SEAT Leon

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Review - We’d certainly place the SEAT Leon in the upper echelons of the small family hatchback class. This is largely thanks to the fact that, under that stylish body it’s essentially identical to the Volkswagen Golf, Skoda Octavia and Audi A3 – excellent cars all.

That’s not to say it’s faultless, however. This is highly competitive class, where only the superb succeed. The Ford Focus is still the leader when it comes to driving ability, while the Skoda Octavia is both good value and exceptionally spacious Meanwhile, the latest Vauxhall Astra combines handsome design with value, practicality, low running costs, quality and hi-tech equipment.

As with many Volkswagen Group products, the Leon’s strengths lie in its interior quality and superb range of powerful and economical petrol and diesel engines. For those who don’t cover too many miles or do most of their driving around town, we’d recommend the 123bhp turbocharged 1.4-litre petrol engine. It’s smooth, provides brisk enough performance and is impressively cheap to run. It’ll return around 59mpg, while CO2 emissions of 120g/km mean an annual tax bill of £30.

If you’re a company-car driver or do loads of motorway miles, we recommend the 1.6-litre 108bhp Ecomotive version. It has enough oomph to keep up with motorway traffic, while those all-important running costs are exceptionally low. With a light right foot, you’ll see nearly 80mpg, while 94g/km of CO2 means you’ll be exempt from road tax. A super-low 18% Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) company-car tax rating will endear this model to business users, too.

No engine in the standard range will return less than 47mpg, however, while CO2 emissions don’t break the 138g/km mark, meaning you’ll never have to pay more than £130 a year in road tax. All are smooth, powerful, refined and efficient, so we don’t think you’d be disappointed by any of them. The engines are well matched by the various choices of six-speed manual, as well as six and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearboxes.

Having a bit of fun behind the wheel is important to many, and while the SEAT Leon won’t excite in the same way a Ford Focus will, it’s still good to drive. Comfortable on the motorway and reasonably engaging when the going gets twisty, it’s a good compromise between the two, while the interior is a lovely place to spend time as well. The seats are comfortable and the quality of materials on show is excellent. It may not feel quite as sturdy as the Volkswagen Golf or Audi A3, but it’s significantly less expensive than these two and it’s still a close-run thing.

If you want the ultimate Leon, however, you’ll need to go for the SEAT Leon Cupra 290. With 286bhp from its turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, upgraded brakes, suspension and style, it’s one of the best hot hatches available – and we’ve reviewed it separately here.

For the regular Leon, we recommend SE trim, as it’s available with both our favourite engines and strikes an excellent balance between equipment and value for money. Cruise control, air-conditioning, electric windows and alloy wheels all come as standard, while you also get Bluetooth connectivity.

When it comes to safety, you shouldn’t be concerned, as the Leon comes with all the safety kit you’d expect and Euro NCAP was satisfied enough with its performance to award it five stars. Reliability and the ownership experience shouldn’t be too much of a worry either, thanks to the Leon’s impressive performance in our 2016 Driver Power ownership satisfaction survey. Source by carbuyer.co.uk

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