Seat Leon 1.0 TSI 110 2021 long-term review

Is the Spanish hatchback more youthful and fun than its pricier Golf sibling - or just second best? We aim to see

*Why we’re running it: *To find out how appealing this dynamic family hatch is in its most basic form

-Month 2 - Month 1 - Specs-

-Life with a Seat Leon: Month 2-

*Subtle changes compared to old model - 27 January 2020*

The Mk4 Leon’s styling evolution seemed distinctly less subtle next to a same-colour Mk3 during an impromptu Tesco twin test. Seat’s new-look front end is more distinguishable from other VW Group models, and the introduction of a few angles here and there has injected welcome aggression to the stance. I admired this older car’s five-spoke alloys, though, which look less fussy than our car’s 15-spoke items.

*Mileage: 2233*

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*How does our no-frills car compare with an entry-level Golf? - 13 January 2020*

It’s quite telling that even my friends who have little knowledge of or interest in cars know that a Seat Leon is “basically a Golf” underneath. It seems decades of platform sharing has a downside in that you become notorious for it, even though essentially everybody is doing it these days.

But I had a feeling that in the Volkswagen Group’s cost-sensitive, post-Dieselgate era, its genetic homogeneity between brands was more obvious than ever. So when we had a comparable VW Golf booked in, I leapt at the chance to get them together for closer examination.

The 1.0-litre Life model we have here is the lowest rung of the Golf ladder. But even that is £3000 more than the cheapest Leon powered by the same engine, and £1800 or so more than our middling SE Dynamic model. Overpriced for a ‘boggo’ trim? Possibly, but the VW is actually better equipped than our Seat.

It shares the larger touchscreen and digital instruments of our Leon but adds features such as multicolour ambient lighting, puddle lights in the mirrors, adaptive cruise control and lumbar adjustment. Although both cars feature LED main lights all round, only the Golf has a ‘coming and leaving home’ feature – a major omission from our Leon, I reckon. Simple features such as a front and rear armrest are present, too, unlike in the Leon. The one thing the Golf doesn’t have that it needs is larger wheels: those 16in items look pretty lost in its arches.

There’s no doubt in my mind, though, that the Golf is a nicer place to sit. Sure, the basic dashboard architecture and infotainment are the same, but there’s a greater feeling of perceived quality, plushness and material variety, and the ambient lighting adds to the sense of it being a class above, for me. The Leon looks and feels that bit more workaday, with fewer soft-touch elements and, in our long-term test car at least, more niggling trim rattles that are emerging in the cold weather.

Dimensionally, there’s a hair’s breadth between them, so both are impressively roomy for the class. But the Leon lacks a height-adjustable boot floor and underfloor storage, both of which are present in the Golf and expected these days.

Each of the two brands has cleverly tailored its car’s driving experience to suit its target audience, too. Seat, whose buyers are said to be the youngest of any VW Group brand, has firmed the damping and sharpened the steering response a touch, giving the Leon tighter body control and a keener turn-in without sacrificing too much to comfort.

The Golf, by contrast, feels looser and less direct in the bends (although still composed enough) but counters with a more plushly damped ride and more insulation to reduce road noise.

Unsurprisingly, both engines behave identically, although the Golf’s unit is again slightly better insulated from the cabin. Oddly, given both have identical power and torque figures and weigh about the same, VW quotes a 4mph higher top speed and slightly quicker 0-62mph time than Seat does for the Leon. Is it down to aerodynamics and tuning? Or is it a case of the Golf having to be seen to be ‘better’ to justify the price? Part of me suspects it’s the latter.

Better on paper the Golf may be, but could I justify spending the extra? Personally, no. What I’d do is use it to get a better spec of Leon.

*Love it:*

*How it looks *The Golf may be nicer inside, but I much prefer the Leon’s sharper exterior.

*Loathe it:*

*Penny pinching *Base-model omissions such as the lack of any centre armrests are a bit mean.

*Mileage: 2189*

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*Doesn’t see the light - 6 January 2020*

A reader emailed me to express his displeasure that the new Leon SE Dynamic he had ordered (like ours) doesn’t come with the full-width LED tail-light strip that higher trims do. I can understand Seat wanting to walk buyers up the trim ladder, but to omit a key part of the rear-end design is a shame. The low-mounted third brake light in its place looks odd.

*Mileage: 1925*

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-Life with a Seat Leon: Month 1-

*Too much safety information - 2 December 2020*

I don’t get on with the Leon’s lanekeeping assistance, but that’s the same with most cars. What isn’t the same is that when you turn it off, not one but two warning lights come on: a subtle one in the instruments and a bright orange triangle beside the binnacle. This is so distractingly visible in the dark that I’ve resorted to covering it with electrical tape.

*Mileage: 1275*

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*Welcoming the Leon to the fleet - 25 November 2020*

It rarely escapes your notice that we tend to find ourselves in high-spec test cars. But it’s not usually our fault.

