The Leon ST VZ might well be the Cupra that makes the least sense in a 2025 context. The standard Leon ST (that’s SportsTourer, or station wagon), with a 1.5-litre mild hybrid powertrain, is the least expensive new-vehicle from the brand in New Zealand. At $62,900 it’s $3k less than the Formentor SUV, with which it shares a platform. So that’s a nice niche for this spacious wagon.
It’s a huge jump up to our test car here, the Leon ST VZ at $84,900; that price puts you in between many of Cupra’s SUVs, including the brand-new Terramar. And everybody wants SUVs these days, right?
However, argue that the Leon ST VZ is also Cupra's coolest machine from an enthusiast point of view and we couldn’t disagree. Station wagons are few and far between in the market these days, but they’re still revered by so many car-people. Especially silly-fast ones.
Oh yeah, that’s the other thing about the Leon VZ (let’s drop the “ST”, because you can’t buy a Leon hatch in NZ any more): being much more closely related to the Formentor than the more grown-up Terramar, it gets the full-blown 245kW powertrain, which is 50kW more than the Terramar VZ, plus the electronic torque-splitter on the rear axle that allows a selectable Drift mode for the AWD system.
It’s also over 150kg lighter than the Terramar VZ. And for reasons known only to Cupra, it’s actually lighter than the shorter Formentor (just).
Station wagons are few and far between in the market these days, but they’re still revered by so many car-people. Especially silly-fast ones.
There’s plenty of wow-factor in the driving experience then, without crossing over into the wild zone too comprehensively; at least until you hit the appropriate drive settings. Leon VZ can be a perfectly comfortable daily drive, with adaptive suspension standard, but when you want some serious speed, or skids on a racetrack for that matter, this car can help.
As with the Formentor VZ, the “Cupra” drive mode (one long press on the steering-wheel control gets you there) is really only good for track driving. It’s way too aggressive for road use, hanging onto gears until very late in the rev-range like you’re lapping the Nurburgring.
We’re not entirely sold on the enhanced engine-soundtrack, but we get it: some people like an aural signal that the car means business. We still miss the days when hot Seat Cupras had a proper pop-and-bang.
Leon VZ is plenty lively enough in Sport mode, bringing the powertrain and chassis up to a more agile attitude and allowing the car to flow over fast roads with remarkably little fuss.
We’re not entirely sold on the enhanced engine-soundtrack that’s piped into the cabin in Sport, but we get it: it’s all otherwise fairly muted, and some people like an aural signal that the car means business. But we do miss the days when hot Seat Cupras had a proper pop-and-bang.
The Leon ST VZ is a really practical family wagon. And really fast. And really cool.
If you’re wondering about our test car’s stunning exterior finish, it’s Enceladus Grey matte (yep, it’s actually green) and costs an extra $4000. It’s a VZ exclusive.
This is a station wagon, sorry ST, so we really should finish on a practical note. The Leon might be low (which is a huge part of the driver-appeal), but it’s also got a long tail and boasts more luggage volume than any other Cupra: a massive 718 litres, versus just 508l for the Terramar and 505l from Formentor.
So the Leon ST VZ is a really practical family wagon. And really fast. And really cool.