2020 Seat Leon Cupra 290
Discussion
After much deliberating about balancing speed with economy and usability, I settled on acquiring a 2020 Seat Leon Cupra 290.
I couldn't find a great amount of detail about this car and peoples experiences of using it on a daily basis, so I will be documenting running costs and its ability to be used as a daily.
First a bit on me and my car history - I have always been a petrol head, but a long commute and having a mortgage in recent years has forced me to have a more sensible vehicle. I couldn't wait to get into something that didn't require an airstrip of clear road to over take!
Car history since passing in 2009:
2007 Renault Clio
2006 Ford Fiesta Zetec S
2008 Ford Fiesta ST500
2005 Nissan 350z + 2004 Renaultsport Clio 182
2008 VW Golf R32
2010 VW Scriocco
2015 BMW 120d M Sport + 2018 KTM Duke 390
2017 Audi A3
Current vehicles as well as the Seat at the moment include a 2015 Triumph Street Triple R and a 2003 MG TF (sorn'd and will most likely be garaged until its worth more than a few hundred quid as its been in the family, only done 30k miles and is bright yellow - its also immaculate having fitted new Spax coilovers, AP brakes and TT exhaust a few winters ago as a chance to start learning some vehicle mechanics)
The Banana
The Striple
Decisions on what vehicle to get were made pre Covid (vehicle ordered in Feb 2020) so all my calculations were based on a 13k per year commute, 5 days per week. Due to my mileage, I wanted something that would achieve a minimum of 40mpg when driven gently.
I ended up getting a really competitive lease deal, having initially set out not to lease again! However after carrying out some total life costs on new versus used, I was happy that the additional cost of leasing a brand new vehicle outweighed the potential issues of a used vehicle (replacement tyres / brakes / increased serviced costs / unwarranted repairs or issues etc) even when the residual value was considered.
The Good -
I have had the Seat for 2 weeks now and despite still working from home, absolutely love it! Its pretty rapid when poked and feels like a nice place to sit. I think it sounds pretty good too (even with the new filter regulations and the suspected engine noise played through the speakers)
The 7 speed DSG box is silky smooth and the alcantara trim makes it feel more premium that is actually is. It seems to hold the road very well too, but I am on new tyres and haven't had chance to take it for a proper drive yet so time will tell on this one.
I am impressed with the efficiency too. When driven gently I am getting 40mpg+ (even got close to 45mpg on a recent steady trip of about 15 miles). However, mpg is out the window this month, as I am just enjoying flooring it!
Another pleasant surprise was the cost of insurance. I am 28 with 9 years NCB, living in countrywise location which I expect will be low risk. £280 per annum! I had budgeted nearly twice that. Adding my female partner to it, also helped bring it down a lot.
The Bad -
Some of the interior trim seems a bit cheap and I have heard of long term issues with rattles, which I can believe given how hard the suspension is, even in comfort mode. Its not horrendous, but I have perhaps been spoilt by soft suspension and deep tyres on the Audi. There also appears to be polystyrene left in the door shuts, that initially looked like it had been left on in error, but actually seems to be a permanent fixture.
Overall, I am pretty impressed so far. It looks discreet yet purposeful, and very fast when provoked. We will be using it plenty, including Euro trips (when possible), camping trips and shoving the dog in the back as well as a couple of bikes.
The colour is magnetic grey - in some lights it looks black and in others it looks a matt bluey dark grey. I wish manufacturers would stop with these diamond cut wheels! I think fully painted black rims would give a better appearance on this car. I am still undecided on the bronze branding, but I think this colour suits it better than others (red / blue)
I couldn't find a great amount of detail about this car and peoples experiences of using it on a daily basis, so I will be documenting running costs and its ability to be used as a daily.
First a bit on me and my car history - I have always been a petrol head, but a long commute and having a mortgage in recent years has forced me to have a more sensible vehicle. I couldn't wait to get into something that didn't require an airstrip of clear road to over take!
Car history since passing in 2009:
2007 Renault Clio
2006 Ford Fiesta Zetec S
2008 Ford Fiesta ST500
2005 Nissan 350z + 2004 Renaultsport Clio 182
2008 VW Golf R32
2010 VW Scriocco
2015 BMW 120d M Sport + 2018 KTM Duke 390
2017 Audi A3
Current vehicles as well as the Seat at the moment include a 2015 Triumph Street Triple R and a 2003 MG TF (sorn'd and will most likely be garaged until its worth more than a few hundred quid as its been in the family, only done 30k miles and is bright yellow - its also immaculate having fitted new Spax coilovers, AP brakes and TT exhaust a few winters ago as a chance to start learning some vehicle mechanics)
The Banana
The Striple
Decisions on what vehicle to get were made pre Covid (vehicle ordered in Feb 2020) so all my calculations were based on a 13k per year commute, 5 days per week. Due to my mileage, I wanted something that would achieve a minimum of 40mpg when driven gently.
