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Mk1 Cupra R replacement?

wilfster

Active Member
Mar 6, 2010
92
10
I've got one of the very last Mk1 Leon Cupra R's that I've had from new. I still love it, but since it's in it's tenth year I need to start considering a replacement. I don't use the full performance now because I'm getting on a bit in years. I'll be sticking with the VAG group, so here's my options.

1. A Mk3 Leon, either a Cupra or the 184bhp diesel. I never liked the styling of the Mk2, but the Mk3 looks better, though still not as good as the Mk1, to my taste. I hate broken swage lines!

2. Audi A3, diesel or the 2.0 FSI. Can't afford an S3 and wouldn't use the performance.

3. Golf GTI. I had a string of GTI's until buying a Mk1 Leon 20VT in 2002 and never regretted it.

4. Keep my existing car till it's worn out.

Have any of you been through a similar decision process? In particular it would be good to hear from anyone who has owned a Leon Mk3 after a Mk1, to see how you compare them.
 
Hi Wilf,

I love the MK1 Cupra R beautiful car. Think if it was me and I had somewhere to keep it I would. Sorry can't help re the new Cupra, I test drove one and its flipping quick but won't have the character or looks of yours.

Sure you will get a lot of advice shortly.
 
Hello Wilfster...

I've had a few Leon's, on my third now which is a Cupra280, had a MK1 Leon Cupra R a few years ago and loved it, raw power and great looks....

But if you're getting on like I am too :) Then the mk3 is so much more civilised than the MK1, it's also much quicker with better power delivery. Oh and the handling, not the MK1's strong point where as it is on the MK3.

Depends if it's your daily or weekend car? If I had a weekend car / toy I actually think I'd have a MK1 Cupra R and a sensible weekday car. If your after one car however that can achieve both, the MK3 Leon does it all. The ability to go from comfort to Cupra at a touch of a button turns a cruiser into an angry hatch :)

Also returns surprisingly good economy for the power, much better than the mk1 Leon Cupra R

Good luck with your choice !
 
Last edited:
As an older driver who still likes a turn of speed I can say the 280 is a great car, comfort mode for motorway work, and Cupra for the days on the twisty bits, which is as good fun as on my CBF bike.
 
Wilf, we seem to have many similarities. I too owned a fair few golf GTI's and then moved to the Leon. I bought a 2003 225 LCR new, with a view to keeping it three years. I loved that car so much I kept it six and a half years, I may have sold it earlier but that would have meant buying a MK2, never going to happen.......

I eventually did sell it as I was doing a load of miles and needed economy, so I bought a 2010 Ibiza 1.6 TDI and thought my days of hot hatches were over.

Fast forward to 2014 and here I am with a Cupra 280. In many ways It is a much more refined drive than the Mk1 but is still fun. It can be a back roads blaster in Cupra mode or a Grand Tourer in comfort mode.
I am coming up to one year of ownership and can honestly say I have no regrets about buying the 280. In my view the 280 SC is the spiritual successor of the Mk1 LCR.

Go have a test drive, I think you would enjoy it!
 
How about the Mk3 1.8TSI petrol FR? For some odd reason it seems to be the least mentioned or considered version of the Mk3 Leon on this forum. I've had my 1.8TSI DSG FR for over a year from new and find the performance, acceleration and power delivery effortless, instant and consistent throughout the rev range and at all legal UK road speeds, and the DSG gearbox is brilliant, with no gear-change hesitation or lag as I used to sometimes get with my previous conventional fluid transmission company Vauxhall automatics. I also like the instantly switchable change between normal and sport mode with a flick of the gear-selector lever and the option to change gear manually using the steering wheel paddles.
 
You are never to old to enjoy your car I have many friends well over fifty and 1 sixty who still love there cars, we got to have something get away to I your cupra is still going strong and in good condition just keep running it and enjoy
 
I had a Mk1 LCR and loved it every single day. I traded it for a Mk2 Cupra (the R wasn't out when I changed) and whilst it was probably a better all round car and more refined in some ways I never really gelled with it like the Mk1.

