SEAT Leon hatchback (2013-2020) | owner reviews: MPG, Problems & Reliability

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This is without doubt, a shockingly bad car. Electrics work sporadically. The handbrake is on and then its not, rolling back and injuring you as you exit car. The car stalls in traffic frequently at a stop. The seat belts are cheap and hang loose like a 40 year old car after moderate use. The interior lights on dash don’t work unless all headlights are on and I could go on but I won’t. So many other cars beat this hands down.

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After this car had covered only 19k miles, the turbo failed taking the injectors with it. It cost me £3k to fix this. A turbo failing at this mileage I think is unacceptable but it seems this is not an isolated case with this TSI engine. SEAT totally uninterested as it was bought 2nd hand. Very poor.

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Generally the car has been reliable with only the rear lock solenoid failing at seven years old. Unfortunately I had an injector failure whilst heading to a holiday destination. The car had only done at just under 30,000 miles. I'm not sure if it was a bad part or bad fuel but having changed fuel to premium diesel, there is a difference in economy and performance. I will now continue with the premium fuel, anything else is a false economy.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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The acceleration, gearbox, looks, handling are all superb and it puts a joy on my face. However it is a money sucker. The paint quality is horrible, and is vulnerable to scratches, lacquer peel and fade, and SEAT not interested in helping out. Then there’s the build quality. Trim rattling, the handbrake collapsed and a parking sensor on the back has a mind of its own. Mechanically it’s okay but again has needed some unexpected repairs in what is a fairly low mileage car. It could be such a great car but it’s simply below average due to the faults. I won’t be buying SEAT again. I’ll go back to VW as I think the build quality has more attention to detail or I may look outside the group and buy something different.

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No Red thumbs down

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I would recommend, but prefer the Golf as it has more technology such as adaptive cruise control, as well as details like a 12v cigarette lighter in the rear seats and boot. I should have bought a car with the convinience pack as I miss having a dimming rear view mirror and dipping reverse mirror – you get these in a Golf. That’s why buying a SEAT is cheaper, but it's still fun to drive.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Have had this Leon two months now and really enjoyed driveing it. I had a VW Golf before with the same engine but already the Leon is performing better, this may be down to the excellent DSG gearbox which is quick and smooth. When driving light footed it will show 62mpg on the computer but this may be reading a bit high. Over all glad I bought the Leon Xcellence. It has a lovely interior that's more modern than the Golf, and is quieter, I would highly recommend the Leon TSI Petrol, it's a lot better than the diesel, with very good performance when in sport mode.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Initially i looked at a number of 2 litre, diesel VW group cars ( Leon, Golf and A3) . Whilst looking i came across the 1.6tdi Leon and decided it was the car for me. - cheaper insurance, road tax and less trips to the petrol station all were factors. I was not to be disappointed! Moving from a 1.4 petrol Ibiza the Leon was fantastic. A gutsy relatively torquey engine along with what can only be described as phenomenal fuel economy. The best I saw in my nearly 3 years of ownership was 79.9mpg! It averaged out at about 65 and that was with daily city driving, it truly was unbelievable. The best part was ZERO yes ZERO road tax!!! I personally cannot see a car better on the market when all is considered. Friends have BMWs, Audis etc and pay hundreds for tyres, servicing and the likes. I paid £50 per tyre whenever I changed them and £200 for a full service in the Leon. I cannot recommend a Leon enough. Today I have traded my 1.6tdi in as I am now in a position where fuel consumption isn't as much of a factor. I bought the 2.0tdi 184bhp Leon FR, and i cannot wait to see what this car has to offer. Buy any spec of Leon and you will not be disappointed!

