Audi A1 vs Cupra Leon

What's the difference?

If you’re eager for a sporty compact hatchback with premium design and luxury car badges, the Audi A1 40 TFSI is a very, very strong contender. It’s fast, fun, and functional for a little hatchback. It’s just very expensive, and for most people the $10K cheaper 35 TFSI model will tick most of the boxes. I’d recommend you drive it before signing on for the top-spec model.

The Cupra Leon VZe demands you give it an appropriate amount of time to get to know.

Because, as an unknown challenger brand, as a hatch in an SUV world, as a PHEV wearing an EV price tag, it is up against it. And it's too interesting a car to be summarily dismissed.

But as long as you're not expecting a pure hot-hatch-cum-ultra-economical eco warrior, the VZe is a close-enough approximation of both for it to be an intriguing and enjoyable multi-faceted small car, while also possessing a fair degree of space as well as styling flair.

If you can forgive the screwy multimedia and cope with the high pricing, there's a lot to love here.

I don’t think I’ve seen a better transformation between generations than the current A1. In its previous guise it was bubbly and cute, but now it’s an angular brute.

This version’s S line sports body kit and funky 18-inch alloy wheels certainly help in that regard, but even the standard lighting signatures - LEDs front and rear - make it stand out as anything but a cutie pie city car.

The good news is that it hasn’t grown too much, either. Sure, it is a bit bigger, measuring 4029mm (on a 2563mm wheelbase), 1740mm wide and 1409mm tall. The last one was smaller (3973mm long on a 2469mm wheelbase, 1746mm wide and 1422mm tall), but this one isn’t elephantine in its proportions and so remains simple to park and squeezy enough to be considered a Light Car by industry standards.

And there are some really, really playful colours available. Like this Turbo Blue (which is only for this spec), and Python Yellow. There’s also black, green, red, three different greys, and two whites. The only issue is that flat white (Cortina White) is the only no-cost paint option. The rest will set out back $490 (for Tioman Green or the blue you see here) or $990 (for the rest). 

And then you can option the paint with a black roof, for $1380 combined with blue or green, or $1880 in all the other colours. The black exterior styling pack adds black highlights around the grille and on the front and rear bumpers. Those little Audi four-ring stickers on the rear doors are standard on this spec.

But to be honest, it stands out no matter what colour you choose, and that’s enough to get people’s heads turning on the street. And the interior design? Well, it has some good and bad points. See the interior pictures below to make up your own mind. 

One reason why you might want a Leon over, say, one of the more common PHEV SUVs like the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV, or even Cupra's own Formentor PHEV, is because of its pleasing, conventional five-door hatchback size and shape.

Sleek and chiselled, it is quite a looker, especially from the rear three-quarter view. And the wheels are equally pretty.

Only from front-on does the Leon seem anonymous and somewhat dated in appearance. But at least it avoids the droopy fussiness of the 308.

There are elements of the A1’s cabin design that are tremendous. And other bits that are not so tremendous. 

The bad bits include the fact you’re paying about $50,000 on the road for a car that has hard plastic just about everywhere the eye can see.

The good bits are that the textured plastics on the dash are beautiful, and so are the designed elements on the doors. I love the door handles, I love the metallic finish, I love the layout and I love the way it makes you forget that you’re in a luxury-branded car with hard plastic all around you.

The media screen and digital dashboard help, too - it feels technical and premium in the driver’s seat as a result. The graphics are crisp and clear, the menus are mostly easy to navigate, but I had some issues getting Apple CarPlay to work. It has wireless CarPlay, and I had it plugged in, so perhaps that was confusing things.

But the Audi media system also includes Audi Connect in this spec, meaning there are realtime map, traffic and hazard updates, plus a Wi-Fi hotspot, fuel prices, parking, weather and Google maps and services. It’s high-tech, and if that’s what you like, this is definitely going to please you more than a Mini Cooper.

Practicality is good, with bottle holders in all four doors, cup holders between the front seats and a covered centre console and wireless charging bay in front of the shifter. In the back, storage is sparse: aside from the door pockets, there’s nothing - no cup holders, no map pockets. 

There is enough space for four adults in the A1, so if you plan to take your mates to brunch or if you’ve got young kids, you should be comfortable enough in here.

I had the driver’s seat set for my own height (182cm) and I was able to slide in to the rear seat without much fuss at all, with adequate knee and toe room, and decent headroom too. Try and fit three across the back and it’ll be uncomfortable, unless those three are very slim. 

There are dual ISOFIX child-seat anchor points and three top-tether points, and the seat structure is pretty flat, making fitment of these types of seats simple enough.

The boot capacity is good for a car of this size at 335 litres, which is a solid 20 per cent bigger than before. You won’t find a spare under the boot floor, though, as all A1s have an inflator kit. The back seats fold down to allow 1090L of cargo capacity, but there’s a ledge you have to contend with if you’re trying to load larger items in. Maybe skip the IKEA trips in this one, then. 

Once standard setters, VW interiors have copped flak lately, losing the lead they once enjoyed in terms of perceived quality and functionality. A big backward step.

Within this context, the Leon's cabin is as aesthetically appealing as the exterior's, with lots of interesting angles and textures set within a broadly familiar VW-corporate multi-level dashboard design and presentation.

Most of the basics are largely fine, too. From the superbly enveloping front bucket seats and commanding driving position, to excellent ventilation and plenty of storage, there's much to commend.

The same goes for the moody, techy ambience, though it's closer to ‘chilled Audi' than ‘zesty Latin' in flavour.

Directly ahead of the driver is a 10.25-inch instrument cluster, offering several combinations of vehicle speed/operation and multimedia views.

Some of it looks good, some suffers from info-overload, but at least it's all configurable. Pick your favourite. And build quality seems up to scratch, too.

Like the Golf, there's also above-average space for longer legs and outstretched arms, while – after having to duck down a bit to get in – head and shoulder room are sufficient.

Selecting gears is a matter of manipulating a charmless stubby toggle. It works well enough, but remember when VW Group owners could interact with a Tiptronic-style lever and feel more immersed in the driving process? Memories.

That's replaced by paddle shifters, a divisive substitute that's of debatable merit in an electrified vehicle such as this, since they would serve better as regenerative braking controls.

But that's only the beginning of the confusion that ensues in the Cupra.

Reach for the 12-inch touchscreen to scroll through your many and varied media options, try and figure out the trip computer or search for an odometer reading, and any goodwill earned will be severely curtailed by just how needlessly complicated these and other once-simple tasks have become.

Plus, frustratingly, our particular car's multimedia system would just switch off mid-operation. This is not good.

We're certain time and familiarity will help make sense of working out where everything is and how to access vehicle functions located within layers of that touchscreen's myriad menus, but it is distracting and complicated.

And how is it that we could not find how to switch on nighttime illumination for the climate controls? In a week we failed to find that answer. And who ever green-lit fiddly slide controls over good old buttons? It's maddeningly frustrating.

Moving to the back seat, the Leon makes up some ground.

Two larger adults should settle into the outboard positions comfortably and snugly, aided by a pair of rear-facing air vents accompanied by a climate-control panel, two USB-C ports, a folding centre armrest with cupholders, ski-port access to the boot and useful storage via door bins and map pockets. There's even enough space for a third, smaller passenger to squeeze in between.

Further back, while the boot floor is long and flat and with a large tailgate opening to aid loading stuff in and out, the actual cargo capacity is just 270 litres, or nearly one-third down on the regular petrol Leon grades' 380L offering. This is due to the battery pack and related EV gubbins.

Speaking of which, if you need to carry charging cables there's nowhere to properly store them other than in the main boot area. And don't forget, there's no spare wheel.

At least there's a sturdy parcel shelf to keep prying eyes from seeing what you're carting around.

The VZe's interior, then, is spacious and broadly sensibly executed, but is let down – and mostly unnecessarily so – by some of the details. We strongly recommend trying before buying.

There's lots to unpack here.

