SEAT's firmly green hatch

Expert Rating:

Introduction

Ten or fifteen years ago it was inconceivable that a diesel hatchback could be considered green or sporty - let alone both. The smoky, sooty tailpipe emissions of derv rattle boxes of old were perceived as the scourge of the city and the choice of those concerned only with fuel economy - or possibly with pulling a caravan on bank holiday weekends.

But the perception has changed, and it's largely as a result of cars like this. The Leon TDI Sport, on paper at least, offers the performance and trinkets of a warmed over hatch, but wallet-friendly economy and emissions. But does it really allow us to have out green cake and eat it?

What is it?

It's SEAT's mid-level diesel hatchback, dressed up as a sporty car for the keen driver on a budget. Well, 'budget' is probably a misleading word here - our test car tipped the scales at over £18,000, albeit with a reasonable breadth of options. That's nearly new Golf GTI territory (the £20k-ish price and performance benchmark for any remotely hot hatchback), which means this had better be good. And it better be economical, too, otherwise we may as well be getting our kicks from a smoother, revvy petrol-powered version.

There's also a Leon Ecomotive in showrooms alongside the Sport, which uses a 1.9-litre TDI and is significantly more economical (62.8mpg against 50.4mpg), but the engine lacks both the punch and smoothness of this newer unit - and you need to drive it like a saint to eke out substantial mileage gains from a tank of derv. Neither is it anywhere near as much fun, fundamentally.

How does it drive?

It's common knowledge that the Leon shares its underpinnings with the Golf (there's that benchmark again), but this is so much more than a re-skinned VW. It is that, of course, but it only takes 20 yards behind the wheel to realise that it's a very different beast. The ride is about as uncompromising as anything on this side of a stripped-out hot hatch, with very little give in the dampers - so much so that it treads that very thin line between sporty and plain uncomfortable at times. As such, however, it takes corners with verve, always letting you know what the front wheels are up to and how much grip you have left. Motorways can be a pain, though, because the wheels follow every pockmark on the road, causing the Leon to bounce about at high speeds and crash into bigger potholes. It's not bad, but it's far from the most comfortable car in its class.

SEAT's 2.0-litre TDI engine, pilfered from the VW diesel stockpile, is smooth and refined from very low revs - though it's still blessed/cursed (delete as appropriate) with the faint whiff of the old VW 'pump duse' diesel engines, in that it delivers a nice, rorty lump of pulling power for about 2,000 revs before promptly dying on its feet. It means you'll be shifting from cog-to-cog with regularity to keep it in the narrow power band - between around 2,000 and 4,000rpm - but, when it's in there, it feels nice and quick. It's a bit clattery on start up, though.

The engine and suspension combo of this particular version is both a good and bad thing, too, because while 236lb.ft of pulling power and 138bhp is enough for rapid overtaking, the rock hard setup leaves you slightly frustrated because you feel the chassis could cope with much more power. There's a responsiveness to the steering and chassis that you just don't expect from a mid-range hatch and the thick-rimmed, small circumference wheel is a delight to hold. The hard plastics on the door cards and lower dash could be a bit better, though.

Planet hugger or planet mugger?

Compared to the aforementioned Ecomotive, the 2.0 TDI is a planet mugger, make no mistake - it emits 159g/km of CO₂ where the cleaner car produces just 119g/km, placing it two whole VED bands down and leaving you £110 a year out of pocket in road tax alone. That's about two tanks of fuel across an entire 12 months, though, and the 2.0 TDI is a vastly more entertaining and refined engine - so it's a price worth paying, we'd say. And the bigger diesel is hardly profligate.

Verdict

There's a certain extent to which buying a diesel hatch like this is a win-win situation, and the Leon TDI Sport is a perfect example of how: it's quick, with plenty of easy to use power at low revs, economical and low on CO₂. And most importantly, it's a genuine hoot to drive. There are better handling hatches, and more refined ones at the other end of the scale, but none that offers the Leon's unique blend of trusted VW Group build quality, slightly non-mainstream style, space and driving dynamics. It's not the cheapest, or the greenest either, but SEAT has injected enough genuine Spanish flair into the Leon to make it more than the sum of its parts. We'd definitely take this Sport model over the Ecomotive, too - the driving gains far outweigh the environmental penalties.

Mark Nichol

Monday March 2