Seat in the driving seat with new Leon

by Joanne Ahern • July 17, 2013 • Car Reviews, Test Drives

2013 Seat Leon exterior front left dynamic

A very handsome looking car, the Seat Leon handles well

Seat always produces eminently drivable cars and the third generation Seat Leon scores highly on the style front as well.

The sporty-looking family compact oozes sophistication and while Seat won’t be accused of avant-garde interior design, it is practical and understated.

It’s a comfortable car with great legroom and headroom, back and front, and loads of storage cubbies too. The storage box in the centre console is well placed but is on the small size.

The cockpit, meanwhile, is well laid out and driver focused, with the centre console slightly angled towards the driver.

The mid-level Style trim test car was well specced, with cruise control, hill hold control and Bluetooth as standard.

I really liked that you just had to switch the cruise control on once and that it was automatically ready for use when you started the engine again.

The cockpit in the Seat Leon isn’t particularly trendy, but it is user friendly and functional

The control was also well placed on a stalk off the steering wheel and I also like that it held the set speed when you changed gears.

The Seat Leon is eco friendly, with a gear recommendation function and stop/start technology, which saves fuel by cutting the engine when you’re stopped in traffic. This is perfect for city driving.

The test car also had electric windows, air conditioning and a spare wheel.

While it wouldn’t be considered large, the boot is a decent size and can be made bigger by folding the rear seats – these don’t lie flat though. I thought the boot lip was very high as well and it made it difficult to load and unload heavy items.

Infotainment was provided for in the form of a 5” touch screen unit that carried radio/CD/USB/MP3/SD card.

The test car was a five-speed manual 1.6 litre diesel and it was great to drive. I really enjoyed my time behind the wheel.

The boot in the Seat Leon is a decent size

We took it all over the country, in the city, on urban and national motorway and on hilly routes.

It’s a pacy little car, with lovely smooth gear changes and great acceleration. It was pretty fast at the lights, great at overtaking and had no problem reaching or maintaining the top motorway speeds.

It also handled bendy roads well. While there weren’t any sensors fitted to the test car, I found it easy to park.

The Seat Leon has already won the Auto Express Car of the Year award in the UK and I reckon it’s well worth a look.

Overall, I think it’s a really classy looking, hard working family car that will see you taking the long way home.

The Seat Leon is available now, with prices starting from €18,995. Prices for the Style trim variant I was driving cost from €23,175.

Tech Spec
Engine: 1.6 TDI 105bhp (diesel)
Acceleration: 0-100kph in 10.7 seconds
Top speed: 190kph
Fuel Economy: 3.8l/100km
CO2 emissions: 99g/km
Annual road tax: €180

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