Manufacturers generally prefer us to try the all-singing, all-dancing models with every conceivable feature or a vast array of options, so that’s the kind of car they often provide us with.

Their reasoning is twofold. Of course, it means the car in our pictures is the most desirable it can be. But it also gives us something to talk about and lets us work out which options are worth speccing or not. For our latest long-term test car, though, things are simpler: Seat has sent us what can unkindly be called a ‘boggo’ version of its new-generation Leon to get to know.

All right, so our SE Dynamic car is one rung up from entry level, but it does use the entry engine: a 108bhp 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol with no mild-hybrid tech in sight. Even more unusually for a press car, it doesn’t have a single option. Even metallic paint is a no-cost addition.

So while expectations will be kept in check, it’s often quite endearing to drive a modestly specced, small-wheeled, low-powered variant – particularly one with a manual gearbox, as we have here. We’ll also be moving up the range in a few months to see if the additional expense is worth it.

But back to this Leon. At a smidge under £21k (a price we’re becoming used to seeing on superminis these days), it’s a decent amount of car for modest cash. Yet it’s not too utilitarian inside, featuring the larger, 10.0in touchscreen with satellite navigation and voice control, the digital cockpit, climate and cruise control, LED headlights, keyless start and even park assist (alongside front and rear sensors).

There’s no nasty plastic wheel and gearknob, as both are stitched in leather. There’s also a suite of safety tech, including lane keep assist and front assist. In short, it ticks the boxes customers expect it to, and a few more besides.

Or does it? Maybe my expectations are different from those of typical buyers, but there are a few missing features that I’d consider pretty fundamental for any £20k-plus hatchback. Things such as coming and-leaving-home lighting, a central armrest and even a rear armrest-cum-ski hatch are made conspicuous by their absence. All three are added on higher trims, such as FR, but frankly are far more of a priority to me than any self-parking wizardry.

No Leon has a variable boot floor, either, meaning a big hump to lift stuff over when the seats are folded. It’s becoming increasingly apparent that to satisfy Euro NCAP assist tech regulations and still keep the gadgets customers expect at a palatable price, some makers are resorting to ever more visible cost trimming.

Anyway, moan over. A few missing essentials on this spec aside, the Leon’s cabin is comfortable to spend time in and it seems well screwed together for the price. I have no trouble getting my 6ft 3in frame settled in the driver’s seat thanks to a wide range of adjustment. It’s also a more visually appealing design inside (to me, at least) than its predecessor, thanks to the shapely dashboard and mixture of colours and materials, even at this end of the range.

The button-averse minimalism does have some drawbacks, namely of the ergonomic variety. For example, I find the touch-sensitive temperature and volume panel below the screen sometimes needs a second prod to respond. More annoyingly, though, it’s not backlit, so I can’t use it at all at night – a bizarre oversight. At least the touchscreen is one of the more responsive and intuitive to operate that I’ve tried at this price point.

After the storming performance of my previous Audi S5 long-termer, I was concerned that this 108bhp Leon would feel thrashy and underpowered in comparison. In fact, it’s far from it. First, because noise and vibration levels – a common three-cylinder bugbear – are commendably low, to the point that I’ve sometimes found myself cruising along in a much lower gear than I thought I was in. But also because peak torque – a healthy 148lb ft – comes in at just 2000rpm, making it feel gutsier than it actually is. It causes me to think back to the 2.0-litre Mazda 3 I ran earlier this year, which, despite a much punchier 178bhp, lacked a turbo, leaving you with the impression that it feels more strained at lower revs than this half-capacity Leon.

Fuel economy is hovering around 45mpg so far, which is fine rather than remarkable, and I’ll see if it improves as the car crosses the 1000-mile mark. The manual shift, positive steering and eager engine have resulted in frequent spirited driving, though, so it’s not bad. The Leon is more fun to drive than you might expect for a cheaper model, despite lacking the multi-link suspension of posher versions. I’ll be experiencing that more once lockdown is over.

*Second Opinion*

Once the opportunity presents itself, I’m sure the Leon’s dynamism will quickly make up for the ‘FOMO’ of a modest kit list. Seat’s family hatchback may not have as refined a ride as the Golf with which it shares a platform, but it feels that little bit more engaging, more alert through the corners, and, to my eyes, it has the edge in terms of styling.

*Tom Morgan*

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-Seat Leon 1.0 TSI 110 SE Dynamic specification-

*Specs: Price New* £20,995 *Price as tested* £20,995 *Options* None

*Test Data: Engine* 999cc, 3-cyls, turbocharged petrol *Power* 110bhp at 5500rpm *Torque* 148lb ft at 2000rpm *Kerb weight* 1204kg *Top speed* 122mph *0-62mph* 10.9sec *Fuel economy* 51.4mpg *CO2* 126g/km *Faults* None *Expenses* None

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