VW Golf R Estate or Seat Leon ST Cupra? Which one?
Discussion
Hey everyone
Need bit of help and advice.
I've narrowed down my choice of new car to few cars, mainly the VW Golf R Estate or Seat Leon ST Cupra.
Can anyone help me decide on which to get, price is about the same, although would get slightly newer Leon for same price over the VW, both 66 plates.
They both look great and very capable of being a family car. We are upgrading from Volvo V40 d3 rdesign which is great car but just too small, especially the boot when we were going away and bit small in the back if you have baby seat and two adults so we thought estate is way to go. Also like the rarity nature of both of these cars, don't see many on the road.
Is the 4 wheel drive VW worth getting over the 2 wheel Leon? Any other pros and cons of either car?
Also how do you find insurance on both of these? I know it's subjective to person to person insurance but just trying to get rough idea.
I want to try and buy right and not have to change car for while after this one, only had Volvo 2.5 years and we realised it wasn't big enough for our needs really, so basically the car we get we would keep for a while.
Thank you all
Need bit of help and advice.
I've narrowed down my choice of new car to few cars, mainly the VW Golf R Estate or Seat Leon ST Cupra.
Can anyone help me decide on which to get, price is about the same, although would get slightly newer Leon for same price over the VW, both 66 plates.
They both look great and very capable of being a family car. We are upgrading from Volvo V40 d3 rdesign which is great car but just too small, especially the boot when we were going away and bit small in the back if you have baby seat and two adults so we thought estate is way to go. Also like the rarity nature of both of these cars, don't see many on the road.
Is the 4 wheel drive VW worth getting over the 2 wheel Leon? Any other pros and cons of either car?
Also how do you find insurance on both of these? I know it's subjective to person to person insurance but just trying to get rough idea.
I want to try and buy right and not have to change car for while after this one, only had Volvo 2.5 years and we realised it wasn't big enough for our needs really, so basically the car we get we would keep for a while.
Thank you all
If you’re looking at 66 plates, you may able to get a brand new car for a similar price (or indeed less if you’re looking at financing it). Check the offers via carwow and drivethedeal.
Personally Id take the Golf R, although I had a 5 day test drive of the Seat Leon ST and it was nice although I found it had too much road noise.
Personally Id take the Golf R, although I had a 5 day test drive of the Seat Leon ST and it was nice although I found it had too much road noise.
I own a Cupra 300 ST, and have had some seat time in a Golf R.
For me, it would be the Golf every time. The Cupra struggles with traction in typical British conditions when you’re pushing on, and suffers from quite severe axle trap at times. Well documented on the net.
The forums seems to suggest the Cupra has a cheaper front sub frame / engine mount set up than the Golf R / Audi S3? Which might be part of the problem.
In wet, cold, damp or bumpy conditions etc, the AWD Golf is much quicker and more accomplished. I also think it looks and sounds better, but I suppose that’s a subjective.
Do it properly, get the Golf. They’re more expensive than an equivalent age Cupra, but I think they’re more expensive for a reason.
For me, it would be the Golf every time. The Cupra struggles with traction in typical British conditions when you’re pushing on, and suffers from quite severe axle trap at times. Well documented on the net.
The forums seems to suggest the Cupra has a cheaper front sub frame / engine mount set up than the Golf R / Audi S3? Which might be part of the problem.
In wet, cold, damp or bumpy conditions etc, the AWD Golf is much quicker and more accomplished. I also think it looks and sounds better, but I suppose that’s a subjective.
Do it properly, get the Golf. They’re more expensive than an equivalent age Cupra, but I think they’re more expensive for a reason.
The Voice said:
I own a Cupra 300 ST, and have had some seat time in a Golf R.
For me, it would be the Golf every time. The Cupra struggles with traction in typical British conditions when you’re pushing on, and suffers from quite severe axle trap at times. Well documented on the net.
The forums seems to suggest the Cupra has a cheaper front sub frame / engine mount set up than the Golf R / Audi S3? Which might be part of the problem.
