Seat Leon Cupra 280 - (350/350) My car for road and track
Discussion
My car history is probably fairly normal and not that remarkable, lots of hot hatches of all persuasions (306GTI-6 and Mini Cooper S were two of my favourites), near enough a decade, of pleasure and pain, in RWD 200sx's with 400 odd BHP and some enjoyable time in an E36 M3 Evo. For various reasons this was followed by a brief spell in the wilderness with a diesel (big mileage and low smileage 
) followed by a gentle return to form in the shape of a couple of 130i's and finally a Mk2 Leon Cupra R. I've also been lucky enough to get to share a Caterham on track over the last few years.
Anyway, in May I decided I wanted more of a return to performance and was fairly set on an M135i with the plan to get an LSD and the Birds suspension kit fitted as soon as it was purchased. Essentially I wanted a car that was a quiet, subtle five door family hack for chilled driving, something with decent-ish MPG for my 200 mile commute when I wasn't on the train and a car that was quick and capable both on greasy, bumpy country roads and on track. I also wanted something the wife enjoys driving; she has mainly had Audi S cars, with the latest being a facelift 8P S3 and she isn't a fan of RWD... (yes she can drive them and drove my M3 quickly on trackdays, including sideways action that made me a little nervous :O) Cue watching lots of online videos and reading reviews and despite it being a front driver and only four cylinders, the Leon Cupra 280 started to look like it ticked all my boxes. I'm a big fan of driving at the Ring and YouTube drivers like XThilox really caught my interest. Another car I considered briefly were the Golf 7R, but I wasn't convinced I needed 4wd, coupled with the fact that we also planned to get a new S3 to replace the 8P, that was a none starter. So I ended up looking at the Cupra 280 and absolutely loved it
. One train ride to Newcastle VW later and I became the proud owner of a Dynamic Grey Leon Cupra 280 DSG (my first auto) and what a brilliant car it is straight out of the box. The adaptive damping is superb and does everything from comfort to Cupra mode, with comfort mode performing brilliantly on the country roads I spend a lot of time on, I do tend to use an individual set up with most settings on Cupra and the the suspension on comfort. The DSG box is outstanding and using the paddles has been great fun, I have to say I am a convert and although some would burn me at the stake for this, I wouldn't choose a manual again unless I really really had to. The engine feels relentless and much quicker than its supposed 280 bhp (actually 290 odd), the brakes are very strong and the VAQ differential is like magic, traction really isn't an issue although there is a caveat below. Inside, its a lovely place to be, can do 45 mpg and comes complete with the essential oil temp guage as well as the ability to stream music from Amazon etc. Its also nice to have a car that is quiet enough to have conversations with my four year old daughter, whatever the speed although conversation frequently ends with her shouting Cupra mode dad, go round those dawdlers 
The main downsides for me? I think there are two essential modifications you need to make to this car, the first is to fit a torque arm insert, in my case a £30 powerflex bush that took two minutes to fit. The second is to fit decent front tyres, I went for PS4S. The combination of these eliminated axle tramp and allowed a near enough 300 bhp FWD to do full throttle starts from a standstill in the wet with minimal traction issues, I couldn't believe the difference just those two simple changes made, turning a good car into something quite brilliant. The other thing, which doesn't bother me and the wife hasn't even noticed it, is the intermittent gentle creaking from what I guess is soundproofing in the doors; the build quality in that respect certainly isn't new Audi but overall the build quality is excellent. The obvious downsides for others are the lack of cylinders, wrong wheel drive, too subtle etc, although only the first would give me any pause for thought...
On to the cars next purpose, I wanted something to do trackdays with no fuss and this does that with brilliant efficiency. At this point, after a few months of fun driving, I decided to do a few other bits including uprating the fluids and fitting Tarox Strada front brake pads. I also popped to Will at Performance Torque for a basic remap which netted a ballistic 350 / 350, more to come from that when I pop back and get the DSG remapped too, although the car really is quick, whatever the weather, with "just 350". My first trackday was the SXOC Weekender at Rockingham a few weeks ago, the car performed brilliantly in every way, even on road tyres, and was as much fun as anything I have driven. A lot of the cars there were track focused and running semi slicks, even so the Cupra was one of the faster cars there. Just imagine what it would be like with a half decent driver
There are a lot of things I need to improve, including getting the most out of the superb differential. I've put some videos below, and I intend to get several more trackdays in later this year.
I do have one big problem with the car now. It's hard to get the keys out of the wifes hands; "your car is nearer the front" "your car has more petrol" "I left my stuff in your car" ad infinitum. We also have a VW Caravelle that is a cool family vehicle, so the S3 is frequently left on the drive not doing much. It was going to get replaced with a new one a little while ago, but I think that has headed out of the window as the wife has told me she wants my car :O. Chances are at some point we will become a two Cupra household and get a 300 as well...