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This is my third Leon and I went for the 2.0-litre engine. After 20,000 kilometeres, I've had no problems. My next Leon will be the SC.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Having owned an Audi A6 I wanted a to downsize as I no longer needed such a large car just for commuting my 75 miles a day to work. I naturally tried an A3 but just felt I wouldn't really be making much in the way of savings on finance and fuel. Many other makes seem to be offering a staple fare of 1 liter or 1.2L turbo engines which I just felt lacked the relaxing drive of a diesel. So I tried the Golf, very nice but expensive and a tad bland, whenI came across the Leon. It ticked the right boxes in terms of having an Audi like cabin, very neat and clutter free interior, sharp exterior lines and a very frugal 1.6 Tdi engine. On my mixed motorway and cross country drive I average 60+ MPG and the drive is smooth and relaxing. The infotainment system is superb, and is something I always look for in my cars to while away the drive to work. On the winter and dark nights the LED headlights (part of the Tech Pack) are superb and give exceptional visibility on country roads. All in all, I love this car it gives a great blend of efficiency, good looks and is less costly than its Audi and Golf equivalents.

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Great engine and brakes, but everything else is poor. Gearbox is shocking and goes into reverse easily when selecting first. Whilst driving some gears are hard to select. Central locking has a mind of its own. Dreadful glare from chrome on dashboard and steering wheel. Drivers seat squeaks constantly. Sat nav/ entertainment unit changes channel by itself and for the first few miles many of the features do not work including the touch screen or button controls. Really uncomfortable on B roads. This is a company car and I certainly wouldn't buy one of my own accord. Worst car I have ever driven. Avoid!!!!!

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No Red thumbs down

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So I bought this car in Feb 16 and not even 6 months into ownership and I already can't wait to get rid of it. I have loved this mk 3 Leon since the day it came out, you can't deny it's great looks, which is the annoying thing. Many of things bug me on this car, most annoying being the thirsty engine which infact is suppost to be one of the most economical cars on the market today which is laughable. Was told by the salesman it would reach at least 70mpg if not 65mpg going off the commuting I do to work and back, still yet to reach 55mpg. Absolute joke. The car has covered 13K miles and has been nothing but un-economical. I owned an Ibiza previous to this car and that had a 1.4 petrol engine and managed 60mpg so this makes me wonder if theres something seriously wrong with this car? Engine is also awfully loud, especially for a diesel, sounds very blowy and always sits at high revs when stationary when the start/stop has a mind of it's own which is normally daily. I think seat have cut corners massively on this car, like no 6th gear in the 1.6 SE Tdi which I think would make a huge differance to econemy and motorway driving. The other really annoying thing is theres always a strange clunk noise from the clutch when going from 3rd to 4th which has happened since day 1 of owning the car. Another annoying noise, the fuel sloshing around in the tank. Awfully noisy and I can even hear it over my music! After reading a lot of reviews you hear a lot of Leon owners complaining about this. It's going into the dealership at only 6 months old due to a fault on the fan coming on every journey and staying on for a worrying amount of time. There is some really good points about this car, it is very comfy to drive long distance, the DAB radio is spot on, the LED lights look great during the day and project light amazingly at night on dark roads, it actually handles quite well for an SE and it feels much more better quality than the previous ibiza I owned. But everything I mentioned just let's the car down as a whole. Definatly going for a Volvo or Kia or something along those lines next. Even owned french cars which seem better than this Leon at times. 2nd owned Seat and will definatly 100% be my last. I'm wondering if the engine is part of the millions made by VW which were in the big scandal?

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I'm very sad to be leaving a bad review of car in which we had so much belief. In fact if SEAT had helped us sort it out, I wouldn't writing this review. My wife loved her 2002 Leon Cupra for 11 more or less fault-free years which lead to her buying this FR 1.8 TSI manual. The power output of her mk1 Cupra and the new FR is about the same but the older car felt much quicker than the new model. It just doesn't feel fast! Annoying issues. There is no alarm / warning for low washer fluid and you will see lots of Leons driving around with their headlights on because there is no alarm on the headlight setting. At night you switch off, no alarm so you drive around all the next day with headlights! Otherwise, first impressions were very positive but we quickly discovered a hesitancy between gears 1 and 2. We were told by Holders SEAT that this was a software issue and SEAT would need to release a software update to rectify. That was two years ago. To be fair, Holders did try to sort out the problem three times but each time the problem has returned. So we are left with a car that when my wife wants to pull out on to a busy A-road, leaves her playing Russion Roulette with articulated lorries because of this issue. Totally unacceptable! So a relationship built up with a brand is again dashed by the brand's inability to sort out a simple problem for a customer. Bye bye SEAT. If you are considering the Leon, which may well be a decent car if you get a good one, check the above issue. It will be difficult to observe on a brand new car!

