Cupra Leon 1.5 eHybrid 272 VZ First Edition 5dr DSG

Ten Second Review

In the Leon VZ, CUPRA brings us the focused hot hatch the top version of the CUPRA Leon should have had all along. Potential Golf GTI Clubsport customers should take a look.

Background

Almost every month, it seems like a new electric hot hatch joins the market. But the combustion part of the shopping rocket segment is still alive and well and CUPRA wants to remind us just how satisfying a petrol-powered GTi-style model can still be. With this car, the CUPRA Leon VZ. There's scope for confusion here, given that the Spanish maker labels its mainstream Leon models VZ1, VZ2 and VZ3. But these are designations of a much lower level of performance. The CUPRA Leon VZ, we're assured, is the real thing. You might still be confused because the brand already sells a Leon hot hatch model, the CUPRA Leon 300. The Leon VZ slots in above that car (think Golf GTI Clubsport level, as opposed to Golf GTI), though strangely, it's still not the most powerful CUPRA Leon (that's still the only 4WD model, the 333PS 2.0 TSI 4Drive estate). Still with us? Let's take a closer look at the Leon VZ.

Driving Experience

So what's on offer here? If your starting point is the existing CUPRA Leon 300, don't think of this Leon VZ as a step like a Golf GTI to a Golf R; it can't be because the VZ's power goes only to the front wheels. Golf GTI to Golf GTI Clubsport is more the kind of thing, though the VZ has more power (325PS) than the Clubsport, sharing its engineering with the Golf GTI Edition 50. As for the more stripped out Leon VZ TCR variant, well that's the kind of thing we got when Renault did a more track-focused Trophy R version of its old Megane RS. Or when Volkswagen bought us a Golf GTI Clubsport S. If you're still with us, you'll now have a better idea of what CUPRA is trying to do here. Apart from the extra 25PS over the CUPRA Leon 300, there's also slightly heavier steering and slightly beefier six-pot Akebono front disc brakes. Plus slightly stiffer damping, aided by the standard fitment of the VW Group's latest and very impressive adaptive damping system, which makes this car cruisy at one end of the scale and sharply focused at the other. It's one of the two things we think might really sell this car to you. The other is the VAQ torque vectoring electronic differential, which in the dry at least will vastly improve cornering traction and which plays a much greater role here than it does in lesser fast Leons. In the wet though, you'll wish you'd found the extra for the 4MOTION system of the Golf R. As long as it's dry though, this car is fast, dispatching 62mph in 5.4s (though that's only 0.3s faster than a CUPRA 300) en route to 168mph. We mentioned the rare Leon VZ TCR model, built to commemorate the brand's success in Touring Car Racing. Inspired by the Leon touring car, this gets removable rear seats, a rear strut brace, wider tyres and proper racing harnesses.

Design and Build

You have to be a brand loyalist or a CUPRA sales person to spot the visual differences between this VZ model and a normal CUPRA Leon 300. Copper-coloured quad exhaust pipes are the only real giveaway. The rare Leon VZ TCR model might be slightly easier to spot, with its wider 19-inch wheels shod with grippier tyres, a more aggressive aero kit and a sporty decal set. It's the same low-key VZ story inside, so virtually exactly the same as you get in a well specified CUPRA 300. But that's a good thing, with its smart copper-coloured touches, grippy wheel and supportive part-dinamica-trimmed 'Cup bucket' seats. As usual with a Leon, you get an interactive digital driver and a large, central 10-inch infotainment touchscreen. The dark chrome detailing brings a sense of drama, with the dashboard and door mouldings finished in brushed dark aluminium and illuminated CUPRA treadplates in the front doors and colour-coded door panels and seats. There's comfortable room for a couple of adults in the back. And a 380-litre boot.

Market and Model

You'll need around £50,000 for this Leon VZ, so you're really going to have to want one. The rare TCR version (only 50 of which are being imported here)will of course be more still. Both versions are only available with the hatch body style. CUPRA will only import 1,500 Leon VZs. And as you'd hope, the VZ spec is comprehensive. There's DCC dynamic chassis control, large 19-inch alloy wheels, petrol blue Nappa leather bucket seats with heat and power adjustment, a heated steering wheel and a wireless smartphone charging pad. Plus an excellent Sennheiser sound system. And, as with all CUPRA Leons, you get full-LED headlights, a reversing camera and the SEAT Digital cockpit with an interactive driver display screen and a 10-inch central infotainment monitor. There's plenty of autonomous driving tech and safety equipment too fitted as standard. Predictive Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) uses feeds from GPS data delivered from the navigation system and input from the front-mounted camera and Traffic Sign Recognition, allowing it to proactively adjust the cruise speed depending on the road layout ahead. When the road becomes more congested Traffic Jam Assist takes the stress out of driving, maintaining a safe distance to the vehicle in front. There's also an 'Emergency Assist' system that can bring the Leon to a controlled stop if you're taken ill at the wheel. And a 'Blind Spot Detection' system that alerts the driver to another vehicle in their blind spot.

Cost of Ownership

As you'd expect, the efficiency stats here are very little to those of the more conventional CUPRA Leon 300. Which means combined cycle fuel economy of around 35mpg and a CO2 figure of around 180g/km. Of course, if you accept the invitation to drive this car as it was intended to be driven, you'll be burning plenty of fuel - and possibly getting through quite a few sets of front tyres too. And servicing? Well as with SEAT models, you're looking at a garage visit every 10,000 miles or every 12 months, whichever comes first. At point of purchase, you can opt for a two year pre-paid servicing plan with an affordable monthly payment scheme. What else? Well in the current market, the three year/60,000 mile warranty cover isn't particularly generous. The paintwork warranty lasts for three years and, as you'd expect, this car is protected by a 12-year anti-corrosion package. What about residual values? Well according to industry experts, they'll be much like an ordinary CUPRA Leon 300 variant, which is expected to retain up to 41% of its P11D value after three years of use.

Summary

We'd hoped for a little more here. Certainly in terms of a discernible upgrade over the existing CUPRA Leon 300. But if you were already considering that car and like the idea of a slightly faster, more focused faster version of this model, there might be something for you with this VZ, particularly if you can get it at a decent saving over the kind of Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport that is perhaps the most obvious rival. We can't see why you'd choose the stripped-out TCR version. Or really why you'd choose the standard CUPRA Leon 300 now that this VZ version exists (unless the 300 was massively cheaper). If you thought that standard car needed more enthusiast-orientated tuning for its damping, steering, brakes and gearbox, your wishes have been answered here. And if you're thinking of buying any kind of Golf GTI, maybe stop and take a look at this CUPRA Leon VZ first. Who knows; it might be just what you're looking for.