RE: PH Fleet: SEAT Leon Cupra R

RE: PH Fleet: SEAT Leon Cupra R

Tuesday 20th December 2011

PH Fleet: SEAT Leon Cupra R

Racing Pete bids farewell to his hot Leon



A few years ago I was lucky enough to get to drive the most expensive SEAT in the range and it was a strange but very enjoyable experience. But it was a trip to the dark side at the wheel of a diesel-powered SEAT Leon world touring car. There are FR-branded road equivalents but, though interesting, to my mind a proper hot hatch runs on petrol and to cleanse myself a year with a Leon Cupra R was prescribed.

A year down the line it is time to say goodbye to the bright yellow R and I am a little upset to see it go. With a back catalogue of, and preference for, rear-drive machines I thought the parting would be one of the easiest, but the Cupra has a certain charm that gets under your skin.

Hottest Leon is great value for money
Hottest Leon is great value for money
Lost in translation
It isn't without a few niggles though. The sat-nav system dropped out of school before gaining its geography certification, as our competition winners found on a trip to Geneva earlier this year. Also the boot does have a little width problem compared with its competitors - but you forgive these minor indiscretions when you have 265hp beneath your foot, and twin pipes noisily playing behind you.

Take it down a B-road and you will be accelerating towards the horizon at hooligan speeds in no time. Fling it into an apex and the front is responsive enough to let you place the nose where you want, and on a dry road doesn't wash out under acceleration. It also achieves this with a subtle ride that handles the bumps well through town and is softer than the Focus RS, for which the chassis engineers deserve praise.

Cop-baiting foglights thankfully extinguished
Cop-baiting foglights thankfully extinguished
We fought the law
The colour is a little loud, so it isn't exactly the most inconspicuous car to fly through the countryside. Having a clean licence, I was hoping for another year of trouble-free motoring, but in the final week of Cupra ownership I saw blue lights in the mirror and had to pull over.

The officer approached the window and went through the standard 'is this your car?' spiel before delivering the reason for the chat. I had been caught red-handed driving around with one fog light on through Kingston town centre. Now, the front foglights look is a common - and annoying - enough sight around town among the bass box brigade, but not one adopted by a respectable citizen like myself.

"They are driving lights," I insisted. "They come on when you turn a sharp corner." I was permitted to demonstrate it and "I've never seen that before" surprise was expressed, with a comment that they were a little bright but I was sent on my way with no further action.

Shiny-backed seats an ... acquired taste
Shiny-backed seats an ... acquired taste
Tearful goodbyes
The farewell weekend for the car was, appropriately, the trip to the PistonHeads annual dinner in Gloucestershire, with a final fling across twisty cross country roads. With the sat-nav set to a location possibly near the venue, the car then pointed me to some awesome country lanes. The traction control left on, as it never intrudes, a full tank and empty roads and the car was back in its element - leaving me with a smile on my face and late to the dinner through over (driving) indulgence.

Riggers predicted back in October that the Cupra would be one of those forgotten hothatches. In 10 years' time would people talk of the Cupra R in the same sentence as the Focus RS or classics such as the Golf GTI? I probably don't think so, but then the Spanish manufacturer has done a great job with this car, if not made it excel in one area.

As such it remains a bit of a need-to-know car and, if we keep that information to ourselves, the crowds can follow the predictable choices, leaving the Cupra R as a bit of a bargain for those in the know. 265hp for £25K new is awesome value - give it a year and they're down to the high teens. I say get one!


FACT SHEET
Car:
2011 SEAT Leon Cupra R
Run by: Racing Pete
On fleet since: December 2010
Mileage: 18,373
List price new: £27,235 (inc. £1,350 Technology pack with nav, Bluetooth, parking sensors,etc and £655 for sunroof)
Last month at a glance: Bit of bother from the cops over the corner-sensing driving lights and a final send-off drive to BTaP...


PREVIOUS REPORTS:

The Leon arrives on the PH Fleet

Pete's SEAT springs an embarrassing leak

To the Geneva show in the Cupra R

Leon Cupra R vs Chris R's C63 AMG

Summer fun in the SEAT

Cupra R: it's no Golf (cart)

Forgotten hot hatches


 

 

 

 

 

 

Author
Discussion

ThomDean

Original Poster:

56 posts

153 months

Tuesday 20th December 2011
quotequote all
Thats a very good looking car. I wonder how many sales are lost to badge-snobbery?

Cupradan

42 posts

150 months

Tuesday 20th December 2011
quotequote all
I've only got the "watered" down cupra and I still love it to bits. I've never had that with any of the other cars I have owned. Highlight of the year was a journey to the nurburgring. Plans for next year is Revo stage 1. Power from 240hp to 300hp!

biggrin

djfaulkner

1,103 posts

217 months

Tuesday 20th December 2011
quotequote all
On fleet since: December 2011 - not had it long then?

BigTom85

1,927 posts

170 months

Tuesday 20th December 2011
quotequote all
I like these latest Cupras. The earlier version had a horrible dash, the climate controls in particular were nasty.



vs



A small detail but it makes all the difference!

I agree the boot is a bit pants though, and a colleague had a PD140 Leon Sport that was full of rattles by 40k miles.

I certainly would consider one.

Edited by BigTom85 on Tuesday 20th December 17:00

ThomDean

Original Poster:

56 posts

153 months

Tuesday 20th December 2011
quotequote all
I like the perforated leather steering wheel. Gorgeous.

soad

32,804 posts

175 months

Tuesday 20th December 2011
quotequote all
What the shiny-backed seats for?
To attract many a fingerprints? hehe



Edited by soad on Tuesday 20th December 17:39

P K Wright

364 posts

160 months

Tuesday 20th December 2011
quotequote all
Give it a clean before you take pictures next time! Good write up though.

