Anybody who thinks dearer fuel and global warming signal the imminent demise of thirsty high-performance hatchbacks should take a look at how crowded this market has become.
Hot hatches are getting ever more numerous and even more powerful. Not long ago the Golf GTi's 147kW made it king of a little-populated hill but it's been eclipsed by at least a half-dozen rivals wielding anything from 165-190kW.
Seat's Leon Cupra is the most recent resident on that hill, a real fire-breather from VW's Spanish arm and top model in the Seat range. It's the most powerful road car the Spanish firm has yet built.
This five-door hatch has the ubiquitous two-litre, direct-injection, turbo engine that powers several high-performance models in the VW group but tweaked to 177kW to out-GTi the Golf GTi.
It was developed by and is exclusive to Seat and no VW product will have access to it. A bigger turbo and larger fuel-injectors bring that 177kW to the party along with 300Nm, the sum of which puts the Cupra near the top of the hot-hatch list not only in output but also in actual performance.
Claimed output figures don't always translate into real life - as I discovered with the somewhat disappointing Mazda3 MPS and its 190kW - but the Cupra delivers. It also has plenty of driver appeal.
There's some turbo lag but a kick in the pants is the eventual reward as the engine starts singing at about 3000 rpm. From there it pulls mightily and, notably, without torque steer despite all that power going to the front wheels.
The car masks its speed very well due to its refinement and arrow-like straight-line stability that have you travelling much faster than you think; expect some unwelcome mail from your local traffic department.
A claimed sea-level 0-100km/h time of 6.4sec and top speed of 247km/h give the Cupra serious bragging rights. My 0-100km/h tests at Gauteng altitude posted low sevens and that puts the Spaniard ahead of most hot-hatch rivals - but would be even better if the car could reach three figures in second, instead of third, gear.
Ride and handling are very clean and forgiving. Rapid cornering reveals the typical front-wheel drive characteristics of understeer on the limit but the loss of grip happens gradually and the tyres start squealing as a message to go easier on the throttle well before you actually feel like you're getting into trouble. And they squeal before traction control kicks in - it's not an intrusive system at all.
Flair in the cabin
The steering's great; it's not over-assisted and communicates well while delivering crisp turn-in. The suspension's stiff and quells body roll well so the ride's quite firm but not uncomfortable - overall a good balance between ride comfort and handling.
Racing-style bucket seats embossed with the Cupra logo - nice touch! - keep you nicely plugged-in during hard cornering and visual and tactile flair in the cabin includes a great-looking six-speed aluminium gearshifter, a chunky leather-covered steering wheel and aluminium pedals.
The interior has a solid feel and classy finishes, plus all the bells and whistles you'd expect (except satnav). Optional extras include a power sun-roof and tinted rear glass. Rear leg and head space are good and there's a decent-sized boot, at the price of an undersized spare wheel.
Exterior styling has sex appeal combined with exclusivity as you don't see Seats around every corner. The VW connection isn't obvious either and the car has a distinct character rather than looking like a Golf in drag. The go-faster look is taken care of by 18" alloy rims, red brake callipers, a vented front grille and a sports exhaust.
VERDICT
As we wrote in our launch story, this is the car the Golf R32 should have been. There's very little to criticise and the car has the whole deal: looks, performance, handling, and even practicality.
Exclusivity is the cherry on the top and, at R264 000, the Cupra is R800 cheaper than a Golf GTi - but 30kW mightier.
Viva España! Star Motoring