2017 Seat Leon review I’ll let you into a little secret you see underneath this stay at Leon is actually a Volkswagen Golf in fact it’s also an Audi a3 and a Skoda Octavia –

and that’s all down to parts sharing which allows big companies like the Volkswagen Group to save money but it also means that because all of those

cars are very good indeed hopes are high for this latest lay on family hatchback it’s a big car for stay out – a company which let’s not forget is on a bit of a

2017 Seat Leon review

roll at the moment with both the Ibiza hatchback and the attack a small SUV being well received so can this updated lay on still cut it makes the big

selling rival such as the Ford Focus and Vauxhall Astra and how does it compare to its Volkswagen Group brethren that’s what we’re going to find out in this

review starting with how it handles on UK roads with so many engine options from within the Volkswagen Group to choose from it’s perhaps unsurprising

that there are nine yes nine different choices on offer there are six petrels and three diesels but the engine we ultimately recommend is the 1.4 liter

Ecotec petrol which we’ve got here with 148 brake horsepower and offer this turbocharged petrol engine is pleasantly fast but it’s also frugal in fact on the

motorway he can shut down two of its four cylinders to save fuel alternatively if you’re going to be doing big miles than the 1.6 litre

diesel returns even better real-world fuel economy and is still a pleasantly fast there are two gearboxes to choos from a 7-speed automatic and a 6-speed

manual and both do a good job of making the most of the power on offer in fact this is one of the more fun family hatchbacks to drive quickly with quick

but accurate steering allowing you to move Arwen you want it on the road unfortunately the lay on is less refined than its Volkswagen and Audi stablemates

and even though there’s very little noise from the engines at motorway speeds there is some wind and road noise the lay on standard suspension is fairly

comfortable and on this fr technology version we’ve got lowered sport suspension which is firmer but keeps body roll in check the lay on is a good

choice if you want to drive an involving family hatchback it’s easy to get comfortable inside the lay on thanks to this supportive seat and also the

steering wheel which adjust up and down as well as in and out now if you go for an fr technology version or an excellence version or indeed the

range-topping cooper models then you also get these more supportive sports seats which do a good job of holding you in place through faster corners and all

of that means it’s easy to find in your perfect driving position it’s just a shame that lumbar support isn’t available on entry-level models head up

to se specification though and you do get it alongside this height adjustable central armrest now it’s hard to fault the view out the front of the lay on

because the great visibility means it’s very easy to park although the sam can’t be said if you’re looking at the back where those thick rear pillars

hamper your rear visibility if you go for an SE dynamic technology model though then you get rear parking sensors as standard and you can add them on

lower-end models for a reasonable cost there’s also a reversing camera on the options list now this interior is best described as smart rather than plush but

most of the services you touch feel good even though it’s not quite up to the same standard as a Volkswagen Golf it’s better than what you’ll find in a Ford

Focus go for the most basic lay on and you’ll get a 5-inch color touchscreen system which includes Bluetooth connectivity as standard although sadly

there’s no Bab radio for that you’ll need to upgrade to se technology or above which gets you a DA B radio as part of this larger 8-inch touchscreen

instead which also includes satellite navigation now this system is like most hot screens in that there are very few buttons around in fact there’s only to

once take you back to the home you and one too you say apps a full link system which incorporates apple carplay Android auto and mirror link so you can

always connect your phone and we’ll do that in a minute however the rest of the system works pretty well although when you’re driving along it you can find it difficult to

hit some of the smaller icons so really we’d still prefer a rotary dial or at least more shortcut buttons around this system but let’s see how easy it is to

use in practice first I’m going to try and pair my mobile phone using bluetooth and then using apple carplay so I’ll make sure that bluetooth is turned on on

my phone which it is I’m going to select telephone on here and we’re going to search for a phone now let’s see how long it takes I haven’t done this before

so I have no idea how to come off on my phone straight away though so I’m going to select that as a pair and request would I like to connect Darrin’s iPhone yes I would

passkeys match as they always do pairing successful straightaway so that was very quick very simple alternatively let’s see if it’s easy to connect using apple

carplay and this is the way that most drivers will do this nowadays that allows you to read text messages and also use your phone’s navigation instead

of the say app system and then it should start off automatically here we go straight away what is our apple carplay yes I would that’s done so now I can use

most of the features which come with my phone on this screen rather than playing around with this and that keeps my attention on the road where it belongs

now secondly let’s see how easy it is set the destination in the sat-nav now as usual with these videos I’m going to head for our offices in Twickenham so here we go

city c/w I Twitter and found it straight away and streets were the same for the center of town and there we go all very easy very simple and like we’ve just heard

I’m being offered three routes one will be the fastest one will be the most erect and one will be the most economical select a route okay I’m going

to select the most direct route now in practice this screen works pretty well but you can also have sat-nav the instructions relate to this very small

screen in front of your field of vision and that also tells you things like engine statistics speed it can act as a digital speedometer telephone functions

and things like that so again you can have your attention really on the road it’s good news for adults sitting in the front of the South lay on because

there’s plenty of space to stretch out even if you were a taller driver with a taller passenger there’s also lots of space for all of your odds and ends

including a little storage compartment here underneath the center armrest as we mentioned earlier wide door bins is two cupholders here in front of the armrest

a little cubby hole here for your mobile phone and of course a glove box too on this model we’ve also got handy storage boxes underneath the driver and front

passenger seat perfect for storing small items move to the Leon’s rear seats and despite those thick rear pillars this space still manages to feel quite light

and airy to six or adults will be fine back here but introduce a third person onto this rear bench and things will feel more cramped especially as that

third person will have to straddle their feet either side of this rather large transmission tunnel there’s not a lot of storage space back here either

although these door bins can hold a drink for your passengers fortunately the leyon does have a decent sized boot and you should be able to get

a large weekly shop in here or a couple of bits of weekend luggage without any trouble there is this big lip to heave your items over though for that is

compensated for by the fact that this space is nice and deep you can also get a dual height boot floor which if we move it up to its highest setting

creates a nice underfloor storage area but it’s especially useful if you drop the rear seats because then you’re left with a space that’s nice and flat

perfect if you’ve got some bulky furniture to carry the lay on is pitched is a better value alternative to the Volkswagen Golf and that means you get more equipment for

your money and also that dealers are more willing to offer discounts mostly on engines deliver good fuel economy but if you’re looking for the lowest tax

then the one litre petrol in it’s just 102 g/km of co2 for our money though the 1.4 liter Ecotec i petrol offers the best blend of performance and running

costs even the most basic layana’s come with air conditioning a touchscreen infotainment system and bluetooth connectivity but we recommend upgrading

to this s our technology spec which gets you dual zone climate control satellite navigation and a larger touchscreen as well as 17-inch alloy wheels and front

and rear parking sensors it’s good news on the safety front too because every lay on apart from the entry level S models comes with automatic emergency

braking and when this generation of the lay on was last tested by Euro encap in 2012 it came away with the full 5 stars if you’re looking for a practical family

hatchback than the lay on deserves a place on your shopping list it’s cheap to buy and run and handles well on the road and for those reasons we’re willing

to forgive its slightly bland interior and noisy diesel engines.