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This is a company car and has a mixture of hard driving and steady economical runs. It was delivered in June 2014, with LED lights, Sat-Nav, Alcantara seats, skinny spare tyre and 18" wheels. This car did not perform straight out of the box! It was sluggish to the point of me taking it into a SEAT dealer and asking if there was some form of performance limitation during a run in period. I was told there wasn't and the car did not start to perform as I expected until it had reached 15,000 miles. Very strange, as modern cars should perform straight away. I noticed on one occassion that the gearshift in 4th, 5th and 6th was difficult. About two weeks later when I was driving home, I was in 5th and needed to change down to 3rd. The gearstick did not want to come out of the gate! I kept trying and it finally came out. It went into 3rd ok, was happy with 1st and 2nd but was not happy about going into 4th, 5th or 6th. This lasted for about 6 miles, with the shift getting easier. I have never experienced anything quite like this before, in over 1,000,000 miles of driving. I wondered if a bag or something had got caught in the linkage, I found nothing. I mentioned this to SEAT and they could find nothing wrong. The problem has not returned and the car has now covered 48,000 miles. The low coolant warning light came on at around 4,000 miles, a coolant top up was all that was needed (about half a pint). The car has grown on me over time but it is not as good as the equivelant Golf. The Golf has better suspension, cabin materials, etc. But you pay your money and take your choice. There are things that annoy me... The hand brake location is straight from the left hand drive model, as is the bonnet release handle and the flashing alarm LED is on the passenger door. All done to save money. The car has a great engine (now it's performing) and when driving home when the roads are quieter, it really makes for a great nip and tuck driving machine. 3rd and 4th gear acceleration are particularly good from around 3,000 RPM. It is always in Sport mode, the other modes are pointless, there isn't enough distinction between them. There does seem to be a problem with the VW 2.0 diesel engines. When driving on constant throttle position, there is an occassional loss of power. It's just a blip lasting less than a second. The FR184 does it and so does the Golf GT150 I currently have on loan. Try a search on the Internet.... I'm not alone in finding this glitch. The LED headlights are brilliant and give great confidence when driving fast at night. The daytime running lights are probably the coolest of any car on the market. The brakes are also spot on and considering the mileage/use it's had, the discs still have plenty of wear left. Just before Xmas last year a Muntjack deer decided to commit suicide and went through the honeycomb grill. It pushed the main radiator back and cut the coolant pipes. There was also some damage to the wiring loom, about £2,000 of damage in total. I mention this because the car is currently at a SEAT dealership with an electrical problem. The glowplug lamp started flashing last week, reduced engine power and a warning about the start/stop system having a fault. VW assist came out and thought it was a sensor, changed it and it worked of for a couple of minutes, then went into fault again. Another sensor made no difference and it was towed away for the second time in its career! I had a call this afternoon from the SEAT dealer saying that they were "going round in circles" with the fault and have now called VW for advice. On the whole, not a bad car, certainly loads of performance for the money. The fuel economy figures are misleading, I can drive like a nun on a Sunday afternoon but it is very hard to get above 62mpg..... best I got was 69 with only 150 miles on the clock, drafting lorries and coasting down hills.

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We picked the car up from Arnold Clark autostore at 5 months old & 6,000 miles. The car had a full service history from local garage and it's now 3 years and 6 months old with 25,500 miles on the clock. Last week we began to notice it was becoming quite hard to find 1st gear. Took it to local garage, who we have used for 10 years, who put it up on ramps and identified leaking gearbox oil and a repair bill of £2,000. I phoned SEAT customer service who advised a goodwill payment seemed reasonable due to age/mileage, but the car must be sent to a SEAT garage for inspection. SEAT now says they will not make the goodwill payment as we used a non-SEAT garage for services - our nearest garage is 30 miles away, and the quotation for the repair is £3,800! What's worse is to have the car back from the SEAT garage and the bill is £500 just for an inspection! Never buy a SEAT or expect any consideration from their customer service!

