Hi guys,
I'm a relatively fresh face to the forum but thought I could add my 2p.
I know many people are waiting for their Cupra's to arrive. I've been lucky enough to get mine last Friday (but I did order 7th March!)
Just wanted to start a thread about life with my Cupra so far and hopefully people can add to it for it to help others who are thinking of buying or waiting for theirs to be delivered.
Things I love so far
Interior quality
Coming from a golf to a Cupra, you'd expect to lose an inch or two when it comes to interior quality. Honestly? I think the cupra is a step above the MK6 golf in many ways including the steering wheel (LOVE IT) seats, dash and pretty much everything else.
The only thing I do miss from my Golf is the carpet lining in the storage behind the handbrake and in the glovebox. Losing the carpet makes things audible when going round corners. Especially things like loose change or pens etc. Overall though, the interior is awesome.
Headlights
Not exclusive to the Cupra as we all know, but wow. They're incredible! Great illumination and there's no mistaking a Leon from a distance with the LEDs.
Gearbox
I opted for the manual. It's got a lovely chunky feel. A little notchy from 2nd to 3rd but otherwise beautifully weighted and a fantastic shift, too.
It's still taking me some getting used to coming from a diesel, and can bite back with a jolty change if you shirt too fast or too slow.
I'm still working out the best way to change smoothly, but getting better with each journey.
Further talking about the gearbox, gears 1st and 2nd are quick (forget putting your foot down in the wet - I come to that later in the gripes section re: tyres) but 3rd is where it really kicks off. The power put down in 3rd is amazing! By far my favorite. gear.
Engine note
Let's put the actuator to one side for a minute (I actually like it), the engine note I find quite attractive. A lot of the critics don't rate it too highly but I like it. Discreet but powerful sums it up nicely.
Parking sensors
Again, not exclusive to the leon but they're incredibly helpful and accurate picking up bollards as well as something more obvious like walls and other vehicles.
The parking sensors more than make up for the reduced visibility from the rear pillars.
Driving modes
Having Comfort, Sport, Individual, Curpra modes on-board really makes a difference. When I'm with the Mrs. and my boy I throw it in Comfort or individual (for me everything's cupra bar the engine.)
When I'm, ready for a blast, I throw it in Individual (if I don't want the actuator on - i.e. listening to music etc) or Cupra mode.
Really helps the car to be more versatile and more family friendly.
Cupra gripes
I've now ran the car on both regular unleaded and Shell V Power Nitro+ and so far I've not noticed much of a difference in performance. In fact, I'd even go as far as saying my economy has dropped a bit?
Need to let the engine run in really but they're my initial observations
Doors
My previous car was a MK6 Golf GT TDI and there were 3 hold points to the front doors.
The Cupra only has two and that's a right pain! Especially when climbing out of your car from a tight space.
The Cupra only has the first door hold and the last right at the end of the door opening itself. It's only a small thing but it gets annoying when you need to watch how far you open the doors.
Turning circle
Kind of expected with the Cupra, but the turning circle is nowhere near as generous as it was in my Golf. Not really a problem unless you're hitting a drive-thru or parking in a space, but it's worth a mention.
Tyres
This has to be my biggest gripe but Seat, what were you thinking fitting bridgstone's to the Cupra!
My golf prior had Good Year Eagle F1s fitted prior to sale and they were brilliant in the wet and the dry.
Now I know the Cupra has 280 bhp (276 to be exact in case someone's lurking waiting to correct me) but even under light throttle in the wet in 1st and 2nd gear the traction is terrible. Tyres constantly lose grip even in comfort mode.
There's no dramatic wheel spin, but you do feel the driving aids fighting to keep the tyres biting on the tarmac.
Can't help feel this would be resolved with a different tyre.
Once you're up to cruising speed everything seems to be fine, but I can't help thinking the Bridgestone's are inferior in wet conditions.
Driving modes
As you may have seen, driving modes is a positive for me. However, I do wish there was a further level of customisation. For me, it would be great to seperate throttle response from the actuator.
ie:
Actuator: ON | OFF
Throttle response: CUPRA | COMFORT | SPORT
They're actually both controlled together under engine and you can choose either Cupra, sport or comfort.
MY ECONOMY SO FAR:
Driven so far: 300 mi
MPG :28 ish
Driving style: Mixed. I work in the city so I deal with traffic most mornings/evenings but I also love to put my foot down every now and again.
Hope this post helps others!
Would love it if other Mk3 Cupra owners added their thoughts too!
