SEAT LEON Hatchback 2005‑2012

I recently changed my Subaru WRX 320R for the latest Leon Cupra R as it promised 90% of the Subaru's performance at a fraction of the running cost. How true. The Leon is indeed a superb car. The Leon has Nav,19" alloys,Xenon lights,LED rear 'tick' lights which look great at night & leather racing styled seats (which are 10 times more comfortable than Subaru's offering on longer journeys with just as much support). The steering is very sharp,the ride slightly firm which I prefer but well damped unlike the Subaru which crashes into those unseen potholes we have in the UK.

The 2.0 turbo engine is the thing which impresses me most. The brochure claims 35mpg & I am averaging 29mpg so far. On a longer run on the motorway that figure rises to just over 40mpg which isn't bad considering nearly 270 horses are on tap. The car feels more powerful than that though and pulls from 1800rpm cleanly to just shy of the redline. True, my Subaru was quicker off the line and more savage on boost in the first 2 gears (helped with 4 wheel drive) and the Cupra struggles to put full power down if demanded harshly in the first 2 gears in the wet but the throttle is so progressive it allows you to roll on the power smoothly and requires more driver involvement to do so which I am really warming to. The traction control system is also unobtrussive (unlike Subaru). There is little torque steer to speak of for such a lot of power to the front wheels and the handling is very grippy, surefooted as well as confidece inspiring when pushing on.

We have a little girl so it is a family car too. The rear isofix is standard but very awkward to clip the seat into it under the stiff leather at the base of the seatback, so VW; look at how BMW do this, as it makes life a lot easier! There is also no top tether I can see which is crazy. There is good leg room behind each front seat which in our previous car, our little girl's feet touched the back of the seat in front. The boot is big enough for 4 good suitcases although the seats do not fold totally flat (apparently ISOFIX prevents this).

So in summary the Leon Cupra R is a great drive, smart looking, practical, has fair running costs, feels safe/well built and so in my opinion, well worth a look.

Only had the car about seven weeks but I love it..My last three cars have all been Seat and the only problem i've had with them was a flat tyre.

Cheap insurance (£353.00, 41 year old male) getting 33mpg around town at the moment but hope to get more when the car is run in.

Can't belive it has a 1.2 litre engine under the bonnet it feels similar to 1.6 litre but with a bit more grunt.

It has a nice smooth ride, good size boot space and being a Seat will hold a least 50% of its value on p/x.

Seat 2.2 media system is fantastic DAB radio, satnav USB and SD card inputs 8 speakers , what a sound!,

Great make, Great model, Great car what more can I say.

The supposed cheaper brother to the Golf and that is very very true.

The car is made in a cheaper country for manufacturing but with VW pedigree, so why is it just so stingy??????????/

Big issues like sound deadening have not been tackled well enough.

Little things like no storage whatsoever in the rear! For a FAMILY car with kids? Very strange.

As a driving machine though, faultless. Razor sharp steering, perfect gear linkage, torque to throw you past other vehicles when overtaking, there is not much more required to enjoy in the pilots seat for the price.

Pricewise, bought the car because they were offering 20% off. Still it cost 14K and that is exactly what it is worth, not a penny more.

One other reason it was purchased was because of the 74 mpg claimed by the manufacturer. So far, that is a myth and that really hurts - why advertise such eco credentials if it is only a dream?

Basically, the Leon is well intentioned and designed from the front backwards, only the budget ran out just behind the front seats, so if they bring out a two seater, grab it, it will be very very good.