A Lesson in Driving

HDot1997

Active Member
Jan 31, 2019
7
2
Hi, this is a quick post/review about my MY2006 Leon FR TDI.

https://forums.seatcupra.net/index....facelift-a-plethora-of-warning-lights.449072/ - this thread will explain what's up with my car, but long story short my ABS module is kaput, so I'm having to drive without ABS, ESP, a speedometer (rev counter works), or a steering angle sensor.

I could get this fixed, however I'm a broke uni student :/ , and this past month has proven to be amazing in terms of driving. I asked a respected auto electrician, and he told me that the car is basically like an old school car as in it has no driver aids so it's still perfectly drivable, but I'd have to get it sorted before my MOT which is due in April. This gives me a month or so to save for a new module and also enjoy a totally driver orientated car for a while longer.

The dynamics of the car are very interesting, and after a month of *enthusiastic* driving, I feel they can be summed up as follows:
- The car has a mountain of torque in the midrange, and plenty of grunt everywhere above 1.5k up to redline, so you want to be very careful with your throttle input when cornering in the midrange of any gear
- It's a lift off oversteer machine, however it can be a handful to straighten it out if you're too greedy with the throttle, as the torque will spin up the wheels even in third
- For reasons I can't understand, the car is much more stable at high speeds, like it's hunkered down. At lower speeds it moves around a little on the road, with the skittish suspension making it hard to be smooth on a B road; it can be very fast, but the speeds it can achieve in the short distances between bends on a B road make it a very intense drive and more enjoyable at slower speeds
- An EP3 Type R won't stand a chance on a flowing A road, but in the really tight and twistys the civic would be *just* out of reach at the exit of every corner
- Fuel economy on eco run is extremely good, mixed driving it is excellent
- Mine is standard in terms of exterior, but there is a lot of visual upgrades available for this car, and a stage 1 remap is a readily available upgrade if you want more power

Hope anyone who reads this found this interesting.
 
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