GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk7 => Topic started by: carbonevo on 12 June 2019, 12:04
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Hey Guys,
I guess this has been discussed here before but I did not find much of results to satisfy all the questions I have, sorry for opening a new thread.
I'd like your opinion on both cars as I've been struggling with this dilemma for a couple of weeks now.
I am deciding between two cars; the first a 11/2017 golf gti PP and second 2/2018 seat leon cupra, golf is 1k cheaper, both 15k miles.
My main comparison points: The power, exterior, interior, depreciation, reliability.
Having test driven both cars I noticed:
1- In terms of power, the cupra is sharper and pulls stronger but not like with a HUGE difference, it is quicker undoubtedly but not dramatically, the golf is quick, the cupra is even quicker (pushes you harder in your seat when flooring)
however the problem with the cupra is that unless the road conditions are flawless it is not able to put down all the power, the 300+ hp is just too much on the front wheels, even the golf sometimes struggled to find traction on a wet road however the cupra is much much worse when the conditions are not ideal. Any one driven both? what are your thoughts?
2- Exterior: Cupra dark blue, golf metalic grey. I like the cupra MUCH more, period.
3- Interior: Here's my biggest problem, I had test driven the cupra a couple of weeks earlier than the golf which I tested yesterday, when reading the internet, literally everybody said the golf is a much better place to sit in in terms of both quality and looks. I did not understand this as I found the cupra from inside just beautiful, simple minimalistic looks, a bit boring but with gorgeous alcantara bucket seats and nice digital cockpit, only the plastics were hard and felt cheap. Still yet I could not understand why everybody likes the golf more, I don't care about the badges whether it's a VW or SEAT.
BUT all that changed yesterday, I never sat in a GTI golf and my first impression was "omg now I understand". I was literally taken how beautiful the golf's interior is, pictures and even videos simply won't show you the difference unless you sat in both cars, literally everything felt nicer and more premuim in the golf, even the cloth seats seemed nicer, can't really describe why, maybe that's why I did not understand those who liked the GTI more, but now I admit the GTI is the nicer place to sit in which is more important to me than the exterior.
Also the digital cockpit and infotainment is a league ahead compared to the cupra, which felt a bit outdated.
4- Depreciation: I'm buying both cars cash, the golf is 1k cheaper. Is still the case that VW cars hold their value better than seat?
5- Reliability: I simply can't comment on this, I understand both cars share alot of components, but not sure how is with the reliability with both cars, any one with experience with both cars?
I'd appreciate your thoughts guys!
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Someone else had the same discussion :smiley:
http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=284896.0
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Sounds like you've made your mind up, just look around for a dark blue GTI P? Plenty out there!
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Nice place to be or more power on paper?
Your friends will bore of you shouting "300bhp" long before you get rid of the car and realistically day to day it makes zero difference (except possibly making you a bigger target for thieves and your insurance go up), whereas the nicer place to be will be there for its entire life with you.
Go with the Golf.
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Nice place to be or more power on paper?
Your friends will bore of you shouting "300bhp" long before you get rid of the car and realistically day to day it makes zero difference (except possibly making you a bigger target for thieves and your insurance go up), whereas the nicer place to be will be there for its entire life with you.
Go with the Golf.
cheers mate, I admit the "stronger pull" on the cupra is really addictive but the conditions must be really great, which most of the time they simply won't.
Also, I forgot to mention the sound on the cupra is way better compared to the GTI, but it's not as important to me as the interior.
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I echo some of your points there - the Golf cabin is very good for it's position in the VAG group range. The A3 interior feels even better quality, but I just prefer the looks of the Golf. For me, the Leon cabin reminds me too much of the (even plainer) Skoda cabins.
Exterior is purely down to taste - I can see that the Leon would appeal to younger buyers than the Golf, it's that bit edgier and sharper. I could happily live with either.
Power - In essence, the Leon has 20% more power. The difference between the 2 (and the GTI and R) is the GTI engine feels that bit more urgent in the low - midrange due to the smaller turbo. It just runs out of puff higher up in the range in comparison but how often are you wringing it's neck up at 5000+ RPM? An alternative is to remap to stage 1 (or tuning box) the GTI for a similar amount of power as the Leon if you miss it that much. Obviously warranty then becomes an issue.
Golf will more than likely hold it's value better.
Only issue I've had on my (2014) GTI PP has been a water pump done under warranty. Not sure if any parts have been updated on the pump, but it seems fairly common (and also, common to most EA888 engines)
Hope that helps
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Oh and I should have added.... its a Golf GTI.
Everyone knows what a Golf GTI is, besides actually being good, its actually a legend in its own lifetime.
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As the Golf is £1k cheaper despite being only 3 months older, i'd say go with the Golf GTi.
The main appeal of the Leon Cupra over the Golf GTi is that you get more for less. But if the Leon isn't less, it's not quite as appealing as the Golf is the more rounded package. If you were buying new, the Cupra is a good bit cheaper and would make more sense.
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It’s like that VW advert a couple of years ago ‘just like a Golf’
No brainer IMO - get the GTI - at least it will avoid the possibility of saying ‘it has the same XX as a GTI’
I (very briefly) considered a new Cupra before I ordered the Golf - soooo glad I didn’t go down that route
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Cheers guys, really appreciate your comments!
In general, how quick do you see the golf? I am aware it's not the hottest hot hatch out there but coming from a 2008 lexus IS250 the golf seemed really really quick, the cupra was quicker but it struggled to put down the power.
