New Leon Cupra Specification 2.0 TFSI 240 hp

[dangel]

Talking to the Brand Manager for 'New Leon' yesterday - no pricing has been confirmed - clearly they know the target price.

With Brembo's, it's a step up from the Focus ST (whichever flavour you look at), it's 40bhp clear of the golf. it's better specced than the Astra

It'll be interesting to reviews versus the ST, Astra and Golf - my guess for the badge concious the Golf wins outright (hey the old Leon was better than the Golf GTI but the latter oldsold it purely on badge). It's going to have to drive very, very well to do the ST - but I guess against the astra (ASBO) it'll have more of a chance (it's a vauxhall, laggy turbo).

I'll still stick with my guess of 19k with flat paint, and 20k with dsg & mettalic.

20k is a crucial figure to stay under - a lot will think it expensive once it strays over that line compared to some of the competition. I'm def going to drive the ST, new CTR and Cupra for comparison and the Cupra might end up being most expensive of the bunch.

They're not out there to please everyone, just woo people - and to be honest, even at £19k, it's bhp/£ is very nearly the same as the old LCR, and I'll bet is very well priced at the rest of the market.

Hope so!

 

[m0rk]

Consider it another way The FR is head & shoulders better than the model it replaced (confusingly the Cupra)

I'm really looking forward to Tuesday where I can really put the car to the test (so I'm told) - but that's another story

According to a source yesterday, they have really struggled to get the car (on 18's) to activate the ESP as part of their demo days they're putting together - echoing the thoughts that the chassis is 'that good' hopefully.

I think for those of you that see it in the flash you'll be inpressed - even a day later looking at the same images I took - it is better in 3D

 

[dangel]

Having had a day or two to reflect on the new Leon Cupra I suppose its a nice enough car, but these are some of the things that put me off:
1) Black bit in the middle of the rear bumper

Didn't like that on the LCR - it looks horrible and I preferred the one on the back of mine tbh. Of course it looks worse on lighter colours and invisible on black cars

2) Dashboard that doesn't seem to accept std head unit

I've always hated Ford for that - and hadn't thought of it for the Leon but yeah, I'm very unlikely to stick with the stock unit so i hope it won't looked too bad with a faceplate surround.

4) Not that sold on the wheels to be honest, OK but time may ease me to them

Yup, loved the LCR wheels (so much that..) these are ok but not as striking as the GTI wheels on the VW for example.

Why no boost, oil pressure or oil temperature gauges? If its for driving enthusiast why don't these sort of features get included (like they did in early Audi's and Golfs)?

To be fair - i like the look of the dashpod dials itself but yes would of been a nice touch

When car modification is as rife as it is today, Fords ST 1/2/3 variants allowed the user to upspec to higher models. Even Saab offer 3 stages of Hersche packs on their cars now. I really feel SEAT are missing a trick on this as its the bolt ons that generate good profit margins and allow the user to retain full warranty entitlements.

Some dealers offered 'chipping' on cars with warranty but this was dealerside only. I like the idea tho (as someone who likes swap things anyway).

At 240bhp, although the new cars are much sharper handling than the old Mk1 (which is in essence a 10yr old platform), why they persist with 2wd surprises me. I know 4wd has transmission loss, but its been proven for some time now that the Type R Civic with its 200bhp can actually transmit the power to the tarmac far more efficiently round a test track than the Leon. I was hoping for a UK Cupra 4 model (didn't care whether it was 4 or 6 cylinder) seeing that we have one of the highest sales volumes of sporting SEAT's.

Maybe I'm missing the point completely, but 3 years ago the sales force at SEAT were convinced that they were going to be at the cutting edge of the high performance sports hatches. I appreciate there are constraints that need to be adhered to so that VW's precious Golf GTi sales aren't cannibalised, and cars do need to be made to a budget constraint, but when did we last see a car that had been made with constraints that truly got our pulses racing and our blood boiling?

Well I feel the same way - we're told SEAT are supposed to be 'sporty audis' and yet SEAT aren't allowed to progress - and the next logical step has always been 4WD for them as they've access to all the technlogy within VAG. I'd actually pay MORE for it too, and I reckon quite a few of us would. It's obviously a ploy to keep VW and Audi well apart from SEAT and Skoda (only allowed a 4x4 estate weren't they?) and i don't buy into the argument it's not economically viable. In the UK SEAT sales have been ALLLLL about high end sporty models which kinda hammers home the fact the market exists. Shame that VAG is the way it is - but then working for a large German company i'm not exactly surprised

I'm still going to the motorshow to see it, purely so I can decide whether to keep it on the shopping list for 2007/8. Money lost on the Mk1 R is immaterial, as long as you enjoy it while you've got it then its money well spent.

Yup, i've had mine for 'too long' and people keep asking me when i'm changing it but if you're happy with the car and there's no big carrot-on-a-stick to change then it's hard to justify. As long as yer happy..

 

[Darth Tater]

I'm really looking forward to Tuesday where I can really put the car to the test (so I'm told) - but that's another story

According to a source yesterday, they have really struggled to get the car (on 18's) to activate the ESP as part of their demo days they're putting together - echoing the thoughts that the chassis is 'that good' hopefully.

m0rk

What sort of test are you liable to subject it to? Road and track or won't you know till Tues?

