Can anyone help me with a comparison between the FR and Cupra

[Jonboy582]

Hey ... this is my first post so best start out with a hello there. Hope I can become a regular poster.

Anyway, in spring I'm looking at upgrading my car. At the moment I have the 140 tdi Leon. This is great much faster and better handling than my last car. I love the pull it has (that's why I got it). But its not "fast". In gear acceleration is great but as its a diesel I'm fed up of having to change at like 4 - 4.5k revs.

So anyway I looked around many cars and came back to the leon. But cant find any real life comparisons between the petrol fr and the cupra.

I hear the ride is much harder in the fr, I know this will make it a bit twitchy over the bumps. But surely that would make it better at handling on a nice flat piece of road?

I spoke to a company and they guaranteed to raise the bhp to 265 with just a remap. Can the fr handle that much extra power without too much torque steer and new components.

Other than power and interior, what benefits does the cupra hold over the fr?

Just a side note the insurance is £450 a year more for the cupra but I will get it if its far better than the fr. But if its not worth the extra like £2k and £450 insurance then I will stick with a remapped fr.

Well any info would be great and sorry for the long post.

Jon

 

[phil3012]

I test drove both one the FR one day the Cupra the next and opted for the Cupra.

Ride on the FR is harder and passengers even complained that my Cupra was too hard. The Cupra uses uprated components so the overall ride and handling is better.

Brakes are much better in the Cupra as well. Neither suffer from torque steer as standard but not sure about a remap.

The extra power is provided by a bigger turbo and several other uprated engine componets.

If you are thinking of remapping an FR to 265 I would go for a Cupra. Many people who have gone on a rolling road have achieved 260ish from a Cupra stock.

Also if the insurance on a Cupra is £450 more standard than an FR I imagine the premium hike for a remapped FR would be substantial for you. I am 33 with full NCB and only paid £600 on the Cupra and I have a lot of extras on the policy.

Drive both back to back and you will see that the Cupra is a better car, whether it is worth over £2K extra is another thing, if you can spare the money then it is.

Personally I wouldn't buy either again, but certainly wouldn't pay the RRP for one now, I know how much mine is up for at a SEAT dealer and it is nowhere near what I paid for it new.

 

[JUS CRU-ZN]

I have both! What a difference! I presume you know all the factory spec diff.

Fr has : Forge DV/Forge CAI/ DP/SW doing now 255Hp (95 octane) with 348Nm

So drivers feel... my modded Fr vs my stock Cupra:

Cupra's braking power is immensely gratifying.
Cupra has more direct steering.
Cupra feels bigger on the inside because of the black hoodlining.
Fr ride is a bit harder but only fractionally so.... Cupra still much more balanced than the Fr.
Cupra is just as fast if not less than a sec faster than Fr on quarter mile.


Cupra is perfect in stock but has much better platform to start the mods (plus Xenons are std.)

Chipped Cupra= Bat out of hell!!!!

 

[phil3012]

I have both! What a difference! I presume you know all the factory spec diff.

Fr has : Forge DV/Forge CAI/ DP/SW doing now 255Hp (95 octane) with 348Nm

So drivers feel... my modded Fr vs my stock Cupra:

Cupra's braking power is immensely gratifying.
Cupra has more direct steering.
Cupra feels bigger on the inside because of the black hoodlining.
Fr ride is a bit harder but only fractionally so.... Cupra still much more balanced than the Fr.
Cupra is just as fast if not less than a sec faster than Fr on quarter mile.


Cupra is perfect in stock but has much better platform to start the mods (plus Xenons are std.)

Chipped Cupra= Bat out of hell!!!!

By the way Xenons aren't standard on the Cupra anymore.

They used to be but this changed about a year ago, the RRP was reduced fractionally but Xenons became something like a £900 extra.

 

[JUS CRU-ZN]

By the way Xenons aren't standard on the Cupra anymore.

They used to be but this changed about a year ago, the RRP was reduced fractionally but Xenons became something like a £900 extra.

That's a pity! In SA they are still std but now tht SEAT pulled out of the country there are no longer any brand new Cupras for sale!

BTW... y wouldn't u buy a SEAT again?

 

[P0LKR]

I love my cupra unlike Phil but each to their own. When chipped it goes like a bullet. I would get the cupra over the fr that is a certainty.

 

[phil3012]

That's a pity! In SA they are still std but now tht SEAT pulled out of the country there are no longer any brand new Cupras for sale!

BTW... y wouldn't u buy a SEAT again?

My Cupra was lovely to drive, brilliant performance and handling, excellent spec, acceptable economy and running costs for the type of car but just so badly built.

I had heard good things from people with the Mk 1 Leon, but I was very very disappointed with the build quality of mine

Seemed to have an endless list of problems and the dealer really didn't help as they were complete incompetant.

As a passenger the Mrs really hate it as well, you could feel every bump and the amount of times she moaned... The vibration and road noise at times was terrible.

I miss the performance from the Cupra, the smile on your face everytime you put your foot down, but the car and dealer service were impossible to live with.

I maybe just got a bad one. Has put me off the brand complete though :-(

 

[Xe]

You could read this thread as well

 

[DanGB]

I'd say 265hp from a remapping Fr only is unrealistic. More like 240-250hp

 

[MATT'88]

I have both! What a difference! I presume you know all the factory spec diff.

Fr has : Forge DV/Forge CAI/ DP/SW doing now 255Hp (95 octane) with 348Nm

So drivers feel... my modded Fr vs my stock Cupra:

Cupra's braking power is immensely gratifying.
Cupra has more direct steering.
Cupra feels bigger on the inside because of the black hoodlining.
Fr ride is a bit harder but only fractionally so.... Cupra still much more balanced than the Fr.
Cupra is just as fast if not less than a sec faster than Fr on quarter mile.


