Seat Leon Cupra R 1.8 20V Biturbo Review

Overall Rating

Very fast, understated looks, great handling, resonable fuel economy when driven steadily, good value, useable performance, loads of torque, six gears,easily modified

High insurance, thirsty when driven hard, firm ride, poor turning circle, not enough storage space, tyres expensive to replace

Was in the market for something more sporty after my Toyota Corolla diesel got written off. Was looking for a Cupra R version, but found that decent examples were hard to get hold of and they tended to be overpriced. I spotted a mint 03 plate Cupra 180 on a private sale in my village. It was in black as well which in my opinion is the best colour for these, though is a nightmare trying to keep it clean. Looks great when it's been polished. This example was totally standard apart from the 18 inch rims off an Audi RS6, but was cherished by its former owner and had everything done when it was supposed to be done. I have no regrets with this one. It was hardly a low mileage example having covered 74,000 miles, but if looked after these can cover big mileages quite easily. The engines in these are a proven unit and can be found in various models ie; the Audi TT, Skoda Octavia VRS and the more powerful Cupra R version. If you're not happy with the amount of power from the standard Cupra, then it is relatively inexpensive to modify. I deciced to have the ECU remapped so the engine now produces 212 bhp with 234 lbs ft of torque available from 1,950rpm. The cost of the re-map was £225 and just involves the engine management being re-programmed. There's nothing visual to say it's been modified and having this done won't put extra wear and tear on the engine. Be careful though, there's a lot of cowboy tuning places out there. If you're thinking of having yours done then go to somewhere with a good reputation. It's worth having it done and doesn't cost a fortune. My Cupra 180 has similar power and more torque than the R version now. Having said that, if you own an R and fancy having it remapped then you could get around 250 bhp with no problem. You can push the power up further still with more modifications, but that's when it starts getting expensive plus it's going to put more wear and tear on the engine. The sky's the limit. A friend of mine recently bought an R version in black with 210 bhp. Stood side by side you can notice subtle differences. The obvious one is the brakes. The R uses Brembo discs all round and has a different exhaust. The front and rear bumpers are slightly different. On the interior the seats are different and there's subtle differences like the gearknob has red numbers as opposed to white and there's red on the vents. The R version is also built at a different factory to the one in Barcelona you might be interested to know. One thing that has confused me somewhat is that I keep seeing reviews for the Cupra R Biturbo, but have done my homework and found out that the R still uses a single turbocharger like the 180, but has twin intercoolers which enables more air to get into the turbo hence more power over the 180. To be honest, there's little to choose from in terms of performance between my 180 and the R version now that it's been slightly modified. It just goes and goes in every gear and has masses of torque low down so it's very easy to make this thing shift. It's also quite easy to spin this thing in first and second and sometimes it will do it in third depending on weather conditions. Recently had all four tyres replaced (they're not cheap) because they were worn on the inside and there was a hell of a lot of road noise. Had Yokohamas all round but is now shod with the latest Goodyear Eagle F1's and the road noise is now reduced considerably. Grip is amazing. Can definitely recommend these. If you're looking for something that's cheap to run then look elsewhere. Parts are not going to be cheap as is the servicing. It's also pricey on insurance(group 16 for the Cupra 180) and visits to the petrol station can be quite regular. Runs on both types of unleaded, but is preferable using the higher octane stuff for piece of mind at least. Fuel economy is not disastrous but if you're hammering it all the time then don't expect decent returns. I can get up to 33 mpg on a good run. Even though I've got a fast car, I tend to be a steadier driver nowadays, mainly due to soaring fuel costs. It is nice to open her up now again and I find you appreciate the performance more if not constantly driving it hard. It is a wolf in sheeps clothing and will not be beaten by the majority of stuff on the road. Of course there's stuff that's a lot faster out there, but these Cupras are underrated hot hatches and represent very good value second hand for amount of performance you get. They might be getting slightly long in the tooth and there's newer and better stuff to have come along, but if you're looking for something fast, good looking, sporty and fairly practical and don't want to pay arm and a leg then this could be just the thing for you.