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If the Cupra brand remains a confusing one to get your head round, the cars themselves
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are anything but confusing. And in the Leon TSI 300's case, there's some serious performance to support the chunky
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good looks. The car's 2-litre turbocharged engine might well be familiar but in this case it produces
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296 bhp and 295 pounds-feet of torque across a totally flat peak that starts at 2,000 revs
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There's also a 7-speed DSG plus a full-blown EDIF to help transfer the motor's energy neatly to the
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tarmac. So the Cupra should set a strong time for a hot hatch. The fastest of which we've clocked
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so far being the exclusive limited version of Honda's seminal Civic Type R FK8. That car did
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a 1 minute 22 second lap So could the similarly priced Cupra go any better See the Cupra should be a bit tasty around here It not four drive but it does have this trick diff in it
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It's basically the same hardware and software that you get at GTI Club Sport
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And it does work quite well. It does keep the front end nice and pinned, nice and tidy
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Because there is a lot of poke to deal with going through the front tyres
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It's a touch lighter than the club sport, but not much. It's basically a Golf GTI club
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sport with a different badge and different styling. But the diff does sort it all out
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quite neatly. Obviously, I've got it in a Coupra setting and obviously, I've got absolutely
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everything turned off. So I really don't want the electronics interfering with the lap
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I wish it felt a little bit more exciting, this thing. I wish it was a little bit layerier
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But anyway, let's put the lid on and see just how quick the new Cupra Leon actually is
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To get the best time out of the Cupra, you need to select the right drive modes
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And that isn't as simple as it sounds. Even just turning the stability control off requires a deep dive into a sub menu And for everything else including the diff you basically just dial the whole lot up to 11 then hang on Here the lap
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Oh 1 minute 24 seconds is a decent time for the Cupra
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but not a blistering one, to be honest. It's quicker than the lighter but less powerful GR Yaris
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but behind the Megane RS300 Troviar and well shy of the mighty Civic Type are limited
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And there are a couple of reasons why. One, the Cupra's hand-coup tyres aren't anywhere near as trick
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as the Cup 2s that adorn its quickest rivals. And two, the Leon still understears, ultimately
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either a little bit or a lot, depending on how hard you push the front end on corner entry
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Anyway, there you go. A good but not great performance from the Cupra
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Cheers for watching and remember we'll be back soon with all sorts of other laps
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from all sorts of other cars in the near future
