28/10/10

• Price£25,205
  
• We like...Looks, ability
• We don't...Grabby brakes

Subtle it ain’t. But it you want a full-on performance hatchback, Seat’s new Cupra R nails the bases as few others can. To do this, the car employs a 2.0-litre petrol turbo motor also found in the ‘R’ version of Volkswagen’s Scirocco.
This puts 260bhp through the Cupra’s front tyres – something that, not so many years back, would have engineers saying: ‘can’t be done’.

But done it can and, provided the tyres are good and the surface is dry, there’s scarcely a sign of slip or scrabble. The power’s all there and it’s usable, that motor emitting a throaty gurgle as rev speed builds.

Look at it: it’s dressed for fun, particularly if you pick the bright yellow paint as on our test car. It rides on 19in alloy wheels wearing spindly-sided tyres, while red-painted brake callipers peek from within. It has deep bumpers exclusive to the ‘R’, big-bore twin exhausts and a pair of racing front chairs in quilted leather.

To drive? It’s a clever blend of track-day racer and usable, everyday car. It’s clear from the off that the R likes to go, building speed easily and generating an infectious burble from its exhaust as it goes. Touch the brakes and it’s as eager to lose momentum as it is to gain it: they’re too ‘grabby’, though. While they’re perfect for hauling you down quickly from big speeds they’re also hard to apply gently at low speeds.

The car’s steering is quick, and accurate enough for you to adjust your line easily when carrying speed into a corner. But there’s not quite enough feedback from the tyres. It’s good, but not great.

It’s a different story for the way the ‘R’ rides, though. You might expect a stiff, no-compromise, set-up. But what it gives is a surprise – of the good sort. It’s firm, for sure, but there’s enough give there to keep driver and passengers settled. There's little bump-thump over poor surfaces but it's not bad by any stretch.

You’d think a car such as this would have plenty of competitors, but no. The Renaultsport Megane 250 comes close but others are more expensive, less powerful – or both. Seat’s reputation as a good-value make holds good here. You have to accept, though, that the ‘R’ is no fuss, no frills – there’s no keyless entry, for example, and the auto wipers work from an ugly-looking sensor sited awkwardly at the top of the ‘screen. The cabin, meanwhile, looks cheap in places for a car costing this much.

Still, for what it can do the car is keenly priced, while its CO2 emissions and fuel economy are well within bounds. And it is of course as practical as any Leon from the line-up: think sensible space for five, a good-sized boot and rear seats that drop to extend the load space.

Should you buy one? It’s a focused car, so much that you’ll want one really badly or not at all. If you’re in the first of these two camps, consider also the Renaultsport Megane 250. This has three doors where the Leon has five but for us the Megane’s the more satisfying car to drive while it is also significantly cheaper, especially if you go for the stripped out ‘Cup’ version.

• Engines2.0 petrol turbo
• Power260bhp
• 0-60 mph6.2secs
• Economy34.9mpg
• CO2g/km190
• Insurance groups36E
• EuroNCAP
• Airbags6
• Seats5

Motors.co.uk value verdict: