SEAT Leon
The Leon hatchback is based on the Volkswagen Golf, and while SEAT's car doesn’t have the Golf's feeling of quality or prestige, it's cheaper, sharply styled, spacious and great fun to drive. It also has a good range of strong and economical petrol and diesel engines, and the high performing FR and Cupra versions are hugely entertaining. Comfort could be better across the range, though.
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- pros:
- Sporty feel in the cabin
- Massive choice of engines
- Spacious inside
- cons:
- Isn't as comfortable as many rivals
- Boot is too small in this sector
- Noisy, especially the diesels
The Leon is only available with five doors. It's styled with ‘hidden’ rear handles for a coupe-like look, but it's actually quite tall, so even rear headroom is good. It's supposed to be sporty to drive (SEAT is marketed as VW's ‘youth brand’), with touches like a low-set driving position and small steering wheel making a difference. Still, it can’t match the Ford Focus for agility, or the Volkswagen Golf for comfort.
- pros:
- Strong performance
- Cheaper than Golf R
- Aggressive styling
- cons:
- High price compared to standard Cupra
- Dated interior design
- Lack of steering feedback
SEAT's most powerful car ever, the Leon Cupra R is a very accomplished hot hatch that shares the Volkswagen Golf patform. Packing 261bhp from it's Volkswagen Scirocco R-derived 2.0-litre TSI engine the four-door hatchback is capable of 0-62mph in 6.2 seconds. Handling is impressive too but the steering provides little in the way of valuable feedback. On the outside, uprated brakes, sports suspension and huge 19-inch alloy wheels provide a clue to the performance on offer whilst an aggressive grille, black door mirrors and twin rear tailpipes complete the look. The interior feels very well made and features attractive leather sports seats, a squared-off steering wheel and aluminium pedals.
