Review: Cupra Leon Estate

For once my test car coincided with the task I had in mind for that week. More usually, for example, when I have a convertible and plan a trip to the coast, it rains for the entire week or if I’m sent a tiny little city car my services as a taxi to the airport are requested.

So when the splendid Cupra Leon Estate arrived with its 620 litres of load space I was delighted. My post Christmas clear-out had resulted in a mound of stuff for the local charity shop so off it all went in one load.

The Cupra Leon is more than a load lugger, as practical as it is. It is a stylish, sporty little number with plenty of kit that makes it not only look good but perform well to boot.

You may well be aware that there is also Seat Leon which sits alongside the performance orientated Cupra Leon.

Cupra Leon shares some of its design with the Seat Leon but has sharper styling with different bumpers, a more aggressive looking front end and it sits lower to the ground.

Inside it has aluminium pedals, comfortable bucket seats and a 12in touchscreen infotainment screen.

Though the infotainment system may look swish it is not the most intuitive I’ve used and needed more than a cursory glance before I figured out some of its menus.

I’m not naive enough to think the days of analogue were the best way to continue. But as a minimum I’d prefer to operate the climate control with a switch or a knob so I’d don’t have to pull over to turn up the heating or risk taking my eyes off the road.

As for the rest of the functions, I just connected my phone wirelessly and used Apple CarPlay. It also charged my phone wirelessly too which is a real bonus.

Our test car came paired with the 306bhp two-litre petrol engine with all-wheel drive and proved to be a real joy - I’m not sure estate cars are meant to be so much fun. It can make the 0-62mph sprint in a mere 4.9 seconds and has a top speed of 155mph.

The suspension is firm but comfortable and the Cupra Leon makes light work of speed bumps and poor road surfaces.

There are four trim levels: V1, V1 Design Edition, VZ2 and VZ3. Standard across the range are alloy wheels, the multimedia system with smartphone integration, four USB type Cs, rear-view camera, park assist with front and rear view cameras and four different driving modes - comfort,sport, Cupra and individual.

V1 Design Edition gets side skirts and spoilers plus a sunroof.

VZ2 adds, among others sports bucket seats, 19in alloys and ambient lighting while the top spec VZ3 gets an automatic-opening boot lid and heated steering wheel.

The seven-speed automatic transmission makes light work of changing through the gears and never feels laboured.

Space inside is plentiful, especially for rear seat passengers who can luxuriate with plenty of head and leg room.

Prices start from £32,650.

Specifications

Cupra Leon Estate

Price: £47,710 (£48,640 as tested)

Engine: Two-litre TSI

Power: 306bhp

Torque: 295lb/ft

Transmission: Seven-speed DSG

Top speed: 155mph

0-62mph: 4.9 seconds

Economy: 32.8-34mpg

CO 2 emissions:188g/km