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MK3 Leon Cupra, what we know

PPS

Guest
Do the seats look nice? the seats in the mk2 cupra were nice but the mk3 seats looks very cheap in comparrison , focus st and even fiesta st get recaros as standard , but the mk3 seats just look like armchairs
These are the same seats as in fr
I like them, thye look really cool IRL.

I dont like the seats in Fiesta st or focus st. they look for vulgar :shrug:
 

splitzyx

Guest
probably took too many GTI sales from the mk6, reckon they will just stick to the 1.8 this time round.

That way, VW has every individuals power needs catered for with too much direct competition

In Finland the Skoda vRS has made new record in sales. Sold about 2000 examples in 3-4 months, which is huge for a small market like Finland. The price is almost the same as in Germany 25-26 000 £, when Golf GTI 220 bhp prices start from 35000 €. Very good standard equipment as well ACC, KESSY etc. The DSG gearbox in Golf GTI Performance slows down the acceleration in higher speeds (too large gear ratio in 4th, 5ft and 6th gear) compared to manual gearbox. Hope they don't put the same gearbox in the all new DSG Cupra! 0-60 is OK but starts to suffer from 100 mph upwards. The vRS price is a bargain due to low car tax based on CO2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMsP1l_D3mw&feature=c4-overview&list=UUCnXRwgi_ig189BP4mzfrlg
" Published on Jan 16, 2014
This car is undoubtedly fast, but part of its dynamic potential is spoiled by gearing of its 6-speed automatic transmission. Mainly the 4th, 5th and 6th gear are way too "long" and as a result, the Performance version of GTI with 10 more PS is slower than a recently tested 220 PS Octavia RS with closer-ratio 6-speed manual transimission. If you want a really fast GTI, RS or anything with new 2,0 TSI engine, go manual... See the the graph of both transmissions and read more at:""
 
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GrahamFR

Now AMG Powered
Dec 10, 2008
4,239
6
Barnsley or Burton
Don't panic, I did go manual :) but pretty sure we all share the same dsg box and it's probably that way to help the economy driving, but eventually there will no doubt be a flash for it to fix this.
 

phil750

Active Member
Jul 24, 2012
213
1
dont know if this has already been said (sorry cba to look through 50 pages!)
But i brought a new leon fr last week and was speaking to dealer about cupra,
He said he has ordered one for himself (he was the boss) and is expecting it in march, thinks
the rrp is about 27k!
 

Syphon

Site Owner
Staff member
Feb 28, 2002
9,433
2,169
South West
www.seatcupra.net
dont know if this has already been said (sorry cba to look through 50 pages!)
But i brought a new leon fr last week and was speaking to dealer about cupra,
He said he has ordered one for himself (he was the boss) and is expecting it in march, thinks
the rrp is about 27k!

Sorry you can't be arsed to look through (you don't have to go that far back) - but yes this is old news. :)

http://www.seatcupra.net/wp/index.php/2014/01/08/new-2014-leon-cupra-and-cupra-280-full-details/

Scott
 

sixysix

Active Member
Jan 27, 2014
346
3
London
Would have loved to have gone for the Cupra but am still very happy with the FR.
Differences between the two as far as the exterior go, look very subtle really, which I think is a good thing :)

I would have held out if rockets were standard on the Cupra though :D
 
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Syphon

Site Owner
Staff member
Feb 28, 2002
9,433
2,169
South West
www.seatcupra.net
Separate discussion thread now in place for rumour and speculation on the Cupra R. Please keep this thread on topic about the Cupra.

Ta

Scott

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
 

phil_____

Guest
So like a few people here I'm in a market for a new car. I currently have a mk4 Ibiza FR TDi and a TT roadster. Both are about 10 years old and I've had them from new and I'd probably hang onto them if there wasn't a child on the way.
Anyway, I need a practical car, with 5 doors (don't like saloons) and while the other half might disagree, I want something fast.

So there'll be no surprises that on my list are the Cupra 280, Golf R (or maybe a GTi), S3 and M135i. Today I went out for some test drives, and managed to drive none of the above. Yes, the local SEAT garage isn't getting a Cupra for a couple of weeks but had a couple of FRs, VW only had a GTD, Audi had nothing worth driving and while there was an M135i at the BMW dealer, which I managed to sit in, we were kept waiting for 45 mins after the appointment time and we gave up to get to the VW dealer in time for the next one.

