SEAT Leon X-perience estate (2014-2018) - Interior & comfort
The SEAT Leon X-perience has an excellent interior, but there’s little to set it apart from cheaper models inside
Slide into the driver’s seat of the Leon X-perience and you’ll find little to set it apart from the basic model, apart from some X-perience badges, orange stitching and more supportive front seats. Happily, the standard Leon’s high-quality plastics have been carried over, but some additional features – such as leather upholstery – wouldn’t go amiss given the significant price difference.
On the plus side, getting comfortable is easy thanks to the car’s excellent driving position and wide range of adjustment for the driver’s seat and steering wheel. While the SEAT’s additional ride height doesn’t have you sitting as high up as a traditional SUV, it does give you a feeling of added security compared to a normal car. All models also come with rear parking sensors, which should make reverse-parking into tight spaces a lot more straightforward.
The X-perience’s raised suspension helps to make it more comfortable than the standard car, and while the diesel engines can be noisy when accelerating, they quickly settle down at a cruise.
SEAT Leon X-perience dashboard
If interior quality is a top priority, you’ll approve of the Leon X-perience. It has the same dashboard design as the rest of the Leon range, which means it’s solidly built from classy, soft-touch plastics. Poke around and you’ll find areas that fall behind the Volkswagen Golf, but the differences are marginal and the SEAT’s overall design is arguably more stylish.
As they sit at the top of the Leon range, all X-perience models have a 5.6-inch touchscreen that’s both easier to use and better-looking than the normal five-inch display.
Equipment
Although the basic Leon X-perience is based on the SE specification level, it has a number of extras that mark it out and add to its rugged appeal. These include unique 17-inch twin-spoke alloy wheels, black roof rails, tinted rear windows and twin exhaust pipes. The X-perience SE adds useful features such as all-round electric windows, cruise control, air-conditioning, a Bluetooth phone connection and two 12v plug sockets.
Choose the lower-powered 148bhp model and you can also select the £1,985 SE Technology pack. This gives you some equipment that’s standard in the more powerful car, including a 5.8-inch touchscreen, a DAB digital radio and sat nav, plus automatic headlights and wipers. The £1,250 Lux pack adds a sense of luxury that’s otherwise missing from the X-perience. It includes leather upholstery, heated front seats, headlight washers and an electrically adjustable driver’s seat.