Cupra is perfect in stock but has much better platform to start the mods (plus Xenons are std.)

Chipped Cupra= Bat out of hell!!!!

I'd say 265hp from a remapping Fr only is unrealistic. More like 240-250hp

Have you read what he has done to it?? He never said it was a standard remap.


To be honest mate there's only 1 real question to ask yourself..."Do i want a diesel with better mpg or a petrol with less mpg" Only you know the answer.

I have an FR which is quite nice im getting it revo remaped in january. (And i allready keep up with my mates 200bhp 20vt ibiza)

 

[chrisboyle999]

To be honest mate there's only 1 real question to ask yourself..."Do i want a diesel with better mpg or a petrol with less mpg" Only you know the answer.

nobody mentioned derv fr mate .

 

[Jonboy582]

Thanks for all the replies. Well first off I am not looking at a diesel again.

And I kind of have a hard decision here. Being told the cupra is much better. But my age is a big factor. Turned 21 in October, and have no no claims, havn't crashed just been a regular driver being named and on a company vehicle.

As for ride comfort I really dont care as long as it handles well. As for passengers, well if they get a lift from me I will slap them if they complain.

Considering my age, would an FR be a reasonable compramise, or should I just go for something like a clio sport? As for the fr I have the reference sport which has like the same interior or very similar as the FR. People say they like it but I find it very bland and the seats of the cupra look very nice.

Ohh and my insurance quotes are
£1640 - FR
£2170 - Cupra

Arg this is so hard, and im edging to the cupra. But with the whole "credit crisis" work are cutting back on my hours so not sure if I can afford the cupra.

BTW its a sensible choice compared to what I was gonna get a 350Z 4k a year insurance lol.

Jon

 

[idge]

2K on insurance!!? Thats mental, and money completely thrown away

I'd just get something in between warm and hot hatch while you build up your no claims..

 

[Poverty]

2K on insurance!!? Thats mental, and money completely thrown away

I'd just get something in between warm and hot hatch while you build up your no claims..

not really, as there is a 450 pound difference between the FR and the cupra. so he could get something slower than the FR, but then your looking at cars in the insurance groups 10 etc. Those are usually very boring cars, (like my 1.4 ibiza) and so when is insurance does come down by a grand in a year or two he will trade up, and the money it will cost him to then get another new car will be more than a grand.


anyway if you can afford the cupra, get the cupra.

how old are you btw mate? Your insurance quotes are similiar to the ones I have been getting on a K1.

Also a clio sport is a insurance group 16, and because its a 3 door and more will have been wrecked than cupras, will probably cost just as much to insure.

 

[Pummy]

Cupra Pros:
If you are planning on modding, get the cupra. You will kick yourself for getting an FR then tuning it up, only to find the Cupra will be able to get to the same power level for less cost. This assumes you are not throwing big money at modding.

Also the brakes on the car are much stronger than the FR. As std they are stonking clampers anyway. More than enough for any abuse you can throw at them.

Cupra Cons:

Costs more
Higher Insurance
Lower MPG

If you can get the chance to, get the salesman to take you out for a test drive in both along the same stretch of road. At the end of the day, only you can make the decision.

And welcome to the forum. Lots of helpful folks here.

 

[kezFR07]

i was 21 when i got my fr. i was looking at a golf 140 tdi for around 8k. i wasnt even after a petrol or a hot hatch didnt even enter my mind but i saw the fr at the dealers and thought id have a cheeky look. they didnt even have any cupras in i didnt even know they made a cupra then ha. before i knew it i was having a test drive and after that i had to have it having come from a 100 bhp diesel polo ha. i paid 15000 for the car and cupras were going for around 18 and 19k second hand. to be honest i could only just afford the fr which i pushed myself for so although yeh id of liked the cupra it wasnt in my opinion worth the extra 3k and besides i coulnt have afforded it. ps test drove the cupra a few months ago and my fr mapped stage 1 felt quite a bit quicker. get the fr then in a few years get a cupra. better insurance too. hope this helps

 

[warren_cox]

Ohh and my insurance quotes are
£1640 - FR
£2170 - Cupra

OMFG, that's horrific. That said, my LCR was over £700 when I was 33 2yrs ago, so maybe its just viewed as a higher risk car. S3 was £358 this year.

Personally I couldn't justify that money giveaway for the privilegde of driving a fast car unless I was on some much money I just didn't care.

 

[bclark1979]

I got my mark 1 Cupra at 23 and my insurance was £800 with 2 years no claims. The price will come down rapidly with a little bit of age and a couple of years no claims. I would say wait a year or two and then buy and it will save you thousands of pounds.

I know its tough to wait though.

 

[Jonboy582]

Well I don't earn a huge amount of money but as I don't have a contract I cant afford to move out. So I don't have any major outgoings except my car and alcohol to be honest.

As for not getting the car now, I love driving more than anything. If it comes at a price tag I will have to pay it to be satisfied. So I think its going to have to be the FR unless a revelation comes on the cupra.

As for modding it, I don't think I will do that. Except maybe the spoiler which I have on my present leon. It looks a bit strange but after time you get used to it and its awsome. Can anyone tell me why its such a weird shape?

 

[MATT'88]

Sorry having an fr 170 i always presume people are talking about the derv. If you dont mind the insurance being that extra £500 the go to seat and get the cupra but just blag your way through them saying you only have X amount. Its a buyers market.

Where did you get quotes from??
My fr tdi is £800 comp me n my bird
Cupra is £1600 comp me n my bird

And im 20. ???