RE: PH Fleet: SEAT Leon Cupra R

RE: PH Fleet: SEAT Leon Cupra R

Thursday 2nd December 2010

PH Fleet: SEAT Leon Cupra R

RacingPete welcomes a bright yellow addition to the PH car park



Twenty years ago some things would have seemed like madness: caring about 140 characters of 'txt' from a celebrity tweeter; having access to a world of knowledge via a little electronic gadget in your pocket; and putting over 250bhp through the front wheels of your shopping car.

Well the brave new world has been around for a while, and as far as the front wheel drive power race goes, several manufacturers have put forward contenders. Recently Renault gave you the Megane 250 (250bhp), Volkswagen entered the fray with a Scirroco R (261bhp), and Ford trumped the lot with the Focus RS (300bhp).

Well, with all that excitement going on we could hardly ignore it, so say hello to the latest PH acquisition - and a relatively recent manufacturer entry to the 250bhp+ cadre - in the shape of a yellow SEAT Leon Cupra R.

SEAT's most powerful road engine
SEAT's most powerful road engine
The yellow peril produces 261bhp and incorporates XDS to stop that usual inside wheel spinning up. This poses the first problem with my new ride; I am not an electronics fan, and I'll take a good old lump of engineering over an electronic differential any day. So why, in the few weeks since the car has been around, have I have yet to settle into the usual pre-drive ritual of turning off the anti-hooligan button?

This does slightly surprise me, but the truth is the XDS hasn't seem too over-rigorous as yet, and I haven't quite felt the need. There is a a flashing traction light trying to steal my attention regularly, but the system does remove some of the torque steer you would expect, without being too over-bearing.

Lovely twin pipe action
Lovely twin pipe action
There is one electronic device in the car that is starting to get wearisome though, even after a few short weeks. SEAT has built a car and engine that is pretty quiet in the cabin, and certainly a welcome break from the noise in my previous Nissan 370Z. But the engineers (or should that be 'marketeers') have decided we need help to relate this car to its racing WTCC sibling (the petrol one), and that it needs to make the appropriate noise.

This has meant the fitment of small speakers in the footwell of the car, pumping out electronic engine noises matching the revolutions of the engine. To be fair it is only really noticeable when you hold a gear at higher revs, but I am slightly worried that if I put Cher's vocoder-enhanced Believe on the stereo at the same time, a fake electronic sub-universe will be created. (Pete, you're losing it... Ed.)

I'm sure I have a coat like that
I'm sure I have a coat like that
Other elements of the cabin are growing on me. The quilted leather seats are a nice place to sit for short or long journeys, and they are positioned for a reasonable driving position too.

On the outside, the SEAT has an element of Q-car-ness in spite of the lary paint job. The frontal changes are subtle over a bog standard Leon, but the rear features more visual expressions of the power that lies beneath the skin, with centrally mounted twin exhausts. (That I am told sound lovely from the outside.)

After a string of rear wheel drive cars, this is going to be quite a different experience, and predictabley I'm spending far less time coming out of junctions sideways. But I am looking forward to spending more time in the car, and when I finally get the iPod connector in the SEAT to actually recognise my electronic phone device, I shall doubtless feel compelled to add a few txt characters of my own to the tweetosphere. Thing's probably aren't so mad after all.

Author
Discussion

snorkel sucker

Original Poster:

2,662 posts

202 months

Thursday 2nd December 2010
quotequote all
I know 4 pot turbocharged engines arent known for their sonic melodies, but "the fitment of small speakers in the footwell of the car, pumping out electronic engine noises matching the revolutions of the engine" to enhance this fact is, for me, plain rediculous!

Engineers should be the ones to build and design these kind of cars, not the marketing department

sootyrumble

295 posts

185 months

Thursday 2nd December 2010
quotequote all
A deceptively rapid car evo did a test with the Focus RS, Megane 250, and Golf and the Leon trounced all of them quite convincingly which they tried to disqualify evben though it highest terminal speeds and fastest lap times

Porsche997C4S

160 posts

163 months

Thursday 2nd December 2010
quotequote all
Looks very nice from the back and love the seats! smile

zcacogp

11,239 posts

243 months

Thursday 2nd December 2010
quotequote all
snorkel sucker said:
I know 4 pot turbocharged engines arent known for their sonic melodies, but "the fitment of small speakers in the footwell of the car, pumping out electronic engine noises matching the revolutions of the engine" to enhance this fact is, for me, plain rediculous!

Engineers should be the ones to build and design these kind of cars, not the marketing department
'Zactly my thought.

And when extra weight and complexity is added to try and improve the perceived sporty credentials of the car, I feel there is something of an over-emphasis of style over substance. The audio equivalent of a big, heavy 'sporting' bodykit, perhaps? Definitely more 'sizzle' than 'steak', as Setright would say.


Oli.

Edited by zcacogp on Thursday 2nd December 10:48

johnpeat

5,326 posts

264 months

Thursday 2nd December 2010
quotequote all
They fitted speakers just to make the engine sound different - holy cornflakes that's dumb...

If you're going to do it, give it a V6/V8/V10/V12 option at least, otherwise don't be stupid!!

collateral

7,238 posts

217 months

Thursday 2nd December 2010
quotequote all
zcacogp said:
snorkel sucker said:
I know 4 pot turbocharged engines arent known for their sonic melodies, but "the fitment of small speakers in the footwell of the car, pumping out electronic engine noises matching the revolutions of the engine" to enhance this fact is, for me, plain rediculous!

