SEAT Leon CUPRA 290 Black Edition

[JFReturns]

Good afternoon PH’ers,

After much deliberation I’ve picked up my new motor:



Things that I like about the Leon that impressed on the test drive:

- Supple, comfortable ride even in CUPRA mode
- Nice solid gear change
- Supportive seats and generally nice interior. All the toys you could want
- Fantastic engine. Little lag, tractable, very powerful yet has returned an indicated 40mpg when driven gently
- Subtle looks
- Mid size hatch practicality
- Fast but not ridiculously so
- Not a Golf

Not sure about:

- Exhaust note is quite muted
- Not overly keen on those 19” wheels would prefer, smaller more subtle ones
- Would rather have full leather instead of half as the dog will slobber all over the suede
- There was some axle tramp on the test drive but it was damp and I’ve not experienced it in the dry yet
- Seats fold nice and flat but not the same level as the boot. Not a big deal just makes it awkward for all my fishing gear

Overall very, very happy so far. Would be interested in anyone else’s thoughts and experiences with them.

Robert.

[worsy]

That looks a nice car - I do like the alloys actually.

[Belle427]

Nice car, I'm not a fan of the wheels personally but I'm guessing that's easily resolved.

[Gooner11]

I had a 300 which I loved and had some great trips in. Now have a new R and sometimes miss the manual.

[Brainpox]

I found a remap helped with axle tramp The wheels on the 280 are more subtle but still 19s.

[Fuyursuki]

That is absolutely gorgeous, congrats! out of interest, what made you go for the black edition in particular or was it just the best one you could find locally?

I'm in the market for one of these and there's quite a few variants (300, 290, black edition, lux etc) so making my way through the various options.

Do the seats have a memory function? I think they are the buckets looking at your picture

[JFReturns]

Thanks for the replies chaps, wasn’t sure if it there’d be much interest as it’s a relatively subtle hot hatch in a lairy segment. Not had a chance to drive it because of work but have some time off soon and will give it a good polish and wax.

Be interested to know how a remap improved axle tramp!

Alloys are growing on me and no plans to replace them. Would rather put that cash in the front tyre fund

I didn’t purposely go for the Black Edition but it’s nice to have, heated seats I think are part of it and great. No idea if these are standard but it has satnav, cruise control and folding mirrors that I do use. The seats are all manually adjusted I think.

I went for this car as it was local, main dealer and a very reasonable price considering the current market. Mileage (39,000) a bit higher than I’d normally go for but it won’t go up much as commuting is minimal.

Cheers,

Robert

[bbob]

I had a 290 Black Edition from new for 2 years. It was a great car apart from the axle tramp which was frustrating for 4 to 5 months of the year. However on a warm dry day it could certainly cover ground very well indeed!

Watch those wheels which I think look great but not only are they a pain to wash the black enamel type coating scratches very easily.

[JFReturns]

Blimey BBob, you average 3 posts a year I’m honoured my car/ thread gets one of them

I’ll have to see how I get on with the axle tramp. I’m definitely a slow and steady driver and really only use full throttle accelerating onto motorway slipways occasionally. But if it does it when nipping out of junctions for example then I’d find that a problem.

Agree on the wheels, they’re actually in pretty good original condition but may end up powder coating them if they get crunched or start degrading.

[bbob]

JFReturns said:

I’ll have to see how I get on with the axle tramp. I’m definitely a slow and steady driver and really only use full throttle accelerating onto motorway slipways occasionally. But if it does it when nipping out of junctions for example then I’d find that a problem..

Although I tend to be a steady driver too for me the frustration came when spotting a gap at junctions and roundabouts and trying to get away quickly. Only in the cold/bad weather from a standstill, otherwise it was really good considering the power going through the front wheels and it handled brilliantly.

[Fuyursuki]

JFReturns said:

Thanks for the replies chaps, wasn’t sure if it there’d be much interest as it’s a relatively subtle hot hatch in a lairy segment. Not had a chance to drive it because of work but have some time off soon and will give it a good polish and wax.

Be interested to know how a remap improved axle tramp!

Alloys are growing on me and no plans to replace them. Would rather put that cash in the front tyre fund

I didn’t purposely go for the Black Edition but it’s nice to have, heated seats I think are part of it and great. No idea if these are standard but it has satnav, cruise control and folding mirrors that I do use. The seats are all manually adjusted I think.

I went for this car as it was local, main dealer and a very reasonable price considering the current market. Mileage (39,000) a bit higher than I’d normally go for but it won’t go up much as commuting is minimal.

Cheers,

Robert

Thanks alot for the insight! there's something to be said about the whole Q-car look in my opinion, this generation of Leon and the Octavia vRS aren't too shouty and that's a good thing.

Useful to know about the kit on the black edition, I'm moving on from a Punto after 12 years so just having cruise control is a massive upgrade for me!

Regarding the axle-tramp, from what I've read on this forum and others that can be mitigated quite alot with a couple of options. Fitting Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres as they are grippier than the standard bridgestones, or getting a lower engine mount insert (the Powerflex brand is mentioned quite alot). That's just a piece of molded rubber that you can plug into the front suspension bushes that stiffens things up.

Let us know how you find it out on the road

[JFReturns]

Many thanks Fuyursuki I will look into the tyres and engine mount / bushes if the axle tramp becomes a problem.

