The SEAT León CUPRA shows off its 4Drive traction taking on six huskies on a frozen lake

Car brands usually measure the capabilities of their sports cars on the track, recording lap times and comparing them with their rivals. But SEAT wanted to break away from the usual routine and took the León CUPRA to Finland. Logically, one would think the purpose of this trip would be to run a rally, but the Spanish brand went much further and pitted its famous sporty compact against six huskies on a frozen lake!

This curious test, in which a sled pulled by six huskies, Alaskans and Siberians, competed against the all-powerful León CUPRA, took place in the Lapland region. The compact was driven by Jordi Gené (a renowned racing driver and current developer of SEAT’s racing cars). The goal of the challenge was none other than to compare the endurance of this ancestral dog breed with the power of the León CUPRA and its 4Drive all-wheel-drive system.

What are the differences between living beings and the machine? While the León CUPRA stands out for its high performance (300 CV of power), the huskies excel in endurance. Even so, they are considered among the 20 fastest dog breeds in the world. These dogs can cover almost 130 km a day, reaching top speeds of 40 km/h while pulling their own weight (around 30 kilos).

How could a vehicle weighing more than a tonne – the León CUPRA – drive on a lake without breaking the ice sheet? The test was carried out on Lake Pikku-Nissi, where the ice is almost a metre thick. It is one of Finland’s 188,000 lakes, and it allows cars and dog-drawn sleds to cross it from the end of the year until mid-April.

Certainly this is not a conventional test, but SEAT surely gathered very valuable information about the performance on ice of its all-wheel-drive system. Let us recall that of the three body styles in which the León CUPRA is available: 3-door, 5-door and estate, 4Drive traction is only available on the last one.

Technical specifications of this car

HatchbackSEAT Leon68 versions · from 27,822 €