Test driving a Seat Leon Cupra 280 DSG 5-door tomorrow..

[Thehulkster699]

Hi guys. Just joined club tonight.

Had a few Seat Cupra's in my youth.
1st was an Ibiza Gti 8V in 1997, later a Leon Cupra R 225 in 2002.

Think I'm going to chuck my current Mountuned Focus RS mk2 in for it. Have thrashed a deal out today with a dealer, just need to nail down final bits and bobs after us driving the car and him seeing my RS.

Really fancy something quick with ALL the toys....like adaptive cruise, satnav, rear-doors for the kids, DSG, parking sensors, auto-everything.....etc etc it's FULLY loaded. A real Q-car.

Am I daft? There really isn't a bad review on the Leon anywhere......and my Focus will be seven years old next year.....

I'm 40 this year. Just had an operation on my back. Due another. Just fancy a complete change of scene now after 5 stints of RS ownership. Feel like I've finally scratched the RS mk2 itch......will perhaps look at a mk3 in the future depending on how they are..........but the Leon is a cracking machine by all accounts.

Not buying a new Cupra....looking at 1 year old examples.

Any advice welcome please guys........anything I need to watch out for? Anyone come across from another performance car to the 280 and has any opinion?

 

[lajohnz]

Hmmm. Think I'd put up with the mk2 for a while till the mk3 is out!. But no harm in change I guess

The reviews on the 280 speak for themselves really,my only worry would be the depreciation on the Cupra.

 

[Thehulkster699]

The Leon has already lost a shed load of value being just over a year old.
I wish that I could see what the RS mk2 values will do this time next year when the mk3 is out.

Funny that everyone who hasn't got a mk2 says keep it, yet many many owners are now deciding to change for a more modern car with more toys. The 5-pot is nice though, specially with a Section 59 exhaust strapped to it.

 

[lajohnz]

The Leon has already lost a shed load of value being just over a year old.
I wished that I could see what the RS mk2 values will do this time next year when the mk3 is out.

Funny that everyone who hasn't got a mk2 says keep it, yet many many owners are now deciding to change for a more modern car with more toys. The 5-pot is nice though, specially with a Section 59 exhaust strapped to it.

I'd miss the theatre of that 5-pot. I'd love a mk2 RS but 2 doors and strong residuals put it out of my price range.i miss the v6 rasp

I can see the mk2 being a future Classic, the mk3 might not make such a dent in its value either as it'll still bridge the gap to The mk3 which will be north Of £30k+,

The seat will always be the poor cousin of golf, take into account how many lease hire golf R's are gonna be dumped on the market in say 1 or 2 yrs as that is bound to hurt the Cupra residuals as well

 

[Slipps]

The Leon has already lost a shed load of value being just over a year old.

My 280 was bought at three months old and had nearly every extra off the list I think it came in at £34k list with all the bits needless to say the deal was absolutely nowhere near that ... nearly new every day... it even told me to take a break the other day I didn't even realise it had that option!

As for the projected glut of Golf 's it'll also be the more expensive option new and used but I doubt the percentage loss against price paid will be much different as long as your deal stacks up.

I love the car really it's a such a Jeckyl and Hyde pootling about its surprisingly refined then change the mode floor it and away you go

It's probably not as raw as some and the last Focus I drove was a Mountuned Mk 2 Focus which was frankly awesome but I doubt I could live with it for more than a few weeks before it would start to irritate me and ultimately I don't think it was any better than the Cupra just different.

The Cupra is certainly less in your face and fits the Q car bill very well which I like

 

[solbes]

Soon as you drive it you'll want to buy it ASAP ! It's an amazing car.

 

[Thehulkster699]

Morning. Been awake since 4.30am reading review after review of the 280. Last night before bed I was feeling like I might not go and see the car today. But after sleeping on it (not much sleep though) I've decided to go and drive it. I don't have to do the deal at the end of the day.

Just got that niggling feeling in the back of my head that after the novelty has worn off I might seriously regret coming out of the RS. Especially if I later decided to get the new mk3 because I bet the Cupra 280 will be worth much less than my Focus will by then. But the Focus would by then be knocking on the door of 8 years old and be really rather tired.

But then I think it would be nice to own such a competent Q car that still has nearly 2 years warranty with loads of toys that I'm not afraid will be stolen if I leave it anywhere. Family would be much more comfortable in the 5 door Cupra, and on long journeys when I want to get good mpg the Cupra will do that as well.

