Regardless of being a somewhat new emblem to Australia and a brand new emblem normally, SEAT offshoot Cupra has plans to make the wagon a factor once more in Australia.

Intently associated with the Volkswagen Golfing wagon, the Cupra Leon Sportstourer is obtainable in various specs, together with a plug-in hybrid, and a automotive with a Golfing R-specification engine and all-wheel pressure.

Cupra is within the throes of working out whether or not the Leon Sportstourer will paintings for the Australian marketplace, and invited us to have a pressure of each the plug-in hybrid and go-fast VZx variations at its house in Spain.

How a lot does the Cupra Leon Sportstourer value?

We don’t know pricing but, however it’d be a protected wager to think the wagon will command a worth top class over the identical hatchback.

The Leon VZe plug-in hybrid hatchback is priced simply shy of $62,000 sooner than on-road prices in Australia. A wagon would upload a top class over that determine.

The go-fast VZx model is identical worth – however the wagon now not best provides additional sheetmetal, it adjustments the drivetrain structure from the hatchback’s front-drive to all-wheel pressure.

We’d be expecting it to be inexpensive than the outgoing Golfing R wagon’s ticket of $71,990 sooner than on-roads.

What’s the Cupra Leon Sportstourer like at the within?

We had the risk to excursion Cupra’s headquarters simply out of doors Barcelona, the place it become glaring lovely briefly that Cupra’s goal is to be the more youthful upstart arm of Volkswagen.

That is glaring within the Leon Sportstourer’s inner. The seats glance unreal, and the plug-in hybrid model we examined featured an non-compulsory carbon package deal that added carbon fibre external mirrors and seat backs within the cabin.

The seats hug you in well and have a suede-esque subject material with various helpful changes.

Comfortable contact fabrics are noticed alongside the dashboard and doorways, and in depth use of LED backlighting is helping with such things as blind-spot tracking and navigation signals.

Central to the cabin is a 12-inch infotainment show that includes contact delicate controls for temperature and quantity. It options built in satellite tv for pc navigation, in conjunction with wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Forward of the motive force is any other show this is customisable with various other layouts, together with mapping.

Small touches like shifting the starter button to the steerage wheel give it some extent of differentiation too.

Leg- and headroom in the second one row is in truth moderately excellent regardless of the wheelbase, and the way small the automobile seems to be from the out of doors.

Shipment capability is available in at 620 litres with the second one row in position for the VZx, and 470L for the plug-in hybrid VZe. That house expands to 1600L and 1450L respectively with the second one row folded.

You might be robbed of a few shipment house with the plug-in hybrid because of the 12.8kWh battery and plug-in hybrid elements that sit down underneath the shipment flooring.

What’s underneath the bonnet?

Let’s kick off with the plug-in hybrid VZe. It makes use of a 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that produces 110kW of energy and 250Nm of torque.

It’s mated to a six-speed dual-clutch transmission, but in addition makes use of an adjoining electrical motor.

The electrical motor produces 85kW of energy and 330Nm of torque, but if utilized in unison with the interior combustion engine the blended outputs are 180kW of energy and 400Nm of torque.

This offers round 60km of using vary and a blended gasoline economic system of one.4 litres of gasoline in line with 100km. It’s additionally excellent for a 0-100km/h dash of seven.0 seconds.

The potent VZx model then again makes use of a tried-and-tested 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that produces 228kW of energy and 400Nm of torque (there’s a rather much less tough model additionally bought within the Eu marketplace).

In contrast to the plug-in hybrid, which is front-wheel pressure, the VZx makes use of all-wheel pressure powertrain mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

It’s excellent for a bonkers 0-100km/h time of simply 4.9 seconds and consumes a blended 8.0L/100km.

How does the Cupra Leon Sportstourer pressure?

We spent maximum of our time using the plug-in hybrid variant, and best had a brief stint within the go-fast model.

Like several plug-in hybrids, if the battery is complete you’ll pressure on electrical energy till the battery runs out of juice and kicks over to a mix of electrical and internal-combustion operation.

There’s an outstanding quantity of efficiency on be offering from the electrical machine sooner than the internal-combustion engine kicks in.

Collection hybrids like a Camry or RAV4 (for instance) will best permit small throttle inputs sooner than the internal-combustion engine kicks on. You actually wish to mash the throttle onerous to get the engine to fireside to existence within the Leon.

At the charging entrance, like maximum plug-in hybrids, the VZe can also be charged the usage of a single-phase 3.6kW plug, which means that you’ll use a 10A energy outlet, or then again use the next powered 15A outlet to fee sooner.

Whilst the trip is comfy more often than not at the 19-inch alloy wheels, it may possibly turn out to be moderately busy over cobblestones and imperfect town streets.

It does use adaptive damping relying at the spec and we discovered there used to be a noticeable distinction between the pressure modes, however there used to be nonetheless a degree of firmness when it used to be being pushed within the confines of town.

There used to be additionally a good quantity of street noise getting into the cabin at freeway speeds; we suspect this used to be from the low profile, sporty tyre ] selected.

From a dealing with viewpoint, you’ll see Cupra has long gone for the sportiest music imaginable for the Sportstourer. It tucks in superbly thru corners or even in plug-in hybrid spec it’s a amusing automobile to pressure.

The additional punch on be offering from the electrical drivetrain combo is superb, making it a hoot to pressure.

The VZx takes that to any other stage with a degree of refinement similar to what is obtainable by means of the Golfing R wagon.

The plug-in hybrid will even be optioned with a mega set of cross-drilled Brembo brakes that measure 370mm in diameter. Now not a nasty setup.

We will be able to get a greater probability to check economic system and dealing with if those automobiles in the end make their approach to Australia.

Is the Cupra Leon protected?

Whilst the Leon Sportstourer hasn’t been rated by means of ANCAP, it’s been examined by means of Euro NCAP the place it completed a five-star protection score.

It gained an grownup occupant coverage score of 91 in line with cent, a kid occupant coverage score of 88 in line with cent, a susceptible street person coverage score of 71 in line with cent, and a security lend a hand score of 80 in line with cent.

Usual protection apparatus comprises self reliant emergency braking, blind spot tracking, rear pass site visitors alert, entrance and rear parking sensors, protected go out caution and a motive force fatigue observe.

How a lot does the Cupra Leon value to run?

The Cupra vary is roofed by means of a five-year, unlimited-kilometre guaranty in Australia.

Main points for the Sportstourer haven’t been locked in, given it’s now not showed for an Australian release.

In relation to the hatch, alternatively, Cupra not gives three-years of loose servicing – as a substitute consumers can choose between 3 and five-year provider packs. The 3-year pack prices $990, whilst the five-year pack is $1990. 

CarExpert’s Take

Whilst SUV gross sales in Australia have long gone in the course of the roof, some other folks don’t need the majority of an SUV however nonetheless want the cupboard space for all in their issues.

One thing just like the Sportstourer hits the nail at the head for a efficiency providing that also has stacks of shipment house.

Whilst the plug-in hybrid achieves of the purpose of minimising gasoline use, the VZx actually will get us excited for a go-fast circle of relatives wagon. Let’s hope the trade case stacks up and it makes its approach to Australia.

It suffers from street noise that comes from a sportier tyre aggregate, however the remainder of the package deal will have to make up for it.

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