Buying advice Cupra 290

[ViperSlider]

Sorry to hear yours needs a new engine, can I ask what happened to it?

It died quietly and without fuss in Christmas traffic heading to BK

 

[CRNeo]

That's quite an upgrade! ;0)

Have you checked the insurance?

I don't think the cars have any terrible issues but they are likely to throw more trouble at you because they are more complex and more highly strung. For me the big issue was finding one that had not been ragged. All the guys on here ever seemed to talk about was how to 'launch' their cars! Yes, you can do fun stuff like that but it knocks the crap out of the car. I felt it was safer to just not buy one but I relented and bought one last year. Didn't have it very long, didn't particularly like it.

So if you want one, try to find one that's not been 'boy racered', and good luck with that! Flies to a ****. Avoid anything modified, even slightly, and look for an atypical owner. Older family guy, woman etc. But for me the question is, why do you want one? In my opinion, it's not the best Leon. I've owned and driven a bunch of Leons and other Seats, heck my family own five of the things right now, and the Cupra is not my first choice. Yes, it looks kinda bad-ass and it goes very quickly but once you get over that it's not the most fun Leon for typical driving. That car, is the 1.4tsi FR. Shock horror Mr Pig! How can you utter such heresy? Bear with me.

Yes, the Cupra is stupidly fast. I mean really fast. It's not just that's it's fast on paper but it can actually put that power down in the real world in a way that's quite amazing actually. Soaking roads, it doesn't give a ****. That trick differential does its thing and off you go. It's addictive and fun but how often do you need acceleration like that in the real world?

The problem with the Cupra is that it only comes alive at bonkers speed, because that's what it's designed for. At sensible speeds it feels...ordinary. Yeah, well ok but why is the 1.4 FR better? Surely it's just less good overall?

It's complicated but in the real world the FR is more fun. It's all in the details. For example the suspension. I assume it's to compensate for the huge wheels but the suspension on the Cupra is too soft. Good turn-in but very little feedback, which is a huge problem. The independent rear offers potential but you can't take advantage of it because you don't know where the grip is. Rather than feeling poised it just feels uneasy near the limit. The upside is that the car is comfortable but those big wheels are very prone to damage. 19'' is one inch too big and just about everyone has cracked them. So in daily driving it feels ordinary, until you hit a pot-hole!

Another issue is the weight. Big engine, big brakes, fancy dif and all the other bits needed for that power means a heavy front end and it royally fecks up the balance of the car. The lighter, stiffer, simpler FR feels sharper, more darty and gives you more feedback about what it's going. With the right tyres of course and 18'' wheels. You don't have to drive like a maniac to have fun and you're getting mid forties MPG all day long and over fifty on a run.

The Cupra was designed to be a very fast car, and it is, but unless very fast is what you're doing it's a bit dull. One of the best drivers cars in the world is the Mazda MX5. Not that fast, not that much grip but small, light and lets you feel what's going on. Driving a slow car fast is more fun than driving a fast car slow.

Thanks, all good points... insurance is not really an issue for me now as I'm getting on a bit.

I think I have the same concerns around finding one that's not been abused and thrashed... I'd want a really tidy and 1/2 owner car at most ideally.. I'm not in a rush to buy tbh and I'm also not 100% sold on a cupra necessarily but I do want something loud and very fast, mainly just because it's an itch I'd like to scratch being a petrolhead but never owning what I'd consider a really "fast" car. Previously a lot of my car choice came down to running costs as I was doing 20k+ miles a year but now I'm only doing 6-8k so the car would be used more to go to car shows, car meets and specific drives out around wales/scotland or abroad is my plan.

Also I agree that the mx5 is indeed one of the best drivers cars in the world, which is why I have one of those also and have owned 7 of them I do autosolos and stuff in that but I'm also kinda getting fed up of fixing old cars and dealing with rust, which is also unfortunately part of mx5 ownership (unless you have a really nice/garaged example, which you wouldn't want to drive, which defeats the purpose)

The golf GTE or the hybrid leon FR was also another option as my driving pattern now tends to be either really short or really long journeys which could suit a plug in hybrid... but then I'm not sure if I do go for a hybrid or a slightly smaller engine car this time I'll be thinking "I really wish I'd have gone big" plus the hybrid add more complexity and things to go wrong.

Hmmm...

