Like most modern cars, the tyres are too fat / too much grip,

 

Not that much, as the current GTi/R & ST all have 225 wide on 18" as OEM, even my GT has 225 wide, but on 17". The MK4 R32 had OEM 225 wide on 18" & that's  over 11yrs old...........

Already discussed in the golf R thread!..................& has been pointed out that the Seat can be had from £25K & that it will upset a few other hot hatch owners.........well M135I is 8mins 8 secs, has less room, costs way more to tax/insure & outlay etc..............

 

..

I don't know any M135i owners that would give a flying f**k about alleged 'ring times. We are mostly too busy basking in the glorious noise of our straight six and enjoying the RWD.

For what it's worth I thought my wife's Fabia vRS sounded better than the Seat lol.

To be honest I don't buy into ring times either...an achievement for Seat yes but to average buyer, no

I don't know any M135i owners that would give a flying f**k about alleged 'ring times. We are mostly too busy basking in the glorious noise of our straight six and enjoying the RWD.

 

 

 

Seriously tho' considering the pedigree that the M135I has & the lack the Seat has I would have thought the M135I would have trounced it as supposedly a more "drivers car".........

 

Like I say when an estate car with supposedly "inferior" FWD can beat a supposedly way better RWD "drivers car" I personally think that BMW need to up their game......& considering Seat lose money for VAG..........but they are relying on the expertise of VAG which clearly shows in this case!!!

 

& like you say you just pay for the sound & RWD & straight six, but usually that means an advantage over the other stuff out there, in this case ie driving fast around a well known track, but you lose to a FWD estate car with a "poorer" image.............

Seriously tho' considering the pedigree that the M135I has & the lack the Seat has I would have thought the M135I would have trounced it as supposedly a more "drivers car".........

 

Like I say when an estate car with supposedly "inferior" FWD can beat a supposedly way better RWD "drivers car" I personally think that BMW need to up their game......& considering Seat lose money for VAG..........but they are relying on the expertise of VAG which clearly shows in this case!!!

 

& like you say you just pay for the sound & RWD & straight six, but usually that means an advantage over the other stuff out there, in this case ie driving fast around a well known track, but you lose to a FWD estate car with a "poorer" image.............

But the point is not many people care too much about that ring lap time carp. The Seat wasnt standard spec it had been modded I believe. Different drivers on different days etc all play a part, it's very difficult to compare individual times as there are so many variables. Doesn't have much relevance to UK roads imho. The M135i is more fun for me which is what counts.

For what it's worth if I was accelerating with a Cupra 280 out of a 30-limit into a NSL I'd wager the M135i would quite easily out-drag it.... ;-)

At the time of the original sub8 second time they were running the performance pack which wasnt available, but it is now so its all fair game Eagle eyed viewers will notice that the estate is also running the same pack, which makes sense seeing as its going round the ring!

I wouldn't be so sure about the rolling acceleration, they can be hard to get off the line when cold due to the fwd/power but once moving they are pretty quick. Off the line yes... once moving, I think you may struggle more than you think I did this exact thing with an RS3 the other day and he couldn't get away.

But the point is not many people care too much about that ring lap time carp. The Seat wasnt standard spec it had been modded I believe. Different drivers on different days etc all play a part, it's very difficult to compare individual times as there are so many variables. Doesn't have much relevance to UK roads imho. The M135i is more fun for me which is what counts.

For what it's worth if I was accelerating with a Cupra 280 out of a 30-limit into a NSL I'd wager the M135i would quite easily out-drag it.... ;-)

Oh no you wouldn't.

But the point is not many people care too much about that ring lap time carp. The Seat wasnt standard spec it had been modded I believe. Different drivers on different days etc all play a part, it's very difficult to compare individual times as there are so many variables. Doesn't have much relevance to UK roads imho. The M135i is more fun for me which is what counts.

For what it's worth if I was accelerating with a Cupra 280 out of a 30-limit into a NSL I'd wager the M135i would quite easily out-drag it.... ;-)

 

As has been pointed out the "mods" are factory fit options, which are bigger brakes, 19" alloys & Michelin Pilot Sport Cup2 tyres.........engine & suspension is the same as a non "sub8" pack..............

