SEAT Leon Cupra R test drive since 2009 hatchback

Honda Civic Type R and Seat Leon Cupra Winter Winter Drive - what is it more pleasant for.

The idea to drive in the snow new Seat Leon Cupra did not immediately arise. At first, a preliminary sight was taken on it: a car with such a power (240 hp) on a monotive and with such a torque (300 nm in the range from 2,200 to 500 revolutions) is more interesting to test the heat and dryness than in winter yes ice sprinkled with snow.

However, then the attitude changed, and for a reason: the reason for this was the participation in the rally-sprint on the dealer Seat Ibiza with a 1.4 engine with a capacity of 85 hp. This small and stupid look like the machine steamed so fabulously on a short and winding highway of the suburban cardboard that to try in the Seat Leon Cupra case, it became an unusual idea. Moreover, they position it as a sports car.

So, having agreed with the representative office, we took Leon to the snow tracks of Aeropol Tushino, where permanent rally sprints for lovers of ice extreme in their cars are held in winter.

However, in order to revive the action, it was decided to find an opponent for Seat Leon Cupra, and not a simple one, but such that all the sympathies of the test drive participants were exclusively on his side. The choice fell on Honda Civic Type R. In addition, you can once again try to solve the dilemma: turbo or Atmo?

Typical hift

Hello, Hello, do you have an ax?
Which? Red? No, not suitable!
From a conversation by phone in a store in front of a stunned audience

For those who love Honda, other cars no longer exist. You can, of course, find fault with some trifles, subject it to improvements, but 2 the main components of the engine and a mechanical gearbox will always be higher than all praise. An atmospheric engine equipped with a VTEC system and a short, clear checkpoint of a checkpoint create an incredible sensation. And the suspension, even in his stock version, gives the driver what is called real steering wheel. Two hundred Typer horsepower pluches and takes you into the open spaces that you can only dream of, in a comfortable salon and a deep cozy bucket you can relax, and by clicking on the gas pedal to instantly turn for the viewer into a point on the horizon.
My Honda Civic Type R Driving Experience was reduced to summer asphalt conditions, so I liked the idea to try it in a sports winter.

But since I did not manage to get a test instance in the Moscow dealers, nor the Moscow dealers, I resorted to the help of my friends, one of which, Volodya Sinelnikov, agreed to come to the test drive to us in Tushino.

Agree, the fn2 body is a thing for an amateur: a rocky shape, the front lights like a spaceship, not everyone will like this completely unusual instrument panel, but if this image is sweet to the heart, then nothing will turn away from this machine.

Of course, the appetite comes during meals, and after the first months of enjoying the accelerated ability of the car, something more begins to want. You can put a compressor or turbine, you can climb into the engine and reach the coveted 300, or even 400 hp. We will write about such a super-syVIK in one of the following test drives. The question is whether to do this we will leave to solve each individual owner of the car. Now our task was to once again evaluate the drain by comparison.

Easter chicken

Girl, what's under the hood? I'm sorry, what??
Skok-skirt? And on the paare ??
From a conversation at a traffic light with a broken kid on BMW 320

Last year's world championship in the Touring (WTCC) class, probably not everyone watched. However, for sure, most of those interested in cars and motorsport heard that the Spanish Ceats literally broke their rivals, and even the German BMW had nothing to oppose them. True, those Seat, unlike our experimental, were by no means civilian cars, and were equipped with diesel 2-liter engines, and not gasoline, i.e. Their moment was even higher and, as a result, maneuverability did not give in to description at all. But we should have enough for a gasoline engine. And the very fact of victory in such a prestigious tournament simply proves what Seat engineers were capable of.

Yellow, high -eyed, with large glasses, similar to the aquarium without water Seat Leon Cupra does not make the impression of a serious machine. At least while you look at him from the side. Only then you pay attention to the fact that not everything is in order with the car: even in winter there are 18 wheels on it, and red calipers just burn in a bright color between the rays of the disks. And the Cupra inscription on the trunk door looks warning.

Manufacturers promote Seat Leon Cupra as a sports car. The car that we got to the test was in the basic configuration. In addition to an exceptionally ascetic salon and a boring front plastic panel, asceticism applies to other elements of comfort. Even heating the front seats is not included in the list of compulsory elements, I'm not talking about the posterior parking lots or a self -clever mirror. The representative office to my timid question was answered by the following: Kupra sports car of a certain price range. In this class of cars, all the yummy you listed are not always standard.

Since at that moment I still did not know this price range, I decided that probably this is no more than a million rubles, because the same Mazda 3 MPS for a million hundred already turned on, and the Civic Type R B million in a million A complete equipment is laid with a penny, including even tire pressure sensors. Well, I reconciled. At least in Moscow and cold, but the salon is not leather, you can’t freeze the ass

But about the price we are later. While a test drive.

