1997 Seat Ibiza Cupra Sport 2.0 16v from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A boy's toy

Faults:

Loose covers on the side skirts.

Loose clips on the door panels.

No mechanical faults.

General Comments:

Love the car, but was looking for the F2 version.

Have customised the car a little, with an induction kit, a Superchip, a Remus back box and lowering springs.

This has improved the car's overall performance, but want a bit more really.

I would recommend this car to any hot hatch lover.

My Cup Racing has the rear spoiler off of the F2 version and also has the Cup Racing Sport stickers all over it. This looks much better than the standard Cup Racing I see around, but I have not seen the F2 version yet.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th October, 2001

1997 Seat Ibiza Cupra Sport 2.0 8v from UK and Ireland

Summary:

I challenge you to buy this much driving satisfaction for less money!

Faults:

Occasional dashboard rattle (according to the interior temperature).

Rattle from the exhaust heat-shield (a common fault it appears from these reviews!).

Gear-box is not very slick and requires deliberate changes. Selection of 2nd gear was prone to balk during the first 5000 miles, but now OK unless you rush a down-change at speed.

General Comments:

This car is a seriously underrated, but that suits me very well because it has remained a relative rarity.

When I test drove before buying, I enjoyed it so much that I had to take it around the suggested test route a second time so I could cane it even harder. To put this in perspective you need to understand that I already owned a TVR V8s and a Ducati 916 so was no stranger to performance vehicles and might have found it too tame.

The salesman I bought the car from loved the Cupra Sport 8v so much that he had already parted with his own hard-earned cash to buy one!

For me the 8v Cupra Sport is better than the 16v. It offers excellent power from virtually any gear at any speed. It will happily pull high gears with no revs if you're taking it easy and delivers satisfying performance when you push hard. It does however run out of puff at 5000 RPM.

Particularly excellent feel from the steering and brakes.

Suspension is very firm and not so nice over pot-holes at low speed, but more than compensates when you are cornering hard.

I can truly say that I look forward to driving this car every time I climb into it, which is just as well really since due to practicalities it gets far more use than the TVR or Ducati.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th April, 2001

1997 Seat Ibiza Cupra Sport 2.0 16v from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Very good, but you must put up with a lot of design problems

Faults:

The exhaust has all been replaced, steering rack and column also.

Passenger's airbag has been modified to stop noises.

Seat belts replaced due to non returning.

Dront engine mount replaced.

Clutch cable replaced every 10,000 mile service.

General Comments:

The car all in all, and is very competent, but under heavy breaking it squirms a lot.

Far too many small problems with squeaks and rattles.

Poor part standards.

Very poor dealer service, but getting a lot better.

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

Review Date: 18th January, 2001

3rd Feb 2001, 18:28

So I'm not on my own. From the day I brought my 14 SXE (P) it has given me grief. It would cut out when I pulled up to stop at traffic lights or queuing in traffic. This took 2 main dealers 9 months to sort out, in the end they said it was the alanda switch.

The little beast also developed rust on top of both sills where the seam is. To add to my disappointment the exhaust has been replaced from the cat back.

My comment - poor.

1997 Seat Ibiza GTi Cupra Sport 8v 2.0 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Very underrated hot hatch

Faults:

Heatshield worked loose.

Passenger side door handle stopped working.

ECU became faulty - dry solder on one pin.

Water ingress caused by poor repair of the door handle.

General Comments:

A very underrated car with nippy performance in town and on windy roads.

Added a stainless steel Mongoose exhaust which improved the sound and increased performance slightly.

Price drop is alarming and I am finding it difficult to sell in the current market.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th January, 2001