Peugeot 308 GTi 270 vsSeat Leon Cupra 280

It’s cold. The road is wet and its surface is viciously bumpy. There are loads of undulations and nasty corners. It’s a ready-made hot hatch proving ground. Here’s where the boys fall by the wayside while the victorious men stroll casually into the każin to thicken their chest hair.

It’s time to put the new Peugeot 308 GTi 270 to its toughest possible test against the Seat Leon Cupra 280.

The Leon Cupra is the benchmark; the hot hatch that hasn’t yet been bettered by any direct rival. In Alor Blue, it looks electric. There’s an anger to it; a purpose to its lines that really comes out fighting in this colour. It is quick too; very quick. Keep your foot down and shift anywhere near 6,500rpm for relentless pace that crushes the speed limit like an elephant squashing a snail. The ‘enhanced’ noise in Sport and Cupra driving modes is not that great (the Peugeot 308’s equivalent is just as iffy) but keep the revs up and it’s truly mega across difficult roads.

The Leon is also impressive around town. There’s a consistency and smoothness to its controls, a tight and accurate gearbox, and, in Comfort mode, a plush ride that will make you forget you’re driving a proper sports car-baiter. Driving it slowly is easier than falling off a log.

The Peugeot 308 GTi is just as gorgeous. It’s a pretty, shapely and stunning car that carries the same intent as the Cupra.

The car’s suspension is firmer than the Leon’s Comfort mode but it’s superbly supple and beautifully controlled over manhole covers.

As the road opens up, the GTi smacks you in the face with a huge swell of “where-did-that-come-from”? A crispness about the 2.0-litre Leon’s off-boost throttle response makes you expect the torque when it comes, but the 1.6-litre i308’s softer delivery belies a huge mid-range. It’s mightier, even, than the Leon’s, which back-to-back needs more revs to surpass the 308’s sudden surge of speed.

In wet corner exits, the linear and predictable Leon Cupra uses faster steering to attack the apex more cleanly but it ultimately struggles for exit traction, while the 308 GTi, less precise at first, ultimately goes berserk. Get on the throttle hard and its mechanical Torsen differential yanks at the wheel in the direction you’re turning. Stay hard on the power and God only knows where it finds the grip through its Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres. It’s both brutal and astonishing.

But that sheer midrange doesn’t always translate into a top-end rush. The Leon loves revs more, and to compensate the GTi hits the same corners a gear higher. Even so, the wheel bites and wriggles in your hands constantly as it dominates the road.

The Leon is ultimately the happier at high speed, especially on tricky of roads, bypassing the big numbers more easily and with greater composure. It has talents that extend to higher and lower speeds than the 308’s sweet spot. The GTi’s playfulness is however not to be discarded. It’s extremely active and you just have to dial it back and go slower for safety’s sake.

Verdict: Both the Seat Leon Cupra and Peugeot 308 GTi are remarkable hot hatches. What ultimately separates them? Very little actually. The Leon is overall quicker, while the Peugeot’s crazy surges of speed are to die for. Full marks to both marques.