 

[CRNeo]

As Mr Pig says, if you buy one, make sure you get one that hasn’t been modified…I bought mine from a main dealer, thinking that it would be a better quality buy than from a back street dealer, however still had to sort out silly things like DSG paddles covered in superglue, where the previous owner had fitted paddle extensions badly, remains of additional badges, and frustratingly, a K&N panel filter, which I’d have thought the main dealer would have checked was standard before sale…

That being said, apart from consumables, the car just starts and drives; I’ve done 17k since picking it up last March and the only real niggle is infotainment system occasionally rebooting (which from experience owning a 2017 Octavia and 2020 Arteon, they all do that!), it’s just reliable…in the last year of having the Arteon, it went into the garage about 9 times mainly for software-based problems!

I’ve tried launch control four times, yeah, it’s stupid quick, but I don’t want to break the car, so have no reason to ever do it again!

I do have a feeling that whilst the previous owner did some crap aesthetic changes (IMO), they didn’t rag it, as it only needs tiny oil topups every now and then (1/2l in 10k miles), no smoke and nothing ‘broken’. I have the oil temperature permanently displayed in the virtual cockpit, so don’t push it until the oil’s up to temperature.

I agree with Mr Pig’s comments regarding the suspension, and always have mine set to sport, which feels like the best balance between comfort and driving correctly - comfort is way too soft and I can feel the difference in lengthened braking distances!

Mine doesn’t have ACC, but it’s on the list to be installed by East Yorkshire Retrofits when funds allow.
Try it and see if you like it - I love my estate, it’s rapid, can swallow loads of stuff, is comfortable and reliable, ticks all the boxes.

Give one a try, you certainly don’t ‘need’ the power and speed it offers, but if you feel you need to scratch an itch like I did, I doubt you’ll be disappointed

Cheers, yeah I automatically discount any car that has paddle extensions... just screams tacky to tbh

 

[CRNeo]

I actively don't want ACC. ACC depends on the front radar sensor and if that gets' knocked out the ACC won't work. I had a Golf with a sensor issue and it was going to cost hundreds to fix it. At that time most dealers did not have the special jig to align and calibrate the sensor, they still don't, and the few places that do have it charged a lot of money to use it.

The problem is that if your ACC goes down for any reason it takes normal cruse control with it! And not having cruse control is very, very annoying. So I wouldn't fit it. You're taking a system which is inherently very reliable and making it less so.

I had my Cupra suspension in Sport all the time too but even then I felt it was too soft. I think the problem was two-fold. Firstly they wanted the car to be comfortable in daily use but still look mean. So you've got those 19'' wheels but the only way to run those and have comfort is to soften the suspension. And adding adjustability is a band-aid as you can only adjust the damper. The spring is fixed so you need to use a soft enough spring to allow the comfort you want. To me the balance they chose just isn't right for sports car. It's not so much that it doesn't have the grip, it just doesn't tell you enough about what it's going to do. Push the Cupra close to the limit and it scares the **** out of you as you're never certain of what that back end is going to do. The front's not so bad, it'll just be thinking of running wide, but the back isn't as dialed as a good independent system should be. It's not a bad car, don't get me wrong, but it's not as focused as it should be.

Whilst I agree it's another thing to go wrong when it does work ACC is great, we have it on the other family car and on longer trips it's used all the time and it's easily one of my favourite things ever... that said it has decided to just not work a few times and like you say it does then take out normal cruise... I guess it it something I could prob live without if all the other spec was there.

Heated seats or ACC... hmmm maybe I'd have a warm bum instead.

 

[DEAN0]

really short or really long journeys

I would be tempted to look at a 300 rather than a 290 facelift.

No GPF to worry about.

 

[Cubbington]

Cheers, yeah I automatically discount any car that has paddle extensions... just screams tacky to tbh

Totally agreed. Unfortunately before I bought the car, the dealer had removed them, however the previous owner had stuck them on with superglue, so it wasn't until I used them for the first time that I discovered all the patchwork of old sticky pads never to be removed! They've gone now, with a new set of shifters fitted when I had it serviced!

Going from experience with my Arteon PHEV, that drivetrain is old, and feels it too.

I went from loving driving on electrons, to realising that it was no cheaper to charge it at home than run on ICE, and to charge it publicly was financially a mug's game.

