Cupra Leon review

This hot hatchback used to be known as the Seat Leon Cupra, but the Spanish carmaker’s fast badge has been teased out into a whole sub-brand. Henceforth, then, this shall be known as the Cupra Leon.

We’ve always liked the fast Leons here – a bit more power than a Volkswagen Golf GTI for a slightly lower price. What’s not to like about that? The Cupra badge has brought some new challenges, though, and it means that the car has had to become more ambitious than just being a GTI alternative.

It certainly looks the part…

Doesn’t it just. Cupra facelifted its take on the Leon in early 2024 to make it look less like a Seat and more erm… Cupra-ey. That means it now gets a more aggressive shark-nose front end with a very toothy grille, plus triangular LED headlights, big wheels, beefy arches and new rear lights with an illuminated badge and proper lightbar. Lots of copper touches too. Very smart.

Ignore the European plates in the gallery above: we've driven the latest Leon here in the UK. Proper RHD pics pending, capiche?

What are my engine choices?

There are a whole host of options to choose from, but the range kicks off with a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-pot pumping out 148bhp and connected to a six-speed manual. We told you this wasn’t just a Golf GTI alternative these days – the Cupra Leon now has to do multiple jobs.

To that end, you can spec the same 148bhp 1.5-litre engine with a seven-speed auto gearbox and a mild-hybrid system, or you can have it as a full plug-in hybrid with a six-speed auto and a 19.7kWh battery for between 70 and 80 miles of all-electric running. Do that and you’ll get either 201bhp or 268bhp. 

The one you really want though is the 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine that sends 296bhp through its front wheels, so it’s essentially a Golf GTI Clubsport that speaks Spanish. Like in the VW you can only have a seven-speed dual-clutch auto though. Shame.

Oh, and there’s an estate version of the Cupra Leon available too. It can be specced with almost exactly the same powertrains as the hatch, but rather than 296bhp and front-wheel drive, the top-spec 2.0-litre turbo makes 328bhp and sends that through all four wheels. So yeah, that’s an alternative to a Golf R wagon.

What about the numbers?

If it’s pure speed you’re after, the extra power in the estate gets you from 0–62mph in a tidy 4.8 seconds, while the 296bhp hatchback does it in 5.7s and the more powerful of the two PHEV hatches in a stately 7.1s. Which is what a few hundred kilos of battery and electric gubbins will do, really.

Want to shift your own gears? The base-spec 1.5-litre engine and manual combo gets a 0-62mph time of 8.9 seconds, which drops to 8.7s if you spec the auto and mild-hybrid setup.

How much is it?

Prices start from £31,770 for that entry-level 148bhp pure petrol in manual guise and £33,630 for the auto. If it’s a PHEV you’re after then the 201bhp version starts at £38,940, while the 268bhp iteration is £45,850. All can be made more expensive with posher trim levels, of course. 

The most powerful hatch starts at £42,130, which is about £600 less than the equivalent Golf GTI Clubsport. The Leon Estate starts at £34,085, while the 328bhp performance wagon kicks off at £45,905. Got all that? Good.

The Cupra Leon is a difficult one to sum up. It's got an identity problem because it's not clear what it’s actually for.

The entry-level models aren’t what we’d call ‘hot’, but the e-Hybrid PHEVs now make much more sense with their vastly improved all-electric range. We’re yet to drive those, so we’ll reserve judgement for now. Will they really stand up to the hot hatch looks though? We’re not so sure. 

Not to matter, because the 296bhp Cupra Leon is the one to go for: it’s decent fun with sharp handling, good character and a snappy DSG gearbox, but does it have the flat out appeal of cars like the Honda Civic Type R or Toyota GR Yaris? Probably not. There’s no real cutting edge here, but it’s a handsome thing, plenty practical and ever so slightly cheaper than the equivalent Golf GTI Clubsport.