at 250 km/h (155 mph). The Astra has 50 more Nm of torque, but despite only having two doors, it's heavier by about 130 kilograms. This is not Germany's best moment, now is it?
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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