Seat Leon ST Cupra 2.0 TSI 4Drive 300PS DSG 2017 first drive

Fast, fun and family-friendly - not three criteria which naturally go together. And yet, if the 4.5-star rating currently applied to the Volkswagen Golf R Estate - plus our glowing first drive of the Focus ST Estate - shows us anything, it's that the best hot hatchbacks can indeed become practical estates without losing their appeal in the process.

Enter this, then. The recently facelifted Seat Leon ST 300 Cupra. Like the regular Leon 300 Cupra, this version's got 10bhp more than the old model, alongside a small increase in torque. Inside, you'll find the same interior updates as the rest of the Leon range which means a brand new touchscreen infotainment system borrowed from the latest Volkswagen Golf and various blink-and-you'll-miss-them tweaks to the exterior styling, too. Plus, for this car, there's four-wheel drive and a DSG gearbox.

That four-wheel drive element is important because this is the only such Cupra you can get in this country. There aren't any plans to offer the regular Leon Cupra hatchback with four-wheel drive, and even Seat says the Leon ST 4Drive Cupra is aimed more towards the snow-capped mountains of Northern Europe than the soggy B-roads of Britain. It's a toe-in-the-water moment, then, and while we were impressed when we tried the new Leon 300 Cupra abroad recently, this is our first time to try that car in estate form and with four-wheel drive in the UK. Should the Golf R Estate be quaking in its wheel arches?

Bleedin' quick, sunshine. Even on damp country roads, the Leon ST Cupra puts its power down with gusto, and even a light touch of the throttle will have you hurtling towards the horizon. And because it pulls from around 2500rpm right up to the redline, the delivery is wonderfully spread out. Certainly, overtaking becomes a breeze, and with the 0-62mph sprint dispatched in 4.9sec, the process is intoxicating, too.

The six-speed DSG transmission makes best use of the engine's reserves, although it can be jerky at lower speeds - the same problem we've found in the Golf R, in fact. Take control using the wheel-mounted paddles and you can manage things yourself, but the paddles themselves feel a little too small to be used all the time. Best to leave the DSG to its own devices for most journeys, where its smooth-shifting nature helps the Leon ST Cupra to feel relaxing on the motorway.

One big improvement with this car is cornering. Where the old Leon ST Cupra felt fidgety through bends and would easily be left spinning its wheels at the exit, the new four-wheel drive system reigns things in nicely. Get to the end of the corner and apply your right foot, and there's instant shove rather than a blinking traction control light. Of course, under most circumstances, the four-wheel drive system will hardly be used, but it does add to the excitement of driving the Leon ST Cupra over short bursts - and helps to give drivers the confidence to push the car harder.