New Cupra Leon on sale now: prices start from £31,000
July 29, 2024 by Jamie Edkins
Car changing is a big deal
The updated Cupra Leon is available to order now, and this Audi A3 alternative starts from £31,000.
- New Cupra Leon on sale now
- Prices start from £31,000
- Heavily-revised exterior design
- Same 333hp engine as the Audi S3
- Plug-in hybrid gets more than 70 miles of EV range
- Upgraded interior tech
This is the new Cupra Leon, and it’s an alternative to something like an Audi A3 or Volkswagen Golf if you want a bit more sporty flair.
There are loads of engines on offer, ranging from a 150hp petrol to a fire-breathing 333hp estate model with all-wheel drive. Prices start from £31,000, and you can order your new Leon now.
New Cupra Leon price and specs
The new Cupra Leon is available to order now, and prices start from £31,050. That makes it a few hundred pounds cheaper than the equivalent Audi A3, and it’s around the same price as a comparable Volkswagen Golf.
There are plenty of different trim levels to choose from – six to be precise. The range kicks off with the V1, then there’s V2, V3, VZ1, VZ2 and VZ3.
New Cupra Leon V1: from £31,050
Go for the entry-level Cupra Leon V1 and you get 18-inch alloy wheels, front and rear parking sensors, adaptive cruise control, rear privacy glass and plenty of copper-coloured trim to help the car stand out against an Audi or VW.
New Cupra Leon V2: from £33,405
Step up to V2 trim and you can enjoy suede-effect seat trim, a reversing camera, keyless entry, stiffer sports suspension and 19-inch alloy wheels. You also get some funky-looking interior ambient lighting.
New Cupra Leon V3: from £35,055
The V3 is the pick of the Leon range, provided you don’t want the Audi S3-rivalling engine. In addition to all the kit listed above you get electrically-adjustable seats, leather upholstery, a self-parking aid and a different 19-inch alloy wheel design to the V2.
New Cupra Leon VZ1: from £41,465
The VZ1 builds on the spec of the V1, the main difference being that it’s available with either a plug-in hybrid engine or the 300hp 2.0-litre petrol you’ll find in the old Volkswagen Golf R and Audi S3. It also gets electrically-adjustable front seats, 19-inch alloy wheels and matrix LED lights. Go for the estate model and you get a 333hp petrol engine with all-wheel drive, although you’ll pay a £1,000 premium for this.
New Cupra Leon VZ2: from £43,920
Go for the VZ2 and you get the same engine options as the VZ1, plus additional equipment such as adjustable lumbar support, automatic parking assist and leather upholstery.
New Cupra Leon VZ3: from £47,250
Finally we come to the flagship Leon. The VZ3 gets sporty bucket seats, more aggressive exterior styling and uprated brakes, as well as a 10-speaker premium sound system. It’s also offered with either a plug-in hybrid or a 300hp petrol engine – or 333hp in the estate.
New Cupra Leon design
It may share a lot of parts with the S3 under the skin, but the Cupra Leon stands out compared to that car thanks to its sporty and flamboyant design. If the Audi is a plain bockwurst, the Cupra is more like a spicy chorizo.
There are plenty of changes over the outgoing Leon as well, the most notable of which being up front. The bonnet is much more pointy than before, a design which Cupra calls the ‘shark nose’, and you have new triangular headlights. The lower grille is more imposing as well.
You can still choose between hatchback and estate versions of the Leon, however not much has changed down the side. There are some new alloy wheel designs though, with either 18- or 19-inch options on offer.
You can see more significant differences at the rear, the most notable of which is the new light bar across the boot lid. The Cupra logo is now lit up in the centre, and you have new tail lights with a similar triangular design to the front lamps.
New Cupra Leon engines and driving
When you go for the VZ models of the new Cupra Leon you get a choice of much more powerful engines than the V cars. The standard Leon hatch gets a 300hp 2.0-litre unit with front-wheel drive, while the estate has a 333hp all-wheel drive setup lifted from the Audi S3.
In addition to the extra power, you also get a new drift mode for the traction control system. A similar feature is available on the S3, and it splits torque between the rear wheels to push the tail out when you’re on the track.
But what if you want to be a bit more sensible? Well the Leon range kicks off with a 1.5-litre petrol engine with 150hp and a six-speed manual gearbox, or you can have the same engine with an automatic and mild hybrid tech for added efficiency.
Company car drivers looking for the lowest Benefit-in-Kind (BIK) rates will want to look towards the plug-in hybrid versions. There are two to choose from, both with a 1.5-litre engine and both getting over 70 miles of driving using electric power alone. The choice you get is between a 204hp model or one with 272hp in VZ models.
New Cupra Leon interior and infotainment
The overall interior design may not be too different, but the new Cupra Leon does get some new infotainment tech and upgraded materials to keep things looking and feeling fresh.
The highlight here is the new 12.9-inch touchscreen, an upgrade over the 12.0-inch display you get in the current car. It uses new software as well which makes it easier to use than before, and the touch-sensitive sliders underneath are now backlit so you can see them at night, something which was a big oversight in the outgoing car.
Beyond the new tech, a selection of new materials push the Leon further upmarket. You can now have plush microfiber upholstery around the place, and you can get sporty bucket seats which sit lower for a more sporty feeling.
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