I'm a relatively fresh face to the forum but thought I could add my 2p.
I know many people are waiting for their Cupra's to arrive. I've been lucky enough to get mine last Friday (but I did order 7th March!)
Just wanted to start a thread about life with my Cupra so far and hopefully people can add to it for it to help others who are thinking of buying or waiting for theirs to be delivered.
Things I love so far
Interior quality
Coming from a golf to a Cupra, you'd expect to lose an inch or two when it comes to interior quality. Honestly? I think the cupra is a step above the MK6 golf in many ways including the steering wheel (LOVE IT) seats, dash and pretty much everything else.
The only thing I do miss from my Golf is the carpet lining in the storage behind the handbrake and in the glovebox. Losing the carpet makes things audible when going round corners. Especially things like loose change or pens etc. Overall though, the interior is awesome.
Headlights
Not exclusive to the Cupra as we all know, but wow. They're incredible! Great illumination and there's no mistaking a Leon from a distance with the LEDs.
Gearbox
I opted for the manual. It's got a lovely chunky feel. A little notchy from 2nd to 3rd but otherwise beautifully weighted and a fantastic shift, too.
It's still taking me some getting used to coming from a diesel, and can bite back with a jolty change if you shirt too fast or too slow.
I'm still working out the best way to change smoothly, but getting better with each journey.
Further talking about the gearbox, gears 1st and 2nd are quick (forget putting your foot down in the wet - I come to that later in the gripes section re: tyres) but 3rd is where it really kicks off. The power put down in 3rd is amazing! By far my favorite. gear.
Engine note
Let's put the actuator to one side for a minute (I actually like it), the engine note I find quite attractive. A lot of the critics don't rate it too highly but I like it. Discreet but powerful sums it up nicely.
Parking sensors
Again, not exclusive to the leon but they're incredibly helpful and accurate picking up bollards as well as something more obvious like walls and other vehicles.
The parking sensors more than make up for the reduced visibility from the rear pillars.
Driving modes
Having Comfort, Sport, Individual, Curpra modes on-board really makes a difference. When I'm with the Mrs. and my boy I throw it in Comfort or individual (for me everything's cupra bar the engine.)
When I'm, ready for a blast, I throw it in Individual (if I don't want the actuator on - i.e. listening to music etc) or Cupra mode.
Really helps the car to be more versatile and more family friendly.
Cupra gripes
I've now ran the car on both regular unleaded and Shell V Power Nitro+ and so far I've not noticed much of a difference in performance. In fact, I'd even go as far as saying my economy has dropped a bit?
Need to let the engine run in really but they're my initial observations
Doors
My previous car was a MK6 Golf GT TDI and there were 3 hold points to the front doors.
The Cupra only has two and that's a right pain! Especially when climbing out of your car from a tight space.
The Cupra only has the first door hold and the last right at the end of the door opening itself. It's only a small thing but it gets annoying when you need to watch how far you open the doors.
Turning circle
Kind of expected with the Cupra, but the turning circle is nowhere near as generous as it was in my Golf. Not really a problem unless you're hitting a drive-thru or parking in a space, but it's worth a mention.
Tyres
This has to be my biggest gripe but Seat, what were you thinking fitting bridgstone's to the Cupra!
My golf prior had Good Year Eagle F1s fitted prior to sale and they were brilliant in the wet and the dry.
Now I know the Cupra has 280 bhp (276 to be exact in case someone's lurking waiting to correct me) but even under light throttle in the wet in 1st and 2nd gear the traction is terrible. Tyres constantly lose grip even in comfort mode.
There's no dramatic wheel spin, but you do feel the driving aids fighting to keep the tyres biting on the tarmac.
Can't help feel this would be resolved with a different tyre.
Once you're up to cruising speed everything seems to be fine, but I can't help thinking the Bridgestone's are inferior in wet conditions.
Driving modes
As you may have seen, driving modes is a positive for me. However, I do wish there was a further level of customisation. For me, it would be great to seperate throttle response from the actuator.
ie:
Actuator: ON | OFF
Throttle response: CUPRA | COMFORT | SPORT
They're actually both controlled together under engine and you can choose either Cupra, sport or comfort.
MY ECONOMY SO FAR:
Driven so far: 300 mi
MPG :28 ish
Driving style: Mixed. I work in the city so I deal with traffic most mornings/evenings but I also love to put my foot down every now and again.
Hope this post helps others!
Would love it if other Mk3 Cupra owners added their thoughts too!
