I got a new car on 19th December so I'm 3 weeks and 400 miles in.

It's a SEAT Cupra 290 black edition. It shares its engine with the Golf R/Audi S3 but is FWD with a limited slip differential rather than 4WD.

I'm very pleased with it so far,but the roads have either been frozen or wet and greasy since I collected it so I've not had chance to have a real hoon yet.

It's a very good spec and comes with 19's,excellent heated bucket seat, DAB, LSD, parking sensors bla bla bla

Since picking it up I've had the roof, top of the rear spoiler and below the lower front grille wrapped gloss back which I think turned out really well and I'm really pleased with the results.

Looks like a smart motor, enjoy!

Super smart car. Congrats!

Lovely car. I wish they'd retained the hidden rear door handles from the outgoing model though.

Had 2 Leons. One MK1 Cupra and one MK2 TDi and loved them both.

Thanks Guys.

Gripped it's my first SEAT and overall I'm impressed. I was expecting the quality of interior to be poor but it's actually very good. I agree hidden rear door handles like the MK2 would have been better.

Nice looking car Dan. Hope it is as enjoyable as it looks.

Thanks. So far so good but dry roads can't come soon enough! I want to see what she's capable of.

In fairness, the interior on the Mk2 wasn't great to look at. Functional, and solid but dull. However, looking at the new ones, they've certainly upped their game. Pity they played it safe on the exterior instead, but the sporty ones definitely look the best though.

Nice looking car.

Love the look of the new leon. Very modern and slick.
Looking at lease deals at the moment and high on the list is the 1.4tsi fr.
Bet you cant wait for a crisp dry day

Thanks.

I always seem to get a new car at the wrong time of year. I picked my M135i in December too. Note to self, get the next car in the summer.

Very different cars, Dan, but how would you compare the 135 with the Seat?

It's difficult to do a full comparison because the weather conditions have been horrendous since I've had the Cupra, Jim. I don't think I've driven it on a completely dry road yet.

The main difference is obviously the FWD Vs RWD. The M135i was a lot more playful at lower speed. Mine was mapped to 370bhp and being RWD and very well balanced you could still have fun on damp greasy roads. The Cupra in 1st and 2nd gear just bounces on its axels and you can't get the power down in low gears.

The BMW was 6 cylinder and the Cupra is only 4. Power delivery in the BMW was effortless,buttery smooth but fairly linear. Whereas in the Cupra you need to be above 5k rpm to get the performance and keep revs through the gears. You need to work it hard but this adds to the drama. There's a definite flat spot between 3500 and 5000 rpm in the Cupra so it'll be getting a remap once we get better weather.

The BMW was paddle shift and the Cupra is manual. I like both transmissions but the DSG wasn't as good as the ZF box in the BMW so I opted for manual. I felt it suits the Cupras personality better than the auto.

The ride is better in the Cupra and the steering feel is also better. The BMW assisted steering was fast and direct but numb. The ride was also a bit wallowy. The Cupra feels light and planted.

I had the optional BMW m performance exhaust on the M135i and its made a great noise. The Cupra to put it bluntly sounds crap in comparison. I've only done 500 miles in it so far so it should improve but as they say they no replacement for displacement.

The BMW is a very fast, capable car. Far more capable than I am, so it could handle everything with ease. When pressing on I could probably only use the car at 6 tenths if that makes sense. The Cupra asks to be driven hard. It wants you to wring its neck to extract its performance and it feels light and fun in the corners. I haven't felt the diff helping yet but I'm yet to really push it with the weather being so bad.

I'm getting 30mpg out of the Cupra Vs 24mpg out of the BMW and its extremely well specced so it's easy to live with. It's my first 5dr car too so better for my kids although the extra doors spoil the lines a little.

I can't choose between the 2 because they both have con's but mostly pro's. I quite like the fact that they are both stealthy too. Not many people know of their performance and are surprised to get their butts kicked by a 1 series or a Leon.

Great comparison! I appreciate the difficulty in comparing such different cars, but you summed it up very well.
I still hanker after an M135i after I first saw yours on here!

You can pick an M135i up for £16k and they're dropping fast now the M140i is out.

Talk to me Jim - I sourced a client a 14 plate M135i with 27k and stupid levels of spec for £18k recently

That sounds amazing, Dan(s). However, when I say "hanker", I should make it clear that it is purely a fantasy! I have no budget and no time!

On the last Black Friday? sale before Christmas our local BMW dealership was selling a brand new M140i for £25k. Bargain.

And my mate's M135i is about to come to the end of his Pcp deal. He's been told he can buy it for £11k. Serious bargain.

You can still get a brand new M140i for £25k. Check Coast2coast cars.


https://www.coast2coastcars.co.uk/car-quote/