SEAT Leon Range
First reactions to early spy shots of the latest SEAT Leon were not promising. "Theyre not going to turn the Leon into THAT, are they?" asked one incredulous colleague. Thankfully, SEAT didnt release the Leon looking quite as MPV-like as the hastily grabbed photos suggested. In fact, the prototype, first shown at the 2005 Geneva Show, actually looked very special indeed. True, it was wearing the glittering chrome and huge wheels of a show car, but there was something very well sorted about the basic proportions.
SEAT seemed to be onto something.
| Build |  |
| Comfort |  |
| Depreciation |  |
| Economy | |
| Equipment | |
| Handling | |
| Insurance | |
| Performance | |
| Styling | |
| Value |  |
Think Jason Plato doorhandling Yvan Muller out of the way in his SEAT touring car. Thats only a small segment of what the Leon represents to SEAT. Instead it must go head to head with some of the class best in the shape of the Ford Focus, the Vauxhall Astra, the Renault Megane and the Honda Civic. Therefore it was with some disappointment that the first pictures of the cooking Leon models dropped across my desk.
There had already been quite some controversy at how similar looking the Altea and Toledo models were, and now here was another model that would require serious scrutiny to establish exactly what SEAT we were dealing with. To make things worse, it wasnt clear exactly what advantage a Leon had over an Altea. All three cars were born from the same Salsa concept car under the aegis of SEAT design chief Steve Lewis and all three, rather unsurprisingly, run on the same platform. Although the tape measure shows that the new Leon is only around an inch taller than its predecessor, the base models have a definite MPV look and feel to them.
Its only when you opt for the sportier FR and Cupra models that the Leon begins to look convincingly racy. Perhaps thats the point.
"The Leon tries to be all things to all people. Only time will tell if this strategy will prove a success"
Underscoring SEATs broad targeting of the Leon, the range includes a number of engine choices. Diesel buyers will get to choose between a 103bhp 1.9-litre unit thats a little old fashioned and a 138bhp 2.0-litre that most certainly isnt.
The petrol powerplants open with a 101bhp 1.6-litre and a 148bhp 2.0-litre direct injection FSI but, to be frank, if youre going to opt for these engines, the Altea makes a smarter purchase. Move up the power table and the Leon starts to make all sorts of sense and SEAT have wisely earmarked three engines to cope for us British bhp junkies.
First up is the 168bhp TDI diesel, while those looking for a seriously sporting drive will opt for the 200bhp FR model with its turbocharged 2.0-litre FSI engine or the 240bhp Cupra which used a tweaked version of that unit. SEAT worked hard at improving the chassis dynamics and benchmarked the best handling cars in the class. Given that the basic underpinnings are shared with the latest Volkswagen Golf, it got off to a flier.
Factor in an additional aluminium subframe for added rigidity and stiffer suspension and youve got a package thats significantly more able in the twisties than the old car with its rather rudimentary torsion beam rear suspension. The Leon is a good deal bigger than its predecessor and this extra space is particularly noticeable in the rear. The old car was pretty tight in the back but the addition of 12cm to the latest models length is felt particularly in the rear, where theres now knee room for six-footers. Although theres no armrest in the back and the bench is a little flat, you wouldnt feel hard done by undertaking a longer journey here.
The rear tailgate opens wide to reveal a load bay thats a little awkwardly shaped for bulky items but is otherwise perfectly adequate for this class of car. Weight has gone up by a mere 8kg, helped in no small part to innovative panel stamping procedures and an acrylic rear side window that incorporates the door handle. Both the front seat and the steering wheel are multi-adjustable and theres plenty of headroom up front even for taller drivers. The nose curves rapidly out of view and shorter drivers may want to specify parking sensors.
The windscreen pillars are annoyingly chunky which means that youll probably be doing a fair bit of see-sawing in your seat as you negotiate roundabouts. One can almost excuse this feature due to the fact that the windscreen wipers park vertically into the pillars a rather neat trick that helps with the vital showroom wow factor. All-round visibility isnt a Leon strong point, the three-quarter view being hampered by thick pillars and the rearward view consisting of a number of headrests. For the first time theres the option of a Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) offered with the Leon.
This unit is the very best of its ilk, better than the sequential manuals used by the likes of Ferrari, BMW and Aston Martin, offering shifts that are at the same time lightning quick and butter smooth. Theres a lot to like about the Leon, but the essential similarity at the bottom of the range to cars like the Altea and Toledo somewhat bring into question the wisdom of importing them. Perhaps SEAT should have built the brand by merely importing the hotter Leons and leaving the others for our European colleagues. Im just wondering what a Cupra R is going to be like
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: SEAT Leon range
PRICES: £11,722-£19,622 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 4-17
CO2 EMISSIONS: 141-197g/km
PERFORMANCE: [2.0T FSI] Max Speed 137mph / 0-60mph 7.8s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.0T FSI] (combined) 34.4mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: six airbags, 3-point seatbelts with pre-tensioners, ESP, EBA and DSR.
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 4315/1768/1458
