The Cupra Leon has recently been renewed. A great opportunity to get behind the wheel of the Cupra Leon Sportstourer. Before we had even driven a meter, we were pleasantly surprised.
As soon as we open the tailgate of the Cupra Leon Sportstourer (in Belgium: Break) to stow our trolley case, we breathe a sigh of relief. We had almost forgotten how practical a station wagon is. The loading sill is pleasantly low, the loading opening is wide and we slide our suitcase all the way to the back, that’s how deep the luggage space is. Seen like that, you don’t understand why many people prefer an SUV. And we are also happy with the legroom on the back seat.
Tip
No ordinary chairs
Cupra doesn’t do regular seats. Are you crazy? And so the Cupra Leon is spooned into sports seats, and in the Extreme version even bucket seats from the Italian manufacturer Sabelt. They have a fixed headrest and a rock-hard back. Not that this is a problem; the seats sit like a glove and keep you firmly in place. And the nice thing is that you immediately have the feeling that you are driving something special.
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The sports steering wheel with perforated leather (Cupra calls it a ‘super sports steering wheel’, but that’s an exaggeration) is nice to grip. It is flattened at the bottom and equipped with a start button, like you also find in real sports cars. On the left side of the steering wheel is a button with a Cupra logo for the driving modes. There is no better place, you can find the button blindly and your hands stay where they belong, on the steering wheel.
Cupra Leon is always a plug-in hybrid car
We drive the most powerful plug-in hybrid version, the VZ Extreme with 272 hp. The drivetrain consists of the well-known 1.5 TSI with turbo from the Volkswagen Group, an electric motor and a DSG automatic transmission with 6 gears. You will not lack any power. As soon as you press the accelerator pedal harder, the Cupra Leon clearly wants to go. Although the automatic transmission seems to hesitate at first: should I? The 0-100 km/h time is 7.3 seconds and if necessary, the Spanish/German station wagon accelerates to 229 km/h.
Back in time
The steering is direct and in bends you can place the Cupra Leon quite accurately. Do choose one of the sportier driving modes, Sport and Cupra. In the ‘bravest’ mode (Comfort) it is an exaggeration to say as if you go back in time and suddenly sit in a Seat Leon Ecomotive.
Cupra Leon range
We saved the best news for last: with the facelift, the electric range of the Cupra Leon has more than doubled compared to the previous plug-in hybrid with 1.4 TSI engine. From 50 to a theoretical 125 kilometers. This is made possible by a new, larger battery of 19.7 kWh.
Read the full review of the Cupra Leon Sportstourer in Auto Review 08/2024.
Source: www.autoreview.nl
