An impressive 10,000 miles into our time with the Seat Leon FR TDI means the first real bill – its first service.

Often meaning a sharp stab in the wallet, I was apprehensive about booking the car in. But I needn’t have worried.

Model: Seat Leon FR TDI CR
Mileage: 9,273
Fuel consumption: 46.2mpg
Insurance: 28E
Price: £18,900 on the road
Options: 18-inch Orion wheels in black (£500), Technology and Convenience Pack (£1,565), Bi-xenon headlights (£730)

More updates:
3,000 mile update
6,000 mile update
 12,000 mile update
14,000 mile update
15,000 mile update

Likes

Park sensors: A car with a front that slopes so sharply can be difficult to judge when parking. The optical park sensors front and back, which form part of the Technology and Convenience pack are a must.
Dealer service: £150 might sound steep for an oil change, but the service provided by the local dealer was superb
51mpg: It’s hard to argue with more than 50mpg on a motorway run in a practical, sporty car

Dislikes

Windscreen pillars: They’re thick and slope at an angle which makes it tricky to spot cyclists and other cars when pulling out of junctions
Scratchy plastics: Not a huge gripe, but scratches around the door mirror adjuster on the centre console makes the panel look a bit scruffy
Door mirrors: They look great, but they don’t automatically lower, and needing them during every parallel park to avoid crunching the black alloys means frequent adjustment

Full gallery: Seat Leon FR TDI

Verdict so far

Seat’s Spur Garage showroom is located next door to Auto Trader Towers in Wimbledon, and its service centre less than ten minutes away on foot.

A quick call and a prod of ‘2’ to be connected to the service department is all it took to get the KW59 JCJ booked in for a few days time.

Spur’s receptionist said if I dropped the car off about 8.30am, it would be ready for about 10am, which sounded reasonable.

And true to their word, it was.

I spent the time chatting to Spur’s technicians who were friendly and clearly know their onions. The chap looking after my car took enormous pride in a job well done, and was more than happy to answer my questions.

Thorough check

The £150.22 bill might sound steep for what was effectively a oil and filter change and a screen wash top up, but Spur’s technician gave the car a thorough check over which was reassuring as by now the car should be fully run-in.

The Leon was popped onto the ramps after the engine cover was removed to gain access and replace the oil filter. A press of a button later and we’re standing under the car, watching the sump nut removed and thick black oil pouring out.

While the oil finished trickling out, the tyres, brakes, driveshafts and suspension were all given a visual check. Even the space saver spare tyre was checked.

I was handed a vehicle check report, only the front tyres were highlighted. With 10,000 miles of fairly hard use and the car’s hefty torque pumping through the front wheels, there’s 4mm of tread left, compared to 7mm on the rears.

Tyre wear

But as long as there’s no temptation of a track day, they should be fine for another 7-10,000 miles.

Experience with dealers is often car buyers’ only touch point with a manufacturer, and it can often be a poor experience, tainting opinions of the brand. Not so here; fast and courteous is exactly what I was looking for, and that’s what I got.

Elsewhere, the Leon is about to be pressed into service for a mammoth family trip from Essex to the Highlands. Four-up and with enough luggage for four nights should be possible, but I’m interested to see if the extra weight impacts on fuel consumption.

With a nicely loosened-up engine, and with rarely more than two occupants and a boot full of shopping, the Leon is averaging 46mpg on fast A-roads and the urban grind. Cruise control activated on the motorway, and 51mpg is easily possible.