Cupra Leon VZ review: can this 325bhp hot hatch take the Type R's place?

A hot hatch. Bit of a rarity nowdays, eh?

Quite. And quite a hot hatch. This is the classic four-cylinder FWD deal, only now the Cupra Leon has got itself 325bhp and a zero-to-62mph time of 5.4 seconds. That's the same power as the post-facelift 4WD Leon Estate, and a Golf R.

We've lamented the departure of fast Ford Focuses (all Focuses) and the Honda Civic Type R and Hyundai i30N. Even the Toyota GR Yaris is in short supply and has 4WD and much less space; the Audi S3, VW Golf R and Mercedes-AMG A35 are 4WD too. So for the front-drive recipe it's this, a VW Golf GTI or a 265bhp Skoda Octavia vRS.

It's really only the VW Group that's keeping the hot hatch flame alive. At least the flame that burns inside a combustion chamber ignited by a spark, rather than the notional spark of battery electric drive.

What's new?

The VZ badge, now applied to all of Cupra's extra hot stuff, including in the electric sphere. More important is its extra 25bhp. It's got a genuine electronically controlled mechanical limited-slip differential at the front, and four tailpipes at the back. Weight is just over 1,500kg.

An Extreme pack gives fat 19in tyres on unique alloys, Akebono brakes and super-bolstered seats for your bod and Sennheiser hifi for your ears. But all the usual Leon practicality remains intact.

How is it?

Not actually a torque-steering nightmare, at least on the camber-free Spanish roads where we first got the chance. UK sales don't start until late 2026, which is laggardly given they've been making facelift RHD Leons for ages now…

The clever diff really does get the power down, at least in the dry. It hooks up both the front tyres and absolutely hauls out of a bend. Lift off and the tail can step out, though if you're in ESP sport it'll be caught even if you're too slow to react. In long bends it's neutral and alive, body movements kept well in check.

OK, neither the steering nor those flash brakes quite have the transcendently sharp feel of the Civic Type R's, but they're certainly not short of effect.

Do you notice that extra power?

It's up by less than 10 per cent, but every little helps. This thing fairly pelts at the redline, and the DSG flicks through the shifts. The EA888 engine's intrinsic sound is a dull harmonic with a fair bit of mechanical resonance. But the four-tip exhaust here helps, and you can add in some synthetic sound; it's quite purposefully musical.

So what'll it cost?

A difficult £50,000, roughly. But it's very well equipped, and manages to do both jobs: a fervid hot hatch fun box when you're in the right place and mood, with plenty of practicality and long-distance refinement when that's the need.

And don't tell me, it'll disappear soon after it arrives?

Sadly, yes. The VZ is to limited to just 1,500 copies. Beyond that is the 499-off Leon VZ TCR. That's an edition to recognise the mega-successful Leon TCR racer.

The VZ TCR takes the car we've driven here, swaps out the 235-section tyres for 245s, and adds a lower-body perimeter of carbonfibre aero flicks plus an extra roof spoiler at the back.

The TCR, like some mad past Leon, comes with a removable back seat, and a cross-car beam that mounts standard four-point harnesses. It saves about 20kg, and obvs makes you psychologically faster. The racer's edge and all that.