In wet, cold, damp or bumpy conditions etc, the AWD Golf is much quicker and more accomplished. I also think it looks and sounds better, but I suppose that’s a subjective.
Do it properly, get the Golf. They’re more expensive than an equivalent age Cupra, but I think they’re more expensive for a reason.
Cool. It was a 290 Cupra ST black edition I was looking at, do these suffer with same issue you mention? Both of them were same price with the golf being few months older.For me, it would be the Golf every time. The Cupra struggles with traction in typical British conditions when you’re pushing on, and suffers from quite severe axle trap at times. Well documented on the net.
The forums seems to suggest the Cupra has a cheaper front sub frame / engine mount set up than the Golf R / Audi S3? Which might be part of the problem.
In wet, cold, damp or bumpy conditions etc, the AWD Golf is much quicker and more accomplished. I also think it looks and sounds better, but I suppose that’s a subjective.
Do it properly, get the Golf. They’re more expensive than an equivalent age Cupra, but I think they’re more expensive for a reason.
Gonna have test drive of both and see which we like but the 4wd is a big draw for me over the Cupra
tickedon said:
If you’re looking at 66 plates, you may able to get a brand new car for a similar price (or indeed less if you’re looking at financing it). Check the offers via carwow and drivethedeal.
Personally Id take the Golf R, although I had a 5 day test drive of the Seat Leon ST and it was nice although I found it had too much road noise.
Will have a look thanks.Personally Id take the Golf R, although I had a 5 day test drive of the Seat Leon ST and it was nice although I found it had too much road noise.
How do you find cars like this depreciate or hold their value considering that they are little more rare on our roads?
I have a Golf R Estate and it's an excellent all-rounder. You can definitely feel the AWD doing it's thing as you pull out of junctions. Certainly compared to my other car:
Insurance I have found very cheap - admittedly I'm 45, live in a good area and garage it, plus insure on a low mileage, but £210 a year seems a bargain!
For comparison the Focus is about £350 though it's mildly modified and has my elderly father as a named driver, which would have made the Golf £400.
Insurance I have found very cheap - admittedly I'm 45, live in a good area and garage it, plus insure on a low mileage, but £210 a year seems a bargain!
For comparison the Focus is about £350 though it's mildly modified and has my elderly father as a named driver, which would have made the Golf £400.
Turnip Farmer said:
Cool. It was a 290 Cupra ST black edition I was looking at, do these suffer with same issue you mention? Both of them were same price with the golf being few months older.
Gonna have test drive of both and see which we like but the 4wd is a big draw for me over the Cupra
Golf R all day long. Quicker, 4WD, nicer interior and better residuals at 5 years I would guess as just more desirable. Can't see any reason to go for the Seat personally other than to be 'different'?.Gonna have test drive of both and see which we like but the 4wd is a big draw for me over the Cupra
As suggested though make sure you check that you can't get a brand new one on PCP for cheaper than you would be paying for used.
Edited by SWoll on Friday 22 February 08:46
SWoll said:
Golf R all day long. Quicker, 4WD, nicer interior and better residuals at 5 years I would guess as just more desirable. Can't see any reason to go for the Seat personally other than to be 'different'?.
Just to throw a curve ball, Seat being a little more of a sleeper, less likely to get nicked?SWoll said:
Turnip Farmer said:
Cool. It was a 290 Cupra ST black edition I was looking at, do these suffer with same issue you mention? Both of them were same price with the golf being few months older.
Gonna have test drive of both and see which we like but the 4wd is a big draw for me over the Cupra
Golf R all day long. Quicker, 4WD, nicer interior and better residuals at 5 years I would guess as just more desirable. Can't see any reason to go for the Seat personally other than to be 'different'?.Gonna have test drive of both and see which we like but the 4wd is a big draw for me over the Cupra
As suggested though make sure you check that you can't get a brand new one on PCP for cheaper than you would be paying for used.
Edited by SWoll on Friday 22 February 08:46
I have had both of the cars you are thinking about and I would probably go Golf R if trying to decide which one to buy again.