A few pics and links to the trackday vids, I will try and get some more interesting pics at some point:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9cXxai9zMw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96CVHrxIaY4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qfPKM6ANfA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SWOYXaujjg
[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/52ODb9Ab[/url]
[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/BOuIVcBS[/url]
) followed by a gentle return to form in the shape of a couple of 130i's and finally a Mk2 Leon Cupra R. I've also been lucky enough to get to share a Caterham on track over the last few years. Anyway, in May I decided I wanted more of a return to performance and was fairly set on an M135i with the plan to get an LSD and the Birds suspension kit fitted as soon as it was purchased. Essentially I wanted a car that was a quiet, subtle five door family hack for chilled driving, something with decent-ish MPG for my 200 mile commute when I wasn't on the train and a car that was quick and capable both on greasy, bumpy country roads and on track. I also wanted something the wife enjoys driving; she has mainly had Audi S cars, with the latest being a facelift 8P S3 and she isn't a fan of RWD... (yes she can drive them and drove my M3 quickly on trackdays, including sideways action that made me a little nervous :O) Cue watching lots of online videos and reading reviews and despite it being a front driver and only four cylinders, the Leon Cupra 280 started to look like it ticked all my boxes. I'm a big fan of driving at the Ring and YouTube drivers like XThilox really caught my interest. Another car I considered briefly were the Golf 7R, but I wasn't convinced I needed 4wd, coupled with the fact that we also planned to get a new S3 to replace the 8P, that was a none starter. So I ended up looking at the Cupra 280 and absolutely loved it
. One train ride to Newcastle VW later and I became the proud owner of a Dynamic Grey Leon Cupra 280 DSG (my first auto) and what a brilliant car it is straight out of the box. The adaptive damping is superb and does everything from comfort to Cupra mode, with comfort mode performing brilliantly on the country roads I spend a lot of time on, I do tend to use an individual set up with most settings on Cupra and the the suspension on comfort. The DSG box is outstanding and using the paddles has been great fun, I have to say I am a convert and although some would burn me at the stake for this, I wouldn't choose a manual again unless I really really had to. The engine feels relentless and much quicker than its supposed 280 bhp (actually 290 odd), the brakes are very strong and the VAQ differential is like magic, traction really isn't an issue although there is a caveat below. Inside, its a lovely place to be, can do 45 mpg and comes complete with the essential oil temp guage as well as the ability to stream music from Amazon etc. Its also nice to have a car that is quiet enough to have conversations with my four year old daughter, whatever the speed although conversation frequently ends with her shouting Cupra mode dad, go round those dawdlers The main downsides for me? I think there are two essential modifications you need to make to this car, the first is to fit a torque arm insert, in my case a £30 powerflex bush that took two minutes to fit. The second is to fit decent front tyres, I went for PS4S. The combination of these eliminated axle tramp and allowed a near enough 300 bhp FWD to do full throttle starts from a standstill in the wet with minimal traction issues, I couldn't believe the difference just those two simple changes made, turning a good car into something quite brilliant. The other thing, which doesn't bother me and the wife hasn't even noticed it, is the intermittent gentle creaking from what I guess is soundproofing in the doors; the build quality in that respect certainly isn't new Audi but overall the build quality is excellent. The obvious downsides for others are the lack of cylinders, wrong wheel drive, too subtle etc, although only the first would give me any pause for thought...
On to the cars next purpose, I wanted something to do trackdays with no fuss and this does that with brilliant efficiency. At this point, after a few months of fun driving, I decided to do a few other bits including uprating the fluids and fitting Tarox Strada front brake pads. I also popped to Will at Performance Torque for a basic remap which netted a ballistic 350 / 350, more to come from that when I pop back and get the DSG remapped too, although the car really is quick, whatever the weather, with "just 350". My first trackday was the SXOC Weekender at Rockingham a few weeks ago, the car performed brilliantly in every way, even on road tyres, and was as much fun as anything I have driven. A lot of the cars there were track focused and running semi slicks, even so the Cupra was one of the faster cars there. Just imagine what it would be like with a half decent driver
There are a lot of things I need to improve, including getting the most out of the superb differential. I've put some videos below, and I intend to get several more trackdays in later this year.I do have one big problem with the car now. It's hard to get the keys out of the wifes hands; "your car is nearer the front" "your car has more petrol" "I left my stuff in your car" ad infinitum. We also have a VW Caravelle that is a cool family vehicle, so the S3 is frequently left on the drive not doing much. It was going to get replaced with a new one a little while ago, but I think that has headed out of the window as the wife has told me she wants my car :O. Chances are at some point we will become a two Cupra household and get a 300 as well...
