SEAT or CUPRA?

[Swansway Motor Group (SEAT & CUPRA)]

We recently headed along to a joint SEAT/CUPRA meet with this very forum and put the big question to the owners:

We got some interesting answers, so we’ve put together some of the content from the meet and thought it would be good to bring the conversation over here too.

So, where do you stand?

SEAT – sticking with the original?

CUPRA – enjoying the new direction?

Both – because why choose?

More importantly, show us your cars.

Drop a photo of your SEAT or CUPRA below and tell us a little bit about it – model, engine, mods, what you love about it.

If you were at the meet, see if you can spot yourself in the content.

So, what’s your choice: SEAT or CUPRA?

 

[Syphon]

Great event, thanks for helping organise things, and great idea to interview our members. Of course we're all a little bit biased (me included!)

 

[Jimbobcook]

For me its whoever does a 7 seater first since the demise of the Tarraco

Great content and great to have you at the meet.

 

[jezyg]

A few years from now instead of SEAT Cupra we will have special edition Cupra SEAT models focused on comfort.

 

[Momochi]

A few years from now instead of SEAT Cupra we will have special edition Cupra SEAT models focused on comfort.

A Cupra "seat" or a SEAT "cupper" (cup holder) may be the simplest way forward.

 

[Swansway Motor Group (SEAT & CUPRA)]

For me its whoever does a 7 seater first since the demise of the Tarraco

Great content and great to have you at the meet.

I think there are probably quite a few people who’d say the same! The demise of the Tarraco has definitely left a bit of a gap for anyone wanting a 7-seater.

And thanks for the kind words - it was great to be at the meet and meet everyone in person. Hopefully there’ll be plenty more to come!

 

[Swansway Motor Group (SEAT & CUPRA)]

A few years from now instead of SEAT Cupra we will have special edition Cupra SEAT models focused on comfort.

Maybe we’ll end up seeing some interesting crossover between the two, although I’m sure CUPRA will still want to keep that sporty edge!

 

[tracktoy]

I am a Seat Cupra owner and that is where my heart is,

this original comparison sums up why I love the Seat Cupra over the other VAG Hot Hatches they are just so much fun to drive especially on my local track.

"SEAT have a habit of being dark horses" yep I see many faces in my rear mirror wondering why a SEAT is beating them.

I am not a fan of the Modern cars because I love to drive a RAW car that requires me to stay fully involved.

My Daily is also my Tracktoy and its very different to the car I started with, Suspension, Brakes, Wheels, Seating, Turbo, Exhaust have all been upgraded

SEAT I am afraid as a brand will be finished shortly in the big VAG shakup

 

[Seastormer]

I am a Seat Cupra owner and that is where my heart is,

this original comparison sums up why I love the Seat Cupra over the other VAG Hot Hatches they are just so much fun to drive especially on my local track.

"SEAT have a habit of being dark horses" yep I see many faces in my rear mirror wondering why a SEAT is beating them.

I am not a fan of the Modern cars because I love to drive a RAW car that requires me to stay fully involved.View attachment 55449

My Daily is also my Tracktoy and its very different to the car I started with, Suspension, Brakes, Wheels, Seating, Turbo, Exhaust have all been upgraded

SEAT I am afraid as a brand will be finished shortly in the big VAG shakup

Yes the SEAT Leon Cupra 280 was a great car standard, so yours must be fantastic, still miss mine.

 

[tracktoy]

Well I will be up your way next year, I will touch base next year and maybe we can get together.

 

[Seastormer]

Sounds ace,

 

[Tell]

For me its whoever does a 7 seater first since the demise of the Tarraco

Great content and great to have you at the meet.

Currently Skoda then with that Peaq . Getting good reviews. They could do like Vag off old on SUVs do 3x3 models. 3 brands X 3 SUVs. That would give a Cupra 7 seater. I'll have the Cupra ID.Tiguan thank you very much. Not so sure where fast backs come into this.

 

[Tell]

I am a Seat Cupra owner and that is where my heart is,

this original comparison sums up why I love the Seat Cupra over the other VAG Hot Hatches they are just so much fun to drive especially on my local track.

"SEAT have a habit of being dark horses" yep I see many faces in my rear mirror wondering why a SEAT is beating them.

I am not a fan of the Modern cars because I love to drive a RAW car that requires me to stay fully involved.View attachment 55449

My Daily is also my Tracktoy and its very different to the car I started with, Suspension, Brakes, Wheels, Seating, Turbo, Exhaust have all been upgraded

SEAT I am afraid as a brand will be finished shortly in the big VAG shakup

Well they were only after the Seat factory space to build the other models in. You never know they might come up with some Seat EVs out of the parts bin. Cupra attracting higher mark up although Raval hits a price point. They are curious shaped cars thou, the Cupra style. May not be everyone's cup of tea. Skoda is looking better these days with the Modern Solid design. That Cupra design of recent may grind, you never know and Seat could come back with something angling more to the modern solid design.