So we took out an FR TDi first. It was Alor blue which is a great colour, albeit one I'd never pick myself. I'm 38, love driving fast, and don't particularly want to draw attention to myself. Which is another reason why these cars are on the list: none of them look much different from the rest of the respective ranges.
I didn't drive the FR too far, as I've already ruled out getting a diesel as I don't do the miles that I used to. I was more interested in the cabin, and practical stuff like the size of the boot (sigh). It's a good drive though. And the cabin is a vast improvement from the last one. Still a bit too much plastic, particularly on the door cards but I'll reserve full judgement for the Cupra test drive, which I'm now looking forward to.

I won't dwell on the M135i as I didn't get to drive it. I will drive it though, just to see what everyone's raving about. It's clearly the engine and driving experience, because it was bottom by a mile in every other respect. The interior is cramped front and back (more rear legroom in my Ibiza) and the boot's small too. The sat-nav screen's a horrible lump of plastic sticking out the dash. It just felt like a small car.

The GTD drove pretty much the same as the FR except it had the god-awful DSG. It's a clever auto, but it removes any enjoyment from driving. The paddles are tiny (unlike the M135i) and are on the steering wheel, so I can imagine an Alpine pass being frustrating. Anyway, I'm not here for that old debate.
The interior in the Golf is great. Better than the FR, although the SE model in the showroom had brushed aluminium which was better still. You get shiny black with the GTi/GTD/R.

Didn't drive the S3 as they didn't have one but stopped in the Audi dealer anyway to take a look at an A3. The interior's behind the FR I reckon. Felt too cluttered. And significantly, being a quattro, the boot was tiny, which is something I expect I'll have to mark the R down on too.

For me, it's currently Golf then Cupra then S3 then M135i and that's the order I'd rank them in looks too. I expect the BMW to go up the rank when I drive it, given what people say, although too much of the raving's been by journalists driving on tracks with the back end sliding out. I don't plan to do that on public roads.

From a price point of view, I don't really get some of the comments on this thread. Once you spec up the Golf to a similar spec as the Cupra, it's £35K, and the S3's about the same. That's a hell of a lot more than the Cupra, but I'm not sure what the options will be on the Cupra. That might push the price up.

I don't quite get why the Golf can get to 62 so much faster than the Cupra, other than it's 4 wheel drive, in which case I don't care. Traffic light grand prix's something I grew out of 15 years ago and in-gear grunt's more important, as is handling.

From a practical point of view, the Golf's probably at the top. The boot might be smaller than the Cupra, but there's loads more legroom in the back.

Anyway, opinions/comments welcome. And sorry for bringing up the DSG vs manual thing, but autos are for old people and people who don't like driving. Oops, did I just type that? :whistle:
 

big eck

Active Member
Aug 11, 2005
3,976
2
Falkirk, Scotland
So after all that you didn't manage to drive any of the top end models lol, I don't really know what your getting at with regards to the thread in question tho. I think its completely pointless comparing the lesser models to the top end ones.

You say you don't get the comments about price compared to golf, yes the golf will be slightly more expensive and you'll get just as good options if not more in the seat, however the fact still remains the golf will hold its value soooo much better than the seat, plus the 4wd is a huge plus point over the seat. I kinda think vw got it backwards with the golf, they should have fitted the better engine, turbo and 4wd into the better looking gti lol.
 
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robdf2

Yellow is the best
Feb 21, 2006
3,605
2
location , location
I'm glad I'm not alone on the DSG thing
It just didn't do it for me at all , as the poster said above takes away the fun and driving experience , if I wanted and auto and that's what DSG is I would have taken the auto driving test.
Even car reviewers still moan that auto makes you feel disengaged from driving compared to the manual.
Just my 2 cents.

Just one thing though when you go for a test drive in the Cupra in will be an auto I'm afraid , manual cars are being built months after the auto versions
 

phil_____

Guest
So after all that you didn't manage to drive any of the top end models lol, I don't really know what your getting at with regards to the thread in question tho. I think its completely pointless comparing the lesser models to the top end ones.

Yeah it's a pain. I'm going to drive them soon though. The point of driving the other models is the wife doesn't care really about how it is to drive. She's more interested in the practical side of things.


You say you don't get the comments about price compared to golf, yes the golf will be slightly more expensive and you'll get just as good options if not more in the seat, however the fact still remains the golf will hold its value soooo much better than the seat, plus the 4wd is a huge plus point over the seat. I kinda think vw got it backwards with the golf, they should have fitted the better engine, turbo and 4wd into the better looking gti lol.

