FR TDi or Cupra, dilemma

[red line fun]

had my 04 plate leon fr tdi for 3 yrs this october, so will be changing it at some point between September - November. i was intending to simply go for the mk2 fr tdi but since the new shape came out i've not been 100% sold on it ... although it's growing on me.

so, i've narrowed my choices down to these 3:

- fr tdi
- cupra
- audi tt 2.0 coupe

for the purposes of this post, ignore the third one, i'm toying with that as i prefer the shape to leon however at an additional x amount of thousands i might not end up going for it.

so my question is, should i be tempted to go from my mk1 fr tdi to the mk2 cupra, does it really feel that much quicker? does it really roll a lot less through corners? although not as fuel efficient as the tdi, is the fuel consumption reasonable assuming you don't red line it off every junction? or is the fr tdi not really 'that' far behind it as a car?

should also say my mileage is (to date) 30k miles, that's from october 04 to April 07, so approx. 1000 miles a month ... maybe the diesel is a waste of my time i.e when it comes to re-couping the extra purchase cost?

 

[DanGB]

I think you best speak to scott (Syphon) about this, He had this dilemma which went on for months, and there is a mega thread about in in the forum

 

[mode]

I think the FR represents good value where as much as i like the cupra its a lot of money over the FR for xenons and a modest power increase that said whichever you choose all nice cars so you wont go wrong really!!!!

 

[seadragon]

Go for the FR TFSI, cheaper than the Cupra, cheaper to insure, run, but also more powerful than the FR TDI.

Why not go for something in the middle of the Cupra and FR TDI. There are lots of posts on this site with ppl having engine probs with their TDIs which made me run a mile when I finally made my choice.

I was deciding on the FR TFSI, Octavia VRS, GTI and Audi A3 (all with the same engine) and decided on the FR because the MK2 shape has finally grown on me also when you taken into consideration, mpg, insurance, C02 emissions, the FR was the best across the board.

 

[Tam]

I think the FR represents good value where as much as i like the cupra its a lot of money over the FR for xenons and a modest power increase that said whichever you choose all nice cars so you wont go wrong really!!!!

Don't forget completely different suspension !

 

[k4ith]

the TFSi, for price and performance, the TDi for slight economy for a diesel its not the best, modding cupra & TFSi.
although i do like the Focus ST at the moment.

 

[Rokerlad]

Confused you have the Audi TT on your list as it's a lot more expensive than the other cars there. How about a Golf GTi ? Regarded as the best all-rounder hot hatch on the market. Has class, strong residuals and a new UK spec import can be had for a little over £17 k.

 

[jon1]

Have you considered a Mazda 3 MPS or are you wanting to stay within the VAG range? i test drove one the other day and they are blisteringly quick, handles well too comes with lsd.

 

[k4ith]

Have you considered a Mazda 3 MPS or are you wanting to stay within the VAG range? i test drove one the other day and they are blisteringly quick, handles well too comes with lsd.

lsd - just say NO!

 

[red line fun]

thanks for feedback guys, reason tt is on my list is cause the mk2 leon shape hasn't completely grown on me, yes the tt is a fair bit more expensive, but toying with the idea of treating myself if the leon doesn't win me over enough. for some reason have never wanted a golf gti ever since i've been able to drive (18 years) and don't see that changing any time soon.

it's interesting to see a couple of replies about reliability issues with the tdi and only a slight improvement in fuel economy with it as oppose to the petrol. unless there's a known issue with the tdi i won't let some reliability issues put me off if i decide to go for one, but if the fuel savings in the real world with ordinary day to day driving aren't that amazing, maybe i'm better changing back to petrol?

ah, decisions decisions ... and i'm not changing for a few months yet

 

[andycupra]

i think a diesel with the sport kit on it would be your best choice.
i think you would be shocked by the mpg in the cupra, not thats its bad, but compared to the diesel its a fair difference.
not sure how different the mk2 is, but the old ones even tkaing it easy struggle to get over 30mpg.
there was a brand new grey diesel reference sport in letchworth that i looked at, it was lovely. and im not a fan of the new shape overall.

 

[Syphon]

If you've got the money - and mileage isn't an issue. IMHO get the Cupra. I have no regrets.

Scott

 

[Michael B]

The days of looking at a diesel as the lower class model are gone! Go for it, the TDI FR drives like a dream..

 

[red line fun]

The days of looking at a diesel as the lower class model are gone! Go for it, the TDI FR drives like a dream..

never have, hence my current fr tdi but just thought the cupra 'might' be an option if the fuel con wasn't drastically worse than the tdi in the real world, however as i quite enjoy taking my car near the red line when pulling away etc maybe the cupra would shock me ... and not in a good way!

 

[chrisboyle999]

If you've got the money - and mileage isn't an issue. IMHO get the Cupra. I have no regrets.

Scott

totally agree.

scott, have you tried http://www.freecycle.org/ to get shot of your fish tank, you dont seem to have much luck flogging it!!

 

[seadragon]

You could always get the FR TFSI, get the Aero side skirt and rear spoiler on, get it lowered with Eibach springs and Koni's, get it REVO'd, what more would you want.

You get a great looking car with lots of power.

 

[BanziBarn]

Depends on what kind of driving you do. I do mainly town driving and so 260ft/lbs at very low revs suits me perfectly. My Civic type-r feels slow around town compared to the Leon.

But, if you do a lot of faster roads and ecnomoy isn't an issue then it has to be the Cupra.....

 

[Igor23]

You could always get the FR TFSI, get the Aero side skirt and rear spoiler on, get it lowered with Eibach springs and Koni's, get it REVO'd, what more would you want.

You get a great looking car with lots of power.

Why not get the Cupra, Revo it, rear spoiler, Neuspeed/Carbonio CAI, job done, better to spend on horsepower than bodykits, which just add weight, not fun IMHO, the Cupra suspension and brakes need little or no tweaking and can certainly handle the extra horses that Revo's 0's & 1's liberate, plus the Cupra is being produced in limited numbers, so should hold it's value....

 

[seadragon]

The Cupra looks just like the FR (except for 1 or 2 things most people wouldnt even notice), but cost a couple of grand more, main reason I cancelled my order for the Cupra.

If it looked a lot different then fair enough.

 

[Igor23]

Looks are why nasty body kits are on Saxos, not the Cupra, these things are ok if you want to be accepted by the local cruize boyz, but they add nothing but weight, a bit like a lard butty, IMHO
Anyway, to get the same level of performance, both in breaking, handling and power, how much extra would you have to spend tweaking an FR TFSI to the level of a standard Cupra, I'm guessing approx £2k....