Not why you buy a CUPRA but...

martin j.

Active Member
Feb 11, 2007
1,996
889
Fife
I feel that the Leon takes a long time to get up to operating temp, all is in working order but I wondered if the car has been designed with cooling suitable for warmer climates ie Spain, and as a result is a bit over competent for the cooler UK? more so when I up in the cooler North.
 

Maypack

Ambassador for Cumberland Sausage
Apr 20, 2014
3,175
2,327
Gods Country - West Cumbria
Nearest garage to me is BP and therefore I use their Ultimate which is97RON. To get 99RON I have a 10-15 mile detour to the nearest Shell garage and over 30 miles to Tesco.

I usually end up with 350+ miles from a full tank and average between 29-42 normally. Obviously a lot less with a heavy foot!!
 

CupraGeezer

Active Member
May 11, 2018
357
163
I feel that the Leon takes a long time to get up to operating temp, all is in working order but I wondered if the car has been designed with cooling suitable for warmer climates ie Spain, and as a result is a bit over competent for the cooler UK? more so when I up in the cooler North.
Which temperature do you mean - water or oil?

Water temperature on my Cupra is up to 90 degrees within 2 miles, which is far faster than any other car I've owned. Oil, on the other hand, takes at least 7 miles to get up to 80 degrees.
 

martin j.

Active Member
Feb 11, 2007
1,996
889
Fife
Which temperature do you mean - water or oil?

Water temperature on my Cupra is up to 90 degrees within 2 miles, which is far faster than any other car I've owned. Oil, on the other hand, takes at least 7 miles to get up to 80 degrees.
I meant both really but thanks for the figures, I compare mine next time out.
 

LouG

Active Member
Dec 1, 2017
1,319
481
Nelson, New Zealand
I feel that the Leon takes a long time to get up to operating temp, all is in working order but I wondered if the car has been designed with cooling suitable for warmer climates ie Spain, and as a result is a bit over competent for the cooler UK? more so when I up in the cooler North.
You're kidding, right? When I first got mine I thought it had a temp sensor problem. The temp was up to 90C within 30 seconds of starting after it had sat for a couple of hours .
I've never had a car that reaches operating temp that quick.
 

Seastormer

Cupra Leon VZ2 300/CBF1000
Apr 25, 2014
5,007
693
68
Edinburgh (Scotland)
You're kidding, right? When I first got mine I thought it had a temp sensor problem. The temp was up to 90C within 30 seconds of starting after it had sat for a couple of hours .
I've never had a car that reaches operating temp that quick.
I think he was meaning the oil temp, as until it hits 80 you can't give full beans regardless of the water temp. And here in Scotland in the winter it can take over 7 miles.
 
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Jaco2k

AWD FTW
Mar 11, 2018
1,037
633
Tampere, Finland
www.youtube.com
Bit off-topic, but...
While recently making a video, I was logging data via OBD from the car, which included the water temp and, to my surprise, I noticed that although the car indicated and reached the mentioned 90 quite fast, the real raw values were fairly different.
If there is any interest from you guys on it, I might run a more complete experiment with a camera setup aimed at the dash and a video capture of the phone logging raw values so that we find out what is going on.
To my understanding from a previous discussion on the Skoda forums, indicated "90" coolant temp can mean anything on the 80-100 range.
No idea if the oil does anything similar, but I am guessing it is more accurate.
 

CupraGeezer

Active Member
May 11, 2018
357
163
I think its well known that the Leon displays a water temperature of 90 degrees when then software decrees that its within a "normal" range. This may seem misguided when one considers a typical Cupra driver but it may be more understandable when one considers drivers less interested in their cars.

I've never watched it climb but I guess that would cause the water temperature to jump to 90 degrees once it reaches the bottom end of that pre-determined range? The oil temperature gauge doesn't display a rock steady temperature like the water temperature gauge does so I doubt that its doctored in the same way.
 

cupra14

Active Member
Aug 31, 2017
332
63
England
You're kidding, right? When I first got mine I thought it had a temp sensor problem. The temp was up to 90C within 30 seconds of starting after it had sat for a couple of hours .
I've never had a car that reaches operating temp that quick.
I gather they don't start the coolant pump (it's electric) until the coolant round the engine gets hot enough, so it will appear to heat up fast.
 
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LouG

Active Member
Dec 1, 2017
1,319
481
Nelson, New Zealand
I think its well known that the Leon displays a water temperature of 90 degrees when then software decrees that its within a "normal" range. This may seem misguided when one considers a typical Cupra driver but it may be more understandable when one considers drivers less interested in their cars.

I've never watched it climb but I guess that would cause the water temperature to jump to 90 degrees once it reaches the bottom end of that pre-determined range? The oil temperature gauge doesn't display a rock steady temperature like the water temperature gauge does so I doubt that its doctored in the same way.
Not on mine. I can watch the coolant temp rise on the sport gauges. If you connect an OBD2 reader you can compare readings. They're the same.
 

DougCupra280

Active Member
Feb 17, 2019
44
11
Which temperature do you mean - water or oil?

Water temperature on my Cupra is up to 90 degrees within 2 miles, which is far faster than any other car I've owned. Oil, on the other hand, takes at least 7 miles to get up to 80 degrees.
I was thinking the same. - Maybe a thermostat issue. I drove my last car (BMW) for ages before I realized that it should be at 90 within a few minutes. When i changed the thermostat my mpg went up by 7 mpg!
 

kanyewest

Active Member
Oct 4, 2018
549
168
NW
I'm amazed that you guys have such a difference in fuel quality, all ours comes through the same refinery and is identical. Except for Gull who import refined fuel (E10) for themselves.
The only time I had bad fuel was from Mobil when they started selling 98, that fouled a set of plugs in 200km's.
its quite a minor difference. most people probably wouldnt notice/care, but i certainly notice it enough for me to want to pay extra for petrol
 
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