Hatchbacks once ruled the roost in Australian driveways before the SUV boom.
They still make a lot of sense for those prepared to sacrifice the space of an SUV for a better equipped cabin.
A new brand with a familiar feel
Cupra is a relatively unknown brand in Australia, having only launched last year.
It’s part of the Volkswagen Group and the Leon small car shares plenty with the popular Golf hatchback.
The Cupra Leon VZe we tested has a sportier flavour compared to the Golf’s everyman vibe.
It’s a handsome small car with sharp lines, a well proportioned front grille, sharp panel creases and eye-catching 18-inch alloy wheels
With LED lighting front and back, a rear spoiler and dark chrome exterior highlights it stands out in the traffic.
It can multi-task
The Leon VZe is a plug-in hybrid.
It combines a familiar 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine and an electric motor to make a Golf GTI beating 180kW and 400Nm. The engine is paired to a six-speed dual-clutch auto and front wheel drive.
The electric motor draws on a 12.8kWh lithium-ion battery that provides an electric-only driving range of up to 50km.
The car defaults to electric mode on start-up and once the battery is depleted it uses energy gained from regenerative braking to assist during low speed cruising and takeoff. The engine can also be used as a generator to refill the battery when driving.
Cupra claims the Leon VZe drinks 1.8L/100km but this jumps significantly once the battery is drained.
Drivers have access to multiple driving modes including Normal, Sport and Cupra. Each slowly dials up the sporty characteristics of the car.
It’s a sharp drive
The Leon VZe is an easy car to like.
Light and direct steering make for a fun and engaging drive in all conditions. It sits low and turns deftly into corners and there is little protest from its front tyres when pushed.
The Leon VZe feels genuinely athletic, delivering its ample power reserves in a strong and linear fashion.
Its electric motor makes it feel zippy off the mark and once the petrol engine takes the reins, it delivers a handy amount of torque from low in the rev range.
Cupra claims the Leon VZe can sprint from 0-100km/h in 6.7 seconds, which isn’t express pace but more than enough for an efficient city runabout.
The quick-shifting dual-clutch does a decent job of keeping the engine humming along and drivers can take control via steering wheel mounted paddle shifters.
Switch to sport mode and the suspension firms, steering quickens and throttle response improves. Cupra mode sharpens its reflexes further and pipes in fake engine noise.
The suspension can feel a bit firm in everyday driving, transferring bumps and road imperfections through your seat.
The price stings
The VZe is priced at about $64,990 before on-road costs. That’s a fair chunk of change in anyone’s language for a small car.
It’s about $20,000 more than the entry-level petrol-powered Leon or fully-loaded Volkswagen Golf, but it is more than $5000 cheaper than the newly launched Peugeot 308 GT Sport plug-in hybrid.
You’ll have to pony up an extra $3250 for a Leather and Power pack that has luxury kit you might expect as standard on a near $70,000 car.
The pack comes with heated and leather sports bucket seats, a hands-free tailgate, 360-view camera, electronically adjustable driver’s seat with memory function and mirror placement memory setting.
An electric sunroof is a further $1800 and metallic paint adds $475 to the total.
The cabin has some spice
Cloth sport bucket seats provide ample lateral support and a flat-bottomed, leather-wrapped steering adds character.
A 12-inch central screen controls all infotainment and vehicle controls. There are shortcuts but you’ll have to dive into multiple menus to change climate settings or the driving mode, which can be distracting when on the move.
A 10.25-inch digital driver display provides crisp readouts and graphics.
A wireless charging pad and two front and rear USB ports keep your devices fully juiced while on the go.
Ambient lighting adds a touch of class after dark, and it changes colour with your driving mode. It smartly uses the ambient lighting in the door just below the window as a blind spot warning, which makes it easier to notice than in other vehicles.