Can this 4WD rapid wagon satisf y both the practically minded and the petrolhead?

PHOTOGRAPHY OLGUN KORDAL

MODEL TESTED 310 VZ3

Price £40,535 ●Power 306bhp ●Torque 295lb ft ●0-60mph 4.9sec ●30-70mph in fourth 6.9sec ●Fuel economy 28.4mpg ●CO 2 emissions 187g/km ●70-0mph 45.5m

S eat may languish at the bottom of the profitability table of the Volkswagen Group’s major brands, but its recent spin-off is doing considerably better. Cupra, the erstwhile sporting sub-brand of Seat, was founded in 1985 and at times found itself competing in top-tier rally and touring car racing, but it has recently reinvented itself as a stand-alone entity with bold branding, fresh designs and no shortage of performance.

After an inauspicious start with an immensely quick Ateca hamstrung by its overly firm ride, the marque has found its feet. The car that best demonstrates what it’s all about is probably the rakish Formentor crossover, in halo VZ5 trim, which brings an Audi-sourced 385bhp fivepot engine and the same rear torque splitter you’ll find in the new VW Golf R. Alas, that particular model will never make it to the UK, but Cupra’s lesser versions of the Formentor, along with its take on the Leon hatchback, are nevertheless proving popular. And for those who find the VW ID 3 too bland, Cupra’s upcoming electric Born, which is built on the same architecture but offers more visual clout, ought to appeal. In short, Cupra is swimming, not sinking.

The subject of today’s road test harks back to the olden days of Cupra. The Leon Estate is the kind of car you could buy when Cupra was still to Seat what GTI is to Volkswagen. And that’s no bad thing. Some of those cars were very well executed, with huge performance that belied incognito looks, and security underwheel paired with real accuracy from the helm. Of course, in estate-bodied ST form, there was plenty of utilitarian appeal. That recipe has now been reprised, with an elevated price, so how does the four-wheel-drive Cupra Leon Estate fare in 2021?

DESIGN AND ENGINEERING

★★★★☆

The badge on this car’s comparatively demure grille may be new but the mechanical recipe for the quickest Leon Estate hasn’t changed much since the days when the model was still branded Seat. The same VW Group MQB platform is used, albeit in updated MQB Evo form, and it’s what you’ll find underneath a host of related models, including the Golf R, Skoda Octavia vRS and Audi S3, as well as the Formentor. Given Cupra’s impressive past commitment to performance (in the past decade, it has released unapologetic and brilliant track-day versions of the Leon, and once held the lap record for estate cars at the Nürburgring Nordschleife), you might think this Cupra Leon Estate represents an early ticket to the Golf R Estate show.