2003 Seat Leon sports 1.9TDi

Summary:

Outstanding

General Comments:

What a great car, I have only got the standard version, but the performance and the ride are excellent. My wife has also had a seat before, that was an Ibiza and all we can say is that seat are certainly value for money.

The car is quick, very quick.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 6th May, 2006

2003 Seat Leon Cupra R 1.8T

Summary:

Great car, will make you and your passengers smile, a real head turner

Faults:

Cracked paintwork around front drivers side headlight, fixed under warranty.

Leaking bulkhead caused drivers side foot-well puddle again fixed under warranty.

General Comments:

Car quick in standard form even better with a remap boosting power to around 260bhp, although have to be careful with the right foot when in 1st & 2nd!

Handling pretty good, but not as it should be, tail feels very heavy when pushing quite hard into corners.

Impressive interior finish very comfortable over short and long journeys and many standard features to keep you busy for example: Climate control and six disk auto-changer,

Overall for £18k there is no better car on the road for looks and performance.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th April, 2006

2003 Seat Leon Cupra R 1.8 T 20v 225bhp

Summary:

A true practical drivers car great value with very little compromises

Faults:

Cup holder & cig. lighter element (Not much nothing important or worth crying about)

General Comments:

Response to earlier comments posted: I just bought a Leon Cupra R and I smoked a few decent cars including a Subaru WRX and a S4 on my way home from picking it up.

Great torque, pulling power in every gear, I thought they had stopped making affordable cars like this. Most fun I've had in a long time.

Seat have got it right, all the important areas have been well designed and had money well spent. The interior switches and bits and bobs are not the best, but no worse than VW & Audi a few years back. STILL GOOD VALUE FOR MONEY!

A recommend this as a true drivers car!

What do you need four wheel drive for?

Switch off the ESP and drive the car like it meant to be, Electronics and safety features just spoil the real fun!

What did you spend all that money on driving lessons for? So the car could drive you around and keep you on the road?!?!

Cheap, powerful, cheap insurance, reasonable MPG, practical... better than any French or Italian junkers which are designed around pre-fabricated faults.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 2nd November, 2005

2nd Nov 2005, 23:29

Audi s4 would kill you performance wise...

...GET REAL!

3rd Nov 2005, 03:31

Sorry I must agree.

An Audi S4 driven properly would make short work of a Leon Cupra, so would a properly driven WRX.

Is this you first real performance car?

You really must not get carried away, you are in Civic Type R, Clio 182 territory with the Cupra.

Don't mistake it for something it isn't :-)

2003 Seat Leon Cupra R 210 1.8 20v turbo

Summary:

Fantastic performance, from a practical and sensibly priced car!

Faults:

Front splitter has been knocked several times.

Something dropped inside the drivers door which stopped the window from closing.

Badges are looking shoddy, they have weathered badly.

General Comments:

Awesomely quick car, when it's up and running there's little to out-pace it.

Comes well equipped as standard - 6 CD changer, Air Con, All Electrics, 6-speed box.

Looks fantastic due to the 18" alloys, and elegant shape, Recaro seats and sporty bumpers.

Extremely practical with 5 doors and plenty of room for the whole family.

Bargain price considering the mark up on it's sister cars (the VW Golf and Audi A3).

Servicing and parts are reasonably priced.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th March, 2005

2003 Seat Leon Cupra R 210 1.8T

Summary:

Car as a whole good, but too many little things have gone wrong!

Faults:

Horrendous rattles behind dash board.

2 new gear knobs.

9 replacement 'R' badges - 5 resprays required after dealer decided to remove badges with a screwdriver on wings and couldn't match the colour (Platinum grey)!

Digital display failed.

Brembo brake calipers required replacing after the paint bubbled.

Brake pedal cover keeps dropping off.

Had £3000 worth of damage caused to car when theives decided to steal the bumpers!!!

General Comments:

Performance good.

Build is average.

Seat workshop/fitters awful!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 23rd December, 2004

31st Jan 2005, 16:55

I'm still waiting 2 months later to get my back light leak fixed! Dealers spat their dummy out when I complained of damage to the car! Customer services couldn't care less. Was told to take a day's holiday to try another dealer! They won't pick the car up. Well done Seat UK. That's customer care!

10th May 2005, 16:09

And I am still waiting!!!

14th Jun 2005, 00:59

I had one for just over 2 years. MY2003

There was a chain of interesting problems. To name the major one.

The car was delivered with corroded front brake disks.

Both front wings rust in less than 12 months.

Lamba sensor warning light keep coming on staring with every few thousands then every few hundred miles after reset or repair and lately permanently logging an error.

Dealer had many hours of effort trying to resolve this problem and eventually SEAT's chief mechanic plus brains from VW, AUDI & SKODA were joining in.

It is a lemon and so as it is yellow colour.

7th Sep 2005, 10:32

I too have far more faults than expected. But to be fair to my local dealer, all have been fixed - under warranty. These included A/C & Radiator fans, Leaking air inlet filter box, Spark plug coils, and the latest; the whole of the clutch hydraulics. Still a quick car for the money.

30th Sep 2005, 04:43

Ah, good old VAG build quality...

3rd Nov 2005, 10:16

I have been there, my TDI has been to the dealer 9 times in 6 months, Seat customer service was a joke, I sold my Leon and I will never ever buy a VW product again, I even ask hire companies for non VW brand cars on holiday because I don't need an other brake down again.

24th Mar 2006, 17:42

Looks like seat uk have shot themselves in the foot with customer care.