The new Seat Leon FR, unveiled today at the Madrid motor show, will undercut all of its rivals when it arrives in the UK in July.
The FR, which uses the same 197bhp 2.0-litre TFSi turbo petrol as the Golf GTi, will be nearly £4000 cheaper than the five-door VW, at £16,995. That also makes it £500 cheaper than the similarly engined Skoda Octavia vRS, and £1625 cheaper than the entry level five-door Ford Focus ST.
Also available will be a turbodiesel, using a new 168bhp 2.0-litre engine and costing £17,495.
The petrol car is slightly slower than the Golf, with 0-62mph in 7.3sec and a top speed of 142mph, with the diesel version taking 8.2sec to hit 60mph on its way to a 133mph v-max. But with 258lb ft to the petrol's 207lb ft, expect the oil-burner to provide swifter in-gear acceleration.
Along with a deep front spoiler and honeycomb grille, the FR gets silver-painted door mirrors, a black 'mock diffuser' at the rear and chucky 17-inch alloys. Inside there are plenty of FR badges, including on the sports seats, a leather-wrapped sports steering wheel and gearknob and white dials.
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