Seat Leon

 

The Seat Leon is a sharp styled five door hatchback or an estate (ST), as Seat is part of the VW group the Leon is basically the new Volkswagen Golf restyled with street cred, so if you are after a sporty car that is as well built as it is comfortable and is filled with extras for a budget price then look no further than the Leon. The Seat Leon Leon’s shape is certainly familiar but it has a new nose, a longer wheelbase and more pronounced ‘shoulders’. It’s also noticeably different at the rear, thanks to a full-width light strip that animates when you approach the car. There’s more room than in the previous model as there is an extra 50mm between the front and rear axles. This has almost exclusively been used for back seat passengers who have an extra 49mm of space, the boot remains a little on the small size at 380 litres.

 

Only three trims are avaialble on launch, SE Dynamic, the sporty FR, FR Sport, Xcellence and Xcellence Lux FR. SE Dynamic cars have keyless start, full-LED headlight technology with automatic high beam, 10.25-inch digital driver instrument binnacle display, 10-inch centre-dash infotainment screen with navigation, 17 inch alloys, front and rear sensors and tinted rear side windows.  ‘FR’ trim adds sporty front and rear bumpers, Dynamic 17-inch alloy wheels, dual exhaust pipes and a suspension set-up that gives a 15mm lower ride height. FR Sport adds 18-inch alloy wheels, leather sports seats and Dynamic Chassis control, Xcellence boasts 17-inch alloys, chrome grille and window surrounds, wireless phone charging, a leather steering wheel, keyless entry and start, adaptive cruise control and comfort suspension. Excellence Lux adds grey 17-inch alloy wheels, high beam assist and traffic sign recognition.

 

Two 6 speed manual Petrol engines are on offer, a 1.0 and 1.5, both have a turbocharger and Active Cylinder Management. The 1.0 litre offers 108bhp a 0-62 time of 10.9 seconds and economy range of 47.1-52.3 mpg. The 1.5 is avaialble with 128bhp (0-62 9.7 seconds) or 148bhp (0-62 in 8.8 seconds) that offer economy of 51.4 mpg and 48.7 mpg respectively.

Specify 7 speed DSG auto transmission with the larger 1.5 engine and you get the brand’s Mild Hybrid eTSI tech. This technology uses a 48V starter-generator and lithium-ion battery enabling the vehicle to coast with the engine switched off (while retaining all key electric functions, such as power steering), harvest energy under deceleration and provide electrical torque assistance during 47.9 mpg 8.7 acceleration reducing the 0-62 time to 8.7 seconds and increasing the fuel economy to 47.9 mpg.

 

The new Leon Estate (ST) is 93mm longer, 16mm narrower and 3mm lower than the outgoing model, the sleek design and practical additional boot space, 617 litres, make it a shrewd choice.  There is an increasing demand for estate cars as we all take a break from SUV’s and the Seat ST is a great looking option.

Prices for Q2 2022 are very high with Advance Payments starting at £2899 for the 1.5 EVO in FR trim as a manual, an Automatic car is now from £3999 AP.