Seat Leon Cupra SC: The Secret Ingredient

16 December 2017 Redazione News, Tested

SEAT LEON CUPRA SC

THE SECRET INGREDIENT

Words: Andrea Balti

Photography: Gian Romero

We are so lucky with cars of today. Seat has not to be considered as a cheaper alternative to VW and therefore the new Cupra SC is not a Golf R with front wheel drive only and a more attractive price – it’s really a car on its own and manages to convey the agonistic spirit of the Seats that every weekend slaughter the most renowned world’s circuits on a car that can quietly represent the only ride in your garage. The Leon has refreshed its look, some light and focused design that sharpens the lines and keeps it up with the ruthless competition, even inside the big Volkswagen family. But some fundamental ingredient has been added to the succulent recipe, finally turning a blistering fast hot-hatch into a proper concentration of adrenaline and energy.

The proven 2.0cc TSI gains the horses needed to get to 300, but still maintaining traction on the front axle, the new Cupra SC keeps guaranteeing a low weight (about 1375kg, with no driver on board) and an optimal balancing. The maximum power delivered by the generous four-cylinder is available along a torque curve that starts at just 1,800 rpm and pushes strongly, up to about 5000 rpm, grounding 380Nm of torque on the anterior wheels and relying on a limited slip differential, useful for not to end your tires at the first hard contact with the throttle and to limit understeer through fast corners. The Cupra SC maintains a small size – a wheel-base of about two and a half meters and a width of 1.8 meters – but it does not sacrifice comfort and interior space, also offering a remarkable luggage compartment. If I had no doubts about the effectiveness of the evolution of the previous SC, what surprised me most has been the driving involvement I found here, which for a hot-hatch like this represents a crucial aspect.

By attacking demanding roads such as the Col du Petit S. Bernard, the Col de l’Iseran and the Col du Mont-Cenis (yes, the same road then confirmed for our Alpine Grand Prix), I had the opportunity to put to the test the Seat of Wonders, enjoying the new soundtrack offered by the sports exhaust, always ending with two tailpipes, but finally welcoming a sound that suits such performances. Every gear shift, precisely triggered by the 6-speed DSG, is a gunshot – and with the same boom with which you’ll fire the air out of the exhaust, the Leon Cupra SC is pushed forward with the front and the rear hugging the ground. The secret is keeping down your right foot, trusting and exploiting the magnificent suspension scheme. The steering wheel feedback is quite impressive too and you can dance the car body from one curve to the other, constantly increasing the pace of our mountain climb, with a safety and a precision injection that can lead to a higher level of drive, especially on these twisty roads.

Seat offers us a practical and functional alternative, with no frills and with a respectful pedigree. The passenger compartment is familiar to every VW Golf’s customer, the infotainment system does everything you need and in the best way possible, and then at the helm of the Cupra SC you will be able to tick the 0 to 100 kph in 5.6 seconds and reach 250 per hour, you read that right, and by the way, electronically limited. To find a drawback here, you have to go crazy, because at least apparently it does not have one – if we want to be fussy, the € 36,600 requested to bring it home are a bit of money, but after all it’s difficult to consider it expensive when it goes as fast as way more glamorous cars and is able to do whatever you ask. It lacked an adequate voice and now it has that too. Other hot-hatches makers better take note, the Cupra SC leaves the mark.