It has a VW Golf R engine, but the Cupra Leon is quietly old-school

I’ve never subscribed to the idea that you need four-wheel drive if you still want to have fun in poor weather. Sure, it provides traction benefits (if the right tyres are fitted) on slippery roads, but should you really be taking advantage of that when the conditions could easily catch you out? In some cases, I’d rather drive at lower speeds and be forced to think harder about my driving in something two-wheel drive. And the Cupra is one of those cars that really does make you think when grip is at a premium.

It’s not snappy or even that playful, but if you decide to dump its full torque to the front wheels at once on a cold, wet road, you should be ready for things to get a bit frantic. The steering fights against your grip as the VAQ differential lock shuffles power between the front wheels, and if you really overdo it, both tyres can light up and take away most of your ability to steer. And that really does focus the mind…

> Volkswagen Golf GTI review – once the definitive hot hatch, is it still one of the best?

In this way the Cupra is quite old-school. It demands respect, and with time you learn to adapt your driving to the car and conditions to get the most from it. The flip side is that when you want to calm things down, you can dial it back to Comfort mode and leave the safety systems on, and then it’s just as approachable and easy to drive as a basic Leon. To be honest, that’s how I’ve been using it most, either commuting, stuffing it with shopping or ferrying friends around for late-night takeaways. It does everything you’d expect of a daily hatch, hot or otherwise, but even then it feels that bit more interesting than a Golf GTI.

The cabin is a big part of this. The ambient lighting and faux carbon trim are a bit chintzy, but general fit and finish are good and the carbon-backed Sabelt bucket seats are fabulous – comfortable on long drives but giving a real sense of purpose the moment you climb in. And I’m not even that bothered by the sliding touch controls and lack of proper knobs and buttons, at least not as much as I expected to be. I tend to use the steering-wheel volume controls and leave the temperature set just-so at 19.5 degrees.

20

Although not everyone is a fan of the matt brown/bronze colourway (trust me, it looks better in person), the Cupra is also a bit of a crowd-pleaser. My cousin Rayyan, whose dream car is a Golf R, couldn’t contain himself when I told him that the Leon effectively had a Golf R engine. He was even more giddy when I showed him the Cupra’s secret start-up procedure, which gives a flare of revs and a flurry of pops if you hold the start button and then press the brake pedal. I vowed not to use it again but might have done so a few times since…

So far, then, the Leon has proved to be as rounded and satisfying to run as a hot hatch should be. As satisfying as Volkswagen’s technically related Golf GTI Clubsport? Watch this space.

Share this on TwitterShare this on FacebookEmailAdd as a preferred source on Google