2025 Cupra Leon VZ | PH Review
Cupra launches its most powerful front-drive Leon ever - hot hatch saviour or last nail in the coffin?
With the world as it is, the confirmation of a more powerful Cupra Leon VZ - plus a touring car-inspired TCR variant - definitely felt like a bit of good news. It came just days before the last Ford Focus was produced, with the Civic Type R fading from memory and the remaining petrol Minis struggling to appeal. Not everyone wants to be obvious and have a Golf, either, which leaves the (closely related) Leon as pretty much the last front-drive, petrol hot hatch standing. A perfect time, then, to launch the most powerful version ever.
It was hard not to be transported back a decade with the announcement of the VZ and VZ TCR. Back then, stripped-out hot hatches seemed to be all the rage, as SEAT, Honda, Renault and VW vied to be the fastest front-driver around the Nordschleife. There were myriad claims of underhand tactics employed, from slick tyres to turned up turbos, but it certainly made for some fantastic cars. The first turbo Type R was hugely exciting, the first Trophy R wilder than many a supercar, and the Clubsport S capable of things no Golf GTI ever had been before. Or since.
The assorted Leons that emerged, various Performance Packs, Sub8 add-ons and Orange Line accents, were clever in combining a lot of what was good about all of them. It obviously felt quite cool like a Golf inside (albeit with fewer speakers than standard), was as fast as the more powerful Civic, and could certainly corner at the speed of a Megane. A Leon that leaves as resounding an impression as the Ultimate Sub8 Performance Pack (real name) did in December 2015 would make one heck of a statement in a moribund hot hatch market 10 years later.
Only the Leon with the buckets, harnesses and removable rear seats - the VZ TCR - isn’t available to drive just yet. We will get some in the UK from the 499 production run (expect around 10 per cent), they will cost around £50k and they definitely stand out against the standard Leon with the new aerokit, but we can’t tell you any more than that for now. One to look forward to in 2026, for sure. Regardless, the most powerful front-drive Cupra ever made, complete with 168mph bragging rights, doesn’t seem like too bad a backup.
Certainly it’s intriguing enough to overlook the current Cupra front end, which works to some degree on the EVs but still looks strange on a car that used to feature a more prominent grille. You’ll overlook this because the Leon remains fundamentally well proportioned, the accents are quite smart, and it’s nice just to see a hatchback that isn’t pretending to be something else entirely. There’s lots of power going to the front wheels, lots of space in the middle for your family, and lots of noise coming from big exhausts at the back. And that’s great. This hot hatch thing might catch on.
Similarly, it would almost be trite to grumble about some iffy plastics, a piddly gear selector and a still-not-perfect screen inside. Because there’s a revcounter for an engine ahead, a sensible amount of car around you, and usefully located buttons for disabling certain features and enabling others. A Focus ST didn’t have the best interior, and that wasn’t exactly held against it, and the Civic… well, the Civic didn’t have heated seats. So there’s that. The point is that, as cars like the Cupra Leon and the Golf GTI fall by the wayside, maybe we should celebrate them for what they can do rather than denigrating them for what they can’t. Or buy an old one if buttons really matter.
It's quick, the VZ, again in a pleasingly recognisable way. Power comes from the turbo four-cylinder that’s featured on PH more than Swedish Sheds; you don’t need a setting or maximum battery boost for the claimed 325hp and 310lb ft. Get on the gas and after the smallest of delays the Leon is roaring away, peak power making light work of less than a tonne and a half. A slight scurry and a squeal from the front axle let you know it’s trying hard, though without too much of the unpleasant tramping that used to afflict these. There seems to be a little more turbo whoosh audible than in recent Leons, too, and that’s welcome.
However predictable it will surely sound, a manual gearbox option would really suit the Cupra, and not just because it’s happened before. It would give the car a USP, because even in a decimated market segment, the upcoming Golf GTI 50 offers up a very similar mechanical package. Keeping the DSG for the TCR model makes sense because the race car has one; leaning into what’s now quite a traditional take on the hot hatch, in 1,500-unit limited edition form, would give the VZ additional appeal. Perhaps that’s a bit too old school for future-facing Cupra. As it is, the seven-speed dual-clutch continues to soldier on, doing a good job rather than a truly great one.
Those who are able to keep up with the Cupra range are nothing if not dedicated, because there’s been a lot to get your head around. VZ typically denotes the flagship cars, as found on the significantly improved Born VZ and a previous Leon VZ. This latest one is much more along the evolutionary rather than revolutionary lines for the badge; sadly this isn’t a Cupra R by another name (fingers crossed for the TCR), lacking a bit of cornering bite and feedback to rank as a top-tier hot hatch. That said, the Leon remains impressive, with strong traction despite the historic power output, a neutral balance and decent brakes. Much as it always was, basically, perhaps just feeling a tad stronger with the torque boost.
The modes offer up useful differentiation, all the way from unassuming family hatch to taut, angry road rocket. Once you learn to trust steering that’s always a tad distant and a diff that always takes a second, the VZ is capable of incredible pace down a road, aided by - obvious though it will sound - just being the size of a normal car. When the road is smooth enough, the Cupra setting for the dampers really comes into its own, channelling that touring car energy into minimal pitch and roll. The rest of the time, somewhere towards the stricter end of the 15-setting scale (but a step down from the most rigid) seems to work. You’ll search in vain throughout all of them, however, for a comfort and control compromise quite as good as found in something like the Focus ST Edition.
Does that make the VZ a missed opportunity? Not necessarily. The TCR will hopefully inject a little more attitude into the mix, and there’s no shame in not being quite the sensory experience of some of the best hot hatches in recent memory. The Cupra still looks smart (from most angles), rewards an enthusiastic driver and offers up more than enough space, while not using a daft amount of fuel. There will probably be some good finance deals when it arrives next year, and not being a Golf probably counts in the Leon’s favour more than ever.
The only trouble, really, with being a minor update of what was already pretty good, is being able to justify this VZ over a previous VZ. Not an exclusively Cupra problem, of course, as everybody struggles with small refreshes and big price hikes, though keenly felt here given this is expected to cost around £50,000 in the UK. And there are 2,000-mile, 300hp cars that this one feels little faster than for £33k. You would forgo some extra copper bits for that sort of saving. But if it’s a new hot hatch or nothing in the new year, then the Leon VZ is one of the best - and not just because it’s one of the last.
SPECIFICATION | CUPRA LEON HATCH VZ
Engine: 1,984cc, four-cyl turbo
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 325@N/Arpm
Torque (lb ft): 310@N/Arpm
0-62mph: 5.4 seconds
Top speed: 168mph
Weight: 1,496kg
MPG: TBC
CO2: TBC
Price: c. £50,000
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