Yeah I get your point. But it all comes down to how much more the Golf is, and we don't really know that yet unless someone has the detailed price list for the Cupra. You get a few things as standard with the Cupra, but if you have to fork out a few K for leather then the gap's going to be closer. Of course, it all comes down to how much you spend over the course of owning the car. I can afford to pay cash for either (I've not bought new car for a decade) so I'll probably end up buying the car that I think will cost me less over time. People's assertions about the value are based on past models though. The last Leon was a long way behind the equivalent Golf and S3 based on the quality of the interior, even after the facelift, and second hand values reflected this. It also looked like a people carrier, which puts people off. The new one is a very good car, much closer to the Golf and as I said, ahead of the S3, at least in my opinion. It's a nice place to sit. Not as nice as the Golf though.

As for four wheel drive, well you'll be faster off the mark but for most of the time it doesn't make that much difference. But then again I've owned two mkI TTs over the last 14 years and the Haldex has moved on since then. I'll reserve judgement.

Anyway, the point of my post is it's not just about which car is quickest, or the best driving experience. There' are other things to consider. Otherwise I'd probably buy a 997.
 

phil_____

Guest
Just one thing though when you go for a test drive in the Cupra in will be an auto I'm afraid , manual cars are being built months after the auto versions

Yeah I know. They sell more of them so it kind of makes sense. I expect the manual gearbox to be the same one as the FR and probably the same one as most other VAG cars. It's decent enough. I don't mind the auto every now and again. I always end up left foot braking which can be quite fun too.
 

RacerBice

Active Member
Nov 25, 2013
87
17
Stockholm, Sweden
Anyway, opinions/comments welcome. And sorry for bringing up the DSG vs manual thing, but autos are for old people and people who don't like driving. Oops, did I just type that? :whistle:

I saw sales statistics for BMW M3 for the year of 2012. 94 % per cent double-clutch, 6 % manual. And I don't think the average M3 buyer is "old" or someone who "doesn't like driving". This is spreading like a virus, and in ten years time manuals will hardly be made any longer. It's more fun with manual the times you really push, yes, but for the total ownership prospect it's not so clear-cut. Even for me, with a long history of several S3's, Golf R and now having a 911 as second car (for the pure hooligan joy-rides). So I ordered my new SC FR180 with DSG. It sucked elephant d*ck in the Golf R, with a turbo that takes far too long to spool up for the ECO software that I hadn't expected in a hot-hatch. But the Seat test drive was quite promising. :)
 

phil_____

Guest
So you don't think anyone buys an M3 because it's a status symbol, or because they want 0-60 bragging rights? As for old, I've never known anyone below the age of about 45 to own one, at least in this country. Same goes for 911s. So many of them tootle around Kensington and Chelsea, barely getting past third gear. Not that the owner would know as it will inevitably be in "drive".

I'm not totally against sequential gearboxes or even the double clutch. This one: streetfire.net/video/lexus-lfa-real-vs-virtual-top-gear-us_2310361.htm* for example appeals very much. Yes, so it's in an LFA, but the paddles are on the steering column so you know where they'll be, they're large enough so you can get to them, and you probably will want to use them, rather than just putting it into drive because changing gear's a chore. The way they're implemented is fine if you're going along straight roads, or if you have pretty straightforward bends where you can get into gear in advance. Maybe the M3 is a decent implementation. I don't know.

* Sorry - can't post full URLs yet.
 
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jonjay

50 Years of 911
Jun 27, 2005
5,843
1
Essex
So you don't think anyone buys an M3 because it's a status symbol, or because they want 0-60 bragging rights? As for old, I've never known anyone below the age of about 45 to own one, at least in this country. Same goes for 911s. So many of them tootle around Kensington and Chelsea, barely getting past third gear. Not that the owner would know as it will inevitably be in "drive".

I'm not totally against sequential gearboxes or even the double clutch. This one: streetfire.net/video/lexus-lfa-real-vs-virtual-top-gear-us_2310361.htm* for example appeals very much. Yes, so it's in an LFA, but the paddles are on the steering column so you know where they'll be, they're large enough so you can get to them, and you probably will want to use them, rather than just putting it into drive because changing gear's a chore. The way they're implemented is fine if you're going along straight roads, or if you have pretty straightforward bends where you can get into gear in advance. Maybe the M3 is a decent implementation. I don't know.

* Sorry - can't post full URLs yet.
You cant know very many people then. I know 30-35year olds who own 911s and m3s. I think the general story is that most people cant afford such cars till they get to that age. I also dont think that older people enjoy these cars any less than young people. In fact they enjoy the cars more i would say.
 
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