Cupra Leon long-term test

The car Cupra Leon 1.5 e-Hybrid Shadow Edition Run by George Hill, Used Cars Writer

Why it’s here To find out whether the plug-in hybrid Cupra Leon is a fun daily driver

Needs to Deliver a good electric range for commuting, while being economical when the battery runs out of juice. An enjoyable driving experience is a must, too. 

Miles covered 758 List price £44,635 Target Price £36,595 Price as tested £45,330 Official economy 206.5mpg Test economy 61.7mpg Options fitted Magnetic Tech Grey metallic paint (£695)

12 January – A two-for-one deal

In life, we’re often faced with head-vs-heart decisions. Do you go to bed early because you know you need to rest, or stay up late to watch another episode of your favourite TV series? Do you choose a healthy salad because it’s good for you, or order a takeaway because you’ve had a rough day?

It’s always a difficult decision to make, but thankfully, my new company car – a Cupra Leon – has eliminated this issue. You see, being a sporty hot hatchback, it well and truly satisfied my heart’s yearning for something exciting, but the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) element has allowed it to calm my head, too.

That’s right, I’ve gone for the PHEV version of the Leon. While the 201bhp produced from the 1.5-litre petrol engine and electric motor is nowhere near the 296bhp of the full-fat 2.0-litre petrol-engined Leon, performance is still reasonable, with 0-62mph taking 7.7sec officially. Sure, I could have chosen the same 268bhp system you get in the closely related Volkswagen Golf GTE, which does 0-62mph in 6.6sec, but I decided against it in pursuit of better efficiency and cheaper running costs from the petrol engine. In fact, the system I’ve gone for is identical to what you can have in another close relative, the Seat Leon, which has similar performance to my car.

Like its siblings, the Leon has a vast 19.7kWh (usable capacity) battery that officially takes it 78 miles on electric-only power. That doesn’t quite match the Golf GTE (81 miles) or Seat Leon (82 miles), but it easily beats the Mercedes A-Class A250e (50 miles). In real-world conditions, the range readout has been showing 59 miles on a full charge, which is pretty good, but I’ve already seen this drop to 50 miles in sub-zero temperatures. I’ll keep you posted on how this changes, especially when the weather warms up in the spring.

To maximise the efficiency of the car, I’ve been plugging it into my local lamppost charger as much as possible (I live in London and don’t have a driveway). So far, I’m averaging 61.7mpg. While that’s a long way off the official figure of 206.5mpg, most people – myself included – are unlikely to get near that in real-world use, as my experience shows. That said, I’m curious to see how my fuel economy changes when the battery runs out of juice.

That’s some of the head-related stuff out of the way, but for a hot hatch an important question is how it drives. As you’d expect, the Leon handles nicely – despite the heavy battery tucked under the boot floor. And while the ride is on the firm side, I’m grateful for the adaptive suspension that’s fitted to my car as standard, because it does provide some cushioning over our patchy UK roads, which seem to be particularly pothole-ridden at the moment. I’m going to have to take the Leon to some more testing roads to see whether it can induce a grin when behind the wheel. 

Another key ingredient of a great hot hatch is style, and in my view, the Leon delivers. It looks particularly sharp after its recent facelift, which introduced a bespoke front end and a rear LED lightbar to better differentiate the Seat Leon. The optional Magnetic Tech Grey metallic paint suits it perfectly too, taking on a subtle blue hue when it catches the sunlight.

To enhance the car’s looks, I’ve gone for the Shadow Edition model, which adds 19in matte black alloy wheels, black side skirts and a black roof spoiler. Along with those details, you get matrix LED headlights (that automatically dip the full beam), a wireless phone-charging pad, heated front sport seats and faux-leather upholstery. It’s really well equipped, so I didn’t feel the need to add any more options.

Handily, all versions of the Leon come with Cupra’s 12.9in infotainment system, which was recently refreshed with a new layout and operating system. The previous system was criticised in our most recent What Car? Reliability Survey for being slow and prone to crashing, so there’s hope this latest version makes a clear improvement. Initial impressions are encouraging: the touchscreen is responsive and the graphics are crisp.

As for the rest of the interior, it’s suitably plush, with Cupra’s signature copper detailing adding plenty of visual flair. It’s not far behind an Audi A3 for quality, with a generous helping of soft-touch materials on the dashboard and doors. 

It seems, then, things have got off to a good start with the Leon. It already feels like a rare solution to that familiar head-vs-heart dilemma, but over the coming months, it’ll be interesting to see if the balance holds up, or if either organ wants more than the Leon can deliver.

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