I had the Golf R Estate (2016 '16 plate version) for 2 years and approx. 24k miles and it was a reliable, quick and great family car. It even sounded good (in my view) and was louder than the hatch version as far as I could tell - something to do with the longer exhausts apparently.
The Leon Cupra ST 300 I have had since the end of May last year and it is now approaching 11k miles. It's also a good car and has been reliable, quick and practical. However, in my view, 3 major things let it down.
The first is the traction which is a pain in the backside - honestly anything other than a light prod of the throttle in 1st gear will have it spinning up the front wheels and this continues well into second gear if the roads are even slightly damp. The second issue is the "wheel hop" which is genuinely awful as any reasonable level of acceleration combined with even small bumps in the road cause the car to feel like it is crashing into something. The third issue is that it makes virtually no noise inside or outside of the cabin. Some people may actually prefer that but I wish it sounded better. Ironically, my wife has a Leon 300 hatch and it sounds far better with a much fruitier exhaust note.
I personally think that the Leon ST is a better looking estate car than the Golf R estate. However, the Golf's more utilitarian boot shape makes it more practical than the Leon so the compromise on the looks is worth it for the better practicality offered by the Golf.
Fuel economy wise (which you may not be concerned about), I have found the Leon to be better than the Golf. I think this is helped by the fact that it is lighter and also a manual. My Golf's lifetime average over the 24k miles was just under 31mpg. My Leon's is sitting at 33mpg. Also, in the Leon's defense, it feels lighter than the Golf and is much better through the bends and roundabouts than the Golf which always felt heavy to me. However, as a daily or family car, I'm not sure that really matters all that much.
Tyres on the Golf all wore out nice an evenly (proving the 4wd is working) by about 17k miles for me. The Leon needed new front tyres just before 10k miles but rears (perhaps obviously) will last a lot longer.
My Leon will be due to go back to Seat next summer and I could consider buying it from them but, to be honest, I think I may be looking to be getting back into a Golf R Estate again, whether used or new. I should have probably bought that car from VW instead of swapping for the Seat.
My view, get the Golf R Estate.
I had the Golf R Estate (2016 '16 plate version) for 2 years and approx. 24k miles and it was a reliable, quick and great family car. It even sounded good (in my view) and was louder than the hatch version as far as I could tell - something to do with the longer exhausts apparently.
The Leon Cupra ST 300 I have had since the end of May last year and it is now approaching 11k miles. It's also a good car and has been reliable, quick and practical. However, in my view, 3 major things let it down.
The first is the traction which is a pain in the backside - honestly anything other than a light prod of the throttle in 1st gear will have it spinning up the front wheels and this continues well into second gear if the roads are even slightly damp. The second issue is the "wheel hop" which is genuinely awful as any reasonable level of acceleration combined with even small bumps in the road cause the car to feel like it is crashing into something. The third issue is that it makes virtually no noise inside or outside of the cabin. Some people may actually prefer that but I wish it sounded better. Ironically, my wife has a Leon 300 hatch and it sounds far better with a much fruitier exhaust note.
I personally think that the Leon ST is a better looking estate car than the Golf R estate. However, the Golf's more utilitarian boot shape makes it more practical than the Leon so the compromise on the looks is worth it for the better practicality offered by the Golf.
Fuel economy wise (which you may not be concerned about), I have found the Leon to be better than the Golf. I think this is helped by the fact that it is lighter and also a manual. My Golf's lifetime average over the 24k miles was just under 31mpg. My Leon's is sitting at 33mpg. Also, in the Leon's defense, it feels lighter than the Golf and is much better through the bends and roundabouts than the Golf which always felt heavy to me. However, as a daily or family car, I'm not sure that really matters all that much.
Tyres on the Golf all wore out nice an evenly (proving the 4wd is working) by about 17k miles for me. The Leon needed new front tyres just before 10k miles but rears (perhaps obviously) will last a lot longer.
My Leon will be due to go back to Seat next summer and I could consider buying it from them but, to be honest, I think I may be looking to be getting back into a Golf R Estate again, whether used or new. I should have probably bought that car from VW instead of swapping for the Seat.