Torn really.

 

[Rob66]

Was at Bromley Motor Pageant last weekend, RS club were there, still love look of the MK1 and MK2 think seriously before committing to change, 280 is great car no doubt but the RS really special and future classic.

 

[R19]

The Leon has already lost a shed load of value being just over a year old.

Look at the general prices for 3/4 year old MK2 cupra's and 3/4 year old GTI's. Which realistically is what you should be comparing. (The GOLF R is 5k more expensive so you cant compare a cupra to that) the difference in price is next to nothing. Plus the fact the cupra 280 is getting such a good name for itself as value for money, where are these massive depreciation comments coming from? Its always going to lose money, but when on average your depreciating as much as an equivilent golf (known for holding value well) you are not doing too bad are you ??

I know a lot of guys with hot hatches, and the general feeling about the new R is it is too common! They are everywhere and there will be hundreds if not thousands on the market in a couple of years.. How many cupras do you see knocking about?? That obviously may change but i really think your off the mark with the 'lost value' comments..

Buy for the car now. If your worried about how much your doing loose, maybe you should be putting upwards of 25k into an isa rather than a 280hp leon.

You wont regret it getting one !

 

[lajohnz]

I'm not so sure the DSG is such a wise move either .

Its a novelty that will ware off and you'll be hankering for more driver involvement after 6 month if not sooner

 

[P0LKR]

I'm not so sure the DSG is such a wise move either .

Its a novelty that will ware off and you'll be hankering for more driver involvement after 6 month if not sooner

I sometimes wish I had the manual but most of the time I love the DSG. The manual is laborious for town driving which is what I do most of. DSG is so smooth as well.

 

[Slipps]

I'm not so sure the DSG is such a wise move either .

Its a novelty that will ware off and you'll be hankering for more driver involvement after 6 month if not sooner

Really?

Your opinion not mine I'm entering month seven and I'm still content with the DSG, it's not perfect it can sometimes hesitate and now and then a manual might be more involving in some situations but I've made the right choice.

Ultimately it's as involving as you choose to make it... it's just different to a manual so you learn to work it differently.

 

[Thehulkster699]

Just got back home. Utter knightmare journey down. Satnav which I blindly followed took us into the centre of Nottingham literally to a back alley near the big arena. Cost us an extra hour and a half in time by the time we got to the dealership in Grantham. Hope to god I didn't get caught on one of the thousand speed cameras in and around Nottingham even though I'm sure I was doing what I should have been.

Anyway. We get there. It was the Leon 280 that's at the Kia dealership in case anyone fancies having a nosey.

We didn't do the deal. I'll not lie......the car drove and sounded awful to us. The DSG didn't really seem to know what to do, either hanging onto gears too long or not changing down in time. And the sound. Good god. It's like a sewing machine. Just couldn't get away with it at all. Performance compared to our RS was much weaker, no real thump or drama.

Don't think the guys in the dealership could believe we travelled over 120 miles and didn't do the deal.
My wife's fuming with me cause it's cost us a day off and about £50 in fuel for nothing. Suppose it's not for nothing if it serves a purpose in deciding to keep the RS longer.

Tell you what......if the 4 cylinder mk3 RS sounds like the Cupra.........I'll not get one.

Sorry guys. Don't mean to sound like a Ford zealot. I'm not. We change our cars all the time and have owned many fast cars......I really wanted to like the Leon.

 

[Wings988]

Just got back home. Utter knightmare journey down. Satnav which I blindly followed took us into the centre of Nottingham literally to a back alley near the big arena. Cost us an extra hour and a half in time by the time we got to the dealership in Grantham. Hope to god I didn't get caught on one of the thousand speed cameras in and around Nottingham even though I'm sure I was doing what I should have been.

Anyway. We get there. It was the Leon 280 that's at the Kia dealership in case anyone fancies having a nosey.

We didn't do the deal. I'll not lie......the car drove and sounded awful to us. The DSG didn't really seem to know what to do, either hanging onto gears too long or not changing down in time. And the sound. Good god. It's like a sewing machine. Just couldn't get away with it at all. Performance compared to our RS was much weaker, no real thump or drama.

Don't think the guys in the dealership could believe we travelled over 120 miles and didn't do the deal.
My wife's fuming with me cause it's cost us a day off and about £50 in fuel for nothing. Suppose it's not for nothing if it serves a purpose in deciding to keep the RS longer.