Any questions to help your search let me know.

Edited by JFReturns on Friday 27th August 09:35

[Fuyursuki]

JFReturns said:

Many thanks Fuyursuki I will look into the tyres and engine mount / bushes if the axle trampoline becomes a problem.

Any questions to help your search let me know.

Resurrecting this thread a bit, how've you found the Cupra mate? anything that's particularly stood out for you? Can imagine it's a good laugh for a daily blast!

[AJB88]

I ran a 2014 DSG model with APR Stage @ 420ps, get the lower engine mount made stiffer (either an insert or a upgraded mount) and get some decent tyres on it, Michelin PS4S or Super Sport.

[JFReturns]

Fuyursuki said:

Resurrecting this thread a bit, how've you found the Cupra mate? anything that's particularly stood out for you? Can imagine it's a good laugh for a daily blast!

I had a week off last week and have actually managed to drive it A few thoughts after driving 300 miles or so across a variety of roads / conditions:

- Still impressed with the comfort and usability. Nothing stopping this being a daily driver IMO

- Appreciate I’ve come from older cars so this is likely old hat to most on PH, but I’m finding all the tech great. LED auto lights, auto wipers, heated seats, folding mirrors. Apple Play is really useful. I also really like how it can display oil temp so you have confidence the engine is fully warm before using more of the throttle

- At first I didn’t notice much difference between the driving modes, but I can now. Definitely much sharper and more aggressive in sport / CUPRA mode but not ridiculously so

- I do really like how the car looks. No obviously pointless wings, vents etc. Even the wheels are growing on me

- For the performance the fuel economy seems good to me. Granted I am a steady driver but in normal driving with the occasional full throttle usage I’m getting an indicated 37mpg. Don’t know what the actual figure is yet but I’ve done 350 miles on this tank and still have a quarter left so probably not far off that

- Engine is absolutely fantastic. Has a lot of torque so no need to Rev but unlike other turbo engines like Alfa it carries on revving and seems to love it. Sounds good too, for a four pot

- I noticed last night that at the end of the throttle pedal travel there is a noticeable click, like the kick down on an auto. Not sure what this is but it really bloody flew so it might appear I’ve not been using all the power

- This car drives much better when warm. Sounds silly but with most modern cars you get in and go, this one when cold it’s a bit creaky and notchy but when warmed through everything is much quieter and smoother. Gear change has a nice solid, hefty feel once warm but still not as nice as my previous favourites of the MX5 and S2000

- There are occasional traction issues if you boot it in second gear (not tried it in first). Not a problem for me but for some it would be in which case a Golf R etc would a better fit. Not experienced axle tramp in the dry yet and no issues nipping out of junctions

- All the usual hatchback practicality. Looks like I can get roof bars if I need to. Got all my sea fishing gear in no problem (would struggle with an Audi S1 which was also a strong contender). Glovebox is small but there are several useful cubby holes

- The interior is comfortable and nice enough, seats are great. But I think lacks the polish of a Golf and is a bit dull compared to my Alfa. The white seat material is downright horrible, looks like some cheap canvas and it’s been stitched to the doors too. Looks like it picks up stains easily as well but this is a minor point

That’s pretty much it so far, but I could do with some help. I don’t know where it’s coming from but there is a Godforsaken cherry air freshener smell that just isn’t going. Noticed on the test drive and the dealer did one of those smoke grenade vent cleaner things but that didn’t work. I can’t see anything in the air vents and my brief google search yielded nothing but adverts. Does anyone know if air fresheners are inbuilt somewhere?

Thanks,

Robert

[MisanoPayments]

JFReturns said:

That’s pretty much it so far, but I could do with some help. I don’t know where it’s coming from but there is a Godforsaken cherry air freshener smell that just isn’t going. Noticed on the test drive and the dealer did one of those smoke grenade vent cleaner things but that didn’t work. I can’t see anything in the air vents and my brief google search yielded nothing but adverts. Does anyone know if air fresheners are inbuilt somewhere?

Thanks,

Robert

Nice car!

If I was in your shoes I'd be ordering a couple more air con cleaners and if that still doesn't work I'd have a go with Autoglym Interior Shampoo on the dashboard etc in case the smell's not coming from the vents but instead from a previous owner having had the interior plastics covered in that greasy stuff at a hand car wash.

[Antony Moxey]

What is ‘axle tramp’ please?

[JFReturns]

MisanoPayments said:

Nice car!

If I was in your shoes I'd be ordering a couple more air con cleaners and if that still doesn't work I'd have a go with Autoglym Interior Shampoo on the dashboard etc in case the smell's not coming from the vents but instead from a previous owner having had the interior plastics covered in that greasy stuff at a hand car wash.

Thank you and appreciate the suggestion. I’ll give them a go.

[JFReturns]

Antony Moxey said:

What is ‘axle tramp’ please?

Where too much power is applied for the traction available, and instead of just spinning the front wheels thump up and down in a juddering motion.

[Antony Moxey]

JFReturns said:

Antony Moxey said:

What is ‘axle tramp’ please?

Where too much power is applied for the traction available, and instead of just spinning the front wheels thump up and down in a juddering motion.

Thank you, I never knew that was what it was called.