• Roomy passenger compartment
• Excellent boot space
• Compact on the road
  

How much space is there?

As with the hatchback, this SEAT Leon Estate has a longer wheelbase (the space between the front and rear axles) than the previous model, which makes for a larger cabin, particularly when it comes to legroom in the rear.

We also found a good amount of footspace in the rear outermost seats and thanks to the wagon’s extra glass, a decent amount of light too. Don’t put anyone you like in the fifth seat for any length of time though, that really is good for occasional use only.

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Boot space and storage

Now we’re into the Leon Estate’s homeland, the size of its cargo bay. The wagon packs a mighty 620 litres (1,620 rear seats folded) in petrol or diesel form, with the hybrid and its associated electrical components weighing in with a reduced 470 litres (1,470). Overall, this makes it slightly larger than the VW Golf Estate but still smaller than the Skoda Octavia Estate. The floor retains the hatchback’s long and flat shape, plus 60:40 split rear seats to help carry longer items without completely sacrificing rear passenger capability.

Storage space is about average with pockets on the backs of the front seats, and large door bins all round. As with the hatchback, drinks storage in the centre console is a little tight, particularly in manual gearbox models. Slightly further back than this is a huge under arm cubby, perfect for all your loose items like phones and wallets.

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Is it easy to park?

Externally the estate is the same width and height as the standard Leon but a little bit longer in the rear overhang. This means it shouldn’t be any less manoeuvrable in narrow streets but might stick out a little further in a short parking space.

Big door mirrors make it easy to see around though, and rear parking sensors as standard give you a safety net when negotiating hard to see obstacles. There’s the same good view out as the hatchback with cleverly shaped a-pillars and a low dashboard top that you don’t have to crane your neck to see over.

Safety

• Five-star Euro NCAP safety rating for hatchback
• Autonomous tech as standard
• Next-gen adaptive cruise control an option

No car can get a top Euro NCAP rating without offering loads of driver assistance tech and the SEAT Leon Estate is no exception, even if its five-star rating is derived from the five-door hatchback. Standard gadgets include full LED headlights, with top models benefitting from fully automatic adaptive units. That’s on top of the usual collection of safety systems including Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) and lane-keeping assist.

You can upgrade to predictive cruise control, which goes one step beyond adaptive cruise control by not only keeping you in your lane and matching your speed to the vehicle in front, but calling on satellite traffic data and traffic-sign recognition to adjust the car’s speed if necessary.

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You can’t fully take your hands off the wheel (after 15 seconds the system will tell you to put them back on) but it takes the sting out of a long drive. That said, we found the lane-keep assist system a bit annoying in the hatchback, with lots of intervention in the form of wheel twitches and warning bongs. Make sure you test the system on your test drive.