Cupra Leon eHybrid 2020 UK review

Clever plug-in hybrid powertrain in a hot Leon hatch sounds more uniquely appealing than it turns out to be The Cupra Formentor really hits a mark but this Cupra Leon, wearing bronze badges and no Seat branding, is a different matter. I’m not sure yet whether that’s down to this car’s powertrain, or whether the wider Cupra Leon line up will share this car’s characteristics.This test car is a performance plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variant, with 242bhp and 295lb ft, featuring a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol mated to an electric motor. With a 12.8kWh battery it has a pure electric range of 31 miles, and you can set the minimum level it’ll discharge to, in case you want to save some juice for a zero-emissions zone. The drive units both sit under the bonnet and it’s front-wheel drive.Also front-drive, incidentally, will be 242bhp and 296bhp 2.0-litre turbo pure petrol units. And then the 2.0-litre 306bhp engine and four-wheel drive system as tested in the Formentor will also be available in the Cupra Leon, but in estate version only rather than in this hatchback.