In the curious world of automotive journalism, it’s nice to be overawed. Arriving at a circuit to drive something uber-talented and overpowered in full confidence can be useful, borderline necessary. But the fuzz in your stomach as sparks of nerves and excitement fire around – each unintelligible from the other – is fun on occasion, too.
Which is precisely how you find me now, stood in the cold and misty pitlane of Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as hot shoe driver Jordi Gené heads out for a recce lap to check on visibility. The device serious enough to ignite my nervous energy is a Cupra Leon VZ TCR, aka the Spanish firm’s latest Touring Car. It’s eligible to compete in TCR-reg races across the globe including the US, a market Cupra will soon enter.
Cupra-badged TCRs have sold well thus far, over 400 of them appearing in dozens of championships and winning several, including the 2024 TCR Europe and Mexico titles. Cupra Racing (formerly SEAT Sport) has pieced together Leons at its Martorell base alongside TCR incarnations of the Audi RS3 and VW Golf GTI and still happily supports the customers of each one. The Audi and VW have since retired from production, indicative of a general decline in the wealth of TCR options.
While that might increase Cupra’s market share by default, it hasn’t rested on its laurels. New for this latest iteration of Leon TCR is sharper front suspension geometry (adjustable, of course), the option of a new Sadev sequential gearbox, honed aerodynamics and an all-important facelift so that the race car continues to match the road car.
The previous offer of a DSG ‘box to coddle amateur drivers has gone, the usability and longevity of its two sequential options now good enough to swerve the old twin-clutcher’s weight penalty. Choosing between the Sadev and Hewland (we have the latter today) is down to sponsorship preference rather than any tangible technological benefits to either, the pair sharing ratios and differential settings.
Its engine is the same EA888 2.0-litre you’ll find in a regular Cupra hatch (and countless other quick VW Group cars), its hardware intact and mere ECU tweaks liberating the extra power for its 340hp peak. The stock steel shell and panels remain too, with only the additional bodywork being made of carbonfibre. Yet it still tips the scales at just 1,105kg.
Such a strong link to showroom cars benefits all manner of things: the reliability and longevity of parts, pleasing the scrutineers, and perhaps most enticing of all in a racecar like this: cost. While 149,000 euros (before options) is a lot for a Leon, it’s a relative bargain for something you could have rocked up to last weekend’s Daytona 24 Hours support race with.
The most convincing racecars feel like an extension of the brand we already know, the link between showroom and circuit surely never greater than when Ferraris won the Mille Miglia or Imprezas and Evos aced the rally stages. So this Leon-based TCR entrant ought to feel just like a faster, grippier, hardier hot hatch around the twists and turns of the Spanish Grand Prix circuit.
As the mist clears (well, mostly), Jordi hops in a Cupra Formentor to lead me out for half a dozen laps. Days like this usually come with a stocky briefing and endless disclaimer forms, but today I’m suited, booted and posting myself through the slim rollcage aperture without as much as a reminder of the flag colours. I’ll simply follow the Spaniard in his SUV, which on the surface sounds like a very safe way to sample a bona fide Touring Car.
Yet the moist, chilly circuit equalises the braking points of my slicks and his treads and it’s only on the straights where he’s truly in my way. Everywhere else, the Formentor is cutting shapes worthy of a Touristenfahrten mishap compilation to maintain a safe distance ahead of me. The difference being that Jordi is perfectly, exquisitely in control. He was Cupra’s choice driver during the thick of the front-wheel-drive ‘ring record race, after all.
In the early laps, I have an effort keeping up with him, the TCR’s nose washing dramatically wide of the apex with even modest entry speeds as its Kumhos scurry for warmth. Luckily it’s all very manageable in what is an utterly readable car, feedback dripping through every control, most notably its steering. I’m soon braking deeper into turns to help pivot the tail around, an action that feels entirely natural, my bum seemingly right at the centre of it all. Its front end is hyperactive once those tyres have gained heat and I faithfully follow Jordi round, aggressively riding the kerbs like he does. Only from where I’m sitting, you’d hardly know they exist.
The gearbox is a friendly pal, too, once my ego recovers from stalling on my first attempt out of the pit box. While it’s disappointing to flick through its six speeds with showroom DSG paddles rather than hulking fixed metal items, the shifts are sharp enough to stop caring. Flat upshifts feel brilliant and there’s auto rev-matching on the way down, albeit not quite tuned to the grip underfoot today, ensuring I stay mindful of momentary breaks in traction. With more time I might have been blipping the changes myself, although the pedal spacing suggests left-foot braking is better catered for than heel ’n’ toe.
It's an EA888 unlike any other I’ve tried (save, perhaps, for the Golf GTI TCR both Matt Bird and I sampled a few years ago), its revs soaring and its noise hard-edged. Amazing what some ECU tweaks can do, alongside an anti-lag system that properly punctuates the still morning air. The whole car has a pervading sense of toughness and unbreakability; exactly what’s needed for your inputs to shrug off their hesitancy. Racecars rarely enjoy reluctance, and sure enough the Leon becomes smoother and more satisfying as my own confidence swells.
And then the Formentor’s scrolling indicator calls time on our session. The bug has bitten and I’d stay out here all day if I could, this Cupra being a resilient and consistent platform to build my own talents from. With huge adjustability in its braking and suspension to explore, too, today’s demonstration car slap bang in the middle of its possible setups. It’s proved welcoming to drive without being a pushover, and it’d certainly keep you busy amongst a packed TCR grid in less than toasty conditions. I’m still overawed, then. But those sparks in my stomach are now pure excitement.
SPECIFICATION | 2025 CUPRA LEON VZ TCR
Engine: 1,984cc 4cyl, turbo
Transmission: 6-speed sequential, FWD
Power: 340hp
0-62mph: 5.0secs (est)
Top speed: 160mph (est)
Weight: 1,105kg
Price: €149,000-plus
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