► Mark Walton samples the new Cupra Leon Estate
► An insight into ownership
► Read month 5
A while back I wrote that our Cupra Leon was like a pint-size Audi RS6, with its fastback estate-car shape, all-wheel drive and 306bhp. Well, an opportunity to drive the new RS6 Performance put that theory to the test.
Boosted to a phenomenal 621bhp, this new edition of Audi’s super-Avant is the most powerful ever, which means any speed comparison is pointless – with a 0-62mph time of 3.4 seconds, the Audi will crush anything this side of a Lamborghini.
I still think the ‘Mini-Me’ comparison works, though: the Cupra engine is half the size and makes half the power, and the car is half the price (the Audi is £127k in Carbon Vorsprung spec). And I still love the shape of the Leon – the arches aren’t quite as blistered, but it has the same muscular, squat look as the RS6.
The two areas that really let it down (in this completely unfair back-to-back) are the wheels and the sound. I hate the Cupra’s ‘aero’ alloys… and my god, just look at the sensational 22-inch rims on the Audi. And while the Cupra won’t ever match the V8 growl of the RS6, the Leon’s fake sound-generator exhaust note is pants.
Apart from that, they’re identical.
Logbook: Cupra Leon Estate 2.0 TSI 4Drive VZ3 (Month 6)
Price £44,845 (£46,825 as tested)
Performance 1984cc turbocharged four-cylinder, 306bhp, 4.9sec 0-62mph 155mph
Efficiency 34.4mpg (official), 30.4mpg (tested), 186g/km CO2
Energy cost 23.1p per mile
Miles this month 986
Total miles 6024