A few pics and links to the trackday vids, I will try and get some more interesting pics at some point:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9cXxai9zMw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96CVHrxIaY4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qfPKM6ANfA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SWOYXaujjg
[url]|https://thumbsnap.com/52ODb9Ab[/url][url]|https://thumbsnap.com/BOuIVcBS[/url]Great write up. Have a 290 black myself. Agree with everything you mention, it could do with a little more exhaust note before 3k rpm. Build quality is excellent, but no audi as you said. And my clutch pedal has developed a loud squeak at 8 months old, which I can't seem to lubricate properly.
Still, I do think for the cost/equipment, it really is one of the best value performance cars out there right now.
Still, I do think for the cost/equipment, it really is one of the best value performance cars out there right now.
gazmk2 said:
What an amazing car! 350bhp with just a map, that's witchcraft! LOL. Also what the hell was powering that estate car you were following in that first youtube video?
Says in the YouTube description 
'On track with my Stage 1 Leon Cupra 280 following a quicker BMW "323i" touring (M3 engine and running gear, HSD coilovers, semi-slicks and M-Performance brakes).'
Lovely car OP and great videos
gazmk2 said:
What an amazing car! 350bhp with just a map, that's witchcraft! LOL. Also what the hell was powering that estate car you were following in that first youtube video?
Thanks, when I think of the money we used to throw at 2.0l engines to get similar performance, the game has moved on! Will get the DSG remapped shortly which will give more like 370...jimmyt1202 said:
Stunning car, I'm on the lookout for one at the moment and want your spec! Dynamic Grey 5dr with DSG! They seem to be few and fair between though...
There really aren't many around, I ended up going from Shropshire to Newcastle to get this... worth the wait though! HybridAero said:
Beautiful car, be interesting to see what this does at Santa Pod!
My much heavier Saab 9-5 with 340 bhp / 388 lb ft ran a 14.4 at 102 mph with a terrible launch.
Cheers! One of the guys on Cupranet has been going to Santa Pod, stage 1 remap (370) ,PSS tyres and he got a best time of 12.83 with terminals of 113-115 mph, pretty crazy for a FWD hatchback with just a remap. He is going faster now with a few more mods...My much heavier Saab 9-5 with 340 bhp / 388 lb ft ran a 14.4 at 102 mph with a terrible launch.
I was at Oulton Park last week (25/11/17), and excepting disintegrating brake pads (Note to ones self - don't use Tarox Strada for multiple or probably indeed any trackdays) and an unexpected trip to lovely Wrexham to get some DS2500's to fit, it was an excellent day. The car was awesome as expected and my last session, after I fitted the brake pads, was brilliant fun and lasted until I got through half a tank of petrol and had to call it a day , I was taking it a little easy as I was bedding in the pads and clearly the car is better than the driver...
M135i and Accord Type R https://youtu.be/CKt0bTc7Q9I
, I was taking it a little easy as I was bedding in the pads and clearly the car is better than the driver... M135i and Accord Type R https://youtu.be/CKt0bTc7Q9I
SteA said:
Cheers! One of the guys on Cupranet has been going to Santa Pod, stage 1 remap (370) ,PSS tyres and he got a best time of 12.83 with terminals of 113-115 mph, pretty crazy for a FWD hatchback with just a remap. He is going faster now with a few more mods...
That's silly fast, what do these weigh? Is that with an LSD?I thought it might be worth updating this thread for anyone considering ownership including a bit more on track footage and details of a few more changes. The car has gone from strength to strength; it's the perfect, quiet and unassuming commuter and an impressive trackday weapon. I've made a few little changes, its now running the full stage 1 map from Will at P-Torque including the DSG, so 375 bhp is going through those front wheels, although they feel like very strong horses when you compare it to other cars on track it really does feel absolutely ballistically brilliant. I'm now also running Audi RS3 brake ducts (£20 odd and ten minutes to fit) and Pagid RSL29 front brake pads (lots more than £20 :O); a combination that means the brakes are absolutely superb, although I have not done a hot summer trackday with the ducts fitted, I would expect them to make quite a difference. We have now got rid of our S3 and as we also have a VW Caravelle for practicality, we decided to get something impractical and flawed to run alongside the Cupra. A 2015 R57 John Cooper Works (Mapped by P-Torque to 255 bhp) is its perfect accompaniment and opposite; a lot louder, struggles to get power down, quirky, more noticeable (works for being directed to the right parking spot at the odd car meet) and good for singing George Ezra with our five year old daughter and the roof down 
My wife loves using the Cupra for her commute and longer journeys, I tend to use the Mini for little jaunts to the railway station, much slower, hardly any grip in comparison, but good fun. Up until the day before my trackday last week, the Cupra has been perfectly reliable, although it decided to spring a leak from the HPFP (fuel pump) so that needed replacing, not unheard of on the MQB S3 / Golf.
