Seat Leon (2005-) Review

On the road

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The Leon has MacPherson struts at the front and an independent, four-arm multilink set-up at the rear. This is designed to give a better ride and handling compromise, and when riding on smaller wheel-and-tyre combinations, the Leon does indeed deliver a composed, relaxed ride quality. Predictably, opting for bigger wheels does have an impact on the ride, producing more nervousness and bounce over rougher surfaces.

Otherwise, the Leon reveals VW Group handling characteristics, with fluent balance through the corners and good feedback through the electric power steering. The five and six-speed manual gearboxes are also a real joy to use, with mechanical precision and a lovely metal-through-oil feel to the action. The latest-generation DSG automatic is also one of the smoothest and fastest-reacting boxes we've ever sampled, and its sequential shift mode makes press-on driving great fun. That said, the DSG 'box can be worryingly sluggish when you want a swift standing-start getaway when used with the diesel engines.

One of the most amusing features we've ever encountered, though, is the Driver Steering Recommendation system. This clever piece of software detects when the car is going into oversteer - i.e. the tail of the car is sliding out of its cornering line - and actually sends a signal to the steering systems electric motor to turn the wheel in a way that will prevent the impending spin. The system basically suggests, with a gentle nudge, that the driver might want to consider steering into the spin - the driver is always in control, though, and can over-ride the 'suggestion'.

Seven engines are offered in the Leon  four petrol and three diesel. The entry-level Leon is a 102bhp 1.6-litre petrol unit, and while it feels sluggish in higher gears, requiring a fair amount of downshifting to keep momentum up, the claimed performance figures are acceptable enough - that's 0-62mph in 11.7secs and a top speed of 114mph. There are three 2.0-litre petrol engines, a 148bhp normally aspirated version and 197bhp and 237bhp turbos  offered only in the Leon FR and Cupra respectively. The regular 2.0-litre has a 0-62mph time of 8.8secs and a top speed of 128mph, and certainly feels more alive on the road than the 1.6-litre.

It's the diesel engines, once again, that prove the most flexible performers. The 103bhp 1.9-litre TDI has good, solid mid-range punch, making it a lot quicker in the motorway-merge from 50-70mph than the 1.6 petrol. It also makes for more relaxed progress as each gear has a broader effective speed range, meaning fewer downshifts. The 1.9TDI is, though, an unrefined and loud beast, especially under hard throttle.

For us, the pick of the bunch is the 138bhp 2.0-litre TDI. Available with either a six-speed manual or the excellent DSG, the 2.0 TDI is more refined than its 1.9 sibling - though it can still be raucous at start-up and when pushed - and it delivers excellent performance. This engine is particularly well suited to the DSG automatic gearbox, which deals with its prodigious torque while providing literally seamless shifts. The Leon FR is also available with a 168bhp version of the 2.0-litre TDI.