Video: Volkswagen Golf R vs Seat Leon Cupra 280

3 July 2014
Feature

We pit two of the most powerful hot hatchbacks currently on sale head-to-head around Cadwell Park to answer that all-important question - which is fastest? Steve Sutcliffe finds out.

Read the Autocar Volkswagen Golf R review.

Read the Autocar Seat Leon Cupra review.

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simonali 10 July 2014

No 5 door?

Both these vehicles are available in a 5 door bodyshell, with the Cupra having a lengthened wheelbase providing more rear legroom.
Peter Cavellini 7 July 2014

Well to be honest......!

For the money the Seat has it,for a posher interior the Golf takes it,FWD...?,not sure that's a deal breaker for me,the only thing against the Seat?.......no five door,the rear is really cramped for anyone over six foot in the three door which also makes getting in the back awkward,but then, you don't buy a car to please your mates,do you!?
bowsersheepdog 6 July 2014

to be taken on faith?

i agree with the comment made by turismo that all this video told us is who is the quicker driver. i say told since we only have steve's word for what was happening, there was no visual evidence presented to back up his words. in a "can it keep up?" comparison such as this the view should, for the most part, be of one car from the other, so that the viewer can see the gap between the cars and make judgement on the shifting of their relative positions as they go around the different parts of the circuit. views of the chuckling driver should be short and occasional between the car views rather than the other way round. at no point was there a shot of sufficient continuous length to make a proper assessment of how the cars were separating and closing on the various types of corners and along the straights. and then finally we were told that the seat feels slightly faster when the obvious way to demonstrate this would have been to do a timed lap in each by the same driver, back to back. overall it was an enjoyable video to watch, of two cars i like, but i really don't feel as if i learnt which one is actually quicker round cadwell park.