Mastodon2

13,818 posts

164 months

Tuesday 20th December 2011
quotequote all
I had a modified Cupra R 225 (which imo was a better looking car than the one that replaced it) and it was great. Still don't see that many Cupra R 225s about, I've only ever seen one of the latest Cupra Rs out on the road, they are as rare as any hot hatch gets that is currently on sale!

SR06

749 posts

185 months

Tuesday 20th December 2011
quotequote all
Ive had 2x LCR 210'S, 1x LCR 225 and 1x Ibiza Cupra R so popped along to my local when the new Cupra R came out. Sat on the drivers seat and jumped out after a few seconds...the dash is shocking and interior plastics are pretty bad.

frankthetank2

625 posts

183 months

Tuesday 20th December 2011
quotequote all
i got pulled for front fogs on the other day... waste of time

gavner81

58 posts

179 months

Tuesday 20th December 2011
quotequote all
frankthetank2 said:
i got pulled for front fogs on the other day... waste of time
the front fogs on the girlfriends mk6 Golf GT also sense steering movements, iluminating the apex of a corner at low speeds . She didnt realise this and when she first got it in 2009, Lincolnshire Police pulled her over. She was admant she hadn't switched the fogs on. Fortunately she wasn't prosecuted. Hopefully the cops are getting wise to this.


gsrgeoff

258 posts

229 months

Tuesday 20th December 2011
quotequote all
I have the 242 bhp 2010 Cupra (Remapped to 300bhp).
A superb all round hot hatch (and i've had a few over the last 20 years).

Interior is far better then the pre-facelift model. It's quick, handles superb and returns over 30mpg.

Probably the most understated hot hatrch out there at present - I wish one of the car mags would do a hot hatch group test with the Cupra R, Golf R, Focus Cosworth & Megane 250.

Baryonyx

17,988 posts

158 months

Tuesday 20th December 2011
quotequote all
frankthetank2 said:
i got pulled for front fogs on the other day... waste of time
My MR2 Turbo has that feature, though it's activated by flicking a switch on the dash. Not the sort of thing I'd use though, daft idea.

matty_doh

796 posts

177 months

Tuesday 20th December 2011
quotequote all
gsrgeoff said:
I have the 242 bhp 2010 Cupra (Remapped to 300bhp).
A superb all round hot hatch (and i've had a few over the last 20 years).

Interior is far better then the pre-facelift model. It's quick, handles superb and returns over 30mpg.

Probably the most understated hot hatrch out there at present - I wish one of the car mags would do a hot hatch group test with the Cupra R, Golf R, Focus Cosworth & Megane 250.
Evo did one, though with a Golf GTI instead of Golf R.

Clicky

gsrgeoff

258 posts

229 months

Tuesday 20th December 2011
quotequote all
matty_doh said:
Evo did one, though with a Golf GTI instead of Golf R.

Clicky
Thanks - interesting reading - The Cupra R is the quickest on laptime and 0-100 out of the 4 of them, but is dismissed on its road credentials.

I'd take one over a Megane anyday, although I do prefer the looks of the RS.

cutslick

18 posts

179 months

Tuesday 20th December 2011
quotequote all
frankthetank2 said:
i got pulled for front fogs on the other day... waste of time
Was it foggy?

kayzee

2,773 posts

180 months

Wednesday 21st December 2011
quotequote all
Couldn't live with the looks of these unfortunately, just hideous imo. One of the worst cars in white as well, which for some reason seems to be the most common colour I've seen.

Still better than the older Megane though, but then, that's not hard.

Sure it's a great car though, built on a good basis. I love the old ones, would certainly consider them in the future. Almost had an Ibiza Cupra at one point, are these just as tunable?

Cupradan

42 posts

150 months

Wednesday 21st December 2011
quotequote all
kayzee said:
Couldn't live with the looks of these unfortunately, just hideous imo. One of the worst cars in white as well, which for some reason seems to be the most common colour I've seen.

Still better than the older Megane though, but then, that's not hard.

Sure it's a great car though, built on a good basis. I love the old ones, would certainly consider them in the future. Almost had an Ibiza Cupra at one point, are these just as tunable?
If you mean the 1.8 20v petrol, then you can get some good figures out. I think with the new twin charged 1.4's it's restricted a lot by the gearbox which is DSG with no option of a manual. They are rated at 180bhp but I know a few people who have dyno'd theirs and are pumping out nearer to 200bhp! They are pretty quick as standrad. A remap gets you to 230 IIRC

Cupramax

10,468 posts

251 months

Wednesday 21st December 2011
quotequote all
RacingPete said:
List price new: £27,235 (inc. £1,350 Technology pack with nav, Bluetooth, parking sensors,etc and £655 for sunroof)
Its really mental when you think the mk1 Cupra R was £16,999. Suppose it was ten years ago but still a 60% ish increase. Pretty much agree with the other posters, loved my mk1 but the mk2 is just hideous to look at inside and out.

CptDangerous

52 posts

152 months

Friday 23rd December 2011
quotequote all
BigTom85 said:
I agree the boot is a bit pants though

No problems with the boot space in these Cupras - here's a photo of mine in the car park at B&Q on Monday night with a fireplace in it!



And that was after the bloke inside B&Q had deadpan insisted there was "no way you'll fit that in a Leon but if you insist on buying it then you've got 45 days to try and get it in your car before you return it"