You can distinguish the "hot" Leon from the regular one by the Cupra logo on the radiator grille, the front bumper with enlarged air intakes and vertical winglets on the sides, as well as copper accents throughout the body. The ground clearance of the Cupra is reduced by 25 millimeters at the front and 20 at the rear. For the Leon, six wheel sets of different designs (18 or 19 inches) and four special body shades are available, including matte Magnetic Tech Matt and Petrol Blue Matt.
The interior, again, differs in decor and bucket seats with fabric or leather upholstery. The Digital Cockpit virtual instrument cluster is the same as in the regular Leon, but with an additional Sport View mode, which displays current engine speed, power, boost pressure, and acceleration values. Among other features are "dark aluminum" decorative trim on the dashboard and doors, and illuminated door sill plates. The media system with a 10-inch display can be controlled by voice and gestures; it supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 3D navigation, and access to online services.
The base engine of the new Cupra Leon is the 2.0 TSI in three states of tune: 245, 300, and 310 horsepower. Moreover, the top engine is available only for the Sportstourer wagon with all-wheel drive 4Drive. All cars have a DSG robotized gearbox with dual clutches and a limited-slip differential on the front axle. The most powerful Leon accelerates to 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds, and the top speed is limited to 250 kilometers per hour.
The plug-in hybrid Cupra Leon eHybrid is a combination of a 1.4 TSI with 150 hp (250 Nm), a 115-hp electric motor, and a traction lithium-ion battery of 13 kilowatt-hours. The total output of this powertrain is 245 hp and 400 Nm of torque. It will likely also be offered in the new Skoda Octavia RS iV. On electric power, the hybrid Leon travels 60 kilometers and charges in 3.5 hours from a wallbox or six hours from a household power outlet. Cupra does not provide performance figures but reports that the eHybrid emits less than 50 grams of carbon dioxide per 100 kilometers.
The Cupra Leon's equipment includes progressive steering, adaptive chassis with its own settings, and Brembo brakes with 370-millimeter discs. Safety is handled by the predictive cruise control Travel Assist, which was named one of Volkswagen Group's main innovations, a traffic jam assistant, lane keeping and driver condition monitoring, as well as a function that alerts when another car is approaching from behind when opening the door.
