Review: Seat Leon Cupra ST 300 4Drive

Is this a cheap killer of the Golf R?

There’s an undeniable attraction to the idea of a street-sleeper estate car. Family transport that moves by stealth to deliver a knock-out blow when anyone least expects it. That’s certainly one of the attractions of the Cupra ST 300 4Drive, and there are more.

One of the main personality traits of the standard 3dr Cupra 300 is that it has a lot of power which gets to the road in a fairly raw way. There’s a hint of power untamed, which can be very exciting but also slightly frustrating if you’re dealing with axle tramp and smoking tyres rather than getting out of the corner really fast.

That’s neatly dealt with in this estate by adding four-wheel drive. The result is a more mature vehicle which perhaps suits the estate shape better anyway. There’s plenty of performance, and it gets to the road more efficiently, so those are good things.

The downside is that four-wheel drive system brings with it extra weight and complexity and you’re aware of that when you’re pressing on. There’s a touch more sway to the handling and the drive to all four wheels means the Seat lacks the cleverness of the front-wheel drive’s VAQ front axle. Instead of the front end twitching slightly as it pulls the line tighter and tighter, there’s a vaguer response that lacks as much precision.

Some will find that an acceptable payoff against the sometimes wayward manners of the front-wheel drive version, but this is still meant to be an exciting car, and some of the excitement has now been tamed. Of course, bring on a rainy or icy day, and people may well be prepared to lose some of that excitement just to stay on the road.

The switch to 4Drive has added £3000 to the bill, and at that level it’s not so clear-cut that this decent value for money. It’s a handsome car which has a practical and spacious cabin, and there’s lots of performance that is pushed to the road reasonably efficiently.

But the issue is not so much the Cupra ST 300 4Drive in isolation. It’s what else the VW group has in its range. And that includes the Golf R. That is a more mature vehicle yet, with superior drive, class and cabin, particularly as the new ones get Active Info Display, which is virtually the same as Audi’s Virtual Cockpit.

If there was a decent margin between the two you wouldn’t agonise over the decision, but the Golf R is less than £1000 more. For us, that makes it no decision at all.

SEAT LEON ST CUPRA 300/ST CUPRA 4DRIVE DSG

Engine: 1,984cc, 4-cyl turbocharged
Transmission: 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive (6-speed DSG/all-wheel drive optional)
Power (hp): 300@5,500-6,400rpm
Torque (lb ft): 280@1,800-5,500rpm
0-62mph: 6.0sec (4.9sec)
Top speed: 155mph
Weight: 1,440kg (1,545kg, both 'in running condition with driver')
MPG: 40.4 (39.2, NEDC combined)
CO2: 161g/km (164g/km)
Price: £31,135 (£34,170)

Figures in brackets for DSG version.

Graham Scott is a writer for PistonHeads.