SEAT Leon Review
Published: 1st June 2006
SEAT Leon
The back seat is made up of a lightly contoured bench with an asymmetric split and fold function to the backrest. The folding of which, increases the luggage capacity up to 1,166-litres.
The front passenger and driver have supportive, sports-style seats
with height and lumbar adjustment. The passenger also has under-seat
storage where you can hide valuable items from prying eyes or it
will accommodate the optional CD changer. On the other side, the
driver’s environment invites you to get comfortable behind
the rake and reach adjustable, multifunctional steering wheel.
The fascia has been redesigned and features soft-touch surfaces
with a milled aluminium centre console that is slightly angled towards
the driver. The test car wasn’t fitted with the £1,595
Satellite Navigation option plus full-colour screen; instead the
centre console was given over to comfort controls and audio functions
for the single CD/MP3 player. Both have small display screens that
are easy to read, but unfortunately, glow a garish red when the
headlights are switched on.
There are five trim levels to choose from; Essence, Reference, Reference Sport, Stylance and Sport. All of them are well appointed and even the entry level, Essence features six airbags, ABS with TCS Traction Control, a tyre-pressure monitor and tinted windows. The Stylance (as tested) includes ‘Coming Home’ lights, electronic folding door mirrors, dual-zone climate control, cruise control, ESP and EBA.
However, not all of the trim levels are available with all the engine options. For instance, the Essence only comes with the 1.6 petrol engine, while the Stylance offers a choice of four power/transmission configurations. I have already mentioned the 1.6 but the other available petrol engines are a 2.0 FSI (Fuel Stratified Ignition) with either manual or Tiptronic gearboxes and the new 2.0 TFSI, which has a turbo. The list of diesels comprises a 1.9 TDI and a 2.0 TDI, the latter with or without the clever Direct Shift Gearbox or DSG.
It is a testimony to the FSI unit that despite its sporty nature it is still quite frugal with the ‘motion-lotion’. The official figures read as 25 mpg, 44.1 mpg and 34.4 mpg for the urban, extra-urban and combined respectively and the CO2 emissions are 197g/km, which is not bad at all.
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