The Cupra Leon is, to put it mildly, a shameless copy of the Seat Leon. It has now had a facelift to distance itself more from the run-of-the-mill Leon, and to fully justify its sporty existence, it is also available as a plug-in hybrid with 272 hp. We drove the Sportstourer and discovered that there is nothing wrong with copying behavior.
What is striking about the Cupra Leon Sportstourer?
How did it go again? In 2020, Seat launched the new Leon. As a hatchback and station wagon. The latter was now called Sportstourer in full instead of ST. A somewhat far-fetched name, but the idea was that it would better match the sporty image that Seat was pursuing.
In the meantime, years have passed and Seat has abandoned its sporting ambitions. These must now be realised by Cupra. This name used to be used to recognise the fastest Ibizas and Leons, such as the 265 hp Leon Cupra R from 2009. The Leon is currently the only Seat model to be given an extra life as a Cupra.
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The Cupra Leon has recently been renewed. The design has become less Seat and more Cupra. The so-called ‘sharknose’ and the triangular daytime running lights fit better with the brutal character of the Cupra, which still feels a bit like the NKOTB (New Kid On The Block) of autoland profiles. At the rear, the LED lighting across the entire width of the car stands out. The Cupra logo on the back is now illuminated. A bit wrong, but nice.
Although the copper design accents will not be to everyone’s taste, they suit the car well and give the Leon a very unique look. And in a time when you have to make an effort to spot your own car in a full parking lot, that is more than welcome. Although business users of the Leon in particular will prefer to move through traffic a bit more anonymously. Unless you work at a hip marketing agency or are a professional designer.
What’s good about the Cupra Leon Sportstourer?
As soon as we open the tailgate of the Sportstourer 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 nice and 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. And we are also impressed by the legroom on the back seat.
We’ve said it before: Cupra wants to be sporty, and you notice that as soon as you get in and haven’t even driven a meter. Cupra doesn’t do comfort seats and spoons in the Leon sports seats or bucket seats with a fixed headrest from the Italian manufacturer Sabelt. They fit like a glove and keep you firmly in place. You immediately have the feeling that you are driving something special.
The sports steering wheel with perforated leather (Cupra even calls it a ‘super sports steering wheel’, but that’s an exaggeration) has a nice grip, is flattened at the bottom and has a start button, like you find in real sports cars. On the left 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.
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 with 6 gears.
You won’t be short of power, as soon as you press the accelerator harder, the Leon clearly wants to go. Although the automatic transmission seems to hesitate for a moment: should I? The 0-100 km/h time is 7.3 seconds and if necessary, the station wagon accelerates to 229 km/h.
The steering is direct and in bends you can place the Leon very precisely. 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.
The good news is that with the facelift the electric range has more than doubled compared to the old 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.
After a two-hour test drive on the Barcelona ring road and through the mountainous landscape surrounding the Spanish city, the on-board computer indicated an average power consumption of 12.8 kWh/100 km and a petrol consumption of 2.6 l/100 km. Fast charging is possible with 50 kW, something that is anything but common in this segment.
What could be improved on the Cupra Leon Sportstourer?
We are fans of real buttons like on the steering wheel of the Leon; we find the sliders at the bottom of the central screen for temperature and volume less pleasant. The fact that they are now illuminated saves annoyance in the dark, but during the day it doesn’t matter a damn.
The dashboard is traditional in design. Nevertheless, we find the ‘look’ pleasant. A nice detail is the orange color that can be seen on the right or left side of the dashboard as soon as a car drives into your blind spot. The ‘feel’ could be better, below the belt we mainly see rock-hard plastics.
Cupra Leon could have been cheaper
The Cupra Leon starts at 42,790 euros. For the Sportstourer you pay at least 43,990 euros. That is much more than the entry-level Seat Leon Sportstourer has to yield, namely 30,950 euros. But then you have a 1.0 TSI with a meager 110 hp. With the Cupra Leon you immediately have 204 hp. As an equally motorized plug-in hybrid, the Seat costs 39,990 euros.
So you pay 4,000 euros more for the Cupra logo, the copper design accents, sports seats, 18-inch alloy wheels and a larger infotainment screen, to name just a few.
It is a pity that the mild hybrid 1.5 TSI with 150 hp has disappeared. It is still available outside the Netherlands, but Cupra Nederland says it only wants to concentrate on plug-in hybrid and fully electric. 150 hp is a fine power for our flat and busy country and it would make the Cupra Leon a bit cheaper. Incidentally, the top version with 300 hp is also not coming to the Netherlands.
What do I think of the Cupra Leon Sportstourer?
When Cupra was separated from Seat I was a bit skeptical. I thought it was all a bit exaggerated and far-fetched. That sporty, rebellious and Spanish was very obvious. But now I have to admit that Cupra knows how to convey its sporty ambitions well. Yes, you have to like it, but you really drive something different.
The bucket seats, the start button on the steering wheel, the sharper driving characteristics; I get excited about it. The only reason why I might still go for the original Seat is the beautiful red body paint in which the Seat Leon Sportstourer is available and the Cupra is not.
Source: www.autoreview.nl
