Leon Cupra 300 4Drive

[Andy665]

Yesterday was collection day for the new car.

Have to admit the handover experience was woeful - I was driving away in the car literally 4 minutes after setting foot inside the dealership - signed one piece of paper, handed a cheque to return my deposit, handed the keys and book pack and told the car was outside.

Fortunately the car is superb - paintwork looks pretty good and will be starting on getting it decontaminated and protected today.

First few observations about it:

1. The virtual display is superb - so many items configurable on it its going to take some time to get to grips with it

2. The build quality is better than the BMW - plastics, controls are equally as good (or bad) but it feels more tightly screwed together

3. DSG is great apart from when in Sport mode it actually hangs on to lower gears slightly longer than I expected and even when in Manual it still changes up at the redline (which I know is the same for the vast majority of autos anyway)

4. Damping / body control is massively better than the BMW, where that used to corkscrew and pitch on undulating country roads the Leon stays flat and controlled

5. Engine feels strong and is very smooth for a 4 pot but the noise is a bit flat (maybe a resonator delete will fix it)

Few quick phone pics grabbed yesterday

[DaveH23]

Andy665 said:

Have to admit the handover experience was woeful - I was driving away in the car literally 4 minutes after setting foot inside the dealership - signed one piece of paper, handed a cheque to return my deposit, handed the keys and book pack and told the car was outside.

Having never bought a brand new car personally but have been with others on collection day your handover sounds absolutely perfect.

What would you prefer?

Car looks very nice though, especially the colour. Try and get some interior shots.

Are these Seat's alternative to the Golf R?

[AJB88]

Andy665 said:

3. DSG is great apart from when in Sport mode it actually hangs on to lower gears slightly longer than I expected and even when in Manual it still changes up at the redline (which I know is the same for the vast majority of autos anyway)

This was annoying on my 280, was glad when APR finally release TCU software which changed the way drive and sport work.

[Drive Blind]

Andy665 said:

Yesterday was collection day for the new car.

Have to admit the handover experience was woeful - I was driving away in the car literally 4 minutes after setting foot inside the dealership - signed one piece of paper, handed a cheque to return my deposit, handed the keys and book pack and told the car was outside.

I've never bought a brand new car, but what were you expecting ?

[MrC986]

Good choice Andy. I've a PH friend with one of these on order now & he's talking of a resonator delete pipe already. What's the full spec on yours? He wasn't brave enough BTW to go with your colour choice as he said it would stand out too much in the car park at work, though his won't be delivered until the Autumn.

[Truckosaurus]

Drive Blind said:

I've never bought a brand new car, but what were you expecting ?

Some dealers will park the new car in pride of place in the showroom with a sheet over it and have a big sign saying "Welcome Mr Truckosaurus".

The important bit these days is having someone talk the buyer through the complex infotainment systems and getting their phone paired to the car.

It would be nice to be given the option but I'm with those who would love a 4-minute no fuss non-handover.

Edit to Add: The OP's car looks excellent in that colour. Too many grey cars on our roads.

[Teebs]

Truckosaurus said:

Drive Blind said:

I've never bought a brand new car, but what were you expecting ?

Some dealers will park the new car in pride of place in the showroom with a sheet over it and have a big sign saying "Welcome Mr Truckosaurus".

The important bit these days is having someone talk the buyer through the complex infotainment systems and getting their phone paired to the car.

It would be nice to be given the option but I'm with those who would love a 4-minute no fuss non-handover.

Edit to Add: The OP's car looks excellent in that colour. Too many grey cars on our roads.

These cheap lease deals trade customer service for price I'm afraid. Most people want their cheap monthlies ahead of a 'customer service experience'

As a business, why would you waste time showing someone the controls etc when they give it back after 2 years and chase the next cheap deal? Remember, these customers aren't loyal to a brand...

Anyway, nice car, I think Seat have really made some decent hot stuff recently.

[Andy665]

Drive Blind said:

I've never bought a brand new car, but what were you expecting ?

