2003 Seat Leon cupra r from UK and Ireland - Comments

A rattle in the rear seatbelt housing.

Paint on the gear lever starting to wear off.

Will be rectified by dealer in the next week or so.

This car is an all round quick car.

Excellent on motorways as well as A and B roads.

Good fuel consumption best 42mpg worst 27mpg average 33mpg.

Very smooth engine pulling hard from 2000rpm.

Brakes powerful and fade free.

Ride firm, but not to firm to rattle your fillings out.

Handling plenty of grip in dry and wet

but have to be careful putting the power down in the first three gears.

That's good to hear.

I've ordered my LCR 225 a few weeks ago, and it's already booked for a APR DirectPort kit to be added. With the modifications, it'll be 280BHP! 0-60 should take 5 seconds or so, and the Brembo brakes are outstanding.

There appears to a great deal of criticism regarding the quality of "Seat" motors... but it's basically just badge snobbery. The Leon and indeed other Seat models are very well put together, and I look forward to receiving mine.

LCR drivers can finally say goodbye to the likes of little Saxo VTS's etc... and leave them behind with the beautiful sound from the Sport exhaust ringing in their ears.

Anyone considering a Civic Type-R should give this some serious consideration, as it has FAR more torque (the bit that kicks you in the back when you floor it) and has a very strong 1.8Turbo lump capable of lots more power. It looks better too! :)

Just taken delivery of an R having previously owned a standard (!?) Cupra. This car feels totally different and if you thought the Cupra was good, wait 'til you try the R.

The acceleration is stunning and cornering excellent. It is only a matter of time (perhaps next model generation) until people realise what good cars seat make. VW has set up its stall to have niche markets for its brands:

Audi-prestige

VW-Quality volume

Skoda-budget

Seat-Sports derived.

The link with VW is sure to blend with the exciting styling of the seat range to give a top notch choice to future buyers.

Rareness is also keeping risiduals high - have a look in auto trader and see how many are for sale. They are like rocking horse poo!

In the mean time the Leon Cupra R remains one of the best kept secrets on the road.

Can you tell me what APR Direct Port kit is, and the price.

Does it fit the 2000 model?

I have had the pleasure of owning a cupra are for 13 months now, I cannot fault it in any way, well I could if I really tried, its just so damn addictive to drive!

My car is red, I had the windows tinted black on delivery and the finished product was and still is stunning. It turns heads and grabs attention no matter where I go with it.

The Engine and Chassis are superb, This is one very, very quick car, take it from me in the right hands there is very little on the road that could beat this car. The power comes from around 1800rpm and pulls all the way to around 6100rpm. Overtaking?, it's a pleasure, seriously, the way the car just whooshes past without any effort is truly brilliant.

MPG is very good too for a car like this, Its 6th gear is a godsend, I can get 45mpg on a dual carriageway cruising at around 65-70mph.

The interior too is very good, the dials are easy to read and sporty, the seats (standard seats I have) are again really good too.

If you are thinking of buying a performance car for around 30k, Then please do yourself a favour and test drive a leon cupra r, It will save you a fortune!

Cannot agree with you folks more.

This car is awesome and has the biggest torque range of any powerful car I have owned in the past.

Gets loads of admiring looks to.

I must agree with all the above.

I have a 2004 LCR 225 and it is the best car I have ever owned. Its not the headline 225Bhp which is the thing, its the massive thrust from the torque which seems to defy the laws of physics.

I like to put in in second at 30Mph exactly and then floor the loud pedal and watch the speedo spin round to 60 in a stupidly small amount of time, its addictive.

Once I can afford the Revo ECU upgrade the 280Bhp and 300Lb/Ft are going to blow me away.

Seriously though, power aside this car is so perfect, the handling feels more rear wheel drive than front, lift off in a corner then apply full throttle for a perfect rally style drift off your favorite roundabout! In the 4 months I have had it nothing has come close to out accelerating it anywhere. The quality is up with the best, I had a 20VT for 3.5 years before the R and not one thing went wrong with it.

For me now (until they change the shape to look like that awful Altea) this is the only car worth buying this side of 30k. I know the Honda (CTR) is good, but this had so much more of that elusive X-Factor there is no comparison.

I own a 2003 leon cupra-r, (210 h.p.) 6,000 miles and 15 months of use. Until now I`ve never had any problem with the car. I really enjoy driving it. The acceleration and power it gives are simply amazing. In this city you only see a few L-cupra-R so I feel proud of having one, and many people asks. Consider this: powerful, sport style, aggressive look, good brakes and good stability, a huge trunk, 5 passenger seats, 4 lat. doors, low gas consumption, climatronic, cd with 8 speakers, 6 gears, low profile tires, aluminum wheels, electric mirrors and windows, and more... I 've had a few inconveniences because the car is too low. My opinion to those who are considering about buying one: go to a dealer and drive one. Once you drive it, you`ll know that's the car you want. You will not try another. Be careful in the city it really runs fast.

I wish I had no problems. Here goes, brake pedal pad fell off, washers did not work, headlamps blinded everybody, heated rear window burnt out, dash creaks, in 2 places, welding snapped at rear suspension, faulty speaker, binding handbrake, warped front discs, water leak at back lamp, peeling brembo caliper, warranty runs out in 10 months, but faults still reappear. This is a poor quality car, goes like stink, but the dealers also stink!

Update to previous post, my car has now also got warped front brake discs again, temp gauge warning lamp comes on for no reason, engine management light now has come on, oh and the warranty has run out now!!! What a lemon, should have sold when in warranty!!! What a joke for reliability.

Can any one here give me an honest answer? I'm lookin at the Cupra R or a 330 ci Sport e46 model BMW. Honestly, which will be faster??

I don't think their would be much in it, maybe the BMW would have a bit more pace up top.