Cupra weighing a sporty Leon wagon for Australia

The Volkswagen Group may quickly have a compact efficiency wagon trifecta on its arms.

Cupra Australia’s head of product and planning, Jeff Shafer, instructed CarExpert that the native division is evaluating the Leon Sportstourer for the Australian market, which might bolster the prevailing Leon hatchback vary. Nonetheless, he stopped in need of providing any indication round timeframe.

“Look, I like the Sportstourer,” Mr Shafer mentioned, “it’s one thing we’d like to have, and it’s into consideration [for our market]. We’re positively having a tough have a look at it.”

“It was essential for us to ascertain the inspiration with the core fashions final 12 months (Formentor, Leon and Ateca), however Sportstourer is actually an fascinating product,” Mr Shafer added.

When requested what the Leon Sportstourer line-up would seem like ought to it come to Australia, Mr Shafer mentioned a extra targeted vary can be the seemingly outcome; hinting on the 228kW 4Drive world flagship in addition to the 180kW e-Hybrid which we’ve already seen within the VZe-badged Leon hatch and Formentor crossover fashions.

“I feel we’d be pretty targeted when bringing the Sportstourer, most likely on the greater finish of the vary,” Mr Shafer mentioned.

“So the highest grade (228kW 4Drive) which is a bit of bit completely different to the hatchback with its all-wheel drive, and the plug-in hybrid can also be fascinating.”

Different powertrain variants within the world portfolio embrace a 110kW/250Nm 1.5 TSI FWD, 140kW/320Nm 2.0 TSI FWD 180kW/380Nm 2.0 TSI FWD, a 221kW/400Nm 2.0 TSI FWD, in addition to a detuned 150kW 1.4 TSI e-Hybrid.

It’s price noting, the Leon Sportstourer is already bought throughout the Tasman, with New Zealand clients supplied the selection of 110kW 1.5 TSI and 228kW 2.0 TSI 4Drive variations. The UK market (additionally RHD) gives all the above minus the 150kW PHEV.

Just like the Leon hatch, the Sportstourer relies on the Volkswagen Group MQB Evo platform, that means it shares DNA with the most recent Skoda Octavia and Volkswagen Golf Wagons – amongst different small automobiles and crossovers.

The 228kW 2.0 TSI 4Drive can be a superb match for the 235kW/420Nm VW Golf R Wagon that has subsequent to no pure competitors in Australia, whereas the 180kW 1.4 TSI e-Hybrid may function an alternative to the Skoda Octavia RS iV plug-in hybrid that we don’t get in Australia.

In flagship guise, the Cupra Leon Sportstourer can sprint from 0-100 in 4.9 seconds, on its solution to a quoted prime pace of 250km/h.

The PHEV, in the meantime, manages a 7.0-second dash to triple figures and a prime pace of 225km/h. Additional, it’ll use as little as 1.3-1.5 litres per 100km on the mixed cycle and journey 54-59km on electrical energy in accordance with WLTP figures.

Mainstream-branded station wagons have gotten rarer and rarer lately, with solely a handful of producers providing the physique kind.

Skoda and Volkswagen are the principle gamers from Europe, the place estates nonetheless have a good chunk of market share (if nonetheless waning), whereas Subaru’s Outback crossover wagon continues to defy developments by being one of the crucial well-liked autos within the VFACTS Giant SUV class. The VW Passat Alltrack additionally stays on sale in Australia.

Ford and Hyundai have traditionally supplied wagon variations of the Focus and i30, although neither have been in the marketplace right here for a while, and Volkswagen additionally killed off the smaller Golf Alltrack with the Mk8 era.

Area of interest gamers embrace the Peugeot 308 SW and Subaru WRX Sportswagon, in addition to the Mazda 6. Premium manufacturers like Audi and BMW nonetheless provide mid-size wagons, as soon as staples of their respective line-ups, whereas Mercedes-Benz has culled its Property fashions domestically to concentrate on its extra well-liked and worthwhile SUV vary.

To this point in 2023, Cupra has delivered 808 items to the top of March in its first full 12 months within the Australian market. The Spanish upstart noticed 1111 registrations final 12 months after solely launching in August.

Main the way in which is the Formentor, the model’s greatest vendor globally, with 690 items delivered as of March 31. It just about doubles the Ateca and Leon ranges mixed when it comes to native quantity.

Yr up to now (YTD), the Formentor has overtaken well-known European nameplates together with the Skoda Karoq (441 items) and Peugeot 3008 (158 items), in addition to the soon-to-be-discontinued Ford Escape (474 items). These autos are, nonetheless, topic to ongoing provide points.

The Leon hasn’t fairly loved the identical success as its crossover-bodied sibling, but it surely at present owns 2.2 per cent of the Small Passenger section over $40,000 (99 items). Including the Sportstourer would seemingly bolster that share, if solely barely.

Would you be eager on a Leon Sportstourer if it got here to Australia? Depart us a remark under!

MORE: The whole lot Cupra Leon