Deal of the day: Seat Leon Cupra

We've been living with a Seat Leon Cupra 280 for a few months now, and we've noticed that prices are starting to get more attractive on the broker sites.

Back in July the savings were around the £2500 mark, but these discounts have doubled if you look in the right place.

The car: Seat Leon Cupra 280
The saving: £4094 (£5194 on finance)
The discounted price: £23,335
The broker: drivethedeal.com

For
The Seat Leon Cupra 280 has a 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine that puts out 276bhp. It catapults the Cupra from 0 to 62mph in just 5.8sec.

The Cupra also handles well, helped by its standard limited-slip differential to improve front-end traction. Body control is excellent and the car is nimble but still secure when you get enthusiastic with it.

It’s cheaper than its Volkswagen Golf R and BMW M135i competitors and comes with more equipment. It has DAB radio, USB input, auto lights and wipers, sat-nav and parking sensors as standard.

The seats are comfortable and supportive, and it’s easy to find a comfortable driving position. The cabin layout is good to look at, easy to use and feels well put together.

Against
It isn't as fluid to drive as the BMW M135i, nor can it match the BMW’s efficiency, power or resale values.

The Seat can struggle for traction, scrubbing its front tyres on the exits of corners. It can skip over the odd bump, too, while there's a fair bit of road noise.

Standard Leons also have more bright trim in the cabin meaning that the Cupra version can feel a little dark and drab by comparison. The SC version is a bit cramped in the back for adults, too.

The £5094 full discount is only available when you take one of Seat's finance offers, and these require you to put down a 0-30% deposit but pay 5.9% on a PCP deal. You can take advantage of a 0% rate on a hire purchase deal, but this requires you to put down a 50% deposit.

If you want to pay cash, then you have to knock £1100 off the saving, but you still get a very decent £4094 off the list price.

Should I add any options?
There's no need to go crazy on the options list because the car already has plenty of kit. The six-speed DSG automatic gearbox is a popular addition for £1320. Beyond that, Seat offers a Black or White kit which adds styling accents to the outside of the car.

There is also a Sub8 Performance Pack, which brings upgraded brakes and tyres and a selection of visual upgrades for £2025.

You can also upgrade the sound system, get leather upholstery or full sport seats as options, along with adaptive cruise control, a sunroof, winter pack including heated front seats, and a driver’s assistance pack with lane-keep assist.

What next?
Head to drivethedeal.com and select Seat and Leon from the drop-down menus to see the current offers.