Experimental conditions

I must admit that the experiment was not very clean. Seat was absolutely stock, but it was already initially worth the bug sports brakes of Brembo. At the Civic Type R test, the stock front brakes were replaced by four piston from WillWood with ventilated perforated disks. However, it turned out that they were still inferior to Ceatovsky. On the other hand, against the Leon's studded Hakkapeliitta 5 on Civic, there was a winter Velcro Pirelli Sottozero with a protector, more like an all -season than the winter.

For comparison, we decided to drive on both cars along the same tracks: along a rather flat and well -groomed rally of the Tushino airpol, there, along the asphalt straight with mixed coating, snow/ice/asphalt and in the city on clean, but cold asphalt.

Tushino

Do not get here, here are students
do they train, what example do you give them?
From the complaint of the instructor of the driving school in Tushino

The first in line was Leon Cupra. On a rather long straight line leading to the rally, the behavior of the Seat was absolutely predictable for a front -wheel drive turbine car. The start began with a axle box, which was quickly and successfully overcome, then in the region of 2,500 revolutions (or a little earlier) a turbine was connected by the sensations. This was also supported by slipping, but then after some time the car coped with an overabundance of torque and life was established. About the same thing happened in other programs. However, thanks to high -quality tires, an annoying impression was conceived and it seemed that the car was running easily and quite evenly. Moreover, if you twist the steering wheel and pull the handbrake, Cupra obediently and even with puppy pleasure performs a U -turn.

But here is a winding rally track, generously flavored with steep turns and unexpected turns, added a portion of fire. The magic button ESP shutdown the stabilization system came in the same way. If the machine held by electronics could not even really accelerate, then after pressing the button, the track simply flashed under the wheels. Although it still remained that I could not finally get rid of the help of electronic systems, the car still left any specific control. The power of the engine is not just enough even some excess, at least in the proposed conditions.

Here it is worth saying about another undeniable plus Seat Leon Cupra. The car is unusually responsive to any steering wheel movement. A small turn to the right or left and Cupra immediately performs the driver's task. At the same time, the suspension perfectly works out all the rolls: even with a sharp turn, the trajectory is almost perfect, and the skidding is minimal. On the snowy soil highway, Cupra was included in the turn so that, probably, even many all -wheel drives could envy. At the same time, its ton of four hundred weights are practically not felt: it flies easily and fervently.

When comparing the Civic Type R, he left the feeling of a heavier and less mobile car. In general, he steam worse. Interestingly, the owner of Type R, who studied this car already along and across, sincerely loving it and repeatedly participated on it in tracks in Myachkovo, spoke about the same spirit:
Hmm, he said, I wonder how much Civic is heavier?
When compared, it turned out that 75 kilograms are easier.

If it were not for the inappropriate rubber, of course, the Civic Type R would show a completely different result. But here, in the set conditions, he turned out to be a loser. And even his magical button, which allows you to turn off the control systems completely, did not manage to help him particularly. The main thing was not to stop on the highway, because any stop meant the inability to move further, and any exit outside the track suggested that the next minutes you would discretely press on the gas pedal and steer to get out of the virgin lands and return to the dangled path. Nevertheless, even the strangled sensations from the trip along the rally said that the potential of the car is much cooler.

Therefore, in order not to torment the unfortunate beast, not ready for snow virgin lands, we returned the cars to the city.

Handsome in the city

In our cities, Seat Leon Cupra is still rare and poorly identified. In the rear -view mirror, it is more like a vegetable minivan or a female trinket, a pretty look, but not representing any sports interest. Pass such a car and generally reckon with it on the road for most of our drivers below their dignity. It does not matter with the driving culture, and the power on the windshield is not indicated. Therefore, sometimes you have to conquer your place in the stream with a battle.

And I must say that, as a rule, Cupra wins this battle: firstly, due to power, and secondly, due to maneuverability, with the exception of completely losing situations when the challenge throws Subaru Impreza WRX STI or something similar to the complete drive.

Seat Leon Cupra, as if created for quick acceleration and clear rebuilding, it is in such situations that you understand the whole charm of the engine with a small turbine like Cupra: just managed to press the gas pedal, as the turbine has already picked up acceleration and started!

By the way, it is worth saying that Seat Leon Cupra is the Spanish cousin of the German Volkswagen Golf GTI, which also costs a 2-liter turbo engine, but with a capacity of only 200 hp. (both Volkswagen and Seat are produced by one concern). But on Cupra they put an engine identical to what is on the Audi S3 (another relative of their), i.e. 40 hp More powerful than Golf GTI. And unlike the same GTI, Cupra does not install a package for bad roads, i.e. Instead of reinforced and elongated springs, slightly shortened, sports are standing here. Here is one of the secrets of the absence of rolls and accurate entries in the turn.

