Do you really need to buy the rather expensive Golf R if you want to get the most track-happy compact from the VW Group this side of an Audi TTS? Only in America, because in Europe, Seat has this.
If you’re looking for a Volkswagen product in Europe, they really give you a lot of options. For example, I would never need to buy a Golf GTI, simply because the Skoda Octavia RS is there. It’s cheaper, and also a better car to live with.
For years, it wasn’t clear what VW intends to do with Seat, but it seems now that the Spanish brand was destined to break Nürburgring lap records with its wagons. Needless to say, the Cupra 280 offers a lot more performance and space for the price of a regular Golf GTI.
Nürburgring lunatics Brige to Gantry’s Dale Lomas found a reason to buy one as well:
I thought to myself: as a dog-owning father of two who lives in Adenau and works in Nürburg, could there possibly be any finer car?!
I believe he made the right choice:
Not bad for a first drive, not bad at all.
Photo credit: Seat
Contact the author at mate@jalopnik.com.