I am now within a few short days of changing my allegiance and switching from a run of 5 SEAT's on the trot (Me: 2 x LCR & 1 x Ibiza TDi FR, Wife: Arosa 1.0MPi, Ibiza 1.2S Mk4). I've truly enjoyed all the SEAT cars we've owned in the last 5 years, and don't look back with regret on any of them. OK, so at times there were a few annoying rattles I could have done without, and yes some of the dealer network could offer better service, but overall the general level of ownership experience has exceeded what I got from VW in the past, and from Audi to date.
I joined the SEAT brigade after an appauling dealer experience with VW. I bought a Lupo GTi and the car arrived 17 weeks late (without so much as a dealer apology, or much in the way of an explanation). I then took it to the dealers for a service and they forgot to service it. When I took it back, the car got broken into on their forecourt!! This was the final straw and my VW days were numbered. I couldn't afford an Audi, and SEAT seemed like the viable alternative as it was a VW under the skin.
So as for the LCR, having owned two of them from new (a 53 plate AmD mapped car, and an 05 plate Revo Stage 2 car) the first question to ask is this. Why when I love it so much did I get rid of the second one when its less than 2 years old? A tough decision, and one made much tougher by the serious lack of competition at the circa £30k mark. The LCR may not be the best hot hatch in any one particular area, but the blend of its abilities come together to provide such an inspiring all-round package, and by far the best of the cars to be mounted onto the Golf 4 platform.
Since upgrading to the stage 2 map I had become frustrated by the lack of front end traction on anything other than a hot dry day. I could have gone down the road of throwing money at the car to uprate suspension, roll bars, put a limited slip differential in, and buy some better tyres (than the F1 Eagles). However it became apparent that with a new crop of hot hatchback offerings on the horizon it may be a good time to see if the advances in technology, integrated with the new multilink suspension set ups offered a more compliant and tractable ride than the Leon could offer with its solid rear axle beam and 2 wheel drive. Also there were a few points such as the weak headlights, the dated dashboard, the seats (like a fool I neglected to spec Recaro's), and the rattly plastic trim which sealed the deal and made me realise that it was time to move on.
So I set a budget of £30k and went out on a mission to find a suitable replacement that could offer the same reliability, dependability, thrills per pound and driver engagement as the LCR. I'd have to say this was the all round hardest task I've ever faced in my motoring history. The test cars included: Merc E55 AMG / C55 AMG / CLK 350 V6, BMW M3 / CS, Mitsi Evo 9 FQ300/320 , VW Golf R32 , Nissan 350Z GT , Audi S4 4.2V8 / TT 3.2 V6 Mk2 / S3 new style, Honda S2000. A slightly mixed bag, but to be honest I wasn't actually sure what I really wanted next. What did amaze me is that there was nothing head and shoulders above the LCR in any one particular area. Yes the E55 AMG Supercharged V8 was astonishly quick in a straight line (but it couldn't go round corners), yes the BMW M3 CS was astonishingly quick cross country, but the SMG was awful and the dash felt dated (and I'd have become a BMW driver which just isn't a good thing), yes the Evo was a materpiece of modern engineering (but the servicing costs are astronomical, it felt cheap inside for £30k particularly with no stereo), yes the Audi S4 had a silky 4.2 V8 powering it (but god was it woefully dull otherwise). There didn't seem to be a flawless car out there, something that was fast, agile, light on its feet, forgiving of ride, stylish, good looking and PRACTICAL (and I don't mean 2.4 children practical, I mean two adults and 2 large suitcases practical).
Anyway, back to the point. I stood and looked long and hard at the platinum LCR sat on my drive. £17000 worth of something actually very special. Whether I was carrying 5 adults and a load of luggage, or going solo for an early Saturday morning B road blat, here was a car that was pretty well specced straight out of the box, for its age looking fairly mean but stylish, and more importantly a car that would not be embarrassed in any way by any of the £30k hacks mentioned above. This is a car I actually bought and lost sleep the night before I collected it with pure excitement, and a car I walked into the showroom and thought "I have to have one of those". Strangley none of the above have given the same sensation, and maybe this is because to a greater extent I'm not a badge snob (to me an Audi is a Skoda with an Audi badge on the grille). If I was a richer man I'd be confining the LCR to weekend duties, putting it in a garage on a limited mileage insurance policy and continuing my love affair with it. Its easy to become complacent and get bored with a car that you own, but I loved my LCR as much on the last day of ownership as on the first. I don't think I'll ever own two cars again that are exactly the same as I have with the Leon, usually I like a change. And strangely do I think the LCR is a classic....well actually, no. Its flawed, but in a way you can accept given its strengths. It's not a focussed drivers tool, but god, can it put a smile on your face in the right stage of tune on a crisp autumn morning with a clear stretch of road ahead of you.
So its with great sadness that I have waved goodbye to the second of my 2 LCR's and with it my SEAT ownership experience. So the miles may not have been 100% trouble free, but they are miles that I have very much enjoyed, in a car which represents astonishing value by todays standards. A car capable of embarrasing far more exotic badged vehicles, and one of the possibly most underrated cars of its generation. There is a sense that you are driving something that has actually spent some time under the noses of the people at SEAT Sport with the Mk1 LCR. To me, although the Mk2 Cupra is undisputable the better car I can't help but feel they've wrung a little of the soul out of it. As much as I have total respect for the new Cupra, the spark is just not there for me. It's debatable that the S3 has it either, and the price of the S3 ruins any chances of feeling you've bagged a bargain (as its basically a Leon Cupra with 4wd and an Audi badge).
