SEAT Leon Hatchback (2013 - 2020) 1.4 EcoTSI (150bhp) FR (Technology Pack) 5d Owner Review

Looks: The Leon's looks great - especially the FR's. Can't really fault it here. Performance: Fantastic - really is super easy to get up to speed. A little lag when initially pressing the pedal but that's just because I'm used to non-turbo cars - plus the car tries to do it's eco thing as much as possible so it takes a brief moment for it to give you full power. The fuel economy is great assuming you don't use too much of the turbo boost - we can easily get over 50mpg (on the onboard computer) if we're taking it steady - the eco / 2 cylinder mode & start/stop helps with fuel economy quite a bit. Handing: Unfortunately this is where this car falls short in my opinion. The steering is just numb. You get practically zero feedback on what the wheels are doing through the steering wheel meaning that the fine positioning of the car on the road is through vision rather than feel. Sport mode makes the steering heavier but seems to be no better in terms of feedback from the front wheels. The suspension does feel quite firm which is great in terms of being able to carry corner speed but without the feel from the wheels, its very difficult to gauge the grip levels. I guess you get used to it but our old Mazda 3 was definitely more pleasing to drive quickly around corners than the Leon. Equipment: Great - no problems - gadgets galore! I like the Satnav/infotainment screen and the inbuilt ability to play music off of a SD card/USB drives. Sadly, the Satnav isn't updatable without paying the dealers a ludicrous amount of money. Comfort: Once in, its really good and comfy but the deep sport seats do make it tricky to get in and out of smoothly (and I'm not old!). Really nice in the back, for our lucky children! Practicality: pretty good - the boot is not as big as our old Mazda 3 but the car overall is slightly smaller so that's fine. The kids have enough room in the back for their car seats. In short, a fast, smooth and quiet car but definitely not what I'd consider a drivers car. The completely numb steering kills some of the fun factor for me but sadly this seems to be in line with other VAG group cars I've driven. The short, short version is: It's a German pretending to be Spanish.