Is the 385 hp really in it?
Remon Volk is still young. But he already drives a very mature car. The Seat Leon Cupra 280 is not a cat to handle without gloves. But we do that anyway and we put him on the dynamometer. It feels pretty fast, but is that feeling right?
‘Nice, such a sporty car,’ says Remon. “But less fun is the premium you have to pay if you want to insure your car all risk as a 21-year-old.” Indeed, that amount is irrelevant. Remon initially had to tap the sweet sum of €260. Per month. “Some companies didn’t even want me as a customer,” he says, somewhat bemused. Such a monthly amount was even too much for Remon and he went shopping seriously. Eventually he ended up with a company where he pays a premium of €160. “That is still a lot of money, but it is all risk. If you are a car enthusiast, I think it may cost a bit.”
Leon Cupra tuned: should have 385 hp
This Seat appeared new on the road in 2015. Import into the Netherlands followed four years later, in 2019. New, the Leon in this version with automatic transmission cost just over €41,000. With a top speed of 250 km/h you can get along quickly. “I don’t think he’s overly dressed or very aggressive,” says Remon. “I like that color. When I was looking I came across two cars at one and the same company. A black from 2016, which had been lowered. And this one. I have no regrets that I went for this copy.” Cupra is now an independent brand, in 2015 it was still the designation for the hottest Leon you could get. With no less than 280 hp in this case, and that for a C-segmenter. The car is ‘Stage 1’ tuned and that means that there must be 385 hp on board. And 501 Nm.
House hunting priority
Remon drives the Leon Cupra from 2019, but lately he has made much fewer kilometers than in the beginning. “I now have a VW Caddy from the company for work, so I do all business kilometers with it. At the weekend I take the Cupra to visit my girlfriend.” That will also change because Remon and his girlfriend are looking for a house to live together. “Of course I’m not getting rid of the car, but I’m not investing a lot right now. House hunting is a priority.”
Dynamometer chief Ghisbert van Ginhoven is happy with the engine in this Seat. “There is something to do with it and it is not complicated to get more out of it.” And that has succeeded here again. The Spanish runner comes to a beautiful 382 hp. Slightly below the predicted value, but more than enough to leave the arena with your head held high. 
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl