Cupra: Everything you need to know about Volkswagen's sportier cousin – UPDATE (2024)

Volkswagen Group Australia announced in recent days the Cupra brand will launch in Australia in the second quarter of 2022 (April to June inclusive), bringing a range of European-market, high-performance compact cars and SUVs to Australian shores.

But what is Cupra, what does it sell, and why should you be excited for its arrival Down Under? Here's your Australian-centric guide to Volkswagen's high-performance Spanish subsidiary.

UPDATE, 25 June 2021:Originally published March 29, we've brought this story forward following the release of full details of the Cupra range overnight. The story has been expanded with the new information.

Cupra is the high-performance offshoot of mainstream Spanish car maker Seat – an acronym, it must be noted, not the English synonym for chair – owned by the Volkswagen Group.

The first road-going model to wear the Cupra name, the Ibiza GTI 16V Cupra, launched in Europe in 1996, as a street-legal version (if in name only) of the three-time World Rally Cup-winning Seat Ibiza Kit Car.

The first Cupra-badged Leon debuted after the turn of the millennium, with high-performance, track-oriented R versions of both Leon and Ibiza Cupra models to be offered steadily across the 2000s and 2010s.

In 2018, Cupra was spun off to become its own sub-brand, with all future models from the marque to eschew Seat branding in favour of Cupra's arrow-shaped emblem and copper brand accent.

Cupra's global line-up currently consists of three models:

• Cupra Leon(pictured above): Asmall hatch and wagon (badged Sportstourer) based on the regular Seat Leon, and designed to compete with the Volkswagen Golf GTI/R, Ford Focus ST and Hyundai i30 N.
• Cupra Ateca: A high-performance mid-size SUV, riding on the same platform (and sharing many parts with) the Skoda Karoq and Volkswagen Tiguan.
• Cupra Formentor(pictured below): The brand's first standalone model, slotting into the mid-size SUV segment, but offering a sportier design than its rivals and punchy turbo powertrains.

Cupra's first electric vehicle, the Born hatch, will launch later in 2021, with its second EV due in 2024, a production version of the Tavascan concept.

Cupra's models offer a wide spread of petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid powertrains,most centring around turbo four-cylinder engines, driving the front or all wheels through dual-clutch automatic transmissions (badged DSGs).

Manual transmissions are only offered on entry-level versions of the Formentor SUV, which feature 110kW petrol and diesel engines and front-wheel drive.

As some Cupra models offer up to six drivetrain options, we've simplified Cupra's global range into a single, easy-to-digest table, found below.

Some highlights of note: the quickest vehicle on offer is the 287kW/480Nm, 4.2-second Formentor VZ5, powered by Audi's 2.5-litre turbo five-cylinder engine.

Above: 2021 Cupra Formentor VZ5.

However, that model is left-hand-drive only, and limited to 7000 units – leaving the fastest-accelerating models bound for Australian shores a 4.9-second tie between the 221kW Ateca and 228kW Formentor VZ, all powered by 2.0-litre petrol engines (as the Leon wagon isn't coming to Australia).

Now that you've attempted to digest that information overload – which of those engine options will come to Australia?

UPDATE, 25 June 2021:Cupra Australia has confirmed its local range will comprise Leon hatch, Formentor and Ateca models, available in an array of powertrains, as follows:

• Cupra Leon: 140kW/320Nm 2.0-litre turbo-four,180kW/370Nm 2.0-litre turbo-four,221kW/400Nm 2.0-litre turbo-four and180kW/400Nm 1.4-litre four-cylinder plug-in hybrid. All are front-wheel drive.
• Cupra Formentor: 140kW/320Nm 2.0-litre turbo-four (all-wheel drive),180kW/370Nm 2.0-litre turbo-four (front-wheel drive),228kW/400Nm 2.0-litre turbo-four (all-wheel drive) and180kW/400Nm 1.4-litre four-cylinder plug-in hybrid (front-wheel drive)
• Cupra Ateca: 221kW/400Nm 2.0-litre turbo-four (all-wheel drive)

Contrary to initial expectations, the Leon wagon won't come to Australia, while (in a surprise to many) the PHEV options will be offered Down Under after all. All models are paired to dual-clutch auto transmissions.

Click here for all the details on Cupra's Australian range.

29 March 2021:Given Cupra is expected be positioned as a semi-premium performance brand in Australia – likely sitting above semi-premium Volkswagen, but below full-luxury Audi – expect only the truly high-performance options to make their way Down Under.

See Also

Learn more about CUPRA Australia & FAQs| CUPRA

Above and below: 2021 Cupra Ateca.

Additionally, it's unlikely we'll see the Leon and Formentor's plug-in hybrid options offered locally, given Australia's lagging emissions regulations and fuel quality behind those of Europe – topics Volkswagen Group Australia has been vocal about in recent weeks.

Cupra's New Zealand operation could provide a hint at what to expect in Australia, despite its lack of Australian Design Rules that can make certifying and importing new vehicles more challenging than in other parts of the world.

Across the Tasman, the brand offers 140kW 'V' and 228kW 'VZ' petrol versions of the Formentor, the 221kW petrol-powered Leon hatch, 228kW all-paw Leon Sportstourer wagon, and the sole variant of the Ateca SUV.

While the Australian Cupra range has yet to be locked in – with more details expected sometime in April – the NZ range's 200kW-plus average power output would be a good fit for the brand's proposed positioning in Australia.

An entry-level, 140kW Leon hatch will start in the "low $40,000s", while a flagship Formentor PHEV will cost in the "low to mid-$60,000 range". Full prices will be announced closer to launch.

29 March 2021:Australian pricing for Cupra models won't be announced until much closer to the Spanish brand's local launch in early 2022, however New Zealand pricing can provide a hint at what to expect.

Pricing for the Formentor SUV kicks off fromNZ$54,900 (AU$51,000) in140kW V guise, increasing to NZ$68,900 (AU$63,500) for the flagship 228kW VZ.

For comparison, a flagship Volkswagen Tiguan 162TSI R-Line matches the Formentor VZ on price atNZ$68,900 before on-road costs, versus $56,290 before on-roads for a similarly-specified variant in Australia.

Above:Cupra Leon Sportstourer wagon. Bottom of story:Cupra Leon interior.

The Cupra Leon is priced from NZ$59,900 (AU$55,500) andNZ$65,900 (AU$61,000) plus on-roads in hatch and wagon forms respectively – compare that to thenew Mk8 Volkswagen Golf GTI, priced fromNZ$61,490 (AU$57,000) and AU$53,190 before on-road costs in New Zealand and Australia respectively.

Completing the line-up is the Cupra Ateca, priced fromNZ$67,600 (AU$62,500) in NZ.

Stay tuned to CarAdvice for all the latest Cupra news.

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