First Photos of Seat's All-New Leon Cupra 280PS Hot Hatches

Official images of Seat's new duet in Europe's competitive hot hatch segment, the Leon Cupra five-door and its three-door sibling, the Leon Cupra SC, have spilled online ahead of their world premiere at the 2014 Geneva motor show in March.

Both models feature the same aerodynamic kit, bespoke trim accents and big alloy wheels that give them a (subtly) more dynamic look than the regular editions, as well as a common 2.0-liter turbocharged inline four rated for 280PS or 276hp.

In the VW Group world, the output figure places the Leon Cupra between the VW 217hp (220PS) and 227hp (230PS) editions of the VW Golf GTI, and the Golf R and Audi S3, both of which come with a 296hp (300PS) 2.0L turbo.

Power will likely be channeled to the front wheels through a six-speed manual or an available DSG dual-clutch transmission and a mechanical limited-slip differential. As you'd expect, the Cupra models will also come with uprated suspension, brake and steering components to improve handling and feel.

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First Official Photos of New Seat Leon ST Compact Estate

Here's our first look at the next member of the renewed Seat Leon family after the five-door andthree-door hatchbacks, the new ST which is an acronym for Sports Tourer, or in other words, the Spaniard's take on the compact estate segment.

A sister model to the also new VW Golf Variant(to be sold as the Jetta SportWagen in North America), the 2014 Seat Leon ST is a rather sleek and elegant looking proposal.

Whether it will also be practical and roomy remains to be seen as the VW Group company has yet to come out with an official release. However, from these photos, it's clear that Seat has extended the rear overhang and altered the shape of the roofline compared to the hatchback models in order to improve the Leon ST's load space.

We expect the ST to come with the same or a similar engine-lineup to the hatchback variants, which includes both petrol and diesel units together with a selection of manual and DSG dual-clutch automatic transmissions. A performance Cupra version may also be in the works from what we've heard.

The new Leon ST will break cover at the forthcoming Frankfurt Motor Show in early September.

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All-New Seat Leon SC 3d Hatch Starts from £15,370 in the UK

The new and more restrained Leon is a significant departure for Seat, a manufacturer which had styled its previous generation of cars completely against the design directions of the time. After seeing the five-door new Leon, we were hoping that they would adopt a more radical approach to the appearance of the SC model, but they didn't. What they have done is announce the UK pricing for it.The all-new MQB platform-based Leon SC starts from £15,370, and the order books will be opening on April 15, with first deliveries poised to commence in early July. That means it is £300 cheaper than the five-door model, so for those with not much need for the rear seats, it is an enticing proposition.
Despite it being simply styled, it is 35 mm shorter, nicer and sportier to look at, as well as being ever so slightly lighter, which should translate into marginally better performance than the 5-door model.
So what do you get for the stated base price? Well, the Volkswagen group 1.2 TSI, with 105 PS / 103 hp, is what powers the base version, with all SC models coming equipped with sport seats as standard. Manual air-con, Bluetooth connectivity, a touchscreen infotainment unit and a total of seven airbags complete the list of features for the base S trim cars.
The engine range is exactly the same as that of the five-door, and if you spec your car up with all of the goodies, and the highest-powered 180 PS / 177 hp 1.8-liter petrol engine coupled to a DSG gearbox, then you're looking at a final figure of £21,540.
If diesels are your thing, then there's the 1.6-liter unit, with 105 PS / 103 hp, which can be had at £18,190, and the top-spec 2.0-liter unit, which is all-new, and puts out 150 PS / 147 hp –is the range topper, and will set you back £22,335 in FR trim, when you opt for the seven-speed DSG.

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