New face for Cupra

The two models Leon and Formentor are among the “older” examples of the still young Spanish sports brand from Seat, with the Formentor being the first truly independent model after the Ateca. Almost four years later, the Spaniards are now reworking the two vehicles and giving them the new brand face (“Sharknose”), which sets itself apart from Seat even more than before. The triangular shape of the lights remains similar to that of the pre-facelift models, but they have a new LED light signature in the form of three separate triangles. At the inner ends of the matrix LED lights, the hood ends directly in a kind of “lip”. The Cupra logo is placed above this. On the Formentor, there are already small radiator openings below. On the Leon, the “nose” is still closed here. The actual radiator unit is now located in the apron with large rectangular grille openings painted in the body color. A bracket for the license plate holder stretches across it. There are additional air intakes far out on the flanks, which round off the sporty, aggressive look.

The rear lights take up the light design including the LED triangles of the front and are connected by a light bar. In the middle of this, the Cupra logo is now also illuminated in red in the facelift. For a sporty touch, there is a diffuser insert at the rear and a sports exhaust system. Up to eight rim designs in 18 or 19 inch format are available for both series.

There have also been changes in the interior of both models. The central infotainment display has become larger and now measures 12.9 inches. The speedometer is digital and the touch slider is now (finally) illuminated. Cupra has also installed a new audio system with twelve speakers and 425 watts and has upgraded the interior ambience with new materials. The bucket seats, for example, are covered with 73 percent recycled vegan microfiber, depending on the configuration.

Extremely wide range of engines

Cupra leaves nothing to be desired when it comes to engine options and wants to offer every customer an ideal drive train. There are eight different drives for the Leon Sportstourer, and the Leon five-door also offers a ninth option. In total, the drives include four different technologies: TSI (petrol), mild hybrid (eTSI), TDI (diesel) and e-Hybrid (plug-in hybrid). There are also eight different engines available for the Formentor. The basic unit is a 1.5-litre TSI with 150 hp and a six-speed gearbox. The new generation of plug-in hybrids is also available, which produces 272 hp and has a purely electric range of around 100 kilometres. Fast charging is possible with up to 50 kW direct current. A new version with a petrol engine is also available exclusively for both models, which has a total of 333 hp and is equipped with torque splitter technology and Akebono brakes.

Cupra is charging for the revisions to the Leon and Formentor. The Cupra Leon five-door starts with the entry-level engine (1.5e TSI mild hybrid with 150 hp) at 38,340 euros. The Cupra Leon Sportstourer with the same engine at 40,515 euros. This means that the Leon models have become around 800 euros more expensive. If you look at the Cupra Formentor, the prices jump by a good 2,000 euros compared to the pre-facelift model. They start at 42,145 euros.