The new manufacturer Cupra still isn't really sure what brand it wants to be become.
The new Formentor is a very good sporty crossover, they did really well with that. Also, they're planning on installing the turbocharged...
5-cylinder from the Audi RS3 in it, so that's very promising. However, Cupra is playing with an electrical storyline as well.
In the future, they're going to release the Cupra Born, which is based on the El Born-concept car, which is a fully-electrical hot hatch.
Also, Cupra offers a plug-in hybrid-drivetrain for both the Formentor and this Leon. And this is it with that drivetrain.
It's the same as in the Golf GTE, with a total power output of 245 horsepower.
I think it looks very good. That's mostly because of the color probably. It's nice and wide and that's how a Cupra is supposed to look.
A lot of people turn their heads when I drive past and I get a lot of positive responses when they see it.
The copper-elements, which kind of have become Cupra's specialty, look incredibly good on this car.
Unfortunately however, the exhaust pipes are fake, but we've seen that before.
Then, the drive. With the previous Golf GTE in the back of my head, I was relatively sceptical.
I did the introduction back in the day and Volkswagen marketed it as a Golf GTI with a plug. When I got in however, it wasn't that at all.
It was a Golf with a sporty chassis, a plug and a lot of power. It's not even close to a GTI.
Will it be the same for this Cupra? Luckily, it's off to a positive start. The steering is very sporty. It's a low car and you can...
notice they've put a lot of attention in the front suspension. It's direct, there's a lot of grip in sharp corners and followthroughs,
and I was really surprised how bitey the nose actually was. Much less understeer than I expected. Also, when it's this...
cold and the tires are cold as well, the rear is very willing to slide about a little. So if you release the throttle and throw the car into a corner,
you can get the rear to break out. You'll be driving it like you should drive a Cupra.
So that's good. The steering is nice and progressive as well. It's good enough, like I'm expecting from Volkswagen-cars.
In a Ford, communications are a tad better, but it's not a deal-breaker here.
What I don't like as much however, is the drivetrain. Because I'm getting properly annoyed with it. We've got 116 electrical horsepower to work...
here, which can take this car up to 130 km/h for about 40 or 50 kilometres if it's fully charged.
First of all, there's a fake engine rumble to let you know you're revving. That's trying too hard if you ask me.
But when I want to use the full 245 horsepower and get the 1.4-litre TSI to kick in, I'm constantly fighting to get it to work.
It turns off all of a sudden and I'm back on electric power again, so I have to put my foot all the way down before it kicks in again.
You do have enough power for inbetween sprints, because it can do 0-100 km/h in around six seconds which is quick,
but the way I can access that power isn't very accessible, and that's annoying.
Also, it's a heavy car because of the batteries. It weighs over 1.500 kg, which you can feel in corners and when you're braking. However,
they've tried their best to hide that with suspension technology.
As a whole, it reminds me of two other hybrids. A sporty plug-in, the Lexus LC500h and the BMW i8.
Both cars have flaws, but they also keep the hope alive that in the future, there will be sporty cars when the combustion...
engine dies out. Especially in the Netherlands. The Lexus was a failure if you ask me. The drivetrain just didn't match with the ambitions of the car.
Way too indirect, so the horsepower didn't even matter. It was a waste of a beautiful design and chassis. A waste of effort really.
The i8 on the other hand was pretty good. The biggest problem in the i8 was the way it controlled the throttle, you were always in doubt...
how it distributed the power. The handling was good and the throttle response was nice and direct. That made it a very sporty car.
The Cupra is right inbetween the two. The drive and the steering are better than I expected. Sure, it's heavier than the Cupra 300,
but so be it. The drivetrain has the power and if everything is switched on, the throttle response is very good. However, when you're constantly...
fighting with the drivetrain, it's not a good thing. But there is hope, because it's not the end of the world. When Cupra starts...
tweaking that technology, it can be resolved. In short: the 2.0-litre Cupra 300 is a much better car.
That has more power, a better throttle response and the car is a lot lighter. So I could say this just isn't a good car, but...
let's be real here. In the Netherlands, with all kinds of added taxes, you can drive this car with all of the options for around...
€45.000. A similarly equipped hot hatch in the Netherlands will set you back at least €60.000.
They're getting more and more unaffordable. So what Cupra has tried here is keeping the idea of a hot hatch alive in the future.
Maybe this isn't the best attempt, but it does go to show there's enough to work with in the future. Fun cars won't go extinct.