Cupra Leon Sportstourer 2023 Review – International

How much does the Cupra Leon Sportstourer cost?

There’s no word yet on just how much the Cupra Leon Sportstourer will cost when it arrives in Australia during 2024, but don’t expect it to rock up with bargain basement pricing.

The current 2023 Cupra Leon hatchback range is our best guide, opening at $49,190 for the base V before climbing to $57,990 for the VZ, $61,690 for the VZe hybrid and $65,690 for the VZx flagship (all before on-road costs).

The wagon will be offered in VZe and VZx guise, adding all-wheel drive in the case of the latter (compared to the front-drive-only hatch), and we reckon Cupra Australia will slap on a premium of about $3000 – just as VW Australia does with the current Golf R.

The company will be careful not to bump into the Cupra Formentor SUV, currently priced a few thousand more at $70,990 (VZe) and $70,790 (VZx), while the Cupra Leon Sportstourer should also be comfortably more affordable than the final run of Volkswagen Golf R wagons (from $71,990).

There’s not a lot of direct rivals out there, but among the consideration set is the Peugeot 308 GT wagon (from $50,490), VW-stable Skoda Octavia RS wagon (from $53,090 plus ORCs) and, perhaps most notably, the Subaru WRX Sportswagon (from $50,990 plus ORCs).

What equipment comes with the Cupra Leon Sportstourer?

Again, using the hatch as a guide, the Cupra Leon Sportstourer should give buyers little reason to raid the options list.

Standard equipment is expected to include 19-inch alloy wheels (with space-saver spare), LEDs for the headlights, tail-lights and daytime running lights, tyre pressure monitoring, heated/folding exterior mirrors, tinted rear windows, PVC part-cloth sport seats, keyless entry/start, three-zone climate control and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror.

Other hardware standard on the VZx we’re focusing on here include Dynamic Chassis Control adaptive dampers and an electronic differential lock (XDS).

It’s not been confirmed but it’s thought the big Brembo brake upgrade that’s available as a $3600 option on the Leon VZx hatch will be standard on the faster, heavier wagon.

The Cupra range is backed by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty in Australia, together with the added enticement of a complimentary three-year servicing offer based on 12-month/15,000km intervals.

How safe is the Cupra Leon Sportstourer?

The current Cupra Leon hatch sold in Australia received a five-star ANCAP safety rating based on testing conducted in 2020, and it’s likely the related Sportstourer will come under the same assessment.

The Leon hatch was rated 91 per cent for adult occupant protection, 88 per cent for child occupant protection, 71 per cent for pedestrian protection and 80 per cent for safety assist.

There are 10 airbags fitted standard, including dual front, side chest and curtain airbags.

Driver assist systems include adaptive cruise control, travel assist, autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane assist, park assist, side assist with exit assist, driver fatigue monitor, emergency assist and a reversing camera.

ISOFIX child seat anchor points are available in the outer rear seats, supported by top tether anchorage points in all three positions across the bench.

What technology does the Cupra Leon Sportstourer feature?

Standard tech equipment on the 2023 Cupra Leon Sportstourer in Europe includes a configurable 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, plus a 10.0-inch touch-screen infotainment system that works with wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto connectivity.

There’s also wireless phone charging and four USB-C ports.

A premium nine-speaker Beats sound system is also expected to be standard on the cars we get.

What powers the Cupra Leon Sportstourer?

The 2023 Cupra Leon Sportstourer VZx comes equipped with the same turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder (EA888 Evo4) as the Volkswagen Golf R but produces 221kW and 400Nm of torque – figures that are a little down on the 235kW/420Nm the fast VW wagon produces.

Off the line you won’t feel short-changed as the VZx wagon launches from 0-100km/h in the same 4.9 seconds as Volkswagen’s R-rated Golf family chariot, although top speed is limited to 250km/h – some way off the 270km/h max a Performance Pack-equipped Golf R can reach.

Like the latest Mk8 Golf R there’s no manual transmission option, with the VZx getting a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.

There has been some cost-cutting for the Cupra, though, when it comes to some key hardware. The Leon Sportstourer misses out on the Golf R’s trick twin-clutch rear axle that is capable of higher levels of torque vectoring.

Instead, the Cupra wagon relies on the same Haldex all-wheel drive system used on previous-gen Volkswagen models, which feed torque to the rear wheels via an open differential.

Up front, the Sportstourer gets the differential lock than can lock the front axle to reduce slip during hard cornering.

