The kind of person who buys a Leon Cupra would never consider a crossover instead, right? Except we think he might when the ST Cupra wagon and X-Perience crossover are discussed.
Last year, SEAT gave the whole Leon family a mid-life facelift, including these two wagons. For the Cupra, that means a body kit that looks nearly identical to the regular model and the addition of a 4Drive AWD system to go with the 300 HP engine and 6-speed DSG box.
As for the Leon X-Perience, the facelift is minimal and doesn't include any new engines. But both cars have lost their manual handbrake, so we're happy to see they can still slide about on the snow.
Thomas from Autogefuhl mentions that the Leon X-Perience costs about €25,000, but that only gets you a manual with a 1.6 TDI. The range-topper with the 2.0 TDI is around €40,000. As for the Leon Cupra, it goes up to €45,000. However, in both cases, you can pay less than €35,000 if you buy from existing dealer lots.
ST is the name of Leon's wagon version. This body style is 4.54 meters long, about 30cm longer than the hatch. The Cupra is lower than stock while the X-Perience has been jacked up by 15mm. It's worth pointing out that only the 1.8 TSI model gets the symmetrical exhaust pipes at the back; the TDI range has it to the side.
Inside, both the X-Perience and the ST Cupra are available with Alcantara trim, which we think looks the part. Ambient lighting, a huge panoramic roof, and the larger infotainment system are all option boxes worth ticking.
Obviously, we do like the optional bucket seats on the Leon Cupra. However, Thomas says they are much ticker, creating legroom problems in the back. So, besides cost (1,500 euros), here's another reason not to get them.
As for the drifting, the ESC makes all the difference. In the XP, you can put it in Sport mode and have a little fun, but the Cupra lets you turn stability control completely off.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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