Cupra Leon V hot hatch delivers bang for your bucks

This European machine delivers sophisticated performance at a price that should have rivals looking over their shoulder.

David McCowen

2 min read

July 11, 2023 - 7:00PM

As with most things in life, performance cars are becoming more expensive.

But Cupra is swimming against the tide with a new model that delivers a satisfying drive for a surprising price.

VW’s Spanish spin-off has built a turbocharged cousin to the Golf GTI for an eye-popping $12,500 less than the Volkswagen.

The Cupra Leon V is a suave-looking hatch.

The new Cupra Leon V has a turbocharged 2.0-litre engine, a snappy seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, engaging dynamics and pleasantly sporty elements inside and out that cement its place as a junior hot hatch.

It costs $43,990 plus on-road costs, or $47,990 drive-away, and that’s before you factor in a $5000 cashback bonus available to Cupra customers until the end of July.

The Cupra Leon V borrows from VW’s parts catalogue.

That’s a sharp deal.

Powered by a slightly detuned engine with 140kW and 320Nm, the new Leon V costs $8500 less than the mid-grade, 180kW Leon VZ and $16,000 less than the range-topping, 221kW Leon VZx. But the front-drive hatch doesn’t feel particularly short-changed.

It has the same flat-bottomed steering wheel, deeply-bolstered sports seats and 10.25-inch digital dash as more expensive siblings.

Cupra Leon customers can choose from four models.

There’s also ambient mood lighting, a 12-inch touchscreen with wireless phone charging and smartphone mirroring, along with niceties such as smart keys and three-zone climate control.

The cabin looks and feels premium. It also swerves around the glossy capacitive-touch controls of late-model Volkswagens, preferring traditional buttons that are simpler to operate.

The Leon V’s 18-inch alloys have tyre pressure monitors and exterior lighting is provided by modern LED hardware.

The Cupra Leon V doesn’t cut corners in the cabin.

Options include a sunroof ($1800), premium red or grey paint ($475) and a premium pack ($2450) that delivers a nine-speaker Beats stereo along with heated, leather-trimmed seats with electric adjustment.

Safety gear includes auto emergency braking, active cruise control, blind-spot monitoring and more. It only really misses out on the bigger alloys, limited-slip diffs and more powerful engines of other models.

18-inch wheels with chubby tyres lend a composed ride.

Crucially, the cheapest Cupra has a broad selection of driving modes linked to 15-stage variable shock absorbers. The shocks – the same as those found in the latest Golf GTI – lend the Cupra an impressive breadth of ability by delivering a ride that ranges from genuinely plush to race car-stiff. It allows drivers to tailor the car’s behaviour to any given circumstance and helps it do a better job than most of handling broken backroads.

Sweet steering feels precise on the open road, inspiring confidence with feedback rarely found on more purposeful machines with bigger wheels and tyres.

The Leon is at home on sweeping bends.

It’s not the fastest hatch on the road, though. A claimed 0-100km/h time of 7.2 seconds is a fair way off modern hot-hatch benchmarks. But there’s satisfaction in extracting the most from the turbocharged motor. There’s plenty of torque on tap and the paddle-shift transmission serves up rapid-fire gear changes to help you keep it on the boil.

Cupra is offering $5000 cash back to customers in July.

Keen drivers will enjoy a multistage stability control system with a sport setting that allows the car to move around when pushed, loosening the rear end to help the nose point into corners. But you don’t have to dig deep to enjoy the Leon’s poise, effortless motor and composed ride.

And you don’t need to break the bank to do so.

VERDICT

Crisp to drive, well-equipped and competitively priced, the Cupra Leon V makes hot hatch motoring more accessible than before.

4 stars