On track the car has been absolutely brilliant, whatever the conditions, no messing around, just drive it to the circuit, have lots of fun and drive home in comfort.
A couple of track vids from earlier in the year:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_0TX6D4JJM&t=...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r101aT3CWbg&t=...
And a video at a very slippy Oulton Park last week following a rather brilliant 520 bhp Golf7R:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mobaInNM5E4&t=...
it really does feel absolutely ballistically brilliant. I'm now also running Audi RS3 brake ducts (£20 odd and ten minutes to fit) and Pagid RSL29 front brake pads (lots more than £20 :O); a combination that means the brakes are absolutely superb, although I have not done a hot summer trackday with the ducts fitted, I would expect them to make quite a difference. We have now got rid of our S3 and as we also have a VW Caravelle for practicality, we decided to get something impractical and flawed to run alongside the Cupra. A 2015 R57 John Cooper Works (Mapped by P-Torque to 255 bhp) is its perfect accompaniment and opposite; a lot louder, struggles to get power down, quirky, more noticeable (works for being directed to the right parking spot at the odd car meet) and good for singing George Ezra with our five year old daughter and the roof down My wife loves using the Cupra for her commute and longer journeys, I tend to use the Mini for little jaunts to the railway station, much slower, hardly any grip in comparison, but good fun. Up until the day before my trackday last week, the Cupra has been perfectly reliable, although it decided to spring a leak from the HPFP (fuel pump) so that needed replacing, not unheard of on the MQB S3 / Golf.
On track the car has been absolutely brilliant, whatever the conditions, no messing around, just drive it to the circuit, have lots of fun and drive home in comfort.
A couple of track vids from earlier in the year:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_0TX6D4JJM&t=...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r101aT3CWbg&t=...
And a video at a very slippy Oulton Park last week following a rather brilliant 520 bhp Golf7R:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mobaInNM5E4&t=...
Thanks for posting about your Cupra. It was your thread which sparked my interest and lead me to buying mine.
Agree with everything you gave mentioned RE exhaust note and powerflex bushing.
I've fettled with mine a bit, apologies for the over edited photo (instagram).
Dynamic grey, black pack (? includes heated bucket seats) and most controversially a manual gearbox. 370/370
IMG_20190217_144640_125 by Lloyd Bowen, on Flickr
Agree with everything you gave mentioned RE exhaust note and powerflex bushing.
I've fettled with mine a bit, apologies for the over edited photo (instagram).
Dynamic grey, black pack (? includes heated bucket seats) and most controversially a manual gearbox. 370/370
IMG_20190217_144640_125 by Lloyd Bowen, on FlickrEdited by Bowen86 on Tuesday 26th February 13:01
Edited by Bowen86 on Tuesday 26th February 14:02
Bit of a long shot as I don't think the OP has been on here for a while (or at least not posted, anyway).
I'm tempted to get my Cupra ST 280 up to stage 1 with the DSG software (most likely APR) and just wondered if there had been any problems related to the tune? Allegedly the stage 1 takes the torque figure above what the DQ250 is rated for but the DSG software is supposed to avoid problems?
Having done some Googling I can't find anyone who has had issues but want to get as much info as possible really.
I'm tempted to get my Cupra ST 280 up to stage 1 with the DSG software (most likely APR) and just wondered if there had been any problems related to the tune? Allegedly the stage 1 takes the torque figure above what the DQ250 is rated for but the DSG software is supposed to avoid problems?
Having done some Googling I can't find anyone who has had issues but want to get as much info as possible really.
Brainpox said:
Bit of a long shot as I don't think the OP has been on here for a while (or at least not posted, anyway).
I'm tempted to get my Cupra ST 280 up to stage 1 with the DSG software (most likely APR) and just wondered if there had been any problems related to the tune? Allegedly the stage 1 takes the torque figure above what the DQ250 is rated for but the DSG software is supposed to avoid problems?
Having done some Googling I can't find anyone who has had issues but want to get as much info as possible really.
I ran my DSG for 2 years above 400bhp no issues at all, APR TCU and ECU tune.I'm tempted to get my Cupra ST 280 up to stage 1 with the DSG software (most likely APR) and just wondered if there had been any problems related to the tune? Allegedly the stage 1 takes the torque figure above what the DQ250 is rated for but the DSG software is supposed to avoid problems?
Having done some Googling I can't find anyone who has had issues but want to get as much info as possible really.
Just be aware APR are not offering Stage 2 files anymore (think they officially stop in about 6 days time)
Well I went for it although not with APR in the end. it's quite pokey now and traction and torque steer is a problem. No TCU map and I'm not sure at the moment if I'm getting clutch slip or not. I'll keep an eye on it. It's quite nice having a stealthy estate car that's quicker than my RS3.
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