Leon Cupra R vs Mk 5 Gti - which one?
Discussion
Hi guys, I am new to the site and joined as I need your help!
It is time to retire my old Mk3 Gti this year and I have hankered after a late 55 plate Cupra R for some time now.
I like the idea of 222 bhp but from what I have read the extra power does not make the Cupra a better car than the MK 5 197 bhp Gti, as the MK 5 floorplan is so much better than the MK 4.
My question is this - in the real world will the MK 5 be quicker because it handles better? Will it be more economical becuase the engine is newer?
Also, whichever one I decide on will it be imperative to run it on Super Unleaded 98 RON to get the best out of it or will this not matter on the Cupra R as engine not sophisticated enough? If I was getting a MK 5 I would ideally plump for an Edition 30 but I think my budget is going to be about £10k so I cant.
Many thanks,
Berg
It is time to retire my old Mk3 Gti this year and I have hankered after a late 55 plate Cupra R for some time now.
I like the idea of 222 bhp but from what I have read the extra power does not make the Cupra a better car than the MK 5 197 bhp Gti, as the MK 5 floorplan is so much better than the MK 4.
My question is this - in the real world will the MK 5 be quicker because it handles better? Will it be more economical becuase the engine is newer?
Also, whichever one I decide on will it be imperative to run it on Super Unleaded 98 RON to get the best out of it or will this not matter on the Cupra R as engine not sophisticated enough? If I was getting a MK 5 I would ideally plump for an Edition 30 but I think my budget is going to be about £10k so I cant.
Many thanks,
Berg
MKV GTI is the one to go for. It's just a better place to be as the interior quality is much better, although the Cupra R is a great car, had one myself when they 1st appeared but it's based on the MK4 golf which has some inherent weaknesses which are well documented.
Difference in power won't make much difference in the real world and they'll both run on 95 petrol but prefer 98/99.
Difference in power won't make much difference in the real world and they'll both run on 95 petrol but prefer 98/99.
Cheers guys thanks for your input thus far. Yes, i guess i can pick up a late model low mileage cupra r for £9K whereas an equivalent mileage gti will probably be £11K. Re the Focus I have considered other marques but I fancy a VAG hot hatch as my MK 3 has been so reliable. This will only be the third car I have ever owned as I had a 1.6 Pug 205 Gti and then this MK3 Golf 8v for 8 years now with 170,000 on the clock.
The MK3 Gti is a great car but not a gti it should have been badged a "sport" model as it is simply not worthy to wear the gti badge.
Mmmm I am still torn but an leaning towards a MK 5 now - if only I could finance an Edition 30...
Does anyone on here have a bad word to say about the cupra r at all in terms of ownership?
The MK3 Gti is a great car but not a gti it should have been badged a "sport" model as it is simply not worthy to wear the gti badge.
Mmmm I am still torn but an leaning towards a MK 5 now - if only I could finance an Edition 30...
Does anyone on here have a bad word to say about the cupra r at all in terms of ownership?
berg said:
Does anyone on here have a bad word to say about the cupra r at all in terms of ownership?
i think they are great cars, except no option of leather and standard 1.8t and 2.0t vag lumps sound like hairdryers. surely you could get one a fair bit cheaper than £9k? at that price they still have a fair amount of money to lose. also they have pretty stiff suspension and the front splitter is prone to being bashed on speedbumps etc, not a problem for the golf.and concerning reliability i think you would find alternative marques are probably actually less problematic. for example in 2 and a half years of ownership my focus st and a friends astra vxr had absolutely no problems at all whereas a friend with a golf gti has had a lot of issues.
my friend with a cupra r though has has no major problems but had to have an engine mount replaced for some reason.
I'd reckon on getting a much better Cupra R than MK5 for your budget, MK5's are only just getting to £10K and seem quite leggy on the miles.
Spent a week in a Cupra R and loved it, went well probably not enough power to really trouble the chassis but a remap could sort that, never been in a MK5 GTi but I suspect it's the better car. Although I do love the aggressive look of the Cupra, more than the restrained looks of the MK5.
Spent a week in a Cupra R and loved it, went well probably not enough power to really trouble the chassis but a remap could sort that, never been in a MK5 GTi but I suspect it's the better car. Although I do love the aggressive look of the Cupra, more than the restrained looks of the MK5.
mmmm cheers guys, food for thought indeed. I do think the Cupra R looks great in black or gunmetal grey and I take your point that I wont get a very low mileage Gti for 10k, it will have upwards of 60-80k on it probably. Having said that my MK 3 Gti had 105K on the clock when I bought it now up to 170K and engine still going strong - paint and electrics tired now though.
I need to either find some extra £ or get a Cupra R I guess.
Hell, maybe i should consider a new MK 6 Gti on a PCP and then work out how i will finance the balloon payment at the end of the three year lease...
I need to either find some extra £ or get a Cupra R I guess.
Hell, maybe i should consider a new MK 6 Gti on a PCP and then work out how i will finance the balloon payment at the end of the three year lease...
berg said:
mmmm cheers guys, food for thought indeed. I do think the Cupra R looks great in black or gunmetal grey and I take your point that I wont get a very low mileage Gti for 10k, it will have upwards of 60-80k on it probably. Having said that my MK 3 Gti had 105K on the clock when I bought it now up to 170K and engine still going strong - paint and electrics tired now though.
I need to either find some extra £ or get a Cupra R I guess.
Hell, maybe i should consider a new MK 6 Gti on a PCP and then work out how i will finance the balloon payment at the end of the three year lease...
