I drove a SEAT recently as a hire car and the number of VW bits all around it is unreal. I honestly don't think it matters much what the badge says whether it says Audi, SEAT, Volkswagen or Skoda. They're all made by the VW group and the thing that matters more is the platform under the skin. If it's the same platform, then pick whichever one comes out the cheapest for the features you want.
I love the new design of the Leon and the improvements on the rear passengers seat I'd definitely get this rather than the Golf and it looks even better in terms of the exterior designing.
@@andorszen well the new mazda 3 isnt ugly but it looks worse than its predecessor and definitely has less space just if you take a look at the rear portion of the car and that hideous c pillar
I was literally thinking that... the ford focus is the daddy of all hatchbacks... ild say say bmw 1 series and Mercedes A class including Audi A3 have better interior though
Dee M its been the case for a long time and ford never bothers to resolve it presumably because it would then price itself above those other brands to do so. Though I would say the typical german brands really do charge far too much for what they offer. Its really the badge you’re paying for.
I love how you scrutinise all the subtle design features. No one else is as thorough. Carwow reviews are my go to for new cars. Thanks for the great work!
@ ooo that's a bit better. Non of that is true , but what is true is its dumb to buy a brand new car now when there's about to be a financial collapse the world has never seen. Buckle up 👍🏻
Actually Seat Leon has same engine as Volkswagen Golf. Its basically same group And about the price...if you upgrade seat leon until the top , you pay some money as a golf, but a normal Golf not the best one.
@@anakakaka Spec for Spec - with permitted dealer offers you'll find it ends up being at least £2000 cheaper than the Golf. And if you buy a higher spec version with the live rear axle, the only difference is the Golf is quieter in the cabin at medium speeds. That means you can get a high spec Leon for the price of a mid range Golf. Simple question - is a badge worth £2000? To some people it is. To others it isn't. On Finace it's £50 per month with interest, or, cash it's a nice little holiday.
exactly the same. our exterior is superior... our version is the fastest..and personally mine costed Brand new 28.800€ instead of 31.700 special offer that year. Aliora Blue. 😎
Well in therms of pricing I´m pretty sure that in a few months this will became one of the most economic hatchbacks available yet a pretty good option. I would definitely buy a Leon before a Golf or a Scala. Apart from that, Seat always gets a good handling for it´s cars.
Not any more, First Edition FR only which is the £30K car only. You are really paying more money for a worse car than the Mk3. Also there is only one power up from 150, on the Mk3, MultiLink was only available on 180PS 1.8TSI and 184 2.0TDI.
Agreed. One of the things most reviewers have said is that it's probably one of the nicest designs of its generation. This review is an outlier on the looks
@@joem8213 he did? Maybe I missed it. However, even the 17" have the potential to be good wheels, it's actually a sensible size, for instance the Ford Focus use a good set of sporty 17". Which lead to cheaper tires and rolling confort without losing that much on car control and feel, but the ones on the leon are a bit ugly.
Matt delivers the most honest reviews of cars. All german car reviewers are salespersons with cameramen. Everything is nice and pretty and good. Thanks, Matt! Also i prefer the outside look of the predecessor, but the inside is a decade old, this is a big update.
I saw concept photos of the new Leon when I went to the dealership to buy mine last year in December - I bought a FR 150 Black Edition in black instead, still happy with my purchase.
Great review Matt! I've been looking forward to seeing this review since the new Leon was revealed. I agree not convinced about the signature style "Leon" - but I hear SEAT is going to do be doing that with all new models. Overall looks a great car though.
I bought a 1.5 130 Golf SE 7.5 a couple of years ago and at the time priced up the Leon to the same spec. It came to thousands more! Plus it had the older 1.4 engine rather than the new one. It’s honestly the nicest car I’ve ever owned.
Just been to see this car in the real. Its very colour dependent the ones I saw weew desire red and the grey both look far better than the white and the 17s actually look better in the metal than on screen. Inside the seats are lovely supportive and comfortable, and feels very premium. So much so.. I will be ordering i think!
They revealed it and it looks awesome. But yeah, final production version might be a bit changed. I am now curious about the price of the 2.0 variants, both 245 and 300 hp.
Correction: not sure if others have already commented, but the FR hybrid model (70 plate) has a flat boot when you put the back seats down.. No ridge to contend with! Most pple won't care, but for the odd few to whom it matters.. There you go 😊
Great review Matt. I've always been a bit of a SEAT fanboy. I actually still drive with the first SEAT Leon Cupra R since 2003. I have to say I'm not super impressed with the looks of this gen, nuch prefer the previous one. On the plus side, it appears to be fairly practical.
@@mihnealazar7039 Nope, Octavia only comes in hatch or estate variants. Although yes, it definitely looks more sedan like than the Golf. It has that med - large family car type hatch, with a more angled rear window, whereas the Golf, like most small family cars just looks like a hatchback.
