“Think of it as a Golf GTi for the poor. The sort of poor people who don’t really care about handling”
At least that’s what the Top Gear people think of the new Seat Leon Cupra/FR, but priced at 39,900$, it is definitely not a car for the poor in Lebanon, but of course not the for rich as well.
Reviewing Chahe’s new car or any car in Lebanon is not as simple as people would think. You need to take into consideration several criteria that most TV shows skip, probably cause they are not applicable wherever they reside.
Car Horn
The new Seat Leon Cupra is equipped with a relatively loud horn, giving it an edge over the VWs and BMWs but still leave it shy of the Mercedes. However, for 50 extra dollars at Gus Garage, you can boost the sound, get a “Powered by Gus” free sticker and have the loudest horn in town.
Cutting off
With its curved sides, the Seat Leon Cupra/FR is a powerful cutting off vehicle, enabling its driver to cut off taxis and even 4×4 vehicles without scratching the bumper.
Lights
The new Seat has only one tiny rear light that turns on when gear is put on reverse. This could be problematic if you don’t have sensors. However the front lights are perfect, when put on high beam, to blind a car standing in your way.
Acceleration
0 to 60 in just 6.2 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph allows it to pass any yellow light turning red without being spotted by the police.
Comfort
This is a sports car and its seat are honestly not that comfortable but you get used to them. However, a typical Lebanese jagal will have major back and neck issues when leaning towards his gf or trying to adjust to a more relaxing position.
Other advantages:
– You can squeeze it in small parking spots.
– The back seat is large for some Marina Dbayyeh extracurricular activities.
– Sound system is excellent for passing by Gemmayze at 1 am turning loud music on.
Few Tips:
– Do not let Valet Parking guys drive it specially when it’s a manual gear shift.
Given all that, it definitely deserves more than a 14/20 as graded by Top Gear experts.
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Najib! This post is hysterical… You did kick Top Gear’s butt a la Libanaise
$40,000? No thanks I’ll pass…
Why didn’t you go for the K1 though?
@ElHaddad: they told me I had to wait for a couple of months for a K1,didnt have the patience, and it is more expensive than the one i got
@Mark The car cost 34,900$ + 2000$ for registration. it was an offer during the motor show. plus they gave me 2 years free maintenance.
All in all it is an excellent price for Lebanon considering a brand new 2011 BMW 320 costs 50K.
It might be expensive compared to cars in the Gulf or the US, but in Lebanon it’s pretty cheap for a car “men el sherke”
Oh and Najib, maybe u should lose a couple of inches off your waist 🙂
I fit very comfortably in the bucket seats
Chahe,
nice try but rest assured this comment will hunt you until you change your car. Nchallah marra t2elle the seats are uncomfortable 😛
“haunt” me asdak? i didnt know comments could hunt. Next time i see a comment i’ll make sure i hide 😛
Akeed comments can hunt. Be afraid, be very afraid.
Najib – u didn’t kick anybody’s ass in this post
$40k for a SPANISH car …
Anybody who buys spanish in europe gets laughed at!
Hi Nick, what new car, not used, would you buy in Lebanon for 37K?
Nick,
Can you tell me what’s spanish about the Seat ?
I would rather get a VW Golf for $27,500 from the dealer.
Out of curiosity… how much does the Scirocco cost in Lebanon? Am in love with it…
Chahe… I’ve driven the Seat and it’s a fun car to drive. I do agree with the boys that price wise it is too expensive for the car itself since to my mediocre knowledge of the automotive market in Lebanon, I believe that resale value of the car is low and also that after sales in quite costly. Am I right?
True Mark, you could get a 1.6 golf from the dealer, but I was also looking for power. The car is 2.0T 240BHP, which makes it more powerful than the GTI which costs 45K from the dealer.
@Design Voyeur: this is my second seat, I had the older model as well and since it’s a VW engine, I never had any problems with it. Very reliable vehicles. After sales is crazy expensive but I got 2 years free warranty, after the second year ill get it maintained at another garage.
Resale value is low definitely.
Scirocco: the 1.4T costs 39K, while the high end R line was 51K at the Beirut Motor Show
Wat?! approx $40K (34,900$ + 2000$)for a car i’ve never heard off (can’t even find it on carsales.com.au, not sold in sydney!!!!)
@chahe, wouldn’t u rather pay the extra $10K and buy a BMW320 with near perfect track record and German made? u paid 40K, i would have added the 5K and just the GTI itself as u said from the dealer!!
Also 40K is no way cheap for a brand new car (“men el sherke”) from any country! Here, 40K can get me a brand new Honda Accord Euro, or a new Holden V6 (Opel in lebanon) etc…
You had a convincing argument until you got to the Honda accord. Now which young single guy in his right mind would want to get an accord or opel?
@Simon:the new BMW 320 costs 50K + registration. so that would be 15K more than what i paid. and the GTI would cost around 10K more with registration. Plus el GTI mzable bi lebnen, I’d rather have a car that you don’t see that often.
That Station Wagon Volvo runis the profile pic of this blog. Can you edit it to remove that Golden Swedish junk? or better try to take a picture somewhere decent, like during your daily extraculicular activities at Marina Dbayeh?