2023 Cupra Leon V review

The Cupra Leon V is good evidence to support any argument that the conventional hatch still has its merits in a world where everyone seems to want an SUV. Blame the marketers; they’ve been selling the dream of adventure attached to an SUV lifestyle, and charging a happy premium.

Not that the Cupra is a cheapie, starting at $47,990, drive away. But it escapes any Clean Car fees with consumption and emissions of 5.5L/100km and 128g/km, respectively.

It’s a mild hybrid, the 1.5-litre turbo petrol with a 48v BSG device offering 110kW and 250Nm, the latter on from 1500-3500rpm. The 48v system helps it save a bit of gas; the engine can shut down when coasting along, while other times it runs in two-cylinder mode.

Another favourable aspect is the quicker restarts via the BSG when the idle/stop function kicks in. They are also smoother than the old way of doing it with the starter motor cranking away. As to overall gas use, the long term average for this car was 7.8L/100km.

We covered more urban miles than usual in our mix of driving for the week, and so we registered 8.4.

As a city commuter, it has good torque in the bottom of the rev range, pulling second gear quite well from crawling speeds, and it beavers away in a quiet and refined manner. The transmission, a seven-speed twin clutch, has a good launch action while it’s not too concerned with always hooking a higher gear and then refusing to shift down.

The quick steering (2.1 turns) and a tight turn-around make most urban tasks that bit easier. Parking is no worries (the back up monitor is clear enough) and there’s decent vision all round.

Cupra, being a sporty brand, means this has a ‘dynamic’ ride quality, which seems a little firm at first but isn’t too bad. And the Leon V doesn’t disappoint when you find a few curves along your path. This turns quickly, the steering consistently weighted, and there are decent levels of grip from the moderate tyre package (225/40R18).

They aren’t too noisy on coarse chip roads either. Cupra always manages to tune a dynamic drive and even this entry model is a charmer.

Turn it into the corner hard and it will bite while the rear end can be coaxed into moving around, giving it a delightfully balanced and playful character. It’s just not the type of involvement you expect from an entry-level hatch but that’s Cupra for you.

The ride quality can get a little lumpy on rubbish highway roads while that quick steering can help you avoid those big pot holes that appear right on the cornering line. The 110kW engine delivers adequate performance as we travel the road to zero.

It spins with enough gusto and the torque remains throughout the middle of the rev range. The transmission in its Sport mode does the good stuff for you so the paddles don’t get used much, if at all.

Reflected in the price, this entry-level model is well equipped, certainly when it comes to safety gizmos, the common ones all present. With the majority of the buttons for these on the wheel, the active cruise is easy to control, while the lane keeper can be silenced simply too.

There are configurable dials so you can get all the need-to-know stuff in front of you. And we like how the strip of ambient lighting that runs across the dashboard and into the doors is also used by the forward collision and blind spot monitoring systems to alert the driver rather effectively to potential dangers.

The seats are well formed and while adjustment is of the manual variety there is plenty of it, along with a good range of movement at the wheel. The trim used is interesting and while there is a bit of hard plastic about, and a few of the storage bins aren’t lined, it feels to be well constructed.

There are a few frustrating aspects of the infotainment system but familiarity with the initially vexing operation helps ease those. Parent company Volkswagen has admitted recently the current infotainment unit has been a disaster but the system responds quickly enough, the resolution is sharp and with Apple CarPlay and AndroidAuto as standard, you can get around it all if you really despise it.

For size, the Leon V should fit all reasonable requests asked of a five-door hatch. There’s good leg room for a pair of adults in the back, who get a comfy bench and a pair of USB C ports too. Further back, the boot isn’t shabby either with a good depth to the 344L hold (at the expense of a spare wheel).

As every dollar counts these days, we like that this Cupra Leon V undercuts the likes of the Golf and Astra by $2k, but doesn’t give much up in terms of specification while delivering a great drive.