 

AS for "different drivers on different days".................same can be said for EVERY 0-60 time, lap time etc etc..................there is no way a lot of standard drivers would be able to beat the local white van drivers down my local back roads..............driver skill accounts for loads, not just of road, but getting the most out of car...

 

AS for out dragging the car...........I ain't advocating road racing & the nearest a full test can be done IMO is the "ring" due to variations & length & that result we all know...........

Oh no you wouldn't.

We'll have to agree to disagree on that one. Having driven a standard cupra 280 back to back with my M135i the seat felt significantly slower. The power and torque deficit was very evident (purely in my opinion of course).

I'm sure your mapped car would be a different kettle of fish :-)

As has been pointed out the "mods" are factory fit options, which are bigger brakes, 19" alloys & Michelin Pilot Sport Cup2 tyres.........engine & suspension is the same as a non "sub8" pack..............

AS for "different drivers on different days".................same can be said for EVERY 0-60 time, lap time etc etc..................there is no way a lot of standard drivers would be able to beat the local white van drivers down my local back roads..............driver skill accounts for loads, not just of road, but getting the most out of car...

AS for out dragging the car...........I ain't advocating road racing & the nearest a full test can be done IMO is the "ring" due to variations & length & that result we all know...........

The Seat posting a quicker ring time is fine and it doesn't bother me in the slightest (as I take them all with a massive pinch of salt lol). I love all quick cars and the Cupra is a very nice one which you will recall I was considering buying recently to replace the Fabia.

Ultimately though I choose the car which feels best to me when I drive it on UK roads and which meets all my wants/needs. The Cupra 280 would never excite me more than an M135i I have to say, but I appreciate we are all different.

Ring times obviously appeal to you, (as does having a pop at BMW at any given opportunity) but there you go. Horses for courses.... :-)

The Seat posting a quicker ring time is fine and it doesn't bother me in the slightest (as I take them all with a massive pinch of salt lol). I love all quick cars and the Cupra is a very nice one which you will recall I was considering buying recently to replace the Fabia.

Ultimately though I choose the car which feels best to me when I drive it on UK roads and which meets all my wants/needs. The Cupra 280 would never excite me more than an M135i I have to say, but I appreciate we are all different.

Ring times obviously appeal to you, (as does having a pop at BMW at any given opportunity) but there you go. Horses for courses.... :-)

 

Horses for courses I agree, just to me some have a more defined role, others seem to be due to "niche" marketing .........

 

As for having a pop at BMW owners, just "countering" the stuff coming from non-VAG owners towards VAG owners about VAG cars on a VAG forum.......... :p

 

Anyway if we were all the same & drove the most logical car for all seasons/loads etc then we would all be driving Golf R estates.................   ................as per the" sniff petrol" article I posted up in the Golf R section...........

I went to check out the Leon at the weekend and sadly there was no Cupra to hand. What I did notice on an FR was a distinct difference in the 'quality' of the interior compared to other cars. The sat nav didn't appear to be as high res as what I'd like either.

Mind you, it probably didn't help that I'd come straight after being in a TT?

As a Golf R owner I could quite easily see myself with either a Seat Leon Cupra 280 or a BMW 135i .

Both great cars.

The sat nav didn't appear to be as high res as what I'd like either

The standard screen/satnav is a bit crap - i think it might be getting a slight improvement for the MY16 but the satnav high is the way to go if thats your thing. For me i dont really use a satnav unless im lost but i know some people will use it all the time so its more important. If I used it more, id prob be unhappy with it.

Horses for courses I agree, just to me some have a more defined role, others seem to be due to "niche" marketing .........

 

As for having a pop at BMW owners, just "countering" the stuff coming from non-VAG owners towards VAG owners about VAG cars on a VAG forum.......... :p

 

Anyway if we were all the same & drove the most logical car for all seasons/loads etc then we would all be driving Golf R estates.................   ................as per the" sniff petrol" article I posted up in the Golf R section...........

