Seat Leon Cupra 290 revealed

The Seat Leon Cupra has been given even more power. The newly named Seat Leon Cupra 290 will go on sale in the UK towards the end of this year, and will be seen for the first time at the Frankfurt motor show later this month.

Read our review of the Seat Leon Cupra 290

Power from the Leon’s turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine has been pushed to 286bhp, taking it close to Volkswagen’s own Golf R and clear of the Ford Focus ST-2.

The power boost also makes the Cupra 290 more powerful than the recently revealed Renault Mégane RS 275, which has 271bhp.

When equipped with a dual-clutch automatic transmission, Seat says the Leon Cupra 290 can reach 62mph in 5.7sec, with a top speed of 155mph. The car is capable of returning 42.8mpg combined in DSG form, dropping to 41.1mpg when equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox. That equates to CO2 emissions of as low as 149g/km.

Seat’s Sub8 performance pack is available as an option, adding larger brakes, new tyres and a bespoke wheel design.

As with its predecessor, this updated Leon Cupra gets a mechanical locking differential on the front axle.

Standard equipment for the Leon Cupra 290 includes sports seats, a 6.5in touchscreen infotainment system with satellite navigation, and new ambient lighting.

Seat has yet to reveal official pricing, but it’s expected to rise marginally from the £28,785 of the current Cupra 280.

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