Seat unveils the Leon Cupra 300 - its most powerful car yet

Seat has taken the wraps off its new Leon Cupra 300 hatchback, its most powerful car yet.

Along with a gentle facelift, the Cupra's 2.0-litre turbocharged engine has been boosted from 286bhp to 296bhp. It also benefits from a hike in torque, which is up from 258lb-ft to 280lb-ft. Seat hasn't said how this affects the acceleration figures, but it expects the Cupra 300 to be faster to 62mph than the outgoing model's time of 5.7secs.

Cars will be available in SC three-door, five-door and ST estate trim, which will also sport Seat's 4Drive all-wheel drive system and DSG gearbox. The ST trim matches the VW Golf R in both power output and chassis configuration, says Evo, and would be an "even closer match" if the five-door hatch had four-wheel drive.

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Drivers will be able to choose from four pre-set chassis modes, including sport and comfort, which can be adapted through the Cupra 300's driver profile. It's also safer thanks to lane assist and pedestrian protection technology, as well as adaptive cruise control and traffic jam assist.

The Cupra name has become synonymous with setting lap records at Germany's renowned motoring proving ground, the Nurburgring. In 2014, the 280 set the front-wheel drive record of 7m 58sec; it was beaten by the VW Golf GTI Clubsport this year.

Auto Express reports orders will begin "next summer" and expects prices to start from around £29,000.