SEAT started in 1950 as a venture between Fiat, the Spanish government and some private banks, until VW took over in 1986 and turned it into a youth-baiting value brand. Think pre-current Kia positioning.

Meanwhile, Cupra ­– a portmanteau of Cup Racing – had began as SEAT's competition arm earlier that decade. And there's been a Leon (referencing both ‘lion' and a city in Spain) based on every Golf since the latter's Mk4 iteration, making this generation numero cuatro.

Halve that figure and you end up with the number of small-car PHEVs left in Australia – Cupra's and another big-cat evoking Euro, the Peugeot 308 GT Sport PHEV, costing a few grand more than the VZe from $64,990, before on-road costs.

These high prices are clearly hurdles for Australian small-car buyers. Even Mercedes-Benz recently axed the slow-selling A250e due to a lack of buyer interest. Kia dropped the Niro PHEV. And Hyundai canned the Ioniq PHEV.

So, why are these types of cars so expensive, then?

The Leon and 308 feature a turbo-petrol engine, backed up by a small motor and a battery pack that's large enough to provide a claimed 67km of electric-only range in the Cupra's case. On paper at least.

That's more than the cheaper non-plug-in hybrid alternatives like the wildly-popular Toyota Corolla and superb Honda Civic e:HEV can manage.

So, besides exclusivity and two powertrains, what does the Leon VZe give you for your circa-$65K drive-away ask?

On the safety front, you'll find the now-usual driver-assist items like autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane-support systems and adaptive cruise control, as well as 10 airbags including a nifty front-centre item. More on this in the safety section below.

Buyers also score LED headlights, auto high beams, fog lights with cornering function, adaptive dampers, tyre-pressure monitors, a reverse camera, electronic instrumentation, three-zone climate control, variable-ratio steering, keyless entry/start, satellite navigation, wireless phone charging as well as wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto.

There's also rear privacy glass, four USB-C ports, sports front seats, a heated steering wheel, paddle shifters, ambient lighting, powered/heated exterior mirrors as well as 19-inch alloy wheels and a tyre repair kit. No spare wheel is offered.

The pricier 308 PHEV has most of these plus Matrix LED lighting, Nappa leather upholstery, panoramic opening sunroof, heated/massaging front seats, 360-degree surround-view vision and a digital radio, but has smaller (18-inch) alloys and no adaptive dampers.

Our test car was fitted with the 'Leather Package' that adds $2050 to the price, ushering in leather upholstery, heated front seats with driver's side power and memory, premium audio and dash-top stitching, while the sunroof costs $1800 more.

These take the VZe north of $65,000 drive-away. That's pure-EV territory. Little wonder buyers baulk at PHEV small cars in Australia.

This 40 TFSI model is the big humdinger in the range. It has the donk, right?

Yeah, it’s a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, which is a full litre bigger in capacity than the base model car. And it’s the same engine fitted to the Polo GTI - a proper hot hatch!

It doesn’t quite have double the power and torque of the entry-level 30 TFSI model, but it does have solid outputs of 147kW (at 4400-6000rpm) and 320Nm (from 1500-4400rpm). That’s enough to slingshot this A1 from 0-100km/h in a hot-hatch-rivalling 6.5 seconds, according to Audi.

Unlike the lower grades, it runs a six-speed dual-clutch automatic, which it needs because it has so much torque. The 30 and 35 TFSI variants have a seven-speeder. All of them, including this one, are front-wheel drive.

There is no quattro/all-wheel drive A1 this time around, and there won’t be an S1, either. So this is it if you want your kicks in a compact car from the Ingolstadt-based brand.  

Under the Leon VZe's bonnet is a variation of the German parent brand's familiar 1395cc 1.4-litre direct-injection four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, driving the front wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch transmission.

This Euro 6-rated unit produces 110kW of power between 5000-6000rpm and 250Nm of torque from 1550-3500rpm.

Meanwhile, the 85kW/330Nm electric motor also nestled under there is fed by a 12.8kWh Lithium-ion battery pack slung out back. The system outputs combined produce 180kW and 400Nm.