I ended up getting a really competitive lease deal, having initially set out not to lease again! However after carrying out some total life costs on new versus used, I was happy that the additional cost of leasing a brand new vehicle outweighed the potential issues of a used vehicle (replacement tyres / brakes / increased serviced costs / unwarranted repairs or issues etc) even when the residual value was considered.
The Good -
I have had the Seat for 2 weeks now and despite still working from home, absolutely love it! Its pretty rapid when poked and feels like a nice place to sit. I think it sounds pretty good too (even with the new filter regulations and the suspected engine noise played through the speakers)
The 7 speed DSG box is silky smooth and the alcantara trim makes it feel more premium that is actually is. It seems to hold the road very well too, but I am on new tyres and haven't had chance to take it for a proper drive yet so time will tell on this one.
I am impressed with the efficiency too. When driven gently I am getting 40mpg+ (even got close to 45mpg on a recent steady trip of about 15 miles). However, mpg is out the window this month, as I am just enjoying flooring it!
Another pleasant surprise was the cost of insurance. I am 28 with 9 years NCB, living in countrywise location which I expect will be low risk. £280 per annum! I had budgeted nearly twice that. Adding my female partner to it, also helped bring it down a lot.
The Bad -
Some of the interior trim seems a bit cheap and I have heard of long term issues with rattles, which I can believe given how hard the suspension is, even in comfort mode. Its not horrendous, but I have perhaps been spoilt by soft suspension and deep tyres on the Audi. There also appears to be polystyrene left in the door shuts, that initially looked like it had been left on in error, but actually seems to be a permanent fixture.
Overall, I am pretty impressed so far. It looks discreet yet purposeful, and very fast when provoked. We will be using it plenty, including Euro trips (when possible), camping trips and shoving the dog in the back as well as a couple of bikes.
The colour is magnetic grey - in some lights it looks black and in others it looks a matt bluey dark grey. I wish manufacturers would stop with these diamond cut wheels! I think fully painted black rims would give a better appearance on this car. I am still undecided on the bronze branding, but I think this colour suits it better than others (red / blue)
Best mod you can do is to switch off the Soundaktor!
Either disconnect it, or the easiest way is to buy a Carista or similar (Carista is a doddle), and turn the volume down.
You are doing well with the MPG, mine (admittedly a 4drive 6 speed) only saw 36mpg with motorway runs.
It was also a bit sensitive to fuel, never seemed to run well on Morrisons petrol, but ran really well on Sainsburys or Asda. Probably just me.
Sad to see mine go, but with the mileage I was doing and tax, an EV made more sense, but now WFH I should have kept the Cupra.
Either disconnect it, or the easiest way is to buy a Carista or similar (Carista is a doddle), and turn the volume down.
You are doing well with the MPG, mine (admittedly a 4drive 6 speed) only saw 36mpg with motorway runs.
It was also a bit sensitive to fuel, never seemed to run well on Morrisons petrol, but ran really well on Sainsburys or Asda. Probably just me.
Sad to see mine go, but with the mileage I was doing and tax, an EV made more sense, but now WFH I should have kept the Cupra.
Love the magnetic grey. Looks great.
I'm 10k in on mine. No issues so far, no rattles or squeaks that have been reported elsewhere. Performance is great especially when on a rolling start. Ive never been a massive auto fan but the 7 speed dsg is silky smooth and is great fun when pressing on, diff is great when you start pushing it on the twisties. Yes the interior plastics are an expected level down from say a golf gti or r but not so much to feel 'cheap'.
My only gripes so far are, its a wee bit soul-less but then again I find most new cars are a bit this way unless you tweak them a bit (mines a lease so bone stock)
And the bloody stop start system is not only downright annoying but dangerous. Its far too aggressive,I've lived with it for a year but I'm trying now to find somewhere local to de activate it.
Your doing well on mpg. I never saw over 36 for the first 8k. Its now getting better and regularly break 40mpg on a run.
I'm 10k in on mine. No issues so far, no rattles or squeaks that have been reported elsewhere. Performance is great especially when on a rolling start. Ive never been a massive auto fan but the 7 speed dsg is silky smooth and is great fun when pressing on, diff is great when you start pushing it on the twisties. Yes the interior plastics are an expected level down from say a golf gti or r but not so much to feel 'cheap'.
My only gripes so far are, its a wee bit soul-less but then again I find most new cars are a bit this way unless you tweak them a bit (mines a lease so bone stock)
And the bloody stop start system is not only downright annoying but dangerous. Its far too aggressive,I've lived with it for a year but I'm trying now to find somewhere local to de activate it.
Your doing well on mpg. I never saw over 36 for the first 8k. Its now getting better and regularly break 40mpg on a run.
Edited by sdh2903 on Sunday 30th August 13:04
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