Until you experience the full force of the Cupra’s third gear acceleration on an open road, the idea of paying £2500 for a measly 40PS upgrade over the Leon FR seems akin to financial lunacy.
But the Cupra is a serious piece of kit. It sprints to 60 in 6.4secs, almost a second earlier than the Leon FR, while topping out 11mph later at an astonishing 153mph.
The larger 18-inch alloys, bigger rims plus sport suspension unfortunately add a wooden quality to a ride that crashes over the occasional bump and manhole cover, but the handling benefits, with far more front-end grip and balance than Ford’s Focus ST. The only other criticism concerns steering that feels a little light, though this soon gains weight with speed.