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Im frankly trying to get the "assurance" that I won't regret later not buying a faster car given I had an opportunity to buy the faster cupra
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Im frankly trying to get the "assurance" that I won't regret later not buying a faster car given I had an opportunity to buy the faster cupra
If that was the case, why not buy an R, that's faster than either of the two you are looking at and could probably be had for similar money? And the answer is because you don't really want the fastest car, you want the best car for you and speed isn't your top priority or you wouldn't be asking. The vast majority of the time you'll be in traffic or stuck on roads with speed controls. That's when ergonomics and comfort comes in and you've said you far preferred the Golf interior. No one can help you with the assurance you seek, that's for you to resolve. Go and look at them both again and see which you prefer sitting in, then you'll know.
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Cheers guys, really appreciate your comments!
In general, how quick do you see the golf? I am aware it's not the hottest hot hatch out there but coming from a 2008 lexus IS250 the golf seemed really really quick, the cupra was quicker but it struggled to put down the power.
My view, having never had a hot hatch before and now had a 230 7.5 and the 245 version, it's as quick as you really need a hot hatch to be. Plus, it's a Golf. So you can look sensible driving it.
They do struggle for initial traction, but once going and on the right road, they are quick. I've had a run out with a mate in a GT4 and real world, in slightly colder temps, on twisty roads, there isn't much between them.
I also did a trip to the Brecons last year with some friends - a 991 4GTS, XKR, new RS6 and 996 C2 and wasn't many times when mine wasn't fast enough. On one particular road, me and the mate in the GTS got ahead of some other traffic and had 2-3 miles of amazing twists and turns. The GTi was in its element, TC off, manual mode and properly going for it. When we stopped he said he was sticking with me but that was all... He couldn't have gone any faster :smiley:
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Im frankly trying to get the "assurance" that I won't regret later not buying a faster car given I had an opportunity to buy the faster cupra
If that was the case, why not buy an R, that's faster than either of the two you are looking at and could probably be had for similar money? And the answer is because you don't really want the fastest car, you want the best car for you and speed isn't your top priority or you wouldn't be asking. The vast majority of the time you'll be in traffic or stuck on roads with speed controls. That's when ergonomics and comfort comes in and you've said you far preferred the Golf interior. No one can help you with the assurance you seek, that's for you to resolve. Go and look at them both again and see which you prefer sitting in, then you'll know.
considering the Leon will be lighter than an R I would think when driving on the open road it will be quicker than the R. The only area where the R will be better is pulling away.
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Golf R isn’t quicker than a cupra unless it’s wet or it’s from a standing start as said. Same power and 100kg lighter
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Golf R isn’t quicker than a cupra unless it’s wet or it’s from a standing start as said. Same power and 100kg lighter
Yeah, but...
... it's not a Golf
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Who cares 🤷♂️
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Golf R isn’t quicker than a cupra unless it’s wet or it’s from a standing start as said. Same power and 100kg lighter
Wet in this country is pretty often! The R is a quicker car in many ways which is indisputable.
Anyway, my point was that the OP is clearly not totally focussed on the 'fastest' car, I was just trying to help with that point. I'll get back in my box and batten down the hatches before I get beaten to death by pedantry. :rolleyes:
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Wasn’t me that brought up which car is fastest. I’m of the belief that faster doesn’t necessarily mean better so it’s irrelevant to me which is faster but since other people were discussing which one was, I thought I’d give my view that once rolling the cupra is quicker
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When I had my GTI PP a friend of mine nabbed a cheap lease on one of the early Leon 280 Cupras back in 2014.
Side by side they were able to score points off each other in various areas.
Without going into finite details, at the time the Leon easily won the spec check sheet with standard DCC, 19” wheels, Nav and so on.
The Golf edged it in looks arguably, although the grey/white paint of the Leon looked amazing at sunset.
Interior wise the “premium” feel of the Golf was an easy win but the Leon wasn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination. It was more a case of the little details on the Golf being that much nicer. Brand hierarchy and all that.
The Nav screen on the Leon was more sensibly placed to be able to glance at it on the move.
The Leon arguably had nicer dials.
Handling and ride much of a muchness and performance was a win to the Leon but not as much as you might expect with a 50PS advantage. It just felt more eager.
Economy was won by the Golf, but only just.
This was putting the two cars back to back a few times on public roads, keeping speeds sensible, staying away from traffic and bad weather.
Going by the deals in post #1 I’d take the Golf.
However I’d probably not do either of those things.
As for the Golf R vs. Leon.
There’s little in it.
I spent 18 months in an R, drove a Leon Cupra a few times and have had a Clubsport for over two years.
Unless getting a perfect launch an R can bog down just as easily as a GTI can wheelspin.
I thought it might be the preserve of my crap driving and my manual R but I was following a black 19 plate R which I’ll assume is DSG yesterday evening through a sequence of traffic lights near IKEA in Exeter.
I was surprised to see the R bog down a bit quite visibly as it was powered away from the lights. However on a rolling start it was very rapid! Sounded good too :cool:
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I’ve got a non PP GTI and a cupra 290 and basically the golf is a nicer place to sit in but the Leon is hardly slumming it to be fair.
Leon handles ‘better’ or at least a lot flatter and turns in better but the GTI is ‘nicer’ to drive most of the time.
The cupra keeps going where the normal GTI runs out of breath. I doubt the 245 would feel much quicker.
Throttle feels much better in the cupra. The 7.5 GTI is really inconsistent and has a crazy delay built into it the cupra has but not as noticeable.
the cupra must have a variable speed steering rack which is more noticeable than the golf and is a bit off putting. Not noticed that in either the 7.5 or the clubsport s
The Cupra cabin actually has less rattles than the golf but the seats aren’t as comfortable.
I doubt you would be disappointed with either really
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Cheers guys, I going with Golf GTI PP.
It's the better car in almost everything.
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Ive had a few seats in the past. Tbh scene points and driver appeal will always be a vdub over the seat. :whistle: