SEAT Leon Cupra 290
Discussion
So after three years with a 2013 Fiesta ST I decided it was time for a change.
I decided fairly early on I was after another hot hatch before I get too old and have to have a grown up car! I considered the usual suspects: Focus ST (too similar to the fiesta), S3 (too expensive), Golf R (Too common, must see at least 5 a day on the commute!), and the M140i (not a fan of the styling).
After months of deliberating I walked into the local SEAT dealer on a whim having not really thought about the Leon, had a test drive, and I was sold!
Ended up going for a red Leon Cupra 290 3dr (SC) with a manual gearbox and no optional extras.
First impressions were that refinement was in a different league to the fiesta. Everything feels much better screwed together and the interior is definitely a step up from the ford. Standard equipment is really generous: satnav, cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, LED headlights, DAB, Bluetooth and DCC (adaptive dampers) to name but a few!
But how does it drive? After taking it steady for the first 800 miles everything seems to be loosening up nicely. The engines feels really strong all of the time, especially as it gets above 3500rpm (but if anything the ST felt a bit more urgent at lower revs?). Cornering grip is far above what you could ever need on the public road, and the front VAQ diff is great, especially when accelrating hard out of corners (it also does a much better job at reducing torque steer than the fiestas electronic brake based fake diff thing). The DCC damper control is also worth mentioning. You can realy feel the difference between comfort and cupra, so it's just as good at quiet, comfortable motorway miles with the missus as it is making progress on a nice B road (with some nice pops and bangs on the over run!).
So all in all, it's discreet, comfortable, fast, practical, and I'm very happy with it!
Anyway, obligatory photo on a nice road below, thanks for reading!
I decided fairly early on I was after another hot hatch before I get too old and have to have a grown up car! I considered the usual suspects: Focus ST (too similar to the fiesta), S3 (too expensive), Golf R (Too common, must see at least 5 a day on the commute!), and the M140i (not a fan of the styling).
After months of deliberating I walked into the local SEAT dealer on a whim having not really thought about the Leon, had a test drive, and I was sold!
Ended up going for a red Leon Cupra 290 3dr (SC) with a manual gearbox and no optional extras.
First impressions were that refinement was in a different league to the fiesta. Everything feels much better screwed together and the interior is definitely a step up from the ford. Standard equipment is really generous: satnav, cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, LED headlights, DAB, Bluetooth and DCC (adaptive dampers) to name but a few!
But how does it drive? After taking it steady for the first 800 miles everything seems to be loosening up nicely. The engines feels really strong all of the time, especially as it gets above 3500rpm (but if anything the ST felt a bit more urgent at lower revs?). Cornering grip is far above what you could ever need on the public road, and the front VAQ diff is great, especially when accelrating hard out of corners (it also does a much better job at reducing torque steer than the fiestas electronic brake based fake diff thing). The DCC damper control is also worth mentioning. You can realy feel the difference between comfort and cupra, so it's just as good at quiet, comfortable motorway miles with the missus as it is making progress on a nice B road (with some nice pops and bangs on the over run!).
So all in all, it's discreet, comfortable, fast, practical, and I'm very happy with it!
Anyway, obligatory photo on a nice road below, thanks for reading!
Interesting thread for me this...............I had a mountuned Fiesta ST a couple of years ago and really regret selling it, I adored the little thing. And that's despite "upgrading" to an F10 M5.
M5 has now gone, and I have a Cupra 290 DSG black on order for December delivery.
Can you confirm how the Cupra compares to the ST in the twisty back roads? As I said I loved the ST and if the Cupra is 90% as good as the ST, I will love it.
Cheers
M5 has now gone, and I have a Cupra 290 DSG black on order for December delivery.
Can you confirm how the Cupra compares to the ST in the twisty back roads? As I said I loved the ST and if the Cupra is 90% as good as the ST, I will love it.
Cheers
spookly said:
Nice. I was weighing up between a Cupra ST 290 and a Golf R Estate.
In the end, the extra kit on the Golf, and some very good deals that made the price difference negligible meant I went for the Golf. Still like the Seat though.
You don't get 'proper' extra kit on the golf...you do on these lol. Winter pack/adaptive cruise is the only thing I can think of that's on FY16 cars.In the end, the extra kit on the Golf, and some very good deals that made the price difference negligible meant I went for the Golf. Still like the Seat though.
Edited by Jonno02 on Friday 7th October 16:46
T0M said:
Golf gets nav and heated seats/screen as standard these days too
Yep, also gets DSG as standard (no manual option) on the Estate R.Can't remember what was standard on the 290 ST, but the Golf R Estate has: DSG, ACC, Nav, 4wd, winter pack inc heated seats, frameless rearview mirror.
MOBB said:
Interesting thread for me this...............I had a mountuned Fiesta ST a couple of years ago and really regret selling it, I adored the little thing. And that's despite "upgrading" to an F10 M5.
M5 has now gone, and I have a Cupra 290 DSG black on order for December delivery.
Can you confirm how the Cupra compares to the ST in the twisty back roads? As I said I loved the ST and if the Cupra is 90% as good as the ST, I will love it.
Cheers
I'd be very interested to see how they compare too. Any updates now you're a bit further down the line with the car? Do you find the traction in the wet acceptable?M5 has now gone, and I have a Cupra 290 DSG black on order for December delivery.
Can you confirm how the Cupra compares to the ST in the twisty back roads? As I said I loved the ST and if the Cupra is 90% as good as the ST, I will love it.
Cheers
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