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No Red thumbs down

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I have owned a 5-door SEAT Leon 1.4 TSI 140 HP since 2013. The main reason to buy it was the great look and promising engine performance. Fuel consumption is very good and the handling is excellent. The car is spacious and it is good enough for a small family. The materials used are OK - not great but just fine for the car's value. The full LED lights are a huge advantage during the night. The only problem with SEAT is the brand image. A lot of people don’t appreciate it yet, but they don’t know how wrong they are. This is my first SEAT and I am quite impressed.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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I have waited 4 weeks for the car to be delivered with pure excitement. Not only does the Leon FR look amazing, the spec is great too. We got the tech pack thrown in so expected the usual stuff from SEAT. We were not disappointed! The FR truly is a beautiful car to look at with the LED lights and FR trim. The drive... The drive was better than expected! Compared to the Focus ST, this is the winner! The drive position is great with a really smooth manual gearbox and the steering is uber responsive feeling solid in the corners, sticking to the road nicely. The basic sound system is perfectly good enough, sat-nav and all the gadgets work very well. Love the SEAT Profile where you can make it sound a bit meaner however, this is only to be enjoyed inside the car as in reality, it still sounds the same outside the car! The mood lighting has been well designed for the style of car too! There are some really neat things they have done such as the screen puts up a reminder to take your mobile phone with you when you turn the engine off. Little things! Can't fault the car at all - The New SEAT Leon FR everything and more than we expected!

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Great spec but brake parts corrosion after just 3000 miles. Dealer and SEAT not interested! Shame as fab car but........

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The car was fine for the first couple of months then after the first service it has been back and fore the dealer for different problems it is currently in again for a steering rack problem , handbrake issue and other electrical issues

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No Red thumbs down

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Just like Golf MkVII, but less luxurius and more dynamic and sporty

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Yes Green thumbs up

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never gone mechanically wrong since owned

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Yes Green thumbs up

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No Red thumbs down

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No Red thumbs down

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Only issue I've had was an abs sensor (Ł120 fitted)

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Yes Green thumbs up

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No Red thumbs down

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No Red thumbs down

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Not a single problem in the first year

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Very good

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No Red thumbs down

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Very good after a couple of problems when just out of warranty

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Only wear and tear maintanance in 109 000 miles

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Yes Green thumbs up

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no costs other than running and wear and tear

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Excellent

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Yes Green thumbs up

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NO PROBLEMS

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Yes Green thumbs up

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RECURRING PROBLEM WITH SUSPENSION TOOK ALMOST A YEAR TO FIX. ESP PROBLEM REQUIRED RE-TUNE.

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No Red thumbs down

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Brilliant car. Low road tax, 180bhp, all the toys (even SatNav thrown in for free), 45-50mpg. What's not to like? Interior basic but inoffensive – a reasonable place to be for long drives. Only small complaint is a piece of rattling trim that I can't track down... but that's a small problem for an otherwise excellent car.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Never broken down but some ancillary problems

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No Red thumbs down

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Having previously owned a petrol car, this seat leon has completely changed my outlook on diesel cars. I have had next to no problems with my car and the drive is superb

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Always starts in any weather. No ongoing problems

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No Red thumbs down

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perfect so far

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No Red thumbs down

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No problems sofar

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No problems since new.

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No Red thumbs down

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It's fantastic nothing has gone wrong in the last 19 minths

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Yes Green thumbs up

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This is my second Leon and reliability of both cars has been first class

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Yes Green thumbs up

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NEVER LET ME DOWN YET, BUT HAD ONE MINOR ELECTRICAL FAULT

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No Red thumbs down

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no problems with it while i have had it

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Yes Green thumbs up

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very good most of the time. intermitant imobliser problem

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Been fantastic nothing to report

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Only a slight issue with a door control module.

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No Red thumbs down

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For a VAG car, should be better.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Never has skipped a beat

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Never missed a beat since new - no reasons to complain at all

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No Red thumbs down

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never had any problems

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Hasn't let me down once.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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great brand very well built no problems

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very reliable. Had an engine light last year and had a fan repair done.

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No reliability problems with car so far

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No Red thumbs down

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I have owned the car for nearly three years and I haven't experienced any problems.