 

[tracktoy]

Fairly sure that with VAG's issue SEAT is going be closed down, I have to say I also much prefer the SKODA Color offerings vs Cupra. Audi also seem to offer some nice bright colors.

 

[Tell]

Well higher mark up on Cupra designs and use the Spanish factory space on other Vag cars. German space to be rationalised. Cheaper to manufacturer the cars outside Germany and in new factories. Seat is more mass market unless they shift the numbers over but obviously peeves Seat folk off who didn't buy into the rebranding. Covering their bases with hybrids in the meantime although Seat could return from the dead .

That Cupra batmobile is to be built on the new platform that isnt going to show up for sometime which on paper means they got no more new cars coming out like Seat . Both effectively in the same club now.

CUPRA Tindaya

CUPRA Tindaya owners’ forum for discussion, reviews, guides, faults and advice.

www.seatcupra.net

You got atleast a 3 year wait for that platform:

Volkswagen Group Scalable Systems Platform - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Momochi]

Currently Skoda then with that Peaq . Getting good reviews. They could do like Vag off old on SUVs do 3x3 models. 3 brands X 3 SUVs. That would give a Cupra 7 seater. I'll have the Cupra ID.Tiguan thank you very much. Not so sure where fast backs come into this.

3+3 seating? Similar to the Honda FR-V (Edix) some years back?

For a 7-seatesr, seems not many Alhambra left on the road in the UK. Anyway the Japanese (and now the Chinese) are way too advanced in making boxed type 7/8-seaters, that other manufacturers simply cannot make one worth mentioning. Not even for Tesla Model S 7-seater nor some Volvos.

 

[Tell]

Alhambra that car with the sliding doors and the built in wheel in the door like the rest that followed . There was nothing new about putting the wheel in the door... never looked at one close up but from pictures it did what the Ateca did. No kittens with that.

No the 7 seater is alive and well in EV form in the Skoda Peaq. Skoda still make the ICE Kodiak / Allspace just that the Tarraco got dropped. Unlike the Kodiak it didnt make it to a refreshed car. The pen came out and crossed it off, like the Ateca but the Karog still goes on and the new Elrog that fills the gap. Expect the new IDs will delete some of the EV Skodas like what will happen on VW with the ID.Tiguan, ID 4 / 5.

 

[Momochi]

Alhambra that car with the sliding doors and the built in wheel in the door like the rest that followed . There was nothing new about putting the wheel in the door... never looked at one close up but from pictures it did what the Ateca did. No kittens with that.

No the 7 seater is alive and well in EV form in the Skoda Peaq. Skoda still make the ICE Kodiak / Allspace just that the Tarraco got dropped. Unlike the Kodiak it didnt make it to a refreshed car. The pen came out and crossed it off, like the Ateca but the Karog still goes on and the new Elrog that fills the gap. Expect the new IDs will delete some of the EV Skodas like what will happen on VW with the ID.Tiguan, ID 4 / 5.

Noted the 7-seaters from Skoda but the 3rd row is just a joke, only for under 11s for short journeys, and no more boot space even for a 28" luggage case.

There are more and more "Boxed type MPVs" 7/8-seaters from Japan on British roads now, like Toyota Previa / Alphard, Nissan Elgrand, etc. The mega-riches in the Far East are dumping their S-Class and 7-series for these luxurious 7-seaters which are (often) driven by chauffers. The only respectful competitor from Europe seems to be the Mercedes V-Class or the ID.Buzz (a poor man's MPV), while many Chinese models like SAIC's Maxus MIFA 9, BYD's Denza D9, Geely's Zeekr 009 and Li Auto's Mega are dominating the Chinese domestic market.

 

[Tell]

It's clever what AI can do. Yes the kids go in the third row but once they turn 17 you buy them their own car. My brother had a dog car. He had a St Bernard's so at Xmas the family came up with two cars. He had his personal chauffeur. When he moved on the back seat it destabilised the car so they told me . Walkies you take him out in his own car. An old Golf or something.

On all these Chinese makes I use the criteria on how close is the dealership for when it goes wrong. 80 miles round trip round here to get to any of the Chinese names other than Cherry unless you want an MG.

Reliable dealer is another. If your local one is two miles away, seduction of another brand with long travel times is another one for lay ins, in bed. Reckon the one up the road would take the SOS Raval red light issue in their stride.

Comes down too how well the local workforce are trained and conscientious. Employment options are reduced, technical training is high I reckon in this part of the world. Word of mouth to get the man for the job.

This Seat / Cupra dealership has taken on Skoda maintenance so abandoning ship is a possibility at some future date. I'd trust them on a Skoda. They tell me the local VW / Audi dealership is rubbish. It probably is. Having a dealership that isn't sold on, closed down or the master tech not taking a walk is another criteria. So it's not just the car, but how good the dealership is to support it.... unless you are going to do it yourself but with proprietary control systems that lock you out of software manipulation the days of sorting out new car bugs yourself are over. That one also limits people that reckon they are going to post fit stuff where the manufacturer has locked them out of control systems these days. Who would have thought.