At the least the offer of a walkaround - I did not actually need one but they were not to know that

[TwigtheWonderkid]

Drive Blind said:

Andy665 said:

Yesterday was collection day for the new car.

Have to admit the handover experience was woeful - I was driving away in the car literally 4 minutes after setting foot inside the dealership - signed one piece of paper, handed a cheque to return my deposit, handed the keys and book pack and told the car was outside.

I've never bought a brand new car, but what were you expecting ?

I'd be expecting a full run thru of all the major instructions, i'd expect them to pair my phone, and in all about 30 mins 1 on 1 time. I got this from my Merc main dealer recently when buying a 6 month old car!!!

[Gaztrs250]

I take it this has been purchased on the crazy cheap lease deals that seat are currently offering?

[Pizzaeatingking]

Very nice, looks great in that colour, some decent pictures after a wash would be cool.

Which BMW are you coming from?

[Bright Halo]

Where do you stand with the lease company and warranty if you have a resonator delete or any other mods for that matter?

[Shiv_P]

Did you have an M135i before? Interesting that you find the drive better than it. Are there many mechanical differences between this and a golf R estate?

[Andy665]

Shiv_P said:

Did you have an M135i before? Interesting that you find the drive better than it. Are there many mechanical differences between this and a golf R estate?

Would not say the Leon is better - just different and perhaps better as an everyday all rounder. About 40% of my driving is across country - in the M135i this could be great fun if you were in the mood for a challenge but its awful spring / damper settings made it twitchy and unpredictable when really pushing on. Its engine was sublime but the chassis in standard form was simply not up to the job.

I have 330bhp worth of Westfield if I want a real challenge so the Leons more planted but less playful nature will probably suit me better most of the time.

The Leon is 10PS down on the R and has the old 6 speed DSG as opposed to the 7.5's 7 speed but compensates by having DCC as standard

[5er]

These are certainly on my radar. Great colour.

Is this on one of those super PCP deals that are about at the moment? Where did you source it from?

[Andy665]

5er said:

These are certainly on my radar. Great colour.

Is this on one of those super PCP deals that are about at the moment? Where did you source it from?

Its a PCH deal from IMG.

I'm happy with the deal I got, base car plus metallic, Winter Pack and Driver Assist Pack

6 + 23 on 15k per year - just a smidge over £300 per month - for a 4Drive on that mileage I have not seen a better deal since I ordered

[blank]

Looks great in orange!

What are the standard alcantara seats like?


I have one on order but in slightly boring black.

It's replacing an Audi TTS, so I'm hoping for a similar experience in a more practical body.

[rockford22]

Hope you enjoy it...you are spot on with your list of comments too, I said almost the same thing to friends after I received my Cupra.

I'm 6 weeks in to 'ownership' now, can't really fault it for the price and I imagine the 4WD gives it the extra grip it could benefit from at stand still...mine is an SC.

The virtual cockpit is very nice, after a few trips you'll be cycling through it no troubles. Really great cars and widely underestimated and ignored by 99% of other road users.

[Andy665]

Given the full treatment today.

Decontaminated, light machine polish and first coat of Car Pro C Quartz UK applied, wheels sealed with Car Chem Wheel Armour, glass treated with Angelwax H2GO, exterior and engine bay plastics treated with Perl, new mats installed and all carpets / mats seats treated with GTechnic Fabric Coat

Enabled autofold mirrors and a few other bits and pieces via OBDeleven and set up MirrorLink and the Seat DriveApp

Really impressed with the virtual display, highly configurable and crystal clear

[Maty]

I’d say that was the perfect handover. I recently picked up a new company car, 550 mile round trip because the company I work for wouldn’t pay to transport it... It’s a Ford Focus (I’ve been driving one for 2 years prior to this day - the sales guy knows this)... but what then followed was a full hour of “training” on my new Ford Focus at the end of which I knew what was on every single page of the service book and how to work the indicators!!! I gave up saying “yeah, it’s just like my old Focus”!!

Lovely colour by the way, really stands out. Enjoy.