Compared: 2022 Audi S3 vs Cupra Leon 300 review

In 2022, the Australian automotive landscape will gain a new premium European brand with a range of sporty passenger and SUV models carrying the Cupra moniker.

But not only is the intriguing line-up completely new to the nation, its closest relation, SEAT, hasn’t been sold Down Under since a brief tenure in the mid-1990s and the contextual trail has since gone a little cold.

If the Australian new car market was a rental house, then Cupra would be the suspicious tenant that applies without a cover note and lists previous addresses starting with Her Majesty’s…

Except this hopeful newcomer has one very reputable referee to its name – Volkswagen.

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Completely understanding exactly how the Cupra brand will slot into Australia, fronting one of the world’s most pragmatic and demanding audiences, will have to wait until next year. But its strong family DNA and relationship to already high-performing models offers a comprehensive glimpse at the potential.

In the case of the Cupra Leon small hatchback, its underpinnings take the form of the VW Group MQB Evo platform that provides the structure for the current-generation VW Golf, new Skoda Octavia and new Audi A3.

But the car you see here is the high-performance hero 300 version and it shares more in common with the new Golf R and Audi S3. So what better way to preview the latest contender in the hot hatchback arena than pitching it head-to-head with the next-generation Audi S3 that will arrive in showrooms at about the same time?

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The list of similarities is long. Under each bonnet is the same EA888 turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol that, in this instance, produces 228kW and 400Nm. Unlike the previous S3, the new version (thanks to Volkswagen’s campaign to reclassify Australia’s climate from ‘hot and dusty’ to ‘moderately hot’) will get the same full-fat power output sold in Europe rather than a detuned Down Under donk.

Its output is fed to the wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and in each case, the chassis adopts the same multi-link rear suspension, front McPherson struts and electric power steering.

Onboard there’s room for five with bags via five doors. But aside from the obvious difference in design direction and branding, the Cupra and Audi have one key mechanical disparity. While the S3 is offered with the company’s proprietary Quattro all-wheel-drive system, the Leon must make do with front-wheel drive only – but more about that later.

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With exact Australian specifications for both models still not yet decided at the time of writing, there’s little point giving UK market standard equipment and features more than a cursory glance. There are a few interesting points to note however.

While Australian S3 customers have only ever been offered one top-shelf option, Audi UK offers a number of S3 variants and the one we have here is the most affordable. It rolls on 18-inch alloy wheels, lacks a head-up display, keyless entry, some driver assistance systems and, while the interior is dressed up in lovely slate-coloured leather, there are examples of scratchy plastics you will likely never see in an Audi Australia showroom.

The list of similarities is long. Under each bonnet is the same EA888 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol that, in this instance, produces 228kW and 400Nm.

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As for the Cupra, it’s presented in mid-range VZ2 trim which leaves out leather and a few trick bits such as the cool steering wheel-mounted start button and drive mode selectors. Expect the Australian version to arrive in something like the premium VZ3 equipment level. While the Audi’s cabin offers a classic sharp and understated design, the Leon employs a more bold and unapologetic look.

If the respective interiors were modeled on laptops, the Audi would be a Space Gray MacBook Air while the Cupra would be a water-cooled Alienware with full RGB accoutrements.

The long continuous pinstripe of mood lighting that continues from door trim to door trim via the dash, copper accents and half-vinyl/half-cloth upholstery are Leon styling highlights, while the Audi stands out with quality finishes and sharp (but apparently unnecessary) dash stitching and materials.

At the risk of exposing this author's age, the Audi's accommodation is surely targeting a more equal balance of comfort and sports appeal, while the Cupra leans toward the performance side with more aggressive seating and purposeful ergonomics that will likely appeal to a younger audience.

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Practically speaking, with no rear differential to accommodate, the Cupra manages to fit more into its 380-litre boot and even manages to drop in a space-saver spare under the floor.

The Audi (here in Sportback hatch guise) has a smaller 325L luggage compartment and the dreaded puncture repair kit although it wins back points for a 40:20:40 split rear seat compared with the Cupra’s 60:40.

The infotainment systems are likely to divide audiences too.

The Audi’s sharp sophisticated system looks great and works as well, complemented by the virtual cockpit driver’s display. The Cupra also has a large central touchscreen and digital instrument cluster from the same parts bin but its function is weirdly different and would take a little getting used to – as would the bizarre typewriter sound effect that accompanies button taps.

Less ambivalent, though, is the driving experience each car offers and the combination of German mechanical engineering that will arrive in almost unchanged form for Australian customers.

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Cruising out onto enticing Cotswolds roads surrounded by the Arcadian vision of English autumn fields in full harvest, I’m carrying a sense of excitement. After all, the Cupra I’m piloting promises, on paper at least, to be a sensation.

