For no particular reason, it’s been three and a half years since I reviewed a SEAT car, but a recent opportunity put me back into a Leon, once one of the brand’s mainstay models but, like elsewhere, diminished by the inexorable advance of compact crossover-SUVs.
BY BRIAN BYRNE
As it happens, this week is the 75th anniversary of the formation of the original Sociedad Española de Automóviles de Turismo as a joint venture between the Spanish government and Fiat.
In 1990, after four years as a majority shareholder following the company’s falling out with the Italian partner, Volkswagen bought total control of the brand.
The Leon, named after the city in Spain as is the company’s practice, was launched nine years later as a sportier and cheaper alternative to VW’s own consistently successful Golf.
This fourth-generation Leon has been around since 2020. The car is wearing its sharp-with-softness styling well, it must be said.
Illustrating the benefits of not going overboard with design flourishes that can quickly go out of favour.
A clean front end, with the LED headlight styling giving the car a slight bird of prey look.
A particularly well-charactered rear with full-width LED-line linking the main light clusters.
The scripted Leon badge font is pleasant, and there are extra chromed treatments with the FR grade that the review carwas.
The edgy design of the dashboard suits the sporty ethos, though for me the large centre screen is too dominant, albeit graphically well designed as is the driver instruments cluster.
The DSG automatic finger-shift in the centre console is the type I like, and the steering wheel feels just about right.
That FR grade also gives a pleasant design and some red-stitch detailing on the trim and seats, leather-type with cloth inserts in my review car.
There’s good room for two adults in the rear, three would be a pinch. The fit and finish of everything is top class and well-matched in every element.
The FR also gets the eHybrid PHEV powertrain, based on a 1.5 turbocharged petrol engine and an electric motor, giving a total output of 204hp.
Worth mentioning that this is similar power to that of Golf GTIs when this generation was first rolled out, though the current GTI is 240hp.
It gives the Leon FR an acceleration potential of a decent 7.7 s to 100km/h, but in a really smooth and non-intimidating manner thanks to the fast-acting dual-clutch gearbox.
The electric-only range is rated up to 133 km, though the real world is probably closer to the 100 km point, but that gives the opportunity for some frugal commuting.
The FR gets a different suspension setting than standard Leons, which I found to be a little too firm on any surface that wasn’t highway smooth ... but that’s probably not an issue for the performance-tending real buyer of this particular car.
The future of SEAT itself is unclear. Two years ago, Volkswagen said they were going to cease building cars under the brand, in favour of the Cupra sister brand spun off as an upmarket performance entity, which also uses the Leon in a more powerful version.
By 2030 was given as the end game. But policies can change surprisingly quickly in the automotive industry, so it may be too soon to organise the wake.
Meanwhile, for those who appreciate a solid hatchback with good performance and plenty of specification for the money, the Leon FR as we have it now is worth taking for a spin.
