Cupra will unveil its new Leon and Formentor next week
The Cupra Leon and high-riding Formentor are set to receive mid-life updates with added performance and ‘next-generation’ hybrid tech
The launch of the Mk8.5 Volkswagen Golf is paving the way for its MQB-based relatives to receive updates of their own. Next up is the Cupra Leon and Formentor, with the firm’s facelifted five-door hatch and swept-back crossover set to be unveiled on April 29.
Details are scarce at the moment, but Cupra claims that both models will feature revamped styling to follow the company’s latest design language, along with ‘greater digitalisation’ (we can only hope that doesn’t mean more fiddly touch controls).
It’s safe to assume that most of this new tech will be borrowed from the latest Golf. That means that a new, faster-responding infotainment system could make an appearance, along with the Golf’s upgraded 12.9-inch touchscreen with illuminated touch sliders for temperature and volume controls.
The current 242bhp Leon hot hatch is expected to receive a power bump as part of the update (the equivalent Mk8.5 Golf GTI has seen a rise to 261bhp), but as before, it’s expected to be offered exclusively with a seven-speed DSG gearbox.
It’s uncertain whether a facelifted, range-topping Leon 300 will be revealed at the same time, given that the new Golf GTI Clubsport and R models are yet to be announced. If and when it does arrive, expect Cupra to make use of the extra headroom in the EA888 2-litre turbocharged engine to deliver in excess of 300bhp. For reference, the same engine in the outgoing Golf R 20 Years generates 328bhp – its most powerful iteration so far.
Sharing its MQB Evo underpinnings with the Golf and Leon, the new Formentor is expected to offer similar advancements, pushing beyond the 306bhp of the current four-wheel drive 310 range-topper. Plug-in hybrid versions of the Leon and Formentor are likely to receive the same upgraded 19.7kWh battery as the Golf, which can achieve up to 62 miles of pure electric range.
The current Leon costs from £31,565 in base 1.5-litre TSI form, rising to £41,945 for the 300 – expect the new car to receive a modest price increase across the board. The same goes for the Formentor, which costs from £32,580 and rises to £45,690 in 310 trim.