So in final summary I raise a glass to the LCR for all that makes it great. To all of those of you who still own one, you're lucky folk, if I were a wealthier man I'd have one too.
I joined the SEAT brigade after an appauling dealer experience with VW. I bought a Lupo GTi and the car arrived 17 weeks late (without so much as a dealer apology, or much in the way of an explanation). I then took it to the dealers for a service and they forgot to service it. When I took it back, the car got broken into on their forecourt!! This was the final straw and my VW days were numbered. I couldn't afford an Audi, and SEAT seemed like the viable alternative as it was a VW under the skin.
So as for the LCR, having owned two of them from new (a 53 plate AmD mapped car, and an 05 plate Revo Stage 2 car) the first question to ask is this. Why when I love it so much did I get rid of the second one when its less than 2 years old? A tough decision, and one made much tougher by the serious lack of competition at the circa £30k mark. The LCR may not be the best hot hatch in any one particular area, but the blend of its abilities come together to provide such an inspiring all-round package, and by far the best of the cars to be mounted onto the Golf 4 platform.
Since upgrading to the stage 2 map I had become frustrated by the lack of front end traction on anything other than a hot dry day. I could have gone down the road of throwing money at the car to uprate suspension, roll bars, put a limited slip differential in, and buy some better tyres (than the F1 Eagles). However it became apparent that with a new crop of hot hatchback offerings on the horizon it may be a good time to see if the advances in technology, integrated with the new multilink suspension set ups offered a more compliant and tractable ride than the Leon could offer with its solid rear axle beam and 2 wheel drive. Also there were a few points such as the weak headlights, the dated dashboard, the seats (like a fool I neglected to spec Recaro's), and the rattly plastic trim which sealed the deal and made me realise that it was time to move on.
So I set a budget of £30k and went out on a mission to find a suitable replacement that could offer the same reliability, dependability, thrills per pound and driver engagement as the LCR. I'd have to say this was the all round hardest task I've ever faced in my motoring history. The test cars included: Merc E55 AMG / C55 AMG / CLK 350 V6, BMW M3 / CS, Mitsi Evo 9 FQ300/320 , VW Golf R32 , Nissan 350Z GT , Audi S4 4.2V8 / TT 3.2 V6 Mk2 / S3 new style, Honda S2000. A slightly mixed bag, but to be honest I wasn't actually sure what I really wanted next. What did amaze me is that there was nothing head and shoulders above the LCR in any one particular area. Yes the E55 AMG Supercharged V8 was astonishly quick in a straight line (but it couldn't go round corners), yes the BMW M3 CS was astonishingly quick cross country, but the SMG was awful and the dash felt dated (and I'd have become a BMW driver which just isn't a good thing), yes the Evo was a materpiece of modern engineering (but the servicing costs are astronomical, it felt cheap inside for £30k particularly with no stereo), yes the Audi S4 had a silky 4.2 V8 powering it (but god was it woefully dull otherwise). There didn't seem to be a flawless car out there, something that was fast, agile, light on its feet, forgiving of ride, stylish, good looking and PRACTICAL (and I don't mean 2.4 children practical, I mean two adults and 2 large suitcases practical).
Anyway, back to the point. I stood and looked long and hard at the platinum LCR sat on my drive. £17000 worth of something actually very special. Whether I was carrying 5 adults and a load of luggage, or going solo for an early Saturday morning B road blat, here was a car that was pretty well specced straight out of the box, for its age looking fairly mean but stylish, and more importantly a car that would not be embarrassed in any way by any of the £30k hacks mentioned above. This is a car I actually bought and lost sleep the night before I collected it with pure excitement, and a car I walked into the showroom and thought "I have to have one of those". Strangley none of the above have given the same sensation, and maybe this is because to a greater extent I'm not a badge snob (to me an Audi is a Skoda with an Audi badge on the grille). If I was a richer man I'd be confining the LCR to weekend duties, putting it in a garage on a limited mileage insurance policy and continuing my love affair with it. Its easy to become complacent and get bored with a car that you own, but I loved my LCR as much on the last day of ownership as on the first. I don't think I'll ever own two cars again that are exactly the same as I have with the Leon, usually I like a change. And strangely do I think the LCR is a classic....well actually, no. Its flawed, but in a way you can accept given its strengths. It's not a focussed drivers tool, but god, can it put a smile on your face in the right stage of tune on a crisp autumn morning with a clear stretch of road ahead of you.
So its with great sadness that I have waved goodbye to the second of my 2 LCR's and with it my SEAT ownership experience. So the miles may not have been 100% trouble free, but they are miles that I have very much enjoyed, in a car which represents astonishing value by todays standards. A car capable of embarrasing far more exotic badged vehicles, and one of the possibly most underrated cars of its generation. There is a sense that you are driving something that has actually spent some time under the noses of the people at SEAT Sport with the Mk1 LCR. To me, although the Mk2 Cupra is undisputable the better car I can't help but feel they've wrung a little of the soul out of it. As much as I have total respect for the new Cupra, the spark is just not there for me. It's debatable that the S3 has it either, and the price of the S3 ruins any chances of feeling you've bagged a bargain (as its basically a Leon Cupra with 4wd and an Audi badge).
So in final summary I raise a glass to the LCR for all that makes it great. To all of those of you who still own one, you're lucky folk, if I were a wealthier man I'd have one too.