I could be very wrong about this but I've always felt that the MK2 + 3 engines are probably more durable compared to the current turbo'd ones.I need to either find some extra £ or get a Cupra R I guess.
Hell, maybe i should consider a new MK 6 Gti on a PCP and then work out how i will finance the balloon payment at the end of the three year lease...
If you go down the PCP route the dealer could probably refinance the balloon, but if that is your plan then why not look into 5 year finance, the payments pretty much work out as the same on 3 yr pcp as 5 year finance.
If finance was a thought then the MK5 could still be had on a PCP.
aka_kerrly said:
performance VW did a group test with a Leon Curpa, mk5 GTI an Audi S3 an found the Leon performed far better than the golf, quicker in handling test and around the test track the leon was only marginally behind the S3 which has a 40hp + 4wd advantage.
Pretty sure we're talking about the older shape 225 bhp not the current one.missing the VR6 said:
aka_kerrly said:
performance VW did a group test with a Leon Curpa, mk5 GTI an Audi S3 an found the Leon performed far better than the golf, quicker in handling test and around the test track the leon was only marginally behind the S3 which has a 40hp + 4wd advantage.
Pretty sure we're talking about the older shape 225 bhp not the current one.that case a mk5 golf is a better choice.
yeah i am looking at a late 55 plate cupra r.
was looking on autotrader before and there was a 55 plate with 27k on the clock for £9500 or you could get a nice looking 5 dr black MK5 with 85k on the clock for similiar money.
I think the conclusion sems to be that the MK 5 is a better car but you get an awful lot of car for the money with the cupra r and i still love the exterior looks. I dont do a great mileage to be honest so am struggling to justify spending more than 8-10k on a car when i reckon i will only do 10,000 miles a year.
I live in the Lancashire/Merseyside area - is there a decent tuner around? Is Dubsport still going in Wigan does anybody know?
was looking on autotrader before and there was a 55 plate with 27k on the clock for £9500 or you could get a nice looking 5 dr black MK5 with 85k on the clock for similiar money.
I think the conclusion sems to be that the MK 5 is a better car but you get an awful lot of car for the money with the cupra r and i still love the exterior looks. I dont do a great mileage to be honest so am struggling to justify spending more than 8-10k on a car when i reckon i will only do 10,000 miles a year.
I live in the Lancashire/Merseyside area - is there a decent tuner around? Is Dubsport still going in Wigan does anybody know?
A 27K leon for £9500 sounds pretty dam appealing and ignoring the badge an the chassis a hell of a buy compared to a 5 year old golf with 3times the millage.
Dubsport are still up an running, there are plenty of companies tuning Dubs now especially the 20vT engine - from simple remaps (circa 260-280hp from a leon CR) to full blown 450+hp conversions. Try JBS, midland VW as well as they are up north ish.
Dubsport are still up an running, there are plenty of companies tuning Dubs now especially the 20vT engine - from simple remaps (circa 260-280hp from a leon CR) to full blown 450+hp conversions. Try JBS, midland VW as well as they are up north ish.
Having not driven a mk5 GTI I cant really comment on ownership but I do own a Cupra R. I do think the Cupra R is a bit more special than the GTI as there are so many of them on the road. Not spectacular for say a track but the car is superb for fast road driving, i find it very responsive and the brakes are pin sharp. For an everyday driver which mine isnt it is a little on the hard side(recent addition of a sport kit) and the splitter gets battered on even a small ramp but at £20 a time they are a consumable. As for reliability Ive had one annoying problem with one of the door locks but other than this just the usual service items. Economy is better on the FSI as its made to be but everyday who really cares about the mpg they get. You can expect about 26-30mpg round town and 33-38mpg if you feather the throttle on the motorway. The mk4 platform cars do have their issues but then ive heard the mk5 isnt exactly perfect and they tend to be relatively cheap and simple to fix when it does go wrong. Whatever you do though get a remap as mines gone from 229 bhp and 229 lb/ft to 267 bhp and 302 lb/ft (courtesy of AMD Essex), god it makes a difference and I love driving it.
Edited by bassett on Tuesday 16th February 22:32
I have to say, and I might be biased, but the Cupra R all the way.
Looks mean and fast, whereas the GTI? Looks like every other Golf in the car park.
I was a bit concerned the ride would be too harsh day to day, but it's actually not that bad and the roads here are terrible.
There was an option of leather by the way, though I'd prefer to track down one with Recaros instead.
There's a mint example on ebay for your budget, probably the only one anyone's ever seen on an 06 plate as they stopped making them in 2005 and replaced the nice Mk1 with the usual VW styling boredom in the Mk2.
Looks mean and fast, whereas the GTI? Looks like every other Golf in the car park.
I was a bit concerned the ride would be too harsh day to day, but it's actually not that bad and the roads here are terrible.
There was an option of leather by the way, though I'd prefer to track down one with Recaros instead.
There's a mint example on ebay for your budget, probably the only one anyone's ever seen on an 06 plate as they stopped making them in 2005 and replaced the nice Mk1 with the usual VW styling boredom in the Mk2.
cheers guys thanks for that. Noted re the remap will get that done. There is one on the outskirts of Preston for sale so going to test drive that on sat but there is a mint one on a 55 plate in Warrington which looks worth the extra £.
I take your point re the styling and the golf is fairly common, not that that would bother me if i owned one i daresay but i think if i did get a mk 5 i would prob try and sell a kidney to get en edition 30 as they do look special
I take your point re the styling and the golf is fairly common, not that that would bother me if i owned one i daresay but i think if i did get a mk 5 i would prob try and sell a kidney to get en edition 30 as they do look special
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