She has such a clockwork in nature that sometimes even becomes scary: at some point you catch yourself on the fact that you already cease to control the situation, the leg itself presses on the gas, and I want more and more.

It enhances the sensation from the drive and the Spartan salon: there is nothing to be distracted. True, all the main music management buttons are put to the steering wheel but recently this chip is used even on Ford Fiesta. But the gearbox handle is a real fetish, as well as the steering wheel: both are made with special recesses under the fingers. The hand lies so that there is no more doubt: this is its true place. In addition, the checkpoint handle is specially made in the form of a donkey hoof (a donkey symbol of Catalonia, where the headquarters and the SEAT design center are located). Funny, but the switch does not interfere. Seats are also extremely comfortable, deep buckets, the name of the model is embroidered on the back of each.

The general feeling that Seat followed a certain philosophy: everything related to the drive should be performed on the top five. For the rest, you can save.

Type R was clearly built on the basis of other rules: inside it, everything was brought to mind and the wells of devices, and the pen handle, and any detail of the interior. Here you plunge into a car and feel as if in the chair of the car system: like a race, but it seems to be at home. And, of course, Honda engines have one incomparable trump card, which I felt especially strongly at the wheel of Honda S2000 high -speed motors. How nice, having promoted the engine up to 7 thousand revolutions, do not feel that you are resting against cutting, but to understand that the car is just going into a rage.

When traveling in the city of Civic, it was also helped by the fact that he was shod in unsolved rubber: he kept the road much better than Seata on dry asphalt, at starting from a traffic light from the revolutions he did not take him to the side, and with sharp inhibition there was no fear of losing the trajectory (True, this moment was controlled by ESP.

However, in urban traffic jams, where a fast engine reaction to the driver’s actions is needed, Type R still loses Cupra slightly. At the moment when Seat is already rushing into the thick of events, Honda is still uneading. He is not so sharp, but no less persistent than Leon.

And in the end

The price of the car is certainly an important point that is always no less important than its technical characteristics. Therefore, when on one of the sites the price of the Seat Leon Cupra was 1,300,000 rubles, our eyes climbed on the forehead. Well this is 45 thousand dollars, for which in America you can buy as many as two new Chevrolet Camaro! But Europe has always been a separate territory, and Russia is twice separate.

However, in the SEAT RUS representative office we were assured that the price will certainly be lower for new restyled cars and will fluctuate within 1,100,000 rubles. This will make Cupra a direct competitor not only Honda Civic Type R, but also Mazda 3 MPS, Ford Focus ST, Volkswagen Golf GTI and even Audi S3.

It is only interesting whether this car can win its part of the market, because in addition to the drive, we also love comfort, but this Cupra cannot boast. On it, perhaps, the proverb is best met by clothing, and escorted by the mind. But how many will risk reaching the mind?

If I had chosen a second car for drive and track and I would have an extra million rubles, I would not hesitate to buy Seat Leon Cupra. But there is a problem: I’m not ready to spend such an amount on the second car and, as the first, I probably would like more comfort. At least with my appearance, I am ready to put up with appearance: in the end, there are simple ways to make him look dangerous

Technical characteristics of compared machines
Seat Leon Cupra Honda Civic Type R
The type of engine is gasoline, with direct injection gasoline, with distributed injection
Working volume, cm3 1 984 1 998
Power (L.S. at rpm) 240/5700-6300 201/7800
Twisting the moment (Nm at rpm) 300/2200-5500 193/5600
Front front drive
Gearbox 6-speed, mechanical 6-speed mechanical
Suspension is front independent, spring, McPherson independent, spring, McPherson
The rear suspension is independent, spring multi -leaf, half -dependent,
spring
Front brakes 345 mm, circular ventilated disk, perforated, ventilated
Rear brakes 286 mm, disc 260 mm, disk
Length (mm) 4 323 4 275
Width (mm) 1 768 1 785
Height (mm) 1 458 1 445
Wheel base (mm) 2 578 2 653
Equipped mass (kg) 1 375 1 300
Trunk volume 341 485
Consumption in the city (L) 11.4 12.7
On the highway (L) 6.5 7
Combined (L) 8.3 9.1
Tires 225/40 R18
Nokian Hakkapiilitta 5 225/40 R18
Pirelli Sottozero
Maximum speed (km/h) 247 235
Acceleration 0-100 km/h (sec) 6.4 6.6



 
 
 

Source: Drom.ru