Cupra Leon Estate VZ1 - long-term review

There are plenty of fast estates that can do the family bit. Big boot, comfortable seats, the usual sensible stuff. Yawn. The Cupra Leon VZ1 is here because it adds something you should not find in a family wagon: Drift Mode.

Its party trick is not just 328bhp and four-wheel drive, it’s the torque splitter on the rear axle. It’s electro-hydraulically controlled, with two independent clutches that allow torque to be divvied up between the rear wheels, particularly through corners. In normal driving it’s there to improve traction and stability, shuffling drive where it makes sense.

In drift mode it does a very different job: it sends as much power as it can to the outside rear wheel to help rotate the car and kick off a slide. Think of it less like old-school rear-drive rowdiness and more like clever software encouraging the car to initiate a drift.

Fortunately for us, we had a shoot scheduled at Anglesey Circuit so we could see if the feature is the real deal. And fortunately for the Cupra Press Office, The Stig was in attendance, because my drifting experience begins and ends with shattering an alloy on a first gen Ford Ka.

By the way, as the responsible adult in the room, drift mode is firmly a track-only toy. And Cupra makes sure you know that. A few presses of the steering wheel mounted drive selector and the infotainment gives you a little lecture before you activating the mode, with a warning that it should only be used on private roads or race tracks by someone with the appropriate driving skills. I think The Stig ticks that box.

So how does it feel? As expected, it’s a right laugh. The first thing you notice is how readily the rear will step out once committed. The second thing you notice is the safety net. Even in Drift mode the car is never fully off the leash. It will give you a generous moment of slip and some angle. Then it starts to rein things back in once it decides you have had your fun, and before you launch yourself at the scenery. It will also do absolutely nothing for your fuel economy. I saw 10.7mpg, which is impressively bad for a modern 2.0-litre turbo.

OK, it’s no drift car, it’s a fast estate with a mischievous setting. But that’s exactly why it works. Family wagon when you need it, accessible track toy when you’ve got the space. Just remember, drift mode stays on circuits. Anywhere else is utter clown behaviour.