(NB - Please see my Barcelona's Bat Out of Hell op. This Leon R op is a follow-up to that so as not to repeat myself)
After owning a Leon Cupra for the previous 9 months I test drove a Leon Cupra R and the differences between the two cars compelled me to buy one on the spot.
As opposed the the Cupra, the R handles "as if on rails" with it's Agile Chassis Concept backed-up with switchable Electronic Stability Program and Traction Control. Fast sweeping bends or slower tight corners are taken with very little body roll or understeer, giving me a feeling of confidence in the R like no other car I have driven.
Huge disc's all round and Brembo 4 pot calipers stop the R effortlessly, the danger here being other cars behind with lesser stopping distances!
18" graphite OZ twin 5-spoked alloys (inc spare!) shod with 225/40/18 Michelin Pilot's aid both the above, as well as looking awesome, although the wider tyre width increases, but not unduly, both torque-steer when accellerating hard and steering-pull when cornering tightly.
The "bomb proof" VW 1.8 20VT engine (voted one of the top ten engines ever built) is taken from the Audi S3 and achieves 210bhp/270nm of torque by way of 20 valves, twin intercoolers and KO4 Turbo.
Performance is awesome. Sub 7 second 0-60mph times have been achieved in tests, in-gear acceleration is fantastic and top-speed is a limited 147mph!
The R's extra 30bhp over the Cupra does not seem to affect fuel economy, 32 mpg cruising and 28 mpg mixed driving using Shell Optimax. (98 RON petrol is recommended)
The R's steering is a delight, higher geared for the increased perfomance.
Exterior styling has been enhanced by an aggressive looking deep front bumper/spoiler, side skirts, deep spoilered rear bumper with a large oval exhaust tail-pipe which burbles menacingly with it's sport-tuned note.
I have also had anti-bandit tints applied.
Body colours are limited to yellow, black and red, all look gorgeous, but ours is black like our previous Cupra.
In short, the Leon R is one beautiful looking car.
Interior styling/equipment changes include white dashboard dials, black cloth sports seats (very, very comfortable and supportive), all black trim and headlining, red stitching on seats, steering wheel etc, alloy race pedals, on-board computer.
I would have liked cruise-control and a remote radio tuning stalk fitted as standard equipment, although a cruise-control stalk is available.
Recaro seats are a £1250 option, IMO not required due to the superb comfort and finish of the standard sports seats.
A 6CD changer is standard equipment too. The sound quality of the 8 speaker sound system is brilliant, nearing an ICE install system's standard.
Insurance is group 16D, only marginally higher than the Cupra.
Each Cupra R is individually built at SEAT Sport's factory away from the main production line.
Now for the bad news :-( ......only 250 Leon R's will be available in the UK in 2002 (all are mostly sold already) and only 500 are allocated for the UK in 2003 but this will make them a very rare sight on the road!!!
At £16,995 OTR, the Leon Cupra R IMO is the best value hot-hatch on the market (the new MY2003 Cupra 2nd!) and both are real head turners!
_______________________________________
PS - I have asked admin for a Leon Cupra R category and trust this op will be moved there accordingly.
More details
Purchase Price
£16,995
Safety
Excellent
Spaciousness
Good
Comfort
Excellent
Customer service
Excellent
Features
Excellent
Fuel consumption
Good
Evaluate this review
How helpful would this review be to someone making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
very helpful
very helpful
helpful
