After spending a number of years behind the wheel of the motoring industry, certain cars evoke a positive reaction because of the memories that they’ve helped me create. One such car with this association is the Cupra Leon and specifically the Sportstourer (ST) variant. Back in 2023, my week with the Leon ST V coincided with that of my sister’s University Ball which she was also organizing. The ST’s incredible practicality helped me make it through the week, transporting everything from a photobooth background to table decorations!
Low and behold, when Nataliya from Cupra offered me the Leon ST V e-HYBRID guise to review, the request was met with an instant yes. It has been a few years since I last drove one so I was keen to see if my fond memories of the car were real or whether it was just a mirage seen through the rose tinted glasses of time.
Although the colour choices are limited, my review model came in Magnetic Tech, a far cry from the standard Black paint that adorned the last ST. It’s a colour best described as a dark grey if you like but in Cupra fashion, has an unconventional name. However, I am of the opinion that there are few cars that just look good, whatever the colour might be, the Leon ST has to be one of them. This car was launched worldwide back in 2020 and still draws plenty of looks, even five years on! The proportions and lines are great, certainly better than the hatch variant, this is likely the best looking car that Cupra make in all honesty.
It measures in at just under 4.7m so will fit in most garages, it’s just a shade under 1.8m wide and measures in at 1.44m tall. Proportions that make it look just right as you can see below!
This eye for design extends to the interior which is centered around the driver, Cupra is a sporty brand after all! Copper highlights frame the air vents, steering wheel spokes and more, there’s no forgetting that this is the brand’s hero colour. In similar fashion, the interior’s statement piece are those bucket seats, wide wingbacks hold the front two occupants snugly, offering a comfortable drive, however long it may be. The downside is it does tend to block some forward visibility for the rear passengers.
There’s two different layers of ambient lighting with several colours to choose from, while this helps set the mood for the front half of the car, the rear occupants sit in darkness. Also sitting in the dark is the control bar underneath the infotainment screen making it difficult to adjust volume and temperature at night. Nevertheless, this is a gripe that is being fixed on the updated model which is due for a release later this year! The factory audio system works a treat too with a few different preset equalizer functions for optimal music enjoyment.
Apart from a few gripes with the technology as mentioned above, there isn’t much else that lets the interior down. The cabin is well made and accounts for all the storage needs one might need with a wagon. The door cubbies are generous, centre console too but the Sportstourer’s party trick is its boot. With the seats up, you have a whopping 470 litres on offer, opening up to 1,559 litres with the seats down, wow!
Yet again, my week with the Leon Sportstourer coincided with me having to haul things. This time, I was responsible (in part) for setting up the Alfa Romeo Owners Club’s display at Auckland’s prestigious Ellerslie Classic Car Show. Funnily enough, that’s another brand that calls its fanbase a “tribe”! The Leon ST spent most of its week with the rear seats down, increasing its intake of items with each passing day. In the end, it had an entire marquee (poles and all) folded in there, a wooden picnic table and two chairs, banners, flags and information stands. If that isn’t a testament to this Cupra’s practicality then I don’t know what is! I couldn’t have gotten through that week without the Leon ST and once again, it was entirely a coincidence although the word seems to be losing its relevance when it comes to describing the relationship between Leon ST reviews and my life.
Speaking of relationships, this particular Leon ST isn’t like the others in the range, this is a plug in hybrid EV (PHEV) which means that it can harness both petrol power, electric power or both! When I picked up the car, it had a full tank of petrol and a full battery, equivalent to 599km of petrol range and 52km of electric range. When both are working together, you get 180kW of power and 400Nm of torque with a 0-100 time of 7 seconds, respectable stuff.
However, using both powertrains also exposes my biggest gripe with plug-in hybrids and that is the predicted efficiency versus actual efficiency. So, I worked a plan to find out a true figure. I promised myself that I’d use the pure EV mode for crawling traffic and the city centre while the engine was resigned to motorway driving where it would also be topping up the battery. During these motorway drives, my average worked out to be 8L/100 but it did charge the battery. And of course, during my EV only drives, the average reading was 0.0L/100km. All in all, I achieved an average of 5.9L/100km during my 400km long test as detailed above. However, it is safe to expect this figure to be much less if you have charging facilities at home and use the battery a lot more on your everyday drive. Either way, I found the e-MODE and e-HYBRID drive modes to easily accessible through the screen.
Aside from this tomfoolery, the Leon ST e-HYBRID handles well and has plenty of road presence. It could do with a thicker tyre sidewall on the wheels as the ride got a bit harsh at times. 18 inch wheels on this car would probably be the sweet spot, 19 inch units with a slim bit of rubber don’t take too well to our rougher roads. Gosh, they do look good though, especially in the optional Copper spec.
The Verdict
Overall, I found my week with the Cupra Leon V Sportstourer e-HYBRID to be most excellent. It has many qualities that I look for in a car. Namely exclusivity, style, sportiness, practicality and a good audio system. Not to mention it being a literal lifesaver as I was tasked with setting up a display for a car show! The Leon ST offered all of this with the benefit of two powertrain choices and the efficiency that comes with it. Priced at $64,900, the e-HYBRID should be on your shortlist if you’re in the market for a PHEV.
2024 Cupra Leon V Sportstourer e-HYBRID: 4.5/5.
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Car courtesy of Cupra Motors New Zealand via Cupra Grey Lynn. Words and pictures by Matthew D’Souza.
