PH Fleet Update: Seat Leon Cupra R
Ill-fitting golf bags and motorway munching for the bright yellow Seat
Having grown up from the age of 9 on the golf course (Ah yes, the famous 'wild child of hole 8' - Ed) I often carry my bag in the back of my car, and so this recent trend is a boon to me.
Or it ought to be, After a break playing other sports I decided to start hitting small balls around again and grabbed my clubs to stick in the back of the PH Fleet Seat Leon Cupra R. To my surprise, no matter which way I manipulated the golf bag I just couldn't get it to fit.
Having taken out the driver I got the bag in the boot, but this still left the task of fitting in the big stick somewhere. Using the cavity behind the light unit I discovered I could get the thing to fit, but this caused another problem. Repeated use of the light space meant that the bulbs were being bumped a little too often than their usual life requires of them. Eventually the rear brake light gave up the ghost and decided to fail. Oh dear.
Parked next to another punter in his older Fiesta trying to do the same bulb replacing task I peered into the space to see what tools I needed. Fortunately the dexterity of thumb and finger was all that was needed to remove the bulb holders, swap the old with the new and pop back in place. If I had a Formula One pit crew working on the tires I would have held my hand out before the final wheel man had done his nut up.
As I drove away I saw the poor Fiesta owner drop another screw on the floor while I set about enjoying what the Seat does best - fun, fast and hot hatch motoring - though that hatch just needs to be a little bigger.
Riggers writes...
As a fast motorway cruiser, apart from a moderately annoying flutter of wind noise from around the door mirrors and a frankly horribly dated dashboard, the Cupra is a pretty darn effective tool. It has fantastic seats, a great deal of gutsy, long-legged pace and isn't even too thirsty on fuel (from a PH point of view, of course).
Whether it cuts it as a decent hot hatch, however, I'm not so sure. It might be the most powerful roadgoing Seat ever, but for a brand whose strap line is 'Auto Emocion' it can be a curiously un-engaging car when you find an empty road with twisty bits in it.
It's not that it isn't fun, it's just that it isn't as much fun as you'd hope it to be. And in a bright yellow Seat, that just doesn't seem quite right.
Previous updates:
PH Fleet Update: Seat Cupra R
Geneva Show - From The Hot SEAT
PH Fleet Update: Merc C63 AMG And Leon Cupra R
PH Fleet Update: SEAT Leon Cupra R
PH Fleet: SEAT Leon Cupra R
It is an excellent hot hatch. Better than many others we trialed. It's also at 100k not put one mechanical foot wrong.
It's been driven at high speed for 25 minutes at a time regularly. It's been thrashed from cold when needed.
It at the top end has lost 1 -2mph off the top end.
It grips and grips better than our 330's. It's planted at very high speed.
I could never own it as having driven it in pursuits on calls i would lose my licence.
It still makes me smile to drive it.
It also goes faster than book.
It is an excellent hot hatch. Better than many others we trialed. It's also at 100k not put one mechanical foot wrong.
It's been driven at high speed for 25 minutes at a time regularly. It's been thrashed from cold when needed.
It at the top end has lost 1 -2mph off the top end.
It grips and grips better than our 330's. It's planted at very high speed.
I could never own it as having driven it in pursuits on calls i would lose my licence. O
It still makes me smile to drive it.
It also goes faster than book.
I agree the dash is ugly as sin but all the tactile stuff, steering wheel, seats etc are spot on.
Whilst not an "R" I had the use of a mk2 cupra for about 8 months and couldn't really fault it. Not a car I would usually have found myself in but circumstances were such.
With the exception of the Megane, in my opinion they are a much better drivers car than those you mentioned; ample power for a hot hatch and nimble handling and the brakes would have put you through the windscreen!
If you can deal with the badge snobbery they are a great hot hatch and very under rated IMO.
First time I did the 'brake test' in mine I thought it was going to do a stoppie. The front discs are enormous.
The SEAT was great to be honest - 100% reliable, quick enough, I was able to get the family and luggage in for holidays.
After an Elise nothing feels great in regards to steering and feel but nevertheless I would throughly recommend one.
with LSD it can really attach the corner well and it's ability to change direction is what stands out for me. Check the footage of the 265 Trophy making a Ring record going for the fastest FWD car ever!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKyfmUJUzK8
Also the handling just doesn't have the adjustability of cars like a Focus or new Megane. Loads of grip, but eventually the car will just understeer and all you can do is back off.
The centre console isn't great. Too much cheap hard plastic, but don't forget the Cupra was a good £8K cheaper than an S3.
With the lovely seats you have in the R, it's a bit rubbish to look forward and see this awful expanse of grey plastic:
Though it looks much better with the satnav:
Or does yours have he newer dash like this?:
Whatever it has, the line below the satnav unit really doesn't work for me. If it had been more in line it would have looked better, but then maybe a little too similar to the Golf and Octavia?
You can pick up quite a bargain in the Cupra department now though:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...
240bhp, 24k, £8950. It's even the same colour!
For me, the mk2 is just too big, i was unfortunate enough to have a '10 plate 1.6d ecomotive version as a courtesy car whilst my mk1 R was in for warranty work. It was awful, huge plasticky dash, and the mk1 isnt a paragon of design, it did seem much better. Plus, the supposedly 'eco' diesel only managed 45mpg on the motorway, and could barely pull the skin off a rice pudding!
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