SEAT Leon Cupra (2007 - 2011) 2.0 16V T FSI Cupra 5d Owner Review

I bought this car during lockdown and I went for it as it was something a bit different - you really don't see many on the road. I'll be honest, it didn't bowl me over on the test drive, but out of my options at the time this made the most sense and it was a good condition example (well, it still is), had strong service history and only two former keepers, one of which is believed to be a staff member from the original dealership.

Now that I've been able to make the car my own through carefully considered modifications, the car has really come in to its own. It's rapid, makes a great noise and can be hustled down a B road with ease. The inside is dated and not as nice as a Golf GTI, but I'd argue the Cupra is a more interesting car and it has more power out the box. Mind you, the facelift Cupra does have a nicer interior which is a bit more modern.

The seats are bolstered nicely, offering decent support through corners and even on racetracks they do a pretty good job. In my experience it's not been overly expensive to run, most of the money spent has been for general maintenance or modifications. The ride from stock was a bit crashy at times, but the ride actually improved when I fitted Eibach lowering springs. Don't get me wrong, it's still a bit 'jiggly' but this is a performance hatchback, you should expect a compromise in ride.

The handling is improved due to the Eibachs and it puts in a good account in the corners, but bear in mind, this DOES NOT have a limited slip diff - the facelift has VAG's XDS which is an electric system that acts as a pseudo LSD. I may consider having an LSD fitted if I keep the car, but probably not worthwhile for the road, more for track.

Note, the 30mpg is a rough guess - I don't really pay much attention to the MPG as I'd rather enjoy driving the car as it was intended, not worrying about fuel economy! It's a good, solid car, but you may find a standard one a little...sober - I think it needs a few mods to really get some character from the car.

I am considering selling the car only because I fancy a new experience, but I can't find anything of a similar value I reckon I'd want instead as the Cupra been a solid, reliable and fast companion. Plus because the car has been pretty trouble free apart of me thinks better the devil you know, even though the car is getting on a bit now. Maybe I should just go down the route of stage 2 instead...

Downsides of the car for me is that the front wings are starting to rust, the driver's seat has wear on the bolster but every car trimmer/upholsterer I've spoken to is not able to get the fabric to match, which is a pain. Also, the A pillars can restrict vision when driving but it's not a deal breaker.