My view, get the Golf R Estate.
Johnnytheboy said:
Denno B said:
Just to throw a curve ball, Seat being a little more of a sleeper, less likely to get nicked?
I'm guessing from his name the OP doesn't live in either Birmingham or Greater Manchester, where they all seem to get nicked from? madmatteo said:
I have had both of the cars you are thinking about and I would probably go Golf R if trying to decide which one to buy again.
I had the Golf R Estate (2016 '16 plate version) for 2 years and approx. 24k miles and it was a reliable, quick and great family car. It even sounded good (in my view) and was louder than the hatch version as far as I could tell - something to do with the longer exhausts apparently.
The Leon Cupra ST 300 I have had since the end of May last year and it is now approaching 11k miles. It's also a good car and has been reliable, quick and practical. However, in my view, 3 major things let it down.
The first is the traction which is a pain in the backside - honestly anything other than a light prod of the throttle in 1st gear will have it spinning up the front wheels and this continues well into second gear if the roads are even slightly damp. The second issue is the "wheel hop" which is genuinely awful as any reasonable level of acceleration combined with even small bumps in the road cause the car to feel like it is crashing into something. The third issue is that it makes virtually no noise inside or outside of the cabin. Some people may actually prefer that but I wish it sounded better. Ironically, my wife has a Leon 300 hatch and it sounds far better with a much fruitier exhaust note.
I personally think that the Leon ST is a better looking estate car than the Golf R estate. However, the Golf's more utilitarian boot shape makes it more practical than the Leon so the compromise on the looks is worth it for the better practicality offered by the Golf.
Fuel economy wise (which you may not be concerned about), I have found the Leon to be better than the Golf. I think this is helped by the fact that it is lighter and also a manual. My Golf's lifetime average over the 24k miles was just under 31mpg. My Leon's is sitting at 33mpg. Also, in the Leon's defense, it feels lighter than the Golf and is much better through the bends and roundabouts than the Golf which always felt heavy to me. However, as a daily or family car, I'm not sure that really matters all that much.
Tyres on the Golf all wore out nice an evenly (proving the 4wd is working) by about 17k miles for me. The Leon needed new front tyres just before 10k miles but rears (perhaps obviously) will last a lot longer.
My Leon will be due to go back to Seat next summer and I could consider buying it from them but, to be honest, I think I may be looking to be getting back into a Golf R Estate again, whether used or new. I should have probably bought that car from VW instead of swapping for the Seat.
My view, get the Golf R Estate.
Many thanks for the information mate. Yeah a lot of people saying similar things that the golf is more refined and planted, positives in my view. Can you remember what tyres were on golf from new and any recommend options to look out for on 2nd ones?I had the Golf R Estate (2016 '16 plate version) for 2 years and approx. 24k miles and it was a reliable, quick and great family car. It even sounded good (in my view) and was louder than the hatch version as far as I could tell - something to do with the longer exhausts apparently.
The Leon Cupra ST 300 I have had since the end of May last year and it is now approaching 11k miles. It's also a good car and has been reliable, quick and practical. However, in my view, 3 major things let it down.
The first is the traction which is a pain in the backside - honestly anything other than a light prod of the throttle in 1st gear will have it spinning up the front wheels and this continues well into second gear if the roads are even slightly damp. The second issue is the "wheel hop" which is genuinely awful as any reasonable level of acceleration combined with even small bumps in the road cause the car to feel like it is crashing into something. The third issue is that it makes virtually no noise inside or outside of the cabin. Some people may actually prefer that but I wish it sounded better. Ironically, my wife has a Leon 300 hatch and it sounds far better with a much fruitier exhaust note.
I personally think that the Leon ST is a better looking estate car than the Golf R estate. However, the Golf's more utilitarian boot shape makes it more practical than the Leon so the compromise on the looks is worth it for the better practicality offered by the Golf.