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Passenger Airbag recurring fault - now at 8 attempts to resolve the problem by main dealer. Injector failure at 51,000, Seat UK Paid for the repairs which would have been over Ł2500. I had to pay to get the car to the Seat Dealer and for the Diagnostic check. Common on the 170bhp engine fitted in the Leon of this age. Affects all the models in the VW / Audi / Seat / Skoda fitted with this engine.

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Never had any problems requiring claiming on warranty

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No reliability issues so far (two and a half months of ownership)

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Had been 100% fine until DPF filter failed needing replacement and also cracking diaphragm on turbo actuator. PRICEY

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Overall very good, but there have been a few niggles.

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No problems encountered

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Yes Green thumbs up

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It has been a very reliable car and I would like to buy another used SEAT

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Apart from an inherited Turbo problems (car same as VW golf) same problems fairly reliable

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No problems at all in 4 years. 100% reliable

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I am very satisfied with the reliability of my car

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I have had no issues with reliability only a couple of minor issues.

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No problems

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It's been the best car i have owned, reliable.

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Never left me stranded. But trouble locking 1door and there is no manual overide. Also intercooler pipe comes off leaving no power.

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nNothing has yet gone wrong with it.

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No issues at all to date

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Superb

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Recurring problem with front suspension required numerous trips to and arguments with the dealership

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Never had any major problems with the car. A leaking fuel filter is the only non-service related repair that has been carried out.

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No Red thumbs down

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Best car i have ever owned. Fast and fairly frugal its also great fun to drive. I have read reviews complaining about the overly firm ride but whilst it is firm its not uncomfortable and the payoff of tight body control is worth it. One of its best features is the cruise control which works brilliantly, certainly better than on a 2013 kia ceed which i had on hire where it varied by 4 mph. However, the leon's best feature is its looks, one of the most stylish cars( in my opinion anyway).

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My car gives the performance and handling of a hot hatch and has the looks tho go with it but has the practicality of a 5 door hatch. While costing much less than some of its competitors it maintains good build quaility and costs less for insurance and road tax. All in all my perfect solution.

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Superb performance hatchback, thrilling fast road capabilities without losing refined motorway driving. Expensive tyres and brakes but always worthwhile, small mechanical niggles and common faults

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I do a lot of miles and within 5 minutes of starting the test drive i knew this was the right car for easy driving over a lot of miles during the year (i also test drove a ford focus and honda civic). A seat is a vw/audi but with a cheaper price tag and this was a hugely attractive aspect to the vehicle - it meant that it would be reliable and so it has proved. The engine is good and strong with plenty of poke for overtaking and whilst fairly economical (average 47mpg), a slightly longer top gear would improve this more on the motorway. The ride and seats are quite firm, but the handling is good although the steering would benefit from a bit more feel. Overall i am very happy with the leon - it is a better looking car than the golf upon which it is based and i never tire of driving it. Even late night blasts home from airports are pleasurable and easy.

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Generally been very happy with it so far. Reliable and comfortable (even on very long journeys), more than adequate equipment as standard. There is plenty of power on tap, this being the 150bhp diesel you can ride a constant tidal wave of torque. Better/sportier looking than the mk 4 golf its based on in my opinion.

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Not happy with car a all

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Stylish, practical, reliable, economical car

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No Red thumbs down

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Well after a painstaking rebuild taking 4 weeks in all (down to ever emptying wallet!) The project is almost complete and my leon is performing well. All in all a very satisfying drive, town and motorway. Visited yorkshire last week 650 mile one tank, pleasantly surprised ! Very happy with my purchase :)

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No Red thumbs down

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Reliable, sporty, practical and fun to drive. A good 'warm hatch'.

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No Red thumbs down

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Fast, reliable, fun

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Leon fr is a very well finished of car good on fuel and cheap to insure

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Very reliable with reasonable economy & running costs ,good performance & handling, high level of standard equipment and very competetivly priced

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Excellent car but a little thirsty for me.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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A fantastic all rounder, easily tuned and still maintains reliability. Fantastic machine

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Yes Green thumbs up

SEAT Leon hatchback (2013-2020): owner reviews

“The SEAT Leon is a talented family hatchback, thanks to its stylish looks, impressive engines and generous trim levels”

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