Seat to launch 265hp Leon Cupra R in Frankfurt?
2009 Seat Leon Cupra - Click above for high-res image gallery
Buyers overseas aren't left wanting for sport models from Volkswagen's Spanish subsidiary, including the sporty FR line and the powerful Cupra range. But if the latest reports from our Iberian counterparts prove accurate, Seat could be preparing to launch an even more powerful version of its Golf-based Leon at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show.
Packing the same 265hp engine from the Volkswagen Scirocco R, the rumored Seat Leon Cupra R would also feature a dual-clutch gearbox, AP Racing brakes, a specially-tuned suspension and competition-style bucket seats inside, and the possible inclusion of Seat's trick new XDS electronic differential. With the current range-topping, 240hp Leon Cupra sprinting to sixty in just 6.4 seconds and undercutting the Golf GTI by a good few hundred on the sticker, the 265hp Cupra R could prove to be a real barn-stormer.
Gallery: 2009 Seat Leon Cupra
[Source: Autoblog Spanish]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Alex 10:40AM (6/10/2009)
"competition-style bucket seats inside"
good thing they are on the inside, would be weird seeing them on the roof.
How does VAG not suffer the canibalism problems that plague GM? That's not snark, its an honest question.
Reply
why not the LS2LS7? 11:16AM (6/10/2009)
They do. A lot of their sales in Europe shifted from VW to Skoda and Seat a a bit over 5 years ago. But they seem to survive. You'd rather lose a sale to yourself than a competitor, right?
mk3 12:03PM (6/10/2009)
Because even if they are similar car they do not compete with each other. You want a Skoda because it cheap but not Korean or Chinese car, and you want a Seat because of the looks.
Until they keep segmenting their cars in the right way VAG will be always a winner, something that GM forgot to do with their cars with all the money that was coming in and now...you know the story.
why not the LS2LS7? 11:04AM (6/10/2009)
Apparently there is nothing trick about XDS. It's just software that applies the brakes to one wheel if it slips.
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?cmd=print&id=4047578
And that's all the GTI gets too, no real LSD.
Bummer.
Reply
zamafir 11:14AM (6/10/2009)
Have you driven a car equipped with XDS? Yes it's a bummer it's not real lsd, but it is special, feels completely different than what comes on the MkVs, especially in the twisties.
why not the LS2LS7? 11:41AM (6/10/2009)
You're kidding me.
Brake-based systems like this have to cut out when the activate too much, because they don't want to overheat the brakes. Also, they wear out the brakes.
My car has a less refined version of this (EDL), and it's essentially worthless.
It's disgusting marketing-speak to try to call this a limited slip differential. It's deceiving at best.
The MkV has zero for an LSD. I drove a coworkers, and feeling the inner wheel spin as you accelerate out of tight corners is a total drag. Very good engine, close to perfect transmission, worthless diff (on the GTi).
zamafir 12:03PM (6/10/2009)
right, hence my question whether you've had a chance to drive the new version, as the new system is quite a bit better than the MkV. Not Ford Focus RS LSD awesome, but quite a bit better in terms of the software and when and how it cuts in.
chineyz954 11:17AM (6/10/2009)
The body panels on the upmarket GTI look so much cleaner, but I love the seats.
Reply
RemusRM 12:04PM (6/10/2009)
useless... no RWD I had a mazdaspeed3 and it sucked balls with FWD
Reply
P.V. 1:43PM (6/10/2009)
Mazdaspeed 3 sucked? HOW? You're the first person I've read to say that! Strange.
Anyway, the specs look really nice, but I really want to see an exterior update `a la new SEAT Ibiza Bocanegra.
Other Man 12:37PM (6/10/2009)
The reason VW isn't facing cannibalism like GM is because these vehicles are more intelligently positioned. This Seat is cheaper then the more upmarket VW models, which have near-luxury interiors and much higher price tags than much of the competition (as we know even in America). Seat Cupras are also based off the previous generation VW architecture, so that keeps the price low as well.
Anyway, this would be a nice buy as unlike it's VW brother, it's actually competitively priced.
Reply
crSde 1:42PM (6/10/2009)
This is not true.
What is awesome with the Leons and the Cupras is that they are based on the current latest generation VW architecture but their prices are at the same time so much lower when compared to the Golfs.
why not the LS2LS7? 2:22PM (6/10/2009)
It is affecting them.
http://wardsautoworld.com/ar/auto_rethinking_platform_engineering/
VW does manage this better than GM, but they're not magic. They experience repercussions also by losing sales to their lower end divisions.
mk3 3:30PM (6/10/2009)
@LS2LS7 that article says nothing plus it's a 8 year old article. You gotta admit my friend GM failed positioning their cars. I mean they did segment them but in term of financial benefits or customer service. That worked well of course GM was the number one in the world but as the time goes people became confuse what brand is what so instead of solving the mystery they just passed on buying a GM car.
alfaBAT9 1:56PM (6/10/2009)
The front looks like a pekingese.
Reply
jongoldb 2:37PM (6/10/2009)
VW uses its brands to compete against one another, and each brand maintains enough independence within the company to do so. Technology developed by one brand in VAG stays exclusively within that brand for a period of time before spreading across other brands, further aiding distinctions between VW, Skoda, Seat, etc.
And besides, anyone who has sat in a Seat knows the company is all about sporty styling and looks, not quality. Within the corporate ladder, it's considered a budget Audi, whereas Skoda is a budget VW.
Reply
efmvii 3:16PM (6/10/2009)
EW.. looks too front-wheel-drivey
Reply