The M135i is in a niche because it's the only new hot hatch on sale with a straight-six upfront and RWD. No marketing trickery there imho.

As a Skoda owner, on a skoda forum, I'm quite happy to post my opinion and experiences about non-VAG cars in the relevant threads but hopefully haven't been overly negative towards any specific car or owner(s)... ;-)

For me I don't like look of the seat st and I don't need an estate so the ring time mine is bigger than yours argument just tops off the fact that cars are rarely bought for just one reason.

Great for seat organisation but 99.9% of the owners won't or shouldn't care it's a few seconds round a huge track that they won't drive on.

Let's be honest the first person than remaps their ST will then have an even faster car than the one tested. Will joe public care?

I think the ring time takes away attention from the car in a gimic sense. The car is very good and for me has enough about it without the mine is 5 seconds quicker than yours stuff

The standard screen/sat nav is a bit crap - i think it might be getting a slight improvement for the MY16 but the sat nav high is the way to go if that's your thing.

 

The salesman obviously didn't mention that so I thought there was only one version was available! :|

 

Anyone using the Seat Sound System and if so, comments about it's quality compared to the standard setup please.

I think everyone ticks the seat sound option, as no one I've spoken to has ever heard a system without it lol. Its ok, sounds good to me but nothing to compare it to as ive not been in another leon without it.

For me I don't like look of the seat st and I don't need an estate so the ring time mine is bigger than yours argument just tops off the fact that cars are rarely bought for just one reason.

Great for seat organisation but 99.9% of the owners won't or shouldn't care it's a few seconds round a huge track that they won't drive on.

Let's be honest the first person than remaps their ST will then have an even faster car than the one tested. Will joe public care?

I think the ring time takes away attention from the car in a gimic sense. The car is very good and for me has enough about it without the mine is 5 seconds quicker than yours stuff

 

I think you are slightly missing the point, I made a few posts ago..............

 

That for what is considered a "poor" front wheel drive car in an estate form can post a faster time around one of the worlds most respected/notorious race tracks than that of a BMW small hatch which has M stuff on it , RWD, and a more powerful straight six 3lt engine JUST shows how good the MQB chassis is & how far FWD has come in terms of handling & dynamics........

 

either that or BWM spent all the money on the RWD & engine & skimped on the chassis......  ........just playing devils advocate there... :p

 

...but seriously you get my point?...................

Ah so you need think you need to spell it out for me to understand.... Thank you

I understood first time just means nothing to me on a purchasing level

Too many variables to really worry about times of 1 car vs another. Seat is fast, great. MQB is good yes. R estate will also post a gd time no doubt.

Too many variables to really worry about times of 1 car vs another. Seat is fast, great. MQB is good yes. R estate will also post a gd time no doubt.

 

 Oh I agree, I find certain elements of the Seat interior a bit "utilitarian", BUT the outside I think is better than the MK3 Octavia Estate. I prefer the MK7 Golf inside & outside, my money, my taste, my call.

 

The Seat Leon Cupra Estate is VAG doing a "GTI" estate which they will not do on the Golf, but you have the GTD & R instead. When the faster MK3 Octavia Vrs is available & if in estate it would be interesting to see what it can post as it has a longer wheelbase.

 

As for the R well I bloody hope it goes faster................just hope they run the same size alloys & tyres.......which are in the options list for the R anyway................I do like those big Brembos I bet they will be a popular mod for the R & S3 owners wanting to do an OEM upgrade..........

Yeah I know what you mean mate. Each to their own. I prefer looks of vRS estate over the seat enough we bought one and prefer the S3 interior over the R

I think due to transmission losses and weight the R will be slower round track tbh

I think due to transmission losses and weight the R will be slower round track tbh

 

Unless they put monkey Harris in & he slides it around like he did with the hatch...............

Time will tell I guess mate

As a Golf R owner I could quite easily see myself with either a Seat Leon Cupra 280 or a BMW 135i .

Both great cars.

And vice versa for me. It all came down to price / availability. However, if Alfa made something remotely as good as either, I'd be in one tomorrow and you wouldn't hear the end of it!