Fuel economy wise (which you may not be concerned about), I have found the Leon to be better than the Golf. I think this is helped by the fact that it is lighter and also a manual. My Golf's lifetime average over the 24k miles was just under 31mpg. My Leon's is sitting at 33mpg. Also, in the Leon's defense, it feels lighter than the Golf and is much better through the bends and roundabouts than the Golf which always felt heavy to me. However, as a daily or family car, I'm not sure that really matters all that much.
Tyres on the Golf all wore out nice an evenly (proving the 4wd is working) by about 17k miles for me. The Leon needed new front tyres just before 10k miles but rears (perhaps obviously) will last a lot longer.
My Leon will be due to go back to Seat next summer and I could consider buying it from them but, to be honest, I think I may be looking to be getting back into a Golf R Estate again, whether used or new. I should have probably bought that car from VW instead of swapping for the Seat.
My view, get the Golf R Estate.
I was in a similar position last year - new Golf R estate or Leon Cupra estate
Found the Golf just too chintzy inside - as if VW were trying too hard to try and justify the price - found the Leon interior a little plainer and for me, all the better for it
Clincher for me was a deal on a Cupra ST 4Drive - when looking at PCH costs it came in about £60 per month cheaper than an R estate with 19" alloys and adaptive dampers - only thing the R had that the Cupra did not have was adaptive cruise - something I hate with a passion anyway
8 months in and the ST 4Drive is loosening up nicely, no squeaks or rattles and flies beneath the radar quite nicely
Found the Golf just too chintzy inside - as if VW were trying too hard to try and justify the price - found the Leon interior a little plainer and for me, all the better for it
Clincher for me was a deal on a Cupra ST 4Drive - when looking at PCH costs it came in about £60 per month cheaper than an R estate with 19" alloys and adaptive dampers - only thing the R had that the Cupra did not have was adaptive cruise - something I hate with a passion anyway
8 months in and the ST 4Drive is loosening up nicely, no squeaks or rattles and flies beneath the radar quite nicely
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Many thanks for the information mate. Yeah a lot of people saying similar things that the golf is more refined and planted, positives in my view. Can you remember what tyres were on golf from new and any recommend options to look out for on 2nd ones?
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My Golf R Estate came with Bridgestones which were average at best (albeit the 4wd traction did a good job of hiding how average they were) but I changed to Goodyear Eagle F1 Asy 3s which were significantly better and gave far more grip. In fact, I have just changed the Leon's front tyres from the Conti Sport Contact 5Ps it came with to the same Eagle F1s as the Golf. Much better than the Contis so far, especially in the damp and wet.
I understand that Michelin Pilot Sport 4S and Super Sports are better still but they were quite a lot more than the Goodyears when I was looking (about £30 to £40 per tyre more). I got Kwik Fit to fit the recent Goodyears on my drive at home for £134 (inc VAT) each for the 19s on the Leon. I didn't think that was a bad price at all. Those tyres for the Golf on 18s (as mine had) should be cheaper still.
Turnip Farmer said:
We are upgrading from Volvo V40 d3 rdesign which is great car but just too small, especially the boot when we were going away and bit small in the back if you have baby seat and two adults so we thought estate is way to go.
I've been taking my partner and child halfway across the country on trips for years in my Mini. Just had to look for a laugh...Volvo V40 D3 R-Design - Luggage Capacity: 402 litres
MINI Cooper S - Luggage Capacity: 150 litres
Must try harder lol
anyway personally I'd go for the Golf, I really love a fast estate. Parked next to a white one the other week and the want was hard!Gilhooligan said:
Have you considered the 4drive Cupra ST? Don’t know much about them but aren’t they basically a Golf R underneath.
This. I've got a Leon ST Cupra 300 4Drive Carbon Edition (what a mouthful!), puts its power down as well as the Golf and looks much better and more of a sleeper.Could have bought either, went for the Seat for styling, rarity (my Carbon is one of only 42 in the UK and no more buit) and interior trim.
Try both, but make sure you compare the 4Drive DSG against the R for a more even playing field. Basically the same car underneath!
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