But the anticipation turns to nagging disappointment. The 235/35 Hankook Ventus S1 Evo 3 rubber fitted to 19-inch wheels tugs and tramlines around imperfections in the British bitumen, destroying any sense of relaxation. The Audi by comparison can be driven almost hands-off despite the condition of the road, with a stoic fixation on direction.

Add power into the equation and the differences become even starker. With its full 228kW unleashed through just two wheels and without a mechanical limited-slip differential to mediate, the Leon 300 torque-steers like there’s a gale-force wind blowing from the east. The S3 meanwhile cannot be fazed, with all four wheels distributing the same power and torque via a cleverish Haldex system.

The difference in ride quality is similarly polarising, the bespoke Cupra suspension tune conspiring with the low-profile tyres to crash noisily over road scars and tractor damage, in clear contrast to the Audi’s firm but more composed nature.

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At this point, it’s looking like a resounding victory to the Audi and proof that the German manufacturer has mastered everything the MQB Evo platform has to give. But then the roads turn wiggly.

Throw the Cupra into a corner and it suddenly all makes sense. The visible negative camber on the front axle that lends a fidgety nature on straight sections imparts a wonderful positivity and grip in corners and the crashy suspension when loaded becomes utterly sublime, smoothing mid-corner imperfections without a hint of bump-steer and the traction is excellent if not completely infallible.

Open the taps on the 2.0-litre turbo mid-corner and there’s a rapid production of torque. The front wheels will fight you for a line but in the most agreeable and involving manner. Pull the same stunt in the Audi and it’ll lock onto a course with typical Quattro obedience and will exit any given corner with more speed, but not necessarily more theatre.

Both cars get better the harder they are pushed but in completely different ways, the S3 giving the driver more options to negotiate a given corner, while the driver of the Leon needs a strategy planned before entry.

While the Audi has a clear mechanical grip advantage, the Cupra’s steering is its performance centrepiece and completely brilliant. Its copper-badged ergonomic steering wheel manages to be light in the hand but offers a sensitivity and accuracy that is beaten only by the Honda Civic Type R and winding lock on and off through changing bends is wonderfully visceral. Pointing the Audi at corners is not a thankless task but the feedback is mildly numb by comparison.

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As you might expect, the Audi’s Quattro transmission wins the drag race with its 0-100km/h dash completed in a claimed 4.8sec versus the Cupra’s 5.7sec claim. But with less weight to haul, the Cupra feels fastest when up and rolling. Throttle response is similarly rapid but the inertial advantage of the Leon imparts a greater sense of urgency and willingness to go fast.

And while many manufacturers plumb in synthesised or augmented engine sound through the audio system, the S3’s interpretation is one of the very best. Quite how the engineers make a four-cylinder sound like a five-pot is beyond me but bloody hell, it’s effective.

With the latest generation, Audi has struck the best balance of S3 performance and practicality, for the first time delivering the level of driving dynamics that its S badge has always promised. And as an extra bonus, it is now perfectly positioned in the A3 range to not languish in the shadow of the mighty RS3. If there was one car out of this pairing to live with day-to-day and tackle all driving duties, it’s doubtless the Audi.

But its mechanically similar sibling offers something quite different and equally special for an entirely different set of skills. With only two-wheel drive to get its sizeable chunk of power and torque to the road, the result is not a catastrophe of wheelspin and frustration as expected. On the contrary, the Leon's combination of heavily performance-focused suspension tuning, spectacular steering feel and body control makes this newcomer the pick when you want to let your hair down.

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Ultimately though, it is the Leon 300’s pricing that will be the difference between an expensive exercise in standing out from the crowd and the performance bargain of 2022, but even speculative positioning is difficult. It has as much power and performance as the Golf R and S3 but lacks their all-wheel drive and, as a challenger brand to the Australian market, the Cupra Leon flagship lacks premium badge familiarity so simply cannot command as much as its closest performance peers.

If it comes in at $55,000 it’ll be a shade more than the significantly less powerful but hugely popular Golf GTI and exactly the same cash as the resoundingly excellent Honda Civic Type R, which gets exactly the same power and a clever differential, but seriously controversial looks.

But, as the entry Cupra Leon is expected to cost about $40,000, it’s certain the 300 will cost a fair chunk more than that, which means it’ll be more than Hyundai’s i30 N, one of the hot hatch greats.

Ultimately though, it is the Leon 300’s pricing that will be the difference between an expensive exercise in standing out and 2022's performance bargain, but even speculative positioning is difficult.

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It seems impossible, therefore, that this particular hopeful will take the hot hatch market by storm and win over every last fan of the affordable performance car market overnight. But there’s a poetic significance to Cupra. In ancient Greece, the element copper that lends its name to this disruptor brand was used primarily to make mirrors, and this enlightening two-car battle confirms that the incoming Leon 300 has the credentials to make some seriously competent front-drive performance heroes take a long hard look at themselves.

2021 Audi S3 vs Cupra Leon 300 specifications