I've now got a Cupra SC 280 with DSG and so far I'm impressed. It does have a split personality so you can cruise or blast. It's a more grown up car all round and all the better for it I think.
 
the cupra MK1 will never die :lol: it will just drive on and on......I do like the look of the cupra 280 but I went to a track day and it looked nice but when he gave it some it sounded quite...personally I like some exhaust sound[B)] but again when your comparing petrol prices/handling the car has about 12 yrs improvement on the chassis ect,as for the looks if its got all that power make it look abit more aggressive, compared to the 280 has lost its looks.....too 'simple'looking.
be intresting if they brought out a k1 or a R version
 
wilfster said:
I've got one of the very last Mk1 Leon Cupra R's that I've had from new. I still love it, but since it's in it's tenth year I need to start considering a replacement. I don't use the full performance now because I'm getting on a bit in years. I'll be sticking with the VAG group, so here's my options.

1. A Mk3 Leon, either a Cupra or the 184bhp diesel. I never liked the styling of the Mk2, but the Mk3 looks better, though still not as good as the Mk1, to my taste. I hate broken swage lines!

2. Audi A3, diesel or the 2.0 FSI. Can't afford an S3 and wouldn't use the performance.

3. Golf GTI. I had a string of GTI's until buying a Mk1 Leon 20VT in 2002 and never regretted it.

4. Keep my existing car till it's worn out.

Have any of you been through a similar decision process? In particular it would be good to hear from anyone who has owned a Leon Mk3 after a Mk1, to see how you compare them.
Click to expand...

I am 58 and love the Cupra as it don't look like a boy racers car.
 
seatturbopower said:
the cupra MK1 will never die :lol: it will just drive on and on......I do like the look of the cupra 280 but I went to a track day and it looked nice but when he gave it some it sounded quite...personally I like some exhaust sound[B)] but again when your comparing petrol prices/handling the car has about 12 yrs improvement on the chassis ect,as for the looks if its got all that power make it look abit more aggressive, compared to the 280 has lost its looks.....too 'simple'looking.
be intresting if they brought out a k1 or a R version
Click to expand...

The industry has mostly moved to subtle looking performance cars. The Golf R, S3 etc are all pretty simple without a lot of the spoilers and arches we used to see. The exception being the new Type R which is mental.

Constant rumours about the Cupra R. Should be a weapon when it arrives.
 
I'm 64 and still get a blast out the performance of my 184FR ST.
it's a hoot when I want it to be, and a smooth-rider when my wife's on board.
The Mk3 is good looking, sorted car. Great VFM...
 
seatturbopower said:
:rofl:lindeed it was 'quiet' lets just say it didn't sound that loud. The d/b test was about 72...I was shocked....spelling was never my best subject.....not to worry [B)]
Click to expand...

Your spelling may not be great but you get 10 out of 10 for your sense of humour mate.....

PS sorry for the sarcasm, sometimes (when drunk) I just can't help myself.............
 
I've been through a fairly similar decision process to you - I had an 03 LCR, and up to then, I only ever kept cars for 3 years. I sold it after 5 years mainly because of the fuel consumption. Replaced with a 1.25 fiesta - worst decision of my life!

After the Fiesta, I was deciding between a 1.2 new mk2 Leon, or a second hand 2.0 Focus, but the experience of the Fiesta pushed me away from getting a Ford again, despite the performance differences.

That brings us up to last August, the Leon was 3 years old, and while there wasn't really anything wrong with the Mk2 Leon, I had a hankering for something exciting again, before the missus started deciding that we needed an estate car (although if the ST Cupra was out back then, I'd have been tempted!) I considered the Golf GTi, an A3, and went to have a look at the Focus ST3, as well as the FR and Cupra. The Audi dealer didn't have the time of day for me, so I never even got a chance to drive one. I found the Golf to be a pretty boring place to be, and couldn't for the life of me work out why it was more expensive than the Leon. Sitting in the Focus felt like being in an aeroplane cockpit - buttons everywhere, too busy for me.

That left me deciding between the FR and the Cupra - the dealer I've been using forever really disappointed me with their sales approach - telling me point blank there were no discounts, and offering me £2k less for part exchange than I could get online. Given my budget, I thought a Cupra would be out of my range, but I manged to get one online, in budget, with a few extra gizmos fairly easily.

As for the comparison between the 280 and the Mk1 R, it's hard to say - I loved my Mk1, but I had that when I also rode a motorbike and was single. I'm now married, motorbikeless, with 2 babies, so I guess my attitude has changed. I felt more connected to the LCR; sometimes the 280 feels like it's driving itself (and on the motorway, it pretty much can!). But for someone about to hit 40, the fact that I get about 15 more MPG, that I can sit on the motorway without hitting any pedals for hundreds of miles, and that on a weekend when the baby seats are empty, I can still go out and have fun, makes it an inspired choice. No regrets!
 
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