New Leon TFSI v LCR225

I am thinking about changing my LCR225 for a new Leon. There are some good deals about on the new TFSI - I was looking on drivethedeal.com and I got one at about £14.5k with the options I wanted. I should imagine they are going to be cheaper still when the new FR/Cupra arrives.
Has anyone changed from an LCR to a TFSI Sport? What are your views?
Or should I just be patient and wait for the FR/Cupra to arrive in whatever giuse, price or name? The information out there is now so varied about what we are getting, then it is getting difficult to make an informed decision!

Well I took out a TFSi Sport out for a short test drive and I must say I was very impressed. The car felt very well put together, the ride was sporting but not crashy and the steering was light at low speed. When up to speed, the steering weighted up a bit and the handling overall felt very good.
The engine is obviously completely different in character to that of a LCR225 - especially one that has been remapped. Whilst it didn't have the "bang" of the LCR, the engine pulled very smoothly and strongly - especially from low revs, and as the car had only covered 500 miles, there wasn't any need to rev it too hard anyway. It did feel very similar to the Octavia vRS which makes me think that the recent claims on actual BHP figures being almost the same must be true. In fact, the brakes also felt similar in feel and power to the vRS as well - good, but not quite Brembos.
The seats and driving position were both very good and I don't have any complaints with the interior - either layout or design. From the outside, the coupe look is good, but the Sport is a little too subtle for my liking - especially in the grey colour that I drove.
Overall, I must say I was very impressed with the short experience. I did not feel it was a step backwards from the LCR because the performance deficit is made up for with the modern design and chassis advances.
The dealers are struggling to get a lot of information on the Leon FR and Cupra, but clues to the Leon FR are there in the Altea FR. The price for the Altea FR TDi had just been released at £17795 and the petrol will be slightly cheaper. Bearing in mind the Leon is slightly cheaper than the Altea for the equivilent spec, then I can see the Leon FR being around the £17k mark.
Here now is my problem. Do I order a Leon Sport TFSi loaded with extras from a discount internet source such as Broadspeed or drivethedeal and still spend less than I would for the same from the dealers without the extras. Or do I wait that bit longer for the FR that may not really offer more in terms of the driving experience, or even longer for the Cupra - an unknown quantity in terms of spec, price and lunch date.

carl4x4 said:

As I mentioned above, buy a TFSI if you want that sort of a car, if you like the bodykits and bucket seats of the FR then wait for that. Money wise for a fixed budget you have to choose between toys (TFSI + options) or show (FR) Personally I have a black TFSI sport with chrome mirrors, everyone at work assumes its a new Leon Cupra because they don't know any better. They see the chrome mirrors, tinted windows, 5-spoke alloys, and the fact it looks amazing in black and just assume...

If you're worried about the power, a £450 remap sees the dizzy side of 245 bhp anyway. For an everyday car I wouldn't want to go any stiffer on the suspension side than the Sport which is quite firm. This would worry me slightly about the FR & Cupra.

The TFSI doesn't look that fantastic in any colour apart from black. Hence the fact that 90% of the cars in the brochure, price list, and options guide are all black. If you do order one in black, the £40 chrome mirrors are definitely worth it I'll try and get a picture posted tonight.

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....and it would look even better with the 19" wheels I have just sourced:
http://pic13.picturetrail.com/VOL476/2432321/8427593/145452985.jpg

I must admit both look very nice, but red is more my colour. I am not worried about the ride quality difference between 18" and 19" wheels - I have owned a LCR for over 2 years!!!

carl4x4 said:

Just getting back to the topic of this thread "New Leon TFSI v LCR225" the new turbo FSI engine is a pretty impressive piece of kit. I've had two 1.8T powered cars before and niether were anywhere near as torquey as the TFSI. I spun the wheels twice this morning in the dry, at fairly low revs without even trying, I'm getting to appreciate just how low down the torque is on this engine.

As the old racing adage goes ...it's torque that wins races. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the TFSI in everyday use, versus your old LCR.

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It could be poor traction!!!!