27 Jul 06
Hot hatches are back, but is the Golf GTI a little too estate-agent for your liking? Don't fancy looking like a late-night mini-cabber in an Octavia vRS? The Seat Leon FR might well tickle your fancy.
Powered by the same 197bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged FSI engine that lives in the Golf and the Octavia, the Leon FR is capable of a 0-62mph time of 7.3seconds and a top speed of 142mph. This is on a par with the vRS and marginally slower than the GTI (6.9seconds 0-62mph), but in the real world, you'd be hard-pushed to notice the difference.
Looks-wise, the Leon FR couldn't be more different from its conservative cousins. Wearing lurid yellow paint, the Leon certainly stands out from the crowd (other less eye-searing shades are also available). This, coupled with a deep front bumper and a purely cosmetic rear diffuser, distinguishes the FR from lesser Leons.
17" alloys are standard-fit, although some lairier 18s cost just £350 and would funk up the exterior even further - at the expense of a harsher ride, of course, but sometimes looking good is all that matters. Some silver mirror caps, a twin exhaust and a handful of FR badges complete the look.
Inside, things are suitably sported up with a leather-clad steering wheel, bottom-hugging sports seats and a "unique" (large, tasteless, uncomfortable) FR gearstick - but the cabin lacks the overall pizzazz of the exterior. The headlining and windscreen pillars are covered in a light grey fabric; in something like the hooligan Astra VXR, they're black, creating a dark and moody feel to the cabin. The Leon just feels like a souped-up family hatch, rather than an on-the-edge tarmac animal, at least when you first step inside.
