SEAT LEON 1.8 20V R Cupra 5dr (2002)

Good solid beast just a wee bit too uneconomical

We had a Seat Leon 1.8 R Cupra for a couple of years in the mid noughties. We got it almost just for a laugh, cos it's bags of fun to drive and takes corners like it's on rails. It was a bit of a bargain off the list price, it had done about 20k in just under a year so that made sense, and it seemed in good nick. It didn't need any repairs in the time we had it apart from tyres and a wheel bearing, and we hardly drove it like learners lol, gave it a good ragging most weekends.

I think the reliability is probably the second biggest thing to recommend it, after the power and sheer fun. I've heard a lot of bad things about other budget boy racer-mobiles, but the Seat Leon shouldn't disappoint based on our experience. We didn't have it long mind, and I suppose they'd all be quite a bit older by now.

I had to score the comfort a bit lower cos it's hardly a people carrier. It's not a real bone shaker either but it's somewhere in between. Basically you're not going to be driving a Seat Leon just for comfort, and the excitement is enough to distract from any firmness.

I recall it was a bit tricky to park. Visibility out the back was pretty rubbish and it didn't have fancy sensors or anything. It's not a car for a newbie anyway.

That said about good cornering, it did slither a bit on the wet, and if it got loose underfoot. Just get a feel for its limits before you start driving like a nutter.

Really tho the power is pretty huge, you can wheel spin in 1st 2nd and 3rd, and it all goes to the front which is surprising given how it moves.

The other thing about the Seat Leon Cupra is that it's pretty practical as well as being loads of fun. The glovebox could have been better but the boot is pretty big, nice and deep. The lip was a bit high, bit tricky to hulk things over the back, but it was fine really.

We had to ditch it in the end cos it wasn't really compatible with having kids on the scene, it just wanted to be driven too crazy all the time, plus it wasn't getting enough miles to the gallon. Really sad reason to sell a car, but we eventually moved to a Skoda (actually not all that bad) for better economy.