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SEAT unwraps Leon Cupra R

  • Leon Cupra R on sale now, priced from £25,205
  • 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-charged 16v engine produces 261bhp
  • Emissions of 190g/km make it a 'green' hot hatch

Written by Parkers Updated: 1 February 2017

SEAT has unveiled the new 261bhp Leon Cupra R - a 2.0-litre hot hatch capable of 0-62mph in 6.2 seconds.  

As well as impressive acceleration the four-cylinder turbo charged 16-valve Leon Cupra R has a top speed of 155mph but still manages to return 34.9mpg on the combined cycle.

Getting the 261bhp and retaining traction has been a primary aim for the engineers when developing this car so SEAT introduced a clever electronic system called XDS that mimics the operation of a traditional limited slip differential.

With 190g/km of CO2 emissions, it is one of the greenest hot hatches on the market. Rivals, such as the 198bhp Honda Civic Type R emit 215g/km while the 222bhp Ford Focus ST emits 224g/km.

The designers have tweaked the Leon Cupra R with a few subtle changes. It now features twin exhaust pipes within a customised rear diffuser, discreet extended high level rear spoiler and subtle 'R' badging. Stability and traction as well as EBA (emergency Brake Assist) come as standard.

The new Leon Cupra R will be priced from £25,205 and is on sale now. SEAT has confirmed that production is limited to around 500 a year.