(Published March 2008, picture by me)
The first generation SEAT Leon was a tidy if rather anonymous-looking car, but as befits their image as a sporting Latin brand, the new Leon is a sporty looking machine, combining concave and convex curves with a stance which makes it look like a Spanish bull ready to charge.
That image is helped a lot by the optional sports bodykit of the model tested here, the Leon 1.4 Sport Plus. The Sport Plus is the latest addition to the Leon range and possesses what can rightly be viewed as the future of petrol engines.
The 1.4 litre engine is turbocharged and produces 125bhp, which a high output for such a small engine, but is achieved through modern turbocharging techniques, rather than by over-stressing the engine.
The result is a car which has the poke of a 1.8 or 2 litre engine, but the economy of a regular 1.4 (in fact, the Leon boasts fuel economy better than many 1.4s).
Combine this with a slick six-speed manual gearbox and some sculpted sports seats and you have a very desirable car that can fulfil the dual roles of pocket rocket and family runabout with aplomb.
The Leon is based on the structure of the latest Volkswagen Golf, but you would be hard pressed to find any similarities, inside or out, with its sister car, such is the comprehensive job SEAT has done of making the Leon stand out from the crowd.
Against more staid family hatchback opposition, the Leon looks dramatic. The curvy front leads into the swept back windscreen which ends abruptly at the dramatic tail, with its small rear window.
A swage line comes off the trailing edge of the front wheelarch and sweeps downward through the front and rear doors. Added to this, the Leon’s rear door handles are integrated into the C-pillar, a design trait started by another Latin car company, Alfa Romeo, with the 156.
The bodykit makes a dramatic difference to the lines of the Leon Sport Plus. A gaping front grille is framed by smaller gills on either side. Modest side skirts accentuate the curved doors while a prominent rear spoiler combines with twin chrome exhausts that jut out of the fat rear bumper to make the car even more dramatic from behind.
The radiant Emocion Red of the test car shows that, unlike some cars in the class, the Leon can carry off a bright colour scheme. For the unabashed there are two other optional non-metallic colours available, Crono Yellow and Candy White (there is also a palette of more sober metallic colours available as options).
Sitting in to the Leon, the first thing you notice is the low roof-line and high shoulder-line which makes you feel like you’re sitting deep within the car.
Getting comfortable in the sports seats is easy. The driver’s seat adjusts for height and the sporty three-spoke steering wheel, covered in dark leather, can adjust for rake and reach.
A quick rev of the engine produces a noticeable thrum from the engine through those large twin exhausts. It’s not ‘boy racer’ loud, but it is pleasingly sporting nevertheless.
On the open road, the Leon doesn’t let the side down. The body is well controlled, although this is somewhat at the expense of ride comfort, which can be a bit harsh on broken surfaces and over potholes.
The flipside is that the car begs to be thrown into corners. With the bolstered sports seats holding you in place, you can revel in the directness of the steering and the feel of that thick steering wheel in your hands.
As you can see from the photographs, there was a liberal sprinkling of March snow on the ground when this car was driven, but the standard traction control dealt impeccably with the conditions. The only time it was caught out was on a little-used roundabout when standing slush caused the front to push wide a little.
The six-speed gearbox is a delight to use on the move, flowing smoothly up through the gears, although for the first few outings you will be concentrating hard going down the gears, to ensure you don’t drop into third instead of fifth or second instead of fourth.
On narrow country roads, the Leon inspires confidence, but the thick windscreen pillars can sometimes require you to cock your head in order to see around a sharp right hander (or entering roundabouts).
The reason for this is that the windscreen wipers fold into the pillars on either side. It is a novel feature, but one with obvious benefits as the wipers clear more of the screen visible to the driver and reduce the wind resistance when folded away.
Coming out of a tight corner in second gear it is hard to resist revving the engine out to 5,000rpm to hear that lovely exhaust note, but it is worth noting that while your front passenger might be ensconced in an identical sports seat, those in the back could find themselves sliding across the flat rear row if you are less than considerate with your pace.
As an environment to spend time in, the Leon’s interior is sober and functional. The centre console looks quite bare with just the CD player and heating controls, but this uncomplicated arrangement works well in practice.
The CD player is Mp3 compatible and provides a good spread of sound, although the readout is set too low in the dashboard, causing the driver to take his or her eyes off the road for a second or two to absorb the information displayed.
On the practical front, the Leon has plenty of cubby holes, decent rear accommodation, but only an average-sized boot, with a small rear opening and a high loading lip, a result of its sporting looks.
The Leon’s bigger brother, the Altea, addresses any practicality concerns, being easier to get in and out of, more accommodating in the back and having a bigger boot, but you trade almost all of the Leon’s sporty looks for that practicality. The choice is yours.
For those smitten with this particular example, the Leon 1.4 Sport Plus starts at E23,300, rising to E26,995 when combined with the extensive Aerodynamic Body Kit.
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