company car order

[ort]

Hello - and yes im new and have lots of questions.

Im just about to order a Leon FR 170 derv...with the following options.

Black metalic
18"s wheel
Ipod connector
Sunroof
Bluetooth


Firstly does anyone think the following -

Is it worth getting the 18" wheels over the 17"s as the ride on the demo car had the 18" inch wheels and they felt a little harsh......comments pls.

Ipod connector - does it work well? same for the blue tooth

I have the refernce sport dsg on my list, is that worth considering, or is the FR very very nice indeed!! Seemed it from the test drive..


Next question - i need in time to turn the power up, but it needs to be removeable as its a company car - any suggestions? My private cars an M3 and i dont really want to miss the "shove" the M3 gives me...


hope you can help....

ta

 

[JonoUK]

Afraid I've never driven the car with 17s on. Both demo cars I drove had the 18s, so mine does too. The ride's not too nice on rubbish roads. But it more than makes up for it when you give it some corners to play with.

Ipod connector works well, in that you just plug in your ipod and off you go. It doesn't work well in that it can't browse playlists properly, nor does it show track info... I believe this is the same for previous VAG ipod connectors. Shame, really.
I got around this shortcoming by only having music I actually LIKE on my ipod and arranging it into 5 really good playlists numbered 1-5 e.g. "1 - stuff", "2 - other stuff" etc..
You can access these from numbers 1-5 on your radio. 6, I think lets you play with all the music on the ipod but I'm not really sure.

Is DSG an option on the FR TDI? Never used it anyway. (edit, may not have understood what you meant - so sorry for being a nub)

 

[ort]

no dsg is not an option on the FR range.

thanks for the feedback.......may i ask MPG?

 

[JonoUK]

Sure, still running mine in - done about 420 so far. mostly 35 mile trips, mix of pootling along in 30/20 zones, being stuck in traffic lots of stop start type stuff and decent runs up the A19/A1M. getting between 44/46mpg atm. Not driving hard, but not exactly hanging around with mrs goggins in her reliant robin either.

 

[simmytt]

sorry to say the 17inch alloys look pants, 18 all the way, the ride is fine i dont know why people moan about it, if you buy a car with sports suspension what do you expect, if you do a few miles as a company car con pack option might be worth ticking. Dsg not a option on the fr, as for turning the power up i assume were talking revo ect not much about at the mo due to the soot filter in the exhaust system, but in time it should be sorted and when it is i think there will be a bit of a q

 

[ort]

thanks for the info.

has anyone tried this company??

www.hh-technix.de

they offer a plug in module to give 20bhp, does it work?

 

[Michael B]

I tried both the 17" wheels and the 18" - yes the 17" gave a better rite, but the 18" are far nicer looking, I didnt even consider getting the smaller ones..

With regards to poke? Have you driven one yet? Yes the 170TDI isn't going to compare to your M3 power wise, but the torque is way up there, meaning for everyday driving its an excellent drive! I love min, it just pulls and pulls..

I have the black magic paint too - Its gorgus, though I find it shows up any little marks made on the paint, like when some idiot at the seat dealer used a brush to clean it.. grr!

 

[ort]

seat have just given me a FR for the weekend, and I manage to do over 200 miles on the motorway yesterday in it...

and i have to say the ride is very very hard, it doesnt ease up at all.....my M3 doesnt do this at all.

has anyone else found this? and this cars on 17"s!!!

Is there something that can be done, in my experience good sports cars suspension eases up when you increase the speed.

At the moment im doing 1k miles a week and im not sure my body can take it.....any advice - coul i ask the dealer to put a koni shock suspension replacement, can it be softend?

Dont remember my RS focus being this hard!! and that was hard..

 

[Tam]

seat have just given me a FR for the weekend, and I manage to do over 200 miles on the motorway yesterday in it...

and i have to say the ride is very very hard, it doesnt ease up at all.....my M3 doesnt do this at all.

has anyone else found this? and this cars on 17"s!!!

Is there something that can be done, in my experience good sports cars suspension eases up when you increase the speed.

At the moment im doing 1k miles a week and im not sure my body can take it.....any advice - coul i ask the dealer to put a koni shock suspension replacement, can it be softend?

Dont remember my RS focus being this hard!! and that was hard..

Whimp ...

