First Drive: Seat Leon

by Joanne Ahern • March 1, 2013 • Car Reviews, First Drives

2013 Seat Leon FR exterior front left static

Three trim levels are available in the new Seat Leon, including the top of the range FR

‘Truly outstanding’ is how Seat Ireland director Cian O’Brien describes the new Seat Leon, which we had the pleasure of taking for a quick spin at its Irish launch yesterday.

Based on the Volkswagen Golf platform, the new Seat Leon has been redesigned from the ground up and now boasts a bigger cabin, a longer boot space and better shoulder room.

Twelve models in three trims – Reference, Style and FR – will be available in the Irish market.

Engine choices include a 1.2-litre TSI petrol in 86bhp or 105bhp; 1.6-litre TDI diesel in 90bhp or 105bhp; 1.8-litre 180bhp TSI petrol and 2.0-litre TDI in 150bhp or 184bhp.

Seat expects the 1.6 TDI model will be the most popular. It has fuel economy of 3.8./100km and with emissions of 99g/km it will have an annual road tax of €180.

Air conditioning; Bluetooth; a 5” colour touch screen infotainment system with MP3, USB, SD card; and a multifunction steering wheel are as standard on the entry level model.

Move up to the mid level Style trim, where cruise control; hill hold; electric windows; leather steering wheel and front fog lights with cornering function are standard.

And the top of the range FR trim includes lights and rains sensors, rear parking sensors, two zone climatic air conditioning, the Seat Drive Profile, which allows the driver to choose between four driving modes – eco, normal, sport and customised; multicolour ambient lighting; FR steering wheel, gear stick and hand brake, as well as sports seats and suspension and full LED front and rear lights are just some of the standard features.

The interior in the new Seat Leon is much brighter than that of the outgoing model

We at ATL really liked the outgoing Seat Leon and we were very impressed with the new 1.6-litre 105bhp diesel Style model we took for a quick drive around Dublin city yesterday.

A dull interior is something we’ve criticised the Seat Leon for in the past but we have no complaints on this front with the new Style model.

Chrome surrounds on the dashboard instruments and nice bright dials, coupled with the two-tone black and grey upholstery gave the cabin a much brighter look.

I found the cabin to be very roomy, with great legroom back and front and the boot is also quite big, and also accommodated a spare wheel.

As the owner of oversized sunglasses that never fit in the designated sunglasses compartment, I was delighted with the large sunglasses slot in the centre console.

I also liked the unobtrusive centre armrest/storage box which I found to be very well positioned.

I really enjoyed driving the new Seat Leon, it has a lovely feel to it. Steering was light and the car was very smooth on the road.

A zippy engine gave it great city acceleration. Obviously, on a city route I didn’t get to motorway speeds, but going on city performance I have high hopes for it.

First impressions suggest the new Seat Leon certainly has the potential to be truly outstanding and I’m looking forward to really putting it through its paces in a longer test run.

Prices for the new Seat Leon start from €18,995 for the 1.2 TSI Reference. The Style model costs from €21,395, with pricing for the the FR model starting from €26,825.

Watch Seat Ireland director Cian O’Brien speak about the new Seat Leon

Visit the Seat Ireland website or its Facebook page for further details.