How fuel efficient is the Cupra Leon Sportstourer?

The 2023 Cupra Leon Sportstourer VZx can average 8.1L/100km on the WLTP combined cycle using minimum 98 RON premium unleaded fuel.

Those figures are fractionally better than the Subaru WRX Sportswagon, which is claimed to average 8.5L/100km on the same test cycle.

What is the Cupra Leon Sportstourer like to drive?

The 2023 Cupra Leon Sportstourer VZx positions the driver nice and low, making the driving experience initially feel more like a sports car, especially if you’ve just climbed out from a typical SUV.

Off the line, with full throttle, the VZx feels so rapid you begin to question why you’d need to spend nearly three times as much on a BMW M3 Touring for any more straight-line thrust.

Part of the secret of the Cupra’s pace is the huge amount of traction dished up by the all-wheel drive, and the way the seven-speed fires up and down the ’box.

In most circumstances, a mixture of Comfort or Sport driving mode is best, as the feral Cupra mode means the transmission is too reactive when you breathe on the throttle. There’s also an Individual mode to save your fave settings.

Find some challenging roads and the stylish Sportstourer continues to impress; despite weighing around 1640kg, it feels light and agile.

Steering feel is missing but there’s precision and plenty of confidence-boosting grip to push.

There’s no wild oversteer antics that the latest all-wheel drive hot hatches deliver – the Audi RS 3 being a case in point – but we think buyers of a fast wagon won’t feel too short-changed by not being able to drift around a Bunnings car park at 3am in the morning.

Not that the Cupra isn’t playful, it’s just the amount of grip dished up means you might need a racetrack to unlock its naughtier nature.

We’ll have to reserve judgement on just how well (or badly) the Sportstourer rides on Australia’s broken roads, but we can report that on the worst Spanish blacktop the suspension resisted crashing over imperfections, especially in the supple Comfort setting.

Body roll, or lack of it, is also a big benefit of choosing the lower-riding wagon compared to even the best performance SUVs.

One final thing worth mentioning is the noise. In Comfort, the fastest Leon Sportstourer is surprisingly quiet and grown-up, but switch to Sport and the volume is ramped up artificially by the loudspeakers and occasional pops and bangs through the exhaust.

In Cupra mode, the engine gives a half-decent impression of a V8, which, depending on your take, is either fun or childish.

What is the Cupra Leon Sportstourer like inside?

Inside and out, the 2023 Cupra Leon Sportstourer is no shrinking violet and certainly not a car you’ll lose in an airport car park.

From its copper accents and our car’s cool matte paint finish, to the sleek silhouette, the fast Cupra wagon certainly makes an impression.

Heavily bolstered seats and a flat-bottomed steering wheel with Lamborghini-style starter button add to the racy feel.

It’s hard not to like the trapezoidal air vents and yet more copper accents throughout the cabin, which highlight the fine attention to detail the designers have paid.

What’s less easy to love is the infotainment system that we’ve criticised in other VW Group models, including the sliders for raising or lowering the volume or temperature, and the lack of visibility at night. It’s a generally poor design and can be frustrating to use.

At least the steering wheel has physical buttons and not the touch-capacitive surfaces found on some VW models that are all-too-easy to trigger.

Ending on a high note, space in the second row is impressive, with far more legroom than the hatch thanks to the wagon’s longer wheelbase.

Further astern, the Leon wagon has an enormous 620-litre boot (with the 60/40-split rear seats upright), which beats almost any car with a similar footprint that you might care to mention.

Should I buy a Cupra Leon Sportstourer?

If you’re upgrading from a hatchback and need more space, yet can’t stand the thought of an obese SUV, the 2023 Cupra Leon Sportstourer could be just the ticket when it arrives Down Under next year.

Faster and far more enjoyable to drive than the Subaru WRX wagon, the Leon Sportstourer VZx should be well worth the investment.

Perhaps its biggest threat will be much closer to home – the Cupra Formentor VZx, which finished on the podium of carsales’ 2022 Car of the Year – so pricing of the Sportstourer VZx, which has superior pace and better handling, will be crucial.

2023 Cupra Leon Sportstourer VZx at a glance:
Price: $68,690 est (plus on-road costs)
Available: Third quarter 2024
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 221kW/400Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 8.1L/100km (WLTP Combined)
CO2: 186g/km (WLTP Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2020)

Join the conversation at 

our Facebook page

Or email us at 

editor@carsales.com.au