 

[Moley RUFC]

I do about 40k a year for my company. I have just got used to the ride in my FR although if you eant there are plenty of spring options

 

[ort]

yeah yeah, im 36 this year!!

me necks still clicking this morning!!

Problem being i have to be awake the other end of a car journey, so a really stiff ride that makes me man boobs wobble - wears me out...

 

[ort]

spring options?????

explain

 

[Michael B]

^^ You should do a search, theres quite a few threads already..

 

[m0rk]

FR suspension is stiff, but rides well - perhaps not the ideal car for mile munching though.

generally SEAT kit is over sprung & under damped

 

[WildWestHero]

Ort,

I too have a contact car. Had a couple of (too) short test drives in an FR TDi and went for it. Spent the next few months reading various postings about the ride and wondered whether I'd made the right choice. When the car was delivered I took it for a spin locally and thought that the ride wasn't too bad and felt happy.

However the next day went for a longish drive and found the ride very jarring (and quite tiresome). Gave it a couple of thousand miles of longish journeys and felt I needed to soften the ride a bit (I had a Leon Cupra Tdi before so it's not like I've come from a car with a soft ride). Sought advice of people on this site and decided to get Koni FSD's.

First impressions were good and the car felt a lot more comfortable. Had a grin across my face and waxed lyrical to mates about my decision. The ride is still firm but that jarring feeling has disappeared. The downside was that car felt a little less planted and had lost a little bit of that on-rails feeling.

After a couple of weeks of driving I began to notice that the ride felt very intrusive, i.e. in slow traffic you could feel every bump. It may be that it was the same in the old set up and I just can't remember, and I guess riding on 18" wheels is another factor. Tempted to go to a different garage and try a test drive of the OEM setup just to see what I think - there again perhaps I'll leave well alone.

Generally I'm happy that I went for it as I really didn't like the OEM setup on long journeys. The downside, as I mentioned above, is that it's lost that planted feeling (I think). Perhaps the addition of the Eibach Springs would do the trick. However I think I'll stick with what I've got. If I'd had a weekend test drive I may have reconsidered going for the FR (although I've no idea whatsoever what I would have gone for).

Personally I think that if you didn't enjoy the OEM setup after a weekend then you probably won't like in the coming months / years. As this is a company car you will obviously be stuck with it for a number of years. If you feel you can live with the ride (and there are many on this site who are happy with it) then the car has a lot to offer - cracking engine for starters.

Cheese

Jim

P.S. Just seen m0rks reply and I agree about the mile munching comment (kinda defeats the object of getting a TDi though)

 

[ort]

today i tried a

Styleance thing with an Areo kit - looks like a touring car with 140bhp... thats a little softer.

Tried a DSG stylance thing, on 15" wheels - which was very good but doesnt look the part, and DSG does that awful thing at junctions - it cannot decide what gear to be in, and link that with a little turbo lag yo find yourself stranded on a roundabout without any power!!

I might have to just bite the bullet and order it, I could always stick softer socks on.

But the superchips 213bhp upgrade with 300 lb torq is interesting. ummmm

 

[ort]

Good news, after a weekend of adjusting to the new car. I am pleased to say ive ordered one.

Leon FR derv
Black
sunroof
bluetooth
ipod
18"s - yep im braving it
Convie. kit

Thanks for everyones feedback i'll keep you posted.....must say one thing ive learnt this weekend, you can get some beautiful lift off oversteer with traction control off!!

 

[Ant FR]

git

 

[mklock]

18" Wheels

This is a section from Car onlines review of the FR regarding the 18" wheels. Hopefullty this will make you feel better about them. I ordered mine (due 13/07/07) with 18s purely based on this and not looks. Looks aren't important once you are driving!!

What's it like to drive?
Pretty damn good. The engine's very responsive, especially in the mid-range, and lends the FR punchy acceleration that's perfect for attacking B-roads. The gearbox is precise with a short throw and light feel but is let down by a gearknob that's awkward and uncomfortable to hold.

Spend a little more and get the optional 18-inch wheels and the ride actually improves. The standard 17-inch wheels (fitted with Bridgestones) make the ride a little unsettled as they pick out even minor imperfections in the road. With the 18s fitted the ride becomes less sensitive and therefore smoother.

full 1st drive review
http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/first_drive.php?page=1&sid=15

Regards

Mike