The Seat Leon Cupra now packs a mighty 286bhp

Say hello to the Seat Leon Cupra 290, the latest car to enter the Great 2015 Hot Hatch Horsepower Race.

With fast-hatch manufacturers on a constant quest to gazump rivals, over the last year we’ve seen a new trend of dropping strategically-timed horsepower upgrades in order to stay ahead of the competition.

This is Seat’s answer, the new Cupra 290: the fastest and most powerful Leon in the history of ever.

Thanks to a 10bhp boost over the 280 model, power now weighs in at wholesome 286bhp – not far off Golf R levels.

All that power is sent to the front wheels by the VW Group’s staple turbo 2.0-litre engine, shared with other fast MQB brethren like the Octavia VRS and Golf GTI.

But squeezing a bit more power out of the trusty turbo’d four cylinder sees the stealthy Spanish rocket ahead of both the new Megane 275 Cup-S and Ford Focus ST in the power ranks.

Want some numbers? The Cupra 290 will crack 0-62 mph in just 5.7 seconds with the double clutch ‘box specced, or 5.8 seconds if you’re a dexterous purist and would like a manual.