We went from a 62 plate LCR to
Cupra, right from the off the Mrs preferred it to the LCR, (it's her daily driver) both to drive and looks wise, as it attracts far less attention from people want ing to 'race' ..... she also liked the switchable modes , although she tends to leave it in
Cupra now for some strange reason
Me? I didn't like it at first. Really struggled to feel the love, as I had enjoyed many miles in the LCR ( was on 35k when we sold it) over some demanding roads. However after some solo blats round Welsh roads I'm starting to feel better about it. From A to B over a twisty route the
280 is faster. No question. Which is the most enjoyable? Depends if you like taming wild dogs. The R always felt like it wanted to bite your leg off and beat you to death with the wet end. The
280 feels like it'd do the same , but say please, thank you and use a napkin.
Dislikes compared to R?
1. Sat nav is not as good imho as the one in the R. Its too slow and the graphics are not as good.
2. Headlights - intially felt the LED's where not as good as the Xenon's, however it is possible they are incorrectly adjusted from the factory, a slight (1/4 turn) seemed to improve things, but juries out till winter.
3. Sound system ( we have the plus system) can be a bit slow but have found its only with certain iPods, the touch the wife has works fine.
4. Noise - I disconnected the sound thingy on the R and it still sounded good, I feel the
280 is too quiet tbh!
5. Axle tramp - seem to experience this more than in the R, usually when it's wet. Its easily controllable, and I am reserving judgement until new tyres are fitted. There is also a cheapish mod (£50 or so) that can improve things apparently.
6. Tyres - I do not rate the oem Bridgestone's at all. The fronts are down to 3mm after 8.5k so I'll be looking at either Goodyear assys or Mich's . Certainly on the R the oem Pirelli's ( when not committing hari kari in potholes
) showed every sign of doing 10k plus, and the subsequent Good years possibly more.
7. Economy......... IF you are really interested....... (buy a fkn diesel!!!) tank slightly smaller, currently average 300 per tank ( 30mpg) on super unleaded, mix of driving, weekly commute plus weekend blasts.
8. Warranty issues - touch wood only one so far, external temp sensor went potty.
9. Lastly ... fan jets. Should be standard, an easy cheap mod to do though.
Would I change spec if I ordered now? Not really, although I wish I'd pushed a little bit harder for the bucket seats...... standard are comfy, don't get me wrong, but when pressing on a little more support would be nice....
Plus points?
1. Its quicker
2. The diff is better than the R once you get used to it
3. Insurance is cheaper for some weird reason
4. Its quicker²
5. Wife likes it
6. Its understated.
7. Ride is better (even in
Cupra)
8 . Looks better than the Golf imo.
9. It's ..... quicker .... !
To some up - yes a big leap, and at first you may wonder If you have done the right thing, but after some time together you will realise you have.
I still miss the R, but it's starting to become a pleasant memory.........
Ours is a manual 5 door btw.