We review the SEAT Leon from price to economy and all its features
THE Seat Leon has ridden into town... and is ready to shoot down its rivals.
Almeria was once dubbed ‘Mini Hollywood’ as the location for legendary Western movies A Fistful Of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More and The Good, The Bad And The Ugly.
The setting in southern Spain, the only desert in Europe, was the home in the 60s and 70s of Sergio Leone’s spaghetti Westerns — graced by Clint Eastwood, Brigitte Bardot, Sean Connery, Raquel Welch and Orson Welles.
This week Leone was swapped for Leon and Seat’s latest blockbuster. And it could have been called For A Few Dollars LESS.
The main storyline for Seat’s sharp new hatchback is that it undercuts almost every single mainstream rival in price.
It uses the same platform as VW Group stablemates VW Golf and Audi A3 but starts substantially less in price. It’s also cheaper than the Ford Focus. Only Vauxhall’s entry-level 1.4 Astra is easier on the wallet.
Some may now argue that the Leon is also easier on the eye than the lot.
I donned my best Clint Eastwood outfit to get a first drive in Almeria, via Malaga. However, I’m more Harry Redknapp than Dirty Harry.
And the only cowboys I’ve met are the blokes who made a mess of building my driveway.
All I know is this Leon has enough bullets to take down its opponents.
In the metal, it is a crisp design — a potent mix of angles, sharp lines and creases all over the bodywork.
Even the most basic models have a sporty nature thanks to a wider stance, road-hugging trim, smart alloys and all-LED headlights (a £995 option that includes smart LED tail-lights, too), which are a first in the hatchback class.
The Leon actually cuts a bit more dash than any rivals with all those attributes.
One of the major criticisms of the old car was its dull and plasticky interior.
The new Leon is much improved with a combination of more appealing and softer materials and the dials look like they were stolen from the Audi A3 — and that’s no bad thing at all.
Unusual for a new car these days, the five-door Leon is shorter by 52mm than the model it replaces. However, due to the fact that the Leon is now a more dynamic hatchback shape with wheels much further into each corner of the body, there’s actually a 58mm longer wheelbase, making legroom in the rear very impressive for all ages. This also gives extra room for a 380litre boot — 39 litres more than before.
I drove the 1.6litre TDi diesel, which is expected to be the biggest seller in the UK, and the top-spec 2litre TDi diesel FR — which we used for the pictures.
The Leon is 90kg lighter than its predecessor and that immediately translated into a more sporty and agile hatch with very light and precise steering.
You need to work the 1.6 to keep it responsive. If you dawdle along it responds likewise and feels a bit sluggish.
If you drive it right Seat claim you can hit 70-plus mpg — although I could only get 60mpg. But the 99g/km emissions mean it’s tax free so is still economical.
But in the land of Westerns, I wanted more horsepower so I tested the flagship the 2litre FR — the Leon with the most firepower until the Cupra arrives in 2014.
The FR is available to order now but won’t arrive here until April next year.
But that wait might well be worth it. The diesel-powered flagship has the promise of a seriously fun every-day hot hatch with fuel economy of more than 65mpg and 0-60mph in just seven seconds. That’s more like the magnificent revvin’.
It has even more style than the standard model, with more aggressive grille and alloys while the curvy rear gets striking Alfa Romeo Giulietta-style LED tail-lights and a twin exhaust.
Combine that with an engine soundtrack that echoes the turbo whoosh and gruffness of a Golf GTi and performance and handling to match, and this is a wonderfully warm hatch.
But right across the new Leon range, the real bonus is that the car is impressively refined and is a comfortable car to drive on most surfaces. It’s not up with the Focus for overall ride and handling or the A3 for sheer class, but it’s close.
The Leon starts at £15,670 which compares favourably to the Golf at £16,330, A3 £19,205 and Focus £16,245. This Seat is an excellent trusty hatchback steed.
And, crucially, it will save you a Fistful Of Dollars.
What to look out for when buying a used SEAT Leon Mk2 (05-12)
Made largely from Volkswagen parts, the Spanish-built Leon should be pretty solid. Saying that, VW reliability hasn’t exactly been squeaky clean itself in recent years, and the Leon Mk2 suffered some of the same problems.
Known issues include stiff manual gearboxes, fuel injector failures in some diesel engines, ignition coil failure in the 2-litre petrols and excessive oil consumption in TSI petrol engines.
Owners have also reported noisy DSG (dual-clutch) gearboxes, problems with the stability control and antilock braking, seized oil pumps, throttle pedal problems, failure of diesel particulate filters, faulty airbag sensors, water leaks through the windows, wiper failure, dashboard/instrument panel failure, climate control failure, electric window failure and a lot of general rattles and build quality defects including easily chipped paint. And breathe…
The Leon has been recalled several times, for potential flywheel failure (in the 2.0 TDI with manual gearbox), for sudden power loss from the DSG transmission and for fuel leaks.
Be sure to get all issues checked by a mechanic before handing over any money.
But it’s not all bad. Leons have improved over the years, scoring sixth in class in the 2012 JD Power survey and 75th in the Warranty Direct Top 100 for reliability.