SEAT announces the León Cupra R ST: will it be the last Cupra under the Spanish brand's name?

The recent split within SEAT has left many astonished and, ever since CUPRA announced its first product, we have seen that this is serious. However, alongside the new CUPRA Ateca, the Spanish brand chose to present the most radical and sporty estate to date, the SEAT León Cupra R ST, which leads us to wonder whether this will be the last model to carry the name Cupra as a suffix rather than a first name.

If that is the case, it would be a fitting way to bid farewell to SEAT’s performance division, which has given us many thrills and excellent vehicles since its beginnings. Let’s remember that the Spanish brand presented the R variant of the León in its compact bodystyle a few months ago, but now it is the ST’s turn to be pushed to the limit, with the aim of creating a model with a perfect balance between versatility and sportiness, even though the CUPRA Ateca is now trying to seize the throne.

It is true that a Cupra variant of the León ST already exists, but it does not feature tuning as exclusive as that of the R version. As with the hatchback, the first thing that catches the eye is the aggressive styling. On this SEAT we find a front bumper dominated by a honeycomb-style grille, which features two small pillars in a bronze tone designed to contrast perfectly with the rest of the ensemble. This colour scheme extends across the entire vehicle, as can be seen in the wheels as well as the SEAT badges, which we will most likely not see again on a Cupra.

At the same time, the Spanish brand has opted for carbon fibre to finish various parts of the model, such as the front splitter and the wing mirror housings. The interior also raises the flag of sportiness, with a steering wheel and gear lever trimmed in Alcantara; however, none of this would make sense without a powertrain to match.

The Cupra R ST features a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine capable of delivering 300 CV of power and 380 Nm of torque, enough to make it one of the most powerful estates on the market. Its engine is paired with a seven-speed DSG gearbox and four-wheel drive, which means safety and driving dynamics go hand in hand.

As with the standard León Cupra R, this version will also be produced in a limited number of units, although the exact figure is not yet known. Another unknown is the price, but we do know it will be present at the Geneva Motor Show where we will be able to get all the necessary information about this latest Cupra from SEAT.

Technical specifications of this car

HatchbackSEAT Leon68 versions · from 27,822 €