Faults:

I bought my 1.4 75bhp Sport brand new in Oct 05, and within a few months, noticed a big knock from the driver's front suspension, turning right on full lock going down and up adverse cambers (up and down kerbs). Dealer couldn't find anything wrong!

Then the wiper jets stopped working at 1744 miles; different dealer fixed under warranty, but didn't fit a clip, so wee'd all over the car park when I checked it! Idiots!

Very poor performance, stupidly slow; a Peugeot 107 1.0 can out accelerate me every time.

Don't put petrol additive in the fuel tank; it will confuse the sensors, and put the engine light on! Check your manual; it was made to only run on super unleaded!

Seat belts don't fully retract - nearly broke the wife's leg after a night out.

Engine light came on in the cold winter of 2010; bank 1 (front one) cost £150, then back one came on (bank 2). I left it, and it went off again when it warmed up! If it's running fine, leave it a week or two.

Front tyres wear quick on inside. Tyres fitted to it are capable of 168mph, but the car can only do 107mph max - what is that all about?

Apart from the above, I found the Volkswagen bits reliable.

On the misting headlights, I had a front end, and they used aftermarket replacements, and they are better than before - even 2 years on!

General Comments:

Volkswagen parts are pretty much OK; the rest of the car is sub standard.

Spend the cash; buy an AUDI, not SEAT.

Faults:

I have had the car now for about a month, and the only problem I have had is the starter motor went, which I believe can be common problem with the Seats and some VW models.

General Comments:

As I have said, I have had the car for about a month, and have been very impressed with all aspects of it. It's seriously fast and very responsive. The 160bhp delivers a massive surge every time you hit 2000rpm.

The handling and brakes again are very good, which is what I would expect from the large Brembo brake calipers.

The cabin is very smart and very easy to use, and the seats again are very comfortable. I have driven the car for 3 hours at a time, and have not ached once.

The ride quality is very firm giving great handling but a hard ride. Due to the low profile tyres, you do get some road noise, but I can live with it as a compromise for the performance.

I can't express enough how impressed I am with the performance. I have managed to get 140mph and I'm sure that the 0-60 time of 7.6 is faster. I have a friend with an 04 Civic Type R, and he was shocked at how fast the Cupra is, and was a bit disheartened when he didn't wipe the floor with me!!! OF course he pulled away from me, but there didn't seem 37 bhp difference.

I have had lots occasions when BMW 330Ds and 530Ds pull beside me, and think they're going to blow me away, which hasn't been the case when they've been eating my exhaust fumes. LOL.

I get an average mpg of about 40 day to day driving, but I do enjoy the car. On a run up to Leeds from Brum, I managed to get 53mpg averaging 70mph, which dropped to only 46 when averaging 85mph, happy days.

Finally, it's a great little car and I would recommend it over the petrol version due to all round performance and economy.