SEAT Leon ST (2014 - 2020) 1.6 TDI (110bhp) SE Technology Business 5d Owner Review

I needed an economical family car which will cope with my long (80 miles+) daily motorway commute. The 1.6TDI has more than enough grunt to keep up with motorway traffic and is very quiet when cruising. The Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) should be standard fit on all cars and is a godsend on long motorway drives, it makes driving on congested motorways much safer and less stressful. I find the SatNav good and Traffic info to be quite useful on the motorways - it is probably less useful for other roads. Economy is good - I average 63mpg on motorway driving - 50-55 mpg around town, I think that the stop-start helps in this respect. As with all modern diesels, a lot of town driving will trigger an active regen cycle - this can impact on fuel consumption whilst the cycle is ongoing - but is not normally an issue for me - if you do a lot of town driving you might be better off with a petrol version. The DAB radio is really good and clear and the bluetooth phone connection works really well, with good clear calls. The LED daytime running lights look good and really mark the car out - however, the LED headlights are not that bright, particularly on unlit rural roads - the conventional halogen lights on my old car were much brighter and allowed you to see much further in the dark than these LED lights do. There's a clear trade of between style and functionality with the LED lights - I mostly drive on lit roads at night - but if you live in a rural area you may want to consider carefully what you go for if you have to drive on a lot of unlit roads at night. The boot is large and the 'false floor' allows more storage space, we've easily managed to pack up for a weeks holiday in the boot space. I've bought the optional spare wheel for my car, but that doesn't take up any more room than the standard tyre repair kit. There are lots of useful cubbie holes and storage spaces, although the glove box is only big enough to fit a pair of gloves in - most of the space is taken up by the CD player. The media player works well though - I now play most of my music off of a USB stick which plugs straight into one of the supplied cables. On top of all that the car looks good - much more stylish that a Focus, Astra or Octavia. The seats are comfortable with plenty of adjustment and there is a good amount of legroom in the back. The car is low, which gives a sporty feel - but it is a struggle for my elderly parents to get into and out of - something to bear in mind if this is going to be a regular use of the vehicle. In summary - I was looking for a car which had a lot of the gadgets that I need for long motorway drives, was stylish, comfortable and economical. This ticks all of those boxes and is a very competent family car.