Weighing in at 1634kg (tare), the VZe's power-to-weight ratio is an impressive 110kW per tonne, explaining this portly small car's feisty 6.7 second dash in the 0-100km/h sprint. However, once the battery is depleted, that drops to a much-more mundane 67.3kW/tonne.

Based on VW's 'MQB Evo' modular transverse engine architecture, the Leon features a sports-tuned MacPherson-style strut set-up up front and a multi-link rear end, while adaptive dampers and variable-ratio electric power steering are also fitted.

Claimed fuel consumption is rated at 6.4 litres per 100 kilometres. You might see close to that on a highway drive, but if you’re primarily city-dwelling like me, then expect higher.

I saw an average of 10.1L/100km during my urban review of the A1 40 TFSI. That was with stop-start engaged the whole time, and the occasional squeeze of the accelerator to test out the claimed acceleration.

Fuel tank size for the A1 is just 40 litres, so if you’re doing what I did with this grade of A1, you can expect to visit the servo every 400km or so.

Cupra says the combined cycle average fuel consumption figure is a startling 1.8 litres per 100km, equating to just 40 grams per kilometre of carbon-dioxide emissions. The electricity consumption claim is 11.2kWh/100km.

Out in the real world, we averaged 5.9L/100km pump-to-pump, while the car's trip computer read 5.5L. This is a disappointment.

It must be all those extra kilos the VZe has to carry around, as most of our driving was inner-urban or casual freeway cruising. The stop/start system was working overtime once that battery depleted.

We managed fewer than 40km of pure-electric driving, against a WLTP rating of 52km (or 67km using the more-lenient NEDC number Cupra quotes), with the trip computer telling us we were averaging 5.9kWh/100km – a figure likely achieved in hybrid mode with the petrol engine chiming in.

Charging times vary, with the 12.8kWh battery needing between six and eight hours plugged in at home, or about four hours using a 7.0kW AC charger via the Type 2 connector. No DC rapid charging ability is available.

Filling up the 40L fuel tank with the required 95 RON premium unleaded petrol and giving the VZe the benefit of the doubt by using the official fuel consumption average of 1.8L/100km to find out its PHEV range, you could theoretically achieve 2220km between refills.

Or about one-third of that by our real-world experience.

You shouldn’t be surprised to know that the A1 40 TFSI feels a lot like a Polo GTI to drive. It’s quick, it’s entertaining, it’s refined… it’s just about 50 per cent more expensive.

That mightn’t matter to you or factor into your considerations. I just want to point out that you can get a car that’s just as good to drive as this one, and still with a premium German brand attached to it, for a lot less.

The A1 does have it’s own spunk, though. It has a more masculine character, more aggressive styling, and more delightful interior design.

But it also has steering that is predictable and easy to judge, helping it feel nimble and grippy. From tight twisty roads to roundabouts, you’re going to be having fun in the A1 if you’re tooling around town. 

It feels planted and grippy - aside from some front-wheel spin during take-offs if the tyres are cold - and you might notice the suspension can be a touch noisy as it pitter-patters over inconsistencies in the road surface, but the ride is firm yet controlled, offering enough comfort over potholed city roads and speed humps for this tester. And there are several of each of those obstacles on my daily drive to work.

The engine is a sweetheart, offering brilliant linearity to its power delivery. It pulls hard from low in the rev range, meaning you’ll be able to zip through traffic without much hassle at all. The powertrain is super responsive to inputs at speed, especially if you put it in Dynamic mode, which also allows you to hear some pops and crackles from the exhaust system. 

That said, there is some vibration, shuddering and hesitation at low speeds, which is a combination of the stop-start system kicking in and out, a small amount of turbo-lag from the engine and some shuffling behind the scenes from the dual-clutch transmission. You might find the lurchy nature of the first-gear take-offs to be a bit hard to get used to, especially if you spend a lot of time in bumper-to-bumper traffic. 

While this is an Urban Guide review focused on city driving, I thoroughly recommend you find a quiet stretch of twisty road outside the city limits. You won't be disappointed.

There aren't many PHEVs out there, and that may remain the case, for Australians at least.

