How did your Cupra (not R) feel to you as standard?

[kineticz]

Hello,
For all you Cupra (180hp) owners, how did the car feel to you performance and driveability wise when standard? 0-60 is exciting but after that it dies off The engine sound is pretty tasty though although that's probably because I have a CAI fitted. Did you need to remap it to get what you wanted?

Just some personal opinions I'm looking to read

Thanks for posting
Dan

 

[smokescreen]

This certainly falls under how long is a piece of string...!

 

[warren_cox]

When I bought my LCR (I know you said Cupra, not R!) although it's not what you'd call slow I felt it wasn't quick enough within a few days. It was 60 odd bhp more than anything I'd owned previously, but the extra weight on board its crash protected body didn't help either. It was mapped inside a month, and then within a few weeks it felt 'normal' again.

Unless you have something that is superlight and puts out ridiculous BHP you will always get used to it.

 

[bcstudent]

Yeah, it was quick enough but I never really liked the wooly feel of the throttle response in standard trim. The remap made it feel much more like I imagined it should have felt. It's been getting on for a year since the remap and I'm still not bored with it.

 

[traumapat]

id come from a k plate astra sri so the leon felt fast. only once mapped did i realise how non urgent the car felt before.
it was a long time ago...lol.
id say it felt fine performance wise for a family hatch. the remap made it more of a performance car than a hatch if you know what i mean

 

[CupraUK]

When mine was standard it used to get out accelerated by every rep mobile on the motorway. It doesn't now ;-)

 

[kineticz]

This extra urgency you all mention is what I'm looking for. It's weird how to gauge exactly how fast you'd expect 180hp to be, but I'd say it's not as much as I thought before I bought the car (owning a TDI it's probably the torque I'm missing). So a remap will sort that out I hope

 

[TheSultanofPing]

I bought mine after I sold my 220bhp 200sx and it felt ok. Not as fast obviously, but the torque is available low down making it seem responsive - it does lose out at the top end though as standard. Performance cars seem to be getting faster nowadays though so it struggles to compete with the newer cars.

 

[CupraUK]

My very top end speed seems slower with remap rather than standard. I struggled to hit book top speed (142) on GPS at RAF Marham.

 

[Exocet]

can some else confirm that when you start up your Mk1 cupra does it sound like a tractor starting? I've had mine since its done 76K and its always sounded a bit rough when starting up. However after the initial start it runs and sounds fine

 

[warren_cox]

can some else confirm that when you start up your Mk1 cupra does it sound like a tractor starting? I've had mine since its done 76K and its always sounded a bit rough when starting up. However after the initial start it runs and sounds fine

They are tappety, even when new they can sound that way.

 

[CupraUK]

can some else confirm that when you start up your Mk1 cupra does it sound like a tractor starting? I've had mine since its done 76K and its always sounded a bit rough when starting up. However after the initial start it runs and sounds fine

Yes, completely normal

 

[ADAM_84]

Some people have mentioned about the secondary air pump can begin to sound noisey as the old rivets that hold it together fail and it becomes loose, theres a how to guide on how to fix the problem.

 

[Exocet]

phew, thats a relief to know that that my engine wasnt swapped for one out of a combine harvester!

 

[kineticz]

phew, thats a relief to know that that my engine wasnt swapped for one out of a combine harvester!

lol, well tbh mine has been very quiet since I bought it, even when at -5 degrees c. My diesel golf was a PROPER tractor lol but had no problems with the Leon engine noise wise.

 

[tris]

When i bought mine we was offered a re map when we bought the car but we wanted to get used to it 1st but a year later we had it done by Jabba and my god did it go 6th on the M/way was like knocking down a gear

 

[Pottsy-1981]

got my LCR after a v6 vectra... puls well upto 90-100 but the vectra just pulled like a train all the way to 145 (on a drag strip!)

Had it now since august and it still puts a smile on my face, its the most balanced car I;ve owner for going into corners but it just lacks a bit grunt...

think my new years resolution is to get a remap!

 

[ricky2609]

Find the car very quick tbh my mate has the cupra r and i took both cars out on the same stretch of road and found little difference. mine has loads of bottom end power which to me is the most important.

had a bit race with a subaru impretza wrx on a good straight and got up to 110-120mph before he started to SLOWLY pass me and got told to stop off our lass,

interested in a remap but got quoted 500 quid from a local garage

 

[George]

I find mine sometimes still surprises me with the amount of pull in 2nd gear, but other times it feels really flat. Think I'm gonna go for a remap in a few weeks and see how i get on.

The main problem I find though is that the gearbox, being six speed, is too close for my liking. I have a friend whos got the 1.8T Audi A3, obviously 5 speed, which has been remapped and that just pulls like mad in every gear and he doesn't have to change as much as I do.

 

[bcstudent]

The main problem I find though is that the gearbox, being six speed, is too close for my liking. I have a friend whos got the 1.8T Audi A3, obviously 5 speed, which has been remapped and that just pulls like mad in every gear and he doesn't have to change as much as I do.

I totally agree with that. The 1.8T engine is the most pointless use of a six-speed gearbox ever conceived. I hate it.