The cars you mention are ICE cars that have been modified to run as PHEV, and in my view are the worst of both worlds. You're either dragging around a motor and a battery, impacting on fuel economy, or dragging around an engine and fuel, causing quick battery drain...the worst I had was 12 miles range on battery in the winter! Also take into account the additional running costs of such a complicated car (especially if it goes wrong!).

Let alone VW's buggy software and the capacitive touch-controls, which aren't even backlit on most models, meaning you can't see the climate and volume controls at night!

Here's the review I posted on Parkers when I was absolute rock-bottom with the Arteon:

Volkswagen Arteon Shooting Brake 2020 Owner Ratings

Read owner ratings to find out what the Volkswagen Arteon Shooting Brake 2020 1.4 TSI eHybrid R Line DSG 5d cars are really like to own and live with.

www.parkers.co.uk

I'd suggest looking on the hybrid threads on this forum to get an idea, but I personally think that a PHEV only works out as a tax loophole for a company car driver (as I was at the time), and is an expensive choice for a private buyer...but that's just my opinion, and like ar$eholes, everyone's got one

 

[SuperV8]

Totally agreed. Unfortunately before I bought the car, the dealer had removed them, however the previous owner had stuck them on with superglue, so it wasn't until I used them for the first time that I discovered all the patchwork of old sticky pads never to be removed! They've gone now, with a new set of shifters fitted when I had it serviced!

Going from experience with my Arteon PHEV, that drivetrain is old, and feels it too.

I went from loving driving on electrons, to realising that it was no cheaper to charge it at home than run on ICE, and to charge it publicly was financially a mug's game.

The cars you mention are ICE cars that have been modified to run as PHEV, and in my view are the worst of both worlds. You're either dragging around a motor and a battery, impacting on fuel economy, or dragging around an engine and fuel, causing quick battery drain...the worst I had was 12 miles range on battery in the winter! Also take into account the additional running costs of such a complicated car (especially if it goes wrong!).

Let alone VW's buggy software and the capacitive touch-controls, which aren't even backlit on most models, meaning you can't see the climate and volume controls at night!

Here's the review I posted on Parkers when I was absolute rock-bottom with the Arteon:

Volkswagen Arteon Shooting Brake 2020 Owner Ratings

Read owner ratings to find out what the Volkswagen Arteon Shooting Brake 2020 1.4 TSI eHybrid R Line DSG 5d cars are really like to own and live with.

www.parkers.co.uk

I'd suggest looking on the hybrid threads on this forum to get an idea, but I personally think that a PHEV only works out as a tax loophole for a company car driver (as I was at the time), and is an expensive choice for a private buyer...but that's just my opinion, and like ar$eholes, everyone's got one

Just my two penn'orth - It all depends on your own use case - and everyone has a different use case.

Agree if you can't charge it at home or work then don't bother - but if you can charge at home/work, and you don't have a very long commute then it could be very cheap to run.
Mate at work has a Passat GTE, which he charges at home and work and he fills up the petrol tank about twice per year!

Have a look at remaps for the GTEs - was shocked to see something like 260-270bhp! so it's quite a stout platform.

Also they have had higher depreciation than the ICE versions - so great for a second hand buy.

 

[CRNeo]

Just my two penn'orth - It all depends on your own use case - and everyone has a different use case.

Agree if you can't charge it at home or work then don't bother - but if you can charge at home/work, and you don't have a very long commute then it could be very cheap to run.
Mate at work has a Passat GTE, which he charges at home and work and he fills up the petrol tank about twice per year!

Have a look at remaps for the GTEs - was shocked to see something like 260-270bhp! so it's quite a stout platform.

Also they have had higher depreciation than the ICE versions - so great for a second hand buy.

This was why I was contemplating it as an alternative to the cupra, my mate has a golf GTE he's bought recently... he charges at home which is pretty cheap and his commute he can do easily on full EV so he's saving a fortune in the traffic full ev is great. Plus if you want/need it 200bhp with both is pretty nippy and you'll still get 40+ mpg. There's quite a few nice FR 2020+ for around £15k which seem like a decent used deal potentially yeah.

Have to also agree those capacitive touch for the HVAC and the buttons for the lights look god awful. Spec wise everything else is pretty decent though.

