► Mark Walton samples the new Cupra Leon Estate
► An insight into ownership
► Read month 3
In my first report I wrote that the Cupra’s greatest flaw is the road noise. At motorway speeds there’s so much rumble from the tyres you have to raise your voice to talk. Now I have a new reason to hate the Hankook tyres: I’ve had two punctures in a month.
On both occasions a yellow warning light came on to say a tyre had lost pressure. The first time I got out to check, but honestly the 235/35 R19 rubber is so low-profile, the tyres look flat even when they’re fully inflated. Still, I swapped the wheel for the space-saver to be on the safe side, and my local tyre-repair guy found a nail. The repair cost £16.
Three weeks later, the same warning light, this time on the motorway. At first, I thought, ‘This can’t be!’ and I re-set the tyre pressure system, which reassured me all pressures were within the acceptable range.
Then the light came back on, and the tyre deflated completely. This time the tyre was ruined, and I had to replace it – 150 miles from home, the depot didn’t have a Hankook so I stuck a Michelin Pilot on it, for £214. Now I’m driving along trying to detect if one side of the car is quieter than the other.
Read month 5 here
Logbook: Cupra Leon Estate 2.0 TSI 4Drive VZ3 (Month 4)
Price £44,845 (£46,825 as tested)
Performance 1984cc turbocharged four-cylinder, 306bhp, 4.9sec 0-62mph 155mph
Efficiency 34.4mpg (official), 28.8mpg (tested), 186g/km CO2
Energy cost 24.5p per mile
Miles this month 857
Total miles 4056