Tell you what......if the 4 cylinder mk3 RS sounds like the Cupra.........I'll not get one.

Sorry guys. Don't mean to sound like a Ford zealot. I'm not. We change our cars all the time and have owned many fast cars......I really wanted to like the Leon.

Hey at least you know now, better to try it and not like than not try. I'm sure you would of preferred the manual version though, it's the drivers choice and was also used for the nurburgring track record which kind of says what the pro driver thinks of the dsg
As for the sound, I've yet to here a 4 cylinder sound as well as a 5.


How did you rate the interior and equipment against the RS?

 

[Rokerlad]

Just got back home. Utter knightmare journey down. Satnav which I blindly followed took us into the centre of Nottingham literally to a back alley near the big arena. Cost us an extra hour and a half in time by the time we got to the dealership in Grantham. Hope to god I didn't get caught on one of the thousand speed cameras in and around Nottingham even though I'm sure I was doing what I should have been.

Anyway. We get there. It was the Leon 280 that's at the Kia dealership in case anyone fancies having a nosey.

We didn't do the deal. I'll not lie......the car drove and sounded awful to us. The DSG didn't really seem to know what to do, either hanging onto gears too long or not changing down in time. And the sound. Good god. It's like a sewing machine. Just couldn't get away with it at all. Performance compared to our RS was much weaker, no real thump or drama.

Don't think the guys in the dealership could believe we travelled over 120 miles and didn't do the deal.
My wife's fuming with me cause it's cost us a day off and about £50 in fuel for nothing. Suppose it's not for nothing if it serves a purpose in deciding to keep the RS longer.

Tell you what......if the 4 cylinder mk3 RS sounds like the Cupra.........I'll not get one.

Sorry guys. Don't mean to sound like a Ford zealot. I'm not. We change our cars all the time and have owned many fast cars......I really wanted to like the Leon.

Did you put the DSG in 'S' mode or just run it in 'D' . Big difference in driving experience.

 

[yellowcone87]

Personally I think people only dislike the dsg version because they don't know how to drive it properly... What do you mean it hangs on to the gears too long? None of mine have ever done that. At the end of the day, the car can never know what you are going to want to do next, so all it can do is follow the torque curve, and choose a gear based on how much power is being requested by the driver. So, if you know you're going to be pushing on a bit and are therefore going to need a bit more driver involvement, get involved and use either of the manual modes built into the dsg for exactly this reason... Then, as if by magic, it changes gear exactly when you want it to. You know, almost as though they designed it that way...
When driven correctly a dsg will be smooth as silk when relaxed, but behave as a lightning fast manual (albeit without a clutch pedal) when you require it to. For pure driving feel, yes a manual is for some people more fun, but you can't blame the car for operator error. Use it as it was designed to be used!

 

[Seastormer]

I'm not so sure the DSG is such a wise move either .

Its a novelty that will ware off and you'll be hankering for more driver involvement after 6 month if not sooner

On my third DSG Cupra, two Bizas before the 280, and after learning how to drive a DSG I won't be going back to a manual, and the SC is actually quicker and cleaner than the manual too. Check the specs if you don't believe me.

 

[Ocularis]

Agree with the others, you need to get used to the DSG... just dont ever use it in S mode its total crap. D for cruising or manual for proper driving, S is for n00bs and it sounds like thats what you were using unfortunately (as i suspect you put it into cupra mode which for some god awful reason puts it into S mode on the dsg) . I have to have an auto for my wife, so the DSG is the only type of box i'd go for which is also why I couldn't go for a focus RS

The sound is a bit crap, it is very quiet and if I was coming from a RS I think i would miss the pops and whizzes from the engine, they sound great. But i think thats part of the "subtle" approach they have taken with it.

 

[lajohnz]

DSG in sport mode is terrible, a complete waist of time( it does hang onto gears far too long) and it's irritating ?

But how does someone who's never driven a car with DSG to know that the best mode is actually manual. I mean 'sport' should say it all really! Manual mode is the sweet spot but it still isn't engaging even with paddles

You can't beat a bit of heel/toe action to help balance the car into a corner and a seamless shift . When all the dust settles and the depreciation has bottomed out the manual cars will be sort after and hold a premium

 

[P0LKR]

On another note the level of the English language on this thread is at primary school level.