SEAT Leon : ARE YOU SEAT'ED COMFORTABLY?

SEAT's Leon Has The Hot Hatch Looks But Does It Measure Up From A Practical Perspective? June Neary Finds Outâ€¦

SEAT are actively fashioning a sporty image for their products. The brand's positioning within the sprawling Volkswagen Group empire means that it's tasked with appealing to a younger, more image-conscious clientele than the cost-cutting Skoda marque and the upmarket offerings from Volkswagen and, ultimately, Audi. The Leon is SEAT's family hatchback and as such, it's central to this grand scheme. The fast Cupra models do battle with the likes of Renault's Megane Renaultsport, Vauxhall's Astra VXR and, in a slightly friendlier way, with their Volkswagen's Golf GTI sister vehicles but most of the Leon sales aren't made to boy or girl racers. Despite its hot hatch pretensions, the Leon's core market is family buyers who favour the more mundane and sensible models in the line-up. This is much more like it. Although I have been known to take a shine to the odd high-powered super hatch in my time, the rickety ride, hefty fuel bills and stratospheric insurance premiums mean you've really got to want that extra 50bhp. Most people will be looking considerably further down the Leon line-up at models like the 1.6-litre S that was dropped-off outside my house one sunny morning. On first impressions, there's very little not to like. SEAT are making big play of the prominent swage line that curves from the lower edge of the elliptical headlamps, round the front wheelarch and down the car's flanks, where it peters out. It features widely on other models across their range, it's distinctive and it adds a cohesive flow to the styling. There's hardly a straight line on the Leon and it's highly unlikely to be mistaken for any its family hatch rivals. You couldn't call it boring and I like it.

In the context of the finely sculpted exterior, the Leon's interior ambiance may come across as being a little on the dull side. There's always the suspicion with SEAT products that the quality of the materials has been deliberately toned down a notch in order to preserve the superiority of the equivalent Volkswagen model. That same impression is in evidence here but things have been improved with the latest facelift and if we remember that we're examining a fairly lowly S derivative, things really aren't too bad. The standard of fit and finish is beyond reproach in the Leon and appraising yourself of the well laid-out controls is the work of just a few seconds. There's an integrated stereo with three round dials above that control the ventilation system. The design is neat and there's plenty of storage from the deep door pockets, glove box and cubbies between the seats. Only some tough feeling plastics and the lack of any design flair to match the car's bodywork are of serious disappointment. When this much care has been taken to give a car a swoopily, dynamic exterior, it's often the case that interior practicality suffers. With the Leon, however, space is a big strong point. There's loads of headroom in the cabin and travelling five-up with three across the back seat shouldn't present undue problems. The boot is also fairly spacious, although rivals do offer more capacity here and the loading aperture isn't ideally shaped for lifting in larger items. There are over 340 litres to play with and capacity extends to an impressive 1,166 litres if you fold the back seats down. One drawback is rear visibility but the latest cars have a larger rear window to help on this score.

Despite being equipped with one of the least powerful engines in the range, my Leon proved an engaging drive. It does much more than you would expect to live up to the sporty SEAT brand image with a firm ride that's just supple enough on longer trips. The car's body control in corners is excellent and it really spurs the driver on - perhaps more so than the passengers would sometimes like. The gearchange has a nice punchy, short-throw action that also adds to the sporty feel and the driving position is low, so you feel nestled into the car while at the wheel. The 1.6-litre engine is refined but doesn't set the heart racing in the acceleration stakes. For that, you'll have to upgrade to one of the other power options. It gives you a 0-60mph time of 10.2s and a 114mph top speed but more salient to the car's target market will be average fuel economy of over 38mpg.

Around £13,500 will get you behind the wheel of a SEAT Leon 1.6-litre S. It'll have air-conditioning, a CD stereo, electric front windows, remote central locking and electric wing mirrors. In terms of safety, there's ABS with brakeforce distribution, loads of airbags and ISOFIX child seat mountings. Take into account the eye-catching styling and the enjoyable driving experience along with the practical interior and it's hard to conclude that the Leon is anything but decent value for money.

I could live with one very easily and most family buyers could too. Don't be put off by the Leon's sporty persona: beneath that innovative styling is a practical, well thought out interior. It is sporty but the qualities that make the high-powered models a real hoot to drive also come through in the lower-spec derivatives. Whichever Leon you choose, you'll be getting a solid family hatch all-rounder with the ability to turn heads and put a smile on its driver's face.