CUPRA Leon 1.5 TSI 150PS UK Order Books Open – Starts at £29,515
- Thread starter Syphon
- Start date
To me CUPRA has got it all wrong, we should be seeing more power in the cars, not bringing out slow, low bhp motors and charging high prices when a SEAT FR would suffice. CUPRA used to be the top of the model run not warm hatches etc, don't think I will be buying another one unless they start producing some quicker motors in the future.
So how much is it more than the comparable FR with same spec
Its only a couple hundred more than an fr sport.
However the fr sports paint options are all free. Cupra paint costs money.
Im a bit confused. I don't really get it
whats the point in the leon fr 1.5 tsi AND the cupra 1.5 tsi 
Its only a couple hundred more than an fr sport.
However the fr sports paint options are all free. Cupra paint costs money.
Im a bit confused. I don't really get it
whats the point in the leon fr 1.5 tsi AND the cupra 1.5 tsi
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It's all down to personal taste, but I actually prefer the SEAT version. Nicer wheels, nicer seat material.
And factoring in the paint costs, a reasonable chunk of change to tuck in the back pocket compared with the Cupra.
And factoring in the paint costs, a reasonable chunk of change to tuck in the back pocket compared with the Cupra.
I think the pricing is high for the car. A family member has just bought a brand new Merc A-Class AMG 140bhp and it is better spec’d. I know Cupra is trying to be a premium brand but IMO it’s got a big thorn it’s side called the Leon FR.
Looking at from a different angle, would it be fair to say that VAG feel that some customers just will not consider a SEAT and the CUPRA brand is much more likely to draw them in? I would never have considered a SEAT even five years ago and had it not been for my daughter buying an Ibiza, I would have continued to think of the brand as a cheap Fiat as it was in my early driving days (more fool me) Members like Seastormer who have been loyal to the brand for years clearly feel that CUPRA and what the badge has stood for in the past is disappearing. I think that it is possible that the SEAT brand could eventually be replaced by CUPRA in markets around the world and potentially altogether one day?
I believe the plan is to have Cupra as a separate brand and stop depending on Seat. If you look at the future models you'll see that they're not Seat cars with different badges.
I understand the move as i believe the 1.5 tsi will be the best selling cupra leon as the 1.5 tsi is most likely the best selling formentor. People want the look of the performance models.
This however in turn upsets the purists. The main purchasers of the cupra brand are likely to be those in their 20's to which not all may be able to afford the running costs of the high performance motors / insurance
This however in turn upsets the purists. The main purchasers of the cupra brand are likely to be those in their 20's to which not all may be able to afford the running costs of the high performance motors / insurance
How many 20 year olds can afford this sort of money, I had my first SEAT back when I was 41 (1996) and have stuck with the brand since then. My first was a Biza GTI, then a few Cupras, before my Leon Cupra 280 in 2014, which I had for nearly 8 years with no faults at all till it went for the VZ2 300 I now have.
Maybe not too many 20 year olds if the only option was to buy the car outright. However, someone in the age range 20-29 may well be able to afford the monthly PCP or lease payments on a new 1.5 tsi Cupra Leon.
On the face of it, introducing a 1.5 tsi Cupra Leon does seem to be an out and out marketing strategy to attract more buyers and grow the Cupra brand. There will always be those buyers who’ll be attracted to a more premium brand and be prepared to pay a premium price for a more upmarket badge, even if the product gives them nothing extra (sometimes it‘ll give them less) compared to equivalent products with less premium badges - e.g. someone who pays a price premium for buying an Audi when they could’ve bought an equivalent mechanically identical Seat or VW model with more equipment for less money.
The power of marketing and brand strength………..
Yeah PCP or lease deals are the route.
The amount of 20 something's i see with a brand spanker on their mothers drive is astounding. Easy to pay £4-500 a month when living at home and have lots of fun tokens to spend with no mortgage
Last week's Autocar highlighted that VW Group may be planning to kill off the SEAT brand and to focus on CUPRA where higher margins are present. I would see the inclusion of a 1.5 150PS version as clear evidence of this given this would normally be the FR model in the SEAT range.
Wait... for real front dynamic turning signals? Can’t wait to see them how they’ll be. So hope that gearbox could eventually came to my Mexico
So if killing off the Seat brand does happen and non performance models are added to the Cupra vehicle range, the cynical side of me would say the initial creation of Cupra as a separate brand could be viewed as just a Seat rebranding exercise. I suppose it does present an opportunity to charge more for non-performance Cupra branded vehicles to reflect VAG’s aspiration of Cupra being a premium performance car brand (even if not all Cupra’s are performance models) and if profit margins are higher, the opportunity to generate additional profit too.
There’s a key dependency of customers recognising and accepting Cupra as a premium brand and being willing to pay the higher (than Seat) premium prices rather than defect to lower priced alternative options from outside of VAG.
That's what will happen, I looked hard at a Hyundai i30 N Perf and Toyota GR Yaris before I got the CUPRA.
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