Moving from TDi to Cupra 180... nah

[ando]

I went to my local dealer there this morning looking to trade in my remapped 110 TDi. I'm looking for a Cupra R but I saw this CupraT 180 which are pretty rare all the same over here. The salesman offered me a test drive. Two things bothered me, first the badges on the back.....

Hmm, not really impressed, that suggests to me the previous owner was a boy racer. what do you think? Im interested in what others say about that R badge on the back.

Second of all, the car itself was much slower than I taught it'd be. My diesel would give it a good run for its money in my opionion, no torque at all in the car. God it felt so sluggish, I'd have to drop down a gear to get the power which I'm not used to. Would an ECU remap really make such a differance cause thats what I'd do if I bought it or would I be better off saving for a bit longer to get a standard R?

 

[sssstew]

or the R badge could mean he was an enthusiast and looked after his cars? its swings and roundabouts, could also mean it was ragged.

 

[oi_nutter2000]

it would seam to have less torque - your diesels probably running at well over 200lbft with a remap!! I had a leon 180 and superchipped it - it took torque up to 247lbft and bhp up to 203 which felt very purposeful.

If u buy this one and remap it it wouldn't feel short of power but personally i'd go for an R - better brakes, body kit, power, wheels, suspension, interior, seats et al

 

[Daz8161]

i would ask him to get you a new towing eye cover too

 

[LEON_FR]

Doubt very much a mapped 110 TDI would be as quick as a standard cupra.
Remaped cupra and a standard r are almost the same not a lot in it at all.
If its torque you like then get a diesel...

As for the R badge i wouldnt let that put you off.

 

[oi_nutter2000]

I agree not as fast because of the gearing but it's conceivable that the tdi felt more powerful low revs

 

[bigjode]

Diesels semm to have this illusionary effect - they feel dead quick when your in one, but thats just the torque talking. When you get up against one though, 110bhp is exactly what it says on the tin isn't.

Oh yeah, I felt the same when i tested a cupra 20vt - it didn't really feel any quicker than my 145bhp focus (which was NA), i mean it felt a bit quicker, but not much. BUT THEN i bought one, and thought "i can handle this", and then scared myself when i REALLY had a go. I think, even though i floored it on the test drive, I was being quite reserved because it wasn't my car - once you get used to the gearing on a petrol (dropping the box is actually quite fun!) you will see it fly past most cars, and then you get it chipped, and then see it fly even more!

 

[225]

Sure you didnt change up at 4k revs Modern dervs do feel quicker at times due to lots of torque but its spread over a small power band, you can rev the cupra/R alot higher and use the extra bhp. A remaped R will have around 290lb torque so not exactly a small amount! You just need to readjust your driving perception style I would say and try again!

 

[ando]

Sure you didnt change up at 4k revs

You just need to readjust your driving perception style I would say and try again!

I think on a few occasions I did change gears at around 4000 rpm ...
Yea my diesel is phenomenal in 2nd and 3rd, but then kinda falls flat on its face against any competition with a bit of power I can understand what you guys are saying, its just torque Im seeing

 

[Reg]

My Dad bought a new Mk5 Golf GT TDI last year and loves it - very nice to drive (has the DSG 'box too), and because of the torque feels quite pokey, particularly after the cars he had been driving. Thing is, he made the mistake of confusing power and torque and kept saying he'd give me a run in my beemer. Of course, I suggested he wouldn't.

However, we were both going somewhere together but in our own cars, and pulling onto a dual carriage way he waved then booted it - signalled by a big sooty cloud! He charged off but it didn't take long to reel him in using 3rd gear alone. A naturally aspirated 3 litre straight 6 with 8000 revs, plenty of torque and nearly 300bhp to play with has a habit of reeling most things in!

At least I proved my point!

 

[Tallpaul]

i don't think my LC ever 'felt' fast. I don't mean that it was slow, just that the feedback the car gave wasn't that you were going quickly - everything was slightly refined, the engine is quiet and smooth, the gear-changes are precise and direct, little road-noise in the cabin, comfy suspension etc etc.

half the reason i sold it in the end, it felt a bit too sensible. Still a fast and great looking car and if i had kids etc then it's the sort of car i'd look at again - just felt that while i'm still young and only have myself to worry about, is should get something that makes me grin when i drive.

 

[Reg]

It is deceiving because I don't think our Cupra R feels all that quick, but it is a fairly nippy motor after all. I think its because after the initial torquey push from the turbo, there is no top end to it - it feels like its running out of puff and there is no point in taking it round to the redline. Also the standard exhaust seems rather quiet and soul-less. Alternatively my BM wants to just rev and rev, the power building all the time until it just headbutts the rev limiter and a combination of induction roar and exhaust noise make the hairs on your neck stand up.

 

[Spanky]

It is deceiving because I don't think our Cupra R feels all that quick, but it is a fairly nippy motor after all. I think its because after the initial torquey push from the turbo, there is no top end to it - it feels like its running out of puff and there is no point in taking it round to the redline.

Totally agree, the LCR does have a 'diesel like' power delivery... a remap sorts that out though

Back on topic.... I wouldn't worry about badges a previous may have put on... just concentrate on the general condition of the car and the way it drives.

 

[jonjay]

Quite interesting discussion.

Friend and me were going to my house to get some coal for the BBQ we were gonna have. My mate as I mentioned 1000 times before got an LCR and me a FR TDI. We were driving sensibly and he went right on my ass to hurry me along.

He stated after my initial burst of power (which sustains a hell of a lot longer than my old 110bhp) it made him push his LCR a lot more than he has ever done for other cars. However he did feel that once he was coming into third he was gonna start gaining. Now it was a proper test as it was on a small dual carriage way with cars so we slowed down...

 

[chrisfr]

I have an diesel Leon FR but wouldnt fancy the petrol especially at the prices today 99.9p litre

 

[ChrisUK]

eh ? Diesel is around 5p dearer per litre than petrol

 

[chris_m]

Depends what mileage you do.... i only do 8000 a year so its pointless me paying out around £2k more on the used market for a Cupra TDI and then paying slightly more per litre to get better mpg.... id say im marginally better off in a petrol.

Differing circumstances = differing cars.

 

[CupraSteve]

had a go with a golf anniversary tdi today, thats got 150bhp and i had no trouble staying with it, granted mines had a remap but going from memory of when it was standard i still would have stayed with it quite easily TBH

 

[CupraUK]

or the R badge could mean he was an enthusiast and looked after his cars? its swings and roundabouts, could also mean it was ragged.

I rag mine within an inch of its life every time I use it and I still think it would be a good buy. There's nowt wrong with it mechanically.

 

[sssstew]

yep agreed, a grannied diesel engine is worse off than a hard driven one.