Engineers should be the ones to build and design these kind of cars, not the marketing department
'Zactly my thought.

And when extra weight and complexity is added to try and improve the perceived sporty credentials of the car, I feel there is something of an over-emphasis of style over substance. The audio equivalent of a big, heavy 'sporting' bodykit, perhaps? Definitely more 'sizzle' than 'steak', as Setright would say.


Oli.

Edited by zcacogp on Thursday 2nd December 10:48
Agree. Some type of bypass valve in the exhaust would actually serve a purpose.

After being in my friend's Clio 197 the sound difference between low and high revs was quite surprising...not sure how they're set up, but it seems perfect

soad

32,825 posts

175 months

Thursday 2nd December 2010
quotequote all
Like it, looks decent- comfy inside.
I'd have one.

PKLD

1,161 posts

240 months

Thursday 2nd December 2010
quotequote all
can you get those seats elsewhere? I love them but would like them without cupra scrawled over them

andyp74199

141 posts

190 months

Thursday 2nd December 2010
quotequote all
lovely car but I would not spend £25k on a Seat - it'll depreciate like a stone over the next 3/4 years but great as a freebie press car tho wink

Edited by andyp74199 on Thursday 2nd December 11:26

paulmoonraker

2,850 posts

162 months

Thursday 2nd December 2010
quotequote all
snorkel sucker said:
I know 4 pot turbocharged engines arent known for their sonic melodies, but "the fitment of small speakers in the footwell of the car, pumping out electronic engine noises matching the revolutions of the engine" to enhance this fact is, for me, plain rediculous!

Engineers should be the ones to build and design these kind of cars, not the marketing department
IMO, the reason why we like the sound is because we know it’s the engine that’s making it, and we relate that sound to the characteristics of the engine. To fake this in anyway misses the point by a country mile. I am sure they will try something like this with electric cars. Ridiculous.

soad

32,825 posts

175 months

Thursday 2nd December 2010
quotequote all
andyp74199 said:
lovely car but I would not spend £25k on a Seat - it'll depreciate like a stone over the next 3/4 years but great as a freebie press car tho wink
Should make a decent used buy though.
With enough time, of course

anonymous-user

53 months

Thursday 2nd December 2010
quotequote all
Article said:
This has meant the fitment of small speakers in the footwell of the car, pumping out electronic engine noises matching the revolutions of the engine.
rofl Oh dear.

Apparently the next version is going to come with Tiff Needell in the glovebox and he'll go, "NEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR, NNNNNNNEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR, VVVVVRRROOOOMMMMM!!!" every time you accelerate rolleyes

Madderz80

21 posts

166 months

Thursday 2nd December 2010
quotequote all
The only one slight problem? It's a Seat...

aka_kerrly

12,415 posts

209 months

Thursday 2nd December 2010
quotequote all
Madderz80 said:
The only one slight problem? It's a Seat...
why is that an issue.... badge snob?

These are so underated, which is fine, it means that in a couple of years time these will be little bargains especially compared to Golf GTIs, Focus, Meganes an other hot hatches.

I recal the previous Cupra R being considerably quicker (2.5s iirc around Evo track) compared to a mk5 golf and something like 0.2s slower than a S3 which has more power an 4wd. The Seat engineers are pretty dam good at setting up suspension an geometry to make these cars surprising amounts of FUN, yes FUN,something PH seems to think VAG group are incapable of doing.

Dave

littleandy0410

1,745 posts

203 months

Thursday 2nd December 2010
quotequote all
Madderz80 said:
The only one slight problem? It's a Seat...
6 posts in 7 months, and this is the most constructive comment you can come up with? Good effort, well done. rolleyes

Dan 87

49 posts

166 months

Thursday 2nd December 2010
quotequote all
If they wanted more noise in the cabin, couldn't they have just removed some sound proofing??

FWDRacer

3,564 posts

223 months

Thursday 2nd December 2010
quotequote all
Madderz80 said:
The only one slight problem? It's a Seat...
Sorry - but that is the benefit.

SEAT = sweetspot of VAG products. £3K for a badge, Sir?

anything fast

983 posts

163 months

Thursday 2nd December 2010
quotequote all
littleandy0410 said:
Madderz80 said:
The only one slight problem? It's a Seat...
6 posts in 7 months, and this is the most constructive comment you can come up with? Good effort, well done. rolleyes
have to say i would never drive a normal seat.. however one of these i would consider, personaly prefer them to the overpriced VW and Audi's... ignore the badge and the seat is great value for money and having been a passenger in a fast one.. looks a hoot to drive.. But for my own money i would still plump for a Focus ST (just love that 5 pot engine) smile

va1o

16,029 posts

206 months

Thursday 2nd December 2010
quotequote all
An excellent choice in vehicle thumbup

britsportscars

281 posts

177 months

Thursday 2nd December 2010
quotequote all
Imagine the response to a passenger asking about the engine noise... "Well, there are these little speakers that make pretend engine noises"

Apart from that crazy feature, I quite like it... Cheaper than Audi/VW equivalent and less pretentious too. I think I'd get it in black, oh actually I couldn't get a car that makes pretend noises, I'd go for a Focus ST instead... wink