 

[CRNeo]

A nice 2.0 TSI 190 FR is another possible option

 

[Mr Pig]

I'm also not 100% sold on a cupra necessarily but I do want something loud and very fast,

Also I agree that the mx5 is indeed one of the best drivers cars in the world, which is why I have one of those also and have owned 7 of them I do autosolos and stuff in that but I'm also kinda getting fed up of fixing old cars and dealing with rust, which is also unfortunately part of mx5 ownership (unless you have a really nice/garaged example, which you wouldn't want to drive, which defeats the purpose)

The golf GTE or the hybrid leon FR was also another option as my driving pattern now tends to be either really short or really long journeys which could suit a plug in hybrid... but then I'm not sure if I do go for a hybrid or a slightly smaller engine car this time I'll be thinking "I really wish I'd have gone big" plus the hybrid add more complexity and things to go wrong.

Hmmm...

The Cupra's not that loud. Mine had the resonator delete by the previous owner and it still wasn't crazy loud. At normal revs it sounded very..normal. Only growled a bit when you revved it but I still wouldn't say it was loud. Very civilized, especially for that type of car.

I've been looking at MX5s, and Fiat 124s for a couple of years now. I don't want a current MX5 because the gearbox is weak and I would want the 2.0 engine. The older cars are just too old now and finding one without rot is almost impossible. I've been looking at the 124 as it's the current MX5 is a party frock. 1.4 turbo engine which isn't as rev-happy but easier in daily use and they avoided the bad gearbox by using the one from the previous car instead.

 

[CRNeo]

The Cupra's not that loud. Mine had the resonator delete by the previous owner and it still wasn't crazy loud. At normal revs it sounded very..normal. Only growled a bit when you revved it but I still wouldn't say it was loud. Very civilized, especially for that type of car.

I've been looking at MX5s, and Fiat 124s for a couple of years now. I don't want a current MX5 because the gearbox is weak and I would want the 2.0 engine. The older cars are just too old now and finding one without rot is almost impossible. I've been looking at the 124 as it's the current MX5 is a party frock. 1.4 turbo engine which isn't as rev-happy but easier in daily use and they avoided the bad gearbox by using the one from the previous car instead.

I mean I don't want asbo loud rat a tat tat pop pop bang bang etc. but something with a bit of a noise when you hit the loud pedal would be nice so you know there's something going on under the hood, pretty much all my mx5 have had aftermarket exhausts on for this reason... my current one has full stainless dual exit cobolt with sports cat and mani... sounds great on full chat.

I looked at the ND and the abarth 124 also... I just don't fancy the styling on the 124 it's a good option though... I'd be interested to see how the 124 and the ND hold up in terms of rust in time... already I've seen some pretty poor underside shots on the 124s I think rustproofing even on these and the ND are still crap, they clearly don't learn/care. (or don't care that much about UK market/weather)

 

[Mr Pig]

I looked at the ND and the abarth 124 also... I just don't fancy the styling on the 124 it's a good option though... I'd be interested to see how the 124 and the ND hold up in terms of rust in time... already I've seen some pretty poor underside shots on the 124s I think rustproofing even on these and the ND are still crap, they clearly don't learn/care. (or don't care that much about UK market/weather)

It's interesting, when the 124 first came out I thought it looked very clumsy. I still don't think it looks great but I feel it has aged better than the ND. The Mazda looked very modern when it came out but now it looks dated.

I don't think the ND will fare any better than the older cars in terms of rust as they haven't changed anything of significance. The stupid way of joining the rear quarters to the sill is still the same, they've hidden it all behind plastic so it'll be longer until you're aware of the rust. The boot lid still overhangs the tail with no sealing, it's all just the same. Mazda don't care and never have. To be fair, the MX5 does not rust terribly compared to most other cars, it's just that people expect them to last longer. Many MX5s are still in use long after a Ford Focus would be scrapped.

My big concern with the 124 is parts availability. Ok, it's mostly MX5 and the engine is a well proven Fiat unit but need anything bespoke to that car and you're in trouble. Break one of the uprated headlights and you're fecked!

 

[RUM4MO]

@CRNeo the Cupra, well at least a face lift one will full fill your need for noise - at least for anyone outside the car - I used to think that my daughter's May 2019 one, bought new, had a duff exhaust - but no comments at MOT time, it will have a GPF fitted.

My own car, a 2011 Audi S4 bought slightly/lightly used, came with what the Audi dealership described as "sports exhaust" I naively though that might have been an optional extra, but it is a Milltek, it's fine and being SS will last for a longer time. Seems that is a common issue with people buying Audi Ss - ie they come from factory "too quiet"! Very little drone though.