But the Leon VZe is definitely one of the more enjoyable of the breed to drive and ride in, with a sporty bias that lives up to its sleek and sexy styling.

With a fully-charged battery, off-the-line acceleration is brisk, and remains rapid as the revs and speed rise. It's smooth and slick in the best VW Group manner, and is accompanied by an appropriately stirring exhaust note. Especially in racy 'Cupra' mode.

The extra torque provided by the electric motor is also felt at low speeds, with little hesitation or delay from the throttle and DCT if the driver wants to instantly plug gaps in traffic.

Expertly tuned, the Cupra ought to be commended for how well-modulated everything feels and responds.

Find a fast, curvy ribbon of road and the Leon's steering comes alive, providing plenty of feel and control, backed up by a taut and agile chassis tune. Whether in 'Comfort' or 'Sport' modes, this is an athletic little hatch.

What the VZe isn't is a hot hatch.

When pushed, even in Sport or Cupra mode, it feels far heavier and less zippy than, say, a Golf GTI, lacking the latter's lithe spirit and dynamic dexterity.

That's not to say the Cupra isn't an involving, capable and secure handler or road-holder, because in isolation this is a terrific little car to hammer along. But it doesn't excite or thrill like the best of them. For more clarity on this, please drive a Civic Type R.

The driver can switch between electric, hybrid and turbo-engine-only modes to help preserve electricity, but once the battery is spent, there isn't the same level of punchy torque available.

Better, then, to instead select Comfort mode and let the adaptive dampers isolate you from those irritating bumps; while not plush, the ride is compliant enough for the VZe to make a very good impression of a grand tourer. Road noise intrusion, too, is pleasingly muted.

We're also grateful Cupra allows the driver to mix-and-match the drive modes, so you can choose a spicy engine tune with cushy suspension if you wish.

Note, however, that our Leon insisted on defaulting to Sport mode after every start-up. Using the flummoxing touchscreen to figure out how to change that to Comfort or Normal was a challenge.

Otherwise, there's much to enjoy from behind the wheel of the VZe. Probably the most fun PHEV we've ever punted around.

Tested in 2021, the Leon range achieved an ANCAP crash-test rating of five stars.

The VZe is fitted with 10 airbags – dual front, side chest, side head, driver knee and a front centre item; the latter is there to help reduce occupant-collision injury in lateral impacts.

On the driver assist tech side of things, the AEB includes pedestrian, cyclist and reversing detection, and there's 'Lane Assist', park assist, blind-spot monitor, rear cross-traffic alert with exit warning, a driver-fatigue monitor, emergency assist and tyre pressure monitors.

The AEB is operational between 5.0km/h and 250km/h. Likewise, the lane-support systems kick in between 65-250km/h.

The VZe is also fitted with electronic stability control, traction control, anti-lock brakes with brake assist and electronic brake-force distribution, adaptive cruise control, an alarm, auto on/off LED headlights with auto high beam, cornering driving lights, front and rear parking sensors, rain-sensing wipers and a rear-view camera.

Plus, the outboard rear seats include ISOFIX child restraint anchors as well as three top tethers for top straps.

While the VW Polo GTI that this spec of A1 shares plenty with is backed by a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty plan, the Audi-badged compact hatch still has a lesser three-year/unlimited kay cover. 

The A1 requires servicing every 12 months or 15,000km (just like a Polo), and there’s a pre-pay service pack you can roll into your finance if you so choose.

That service plan covers either three years/45,000km of driving ($1480) or five years/75,000km ($1990). In the case of the five-year plan, Audi is actually better value than the Polo GTI (which costs $2200 for pre-pay). 

Where is the Audi A1 built? You might be surprised to learn the answer is Spain.

Concerned about reliability? Got questions over resale, problems, issues, faults, recalls or something else? Check out our Audi A1 problems page. 

The Cupra comes with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which is standard fare nowadays, as well as five years of roadside assistance.

Service intervals are at 12 months or 15,000km.

The VZe is offered with a three-year or five-year service pack in place of capped-priced servicing. The price for three years is $990 (until December 31, 2023).