 

[m0rk]

I think road & track & bbq

Clearly i'm not going to hooligan about (otherwise I may as well delete my name off the list for any future invites)

 

[CUPRA99]

Im a big fan of the new Leon Cupra and really want one but I'm not happy with the wheels at all.

The LCR's rims are much nicer IMO. I wonder what the new Leon Cupra would look like with LCR rims on painted in a slightly darker shade

 

[dangel]

I think road & track & bbq

Clearly i'm not going to hooligan about (otherwise I may as well delete my name off the list for any future invites)

Wuss.

 

[m0rk]

As is the norm, there's often a choice of wheels - this is like a 'real life' preview rather than a finished UK spec car.

 

[andyb]

I just don't agree, with the MPV moniker, im not sure if you've actually stood by the new car yet, Andy, being out in Canada, not sure if you've seen one close up yet, when you've been back over here on one of your short trips.

But it really doesn't appear like an MPV when you stand looking at it, or sit in it, or drive it. You can't judge this from photographs, its a different car when you walk round it and visualise it properly.

hee hee! Yeah, I saw a couple when I was home last Christmas. One inside a dealership and one outside. I know its not a MPV, it just shouts it to me a little. I do agree though that the car looks much better in the flesh. If you look at the proportions, the very high bonnet that blends into the window, along with the small quarter window, forward of the front door who push it towards the MPV look. Its subtle and yes, I suppose the Altea doesn't help the Leon's case


Its this along with the small extra heigh, but to me, thats why the sporty look doesnt work so well compaed to the original Cupra(s).

Its probably why the car doesnt have side skirts. You add deep ones onto that and it would make it look visually taller.

but thats just my opiniion. I certainly think its much better than the Altea, which IMHO was a big of a mistake. Its too close to the Leon and not really versatile enough to compete with the Zafria, Scenic, C-Max etc. Are there many Altea's on the road? I didnt see many over Crimbo last year.

Looking forward to seeing it at the show next week though

 

[ZBOYD]

Really though that definition could be put on any modern hatchback, they've all got, fatter, taller more bulbous, so the pedestrians bounce off them

 

[Ruddmeister]

I think road & track & bbq

Clearly i'm not going to hooligan about (otherwise I may as well delete my name off the list for any future invites)

Is it just you or is Zboyd / the Sexwee man going

 

[andyb]

Really though that definition could be put on any modern hatchback, they've all got, fatter, taller more bulbous, so the pedestrians bounce off them

true, many. The Asta for example in 5 door guise on one ugly fecker, not helped by its upright back end and high bonnet. The old Civic as well, but the new Civic is quite different. Only seen one of those in the flesh so far, so not sure if its a bit too gaudy and tacky.

Nothing really appeals in this market segment for me at the moment (even less here as we have a lot less choice here with no Leon,A3, Skoda, latest Focus. Civic 5 dr)

 

[El Vic]

...
Its probably why the car doesnt have side skirts. You add deep ones onto that and it would make it look visually taller.
...

Hi andyb,
Have a look at these skirts. Does it look like an MPV to you?
http://hvtm.totalcar.hu/car/m/seat/847965.jpg

 

[ZBOYD]

Is it just you or is Zboyd / the Sexwee man going

Just m0rk, I go away on my hols, only to Cirencester if anyone wants to move out of Gloucestershire while im around, in a week or so, and as such, couldn't get the extra time off this month to go play in an FR.

Though i did get a chance to have a drive of a TFSI FR last Saturday, just couldn't throw that around too much

 

[Ol' Timer]

The old Civic as well, but the new Civic is quite different. Only seen one of those in the flesh so far, so not sure if its a bit too gaudy and tacky.

To me the new Civic is the opposite to the Leon. In photos the Leon tends to look a bit tall and bulbous. On the road I find they look surprisingly long and low. On the other hand the Civic looks pretty good in photos but on the road it looks short, tall and dumpy and a bit boring. I never trust photos these days!

 

[dangel]

To me the new Civic is the opposite to the Leon. In photos the Leon tends to look a bit tall and bulbous. On the road I find they look surprisingly long and low. On the other hand the Civic looks pretty good in photos but on the road it looks short, tall and dumpy and a bit boring. I never trust photos these days!

The civic is pretty mad - all buck roger's n' stuff.. that huge glass piece across the front just wants a red light going from right to left (and back) and it's basically a cylon figher from battlestar galactica.. Atlantia death squadron attack! It'll be interesting to see the final CTR as the show cars are really whacky and also to see of the policy of less weight same power pays off for it..

 

[Syphon]

"Buck Rogers"



Scott

 

[Ruddmeister]

The civic is pretty mad - all buck roger's n' stuff.. that huge glass piece across the front just wants a red light going from right to left (and back) and it's basically a cylon figher from battlestar galactica.. Atlantia death squadron attack!..

...It's a car not a space ship .......are you OK? or is the heat affecting your brain?

 

[Ol' Timer]

It'll be interesting to see the final CTR as the show cars are really whacky and also to see of the policy of less weight same power pays off for it..

The Civic is quite interesting because, as I understand it, they dropped the independent suspension which was on the original car to save money for other goodies on the new model. All the Civics I have fancied in the showroom have been at least £18000.

As the new Leon uses the new independent suspension setup I assume SEAT either have to charge more for the car or claw back the cost elsewhere.

 

[Ruddmeister]

claw back the cost elsewhere.

Or pay Pedro less to build it