It's actually funny you regarded the new Leon lettering on the hatch as a "bad thing". I think it looks very nice and helps differentiate the Leon from the more serious Golf and A3 siblings. It's a more youth-appealing car now this new Leon! I also think the new Leon looks better overall than the new Golf 8. The Golf 8 has a nice face but the new Leon has a nice face too but it also has a nicer profile and rear end, so it wins. edit: "All versions get torsion beam rear suspension"? So, the new Cupra will get it as well, won't it? In any case, it is unfair for the Leon.
The Golf looks like a wardrobe on wheels , so the Leon wins hands down there . It doesn't seem a bad drive either so , if I ever get too old to get into my Mazda MX5 , this would be worth a look .
6:40 I have the exact same Leon FR in that color too and I prefer the look of it WAY more than the new one. I found it to be more sporty looking and beautiful.
I just drove this 1.5 150 bhp petrol back to back against the Skoda Scala. Scala is lighter, thinner, and frankly not as substantial or planted. Everything about this Seat was 'better' than the scala except possibly the cockpit (and boot space). But overall - this thing is a real, solid, planted, quality car, very little road noise. Gear changes better.... a pleasure really. The Skoda Scala has problems keeping up....
The Scala is quicker, as it’s lighter so it will keep up. Also gets the pano roof as Stanford which the Leon does not offer. And I paid 2 grand less than the same Leon. Both good cars, but I found the Scala a bit different and probably rarer especially in Monte Carlo guise.
I have to say I love my 2018 Leon FR ST, it looks better than these new models, its quicker, the 0-60 is better, and I've found mine to be nothing short of brilliant, and I would so get the estate over the hatchback every time. Mine also has the sports kit on it, 21" alloys, different grille, skirts etc, it looks great and is a great sleeper, the number of times I've left a golf etc at the lights only to see the look of the driver, totally surprised by how fast off the line I am. It has the mode settings, and in sport the ride does become particularly firm, but through the bends its such a sharp precise car for a FWD. So I am a big fan of my nearly 3 year old Leon, not sure if the new range is going to grab me in the same way, we shall see 🤔🤔
Why would you ever get the hideous new Golf instead of this one?!! But I also prefer the overall look of the previous Leon generation, especially for the Cupra - they are much better and more sporty looking.
I had one of these Leons for a year followed by a Golf 8. The difference was unbelievable straight away in terms of how solid and well built the Golf felt compared to the Leon.
Leon is larger than Golf, and it looks beautiful as well. However a VW Golf is always solid while driving, agree with you. That's why I am going to sell Leon to buy a Golf 8 soon. Even a Style Golf 8 is also better than a Leon FR. I drive both and eliminate Leon.
Looks good, will probably buy the ST (Estate) of these in 5 years when they are under half the price and I move on from my current 2018 Leon FR ST which is an excellent car.
12:31 shows an average MPG since the last refuel at 38.2MPG. Matt claims he is averaging 53.5MPG. Something doesn't add up here. Anyone else spot this? Carwow?
may be he didn't drive the car since refuelling. there are 3 ways to view fuel economy: since START, since REFUEL, Long-term. And Leon is one of the very few cars which offers more mileage per Gallon that it claims.
In time he was driving, the car was averaging 50 MPG (when he said it), but he always drive really sporty, so when he's done driving it become 38 mpg. Very normal !
@@bharathwajkrishnamoothi Literally every "Leon" except one 2L TSI motor gets less MPG than it claims. Here: SEAT Leon (2005 - 2013) - www.honestjohn.co.uk/realmpg/seat/leon-2005 SEAT Leon SC (2013 - 2018) - www.honestjohn.co.uk/realmpg/seat/leon-sc-2013 SEAT Leon ST (2014 on) - www.honestjohn.co.uk/realmpg/seat/leon-st-2014 SEAT Leon Cupra R - www.honestjohn.co.uk/realmpg/seat/leon-cupra-r-2010 SEAT Leon Cupra (2014 on) - www.honestjohn.co.uk/realmpg/seat/leon-cupra-2014 SEAT Leon (2013 - 2020) - www.honestjohn.co.uk/realmpg/seat/leon-2013 (with the exception of one 2L motor) So your claim seems to be backed up by nothing substantive just like the claims that the manufacturer makes. I wonder if such a manufacturer could ever fabricate other important numbers about their cars...oh wait, its the VAG group! Anyway, I suspect the numbers Matt showed. He must have been really gentle with the review car, which he is known to be...
@@ouassim- That makes no sense, it would be the other way by your logic. He says "I am averaging 53.5MPG", either he is straight-up lying or he has had the car for longer than the last refuel. If he was quoting the long terms economy he would be lying again as he would be speaking about a time when the car wash;t in his possession so he couldn't be averaging that.
For real now lets be honest for 2020 this car was better than golf / focus / astra and others. The look of this car is really good and crispy. Just dope.
The Scala boot might be bigger but you dont get the room in the back as you do in the new Leon. Front of it looks better than the back imo. Preferred the bigger back lights of the out going model.
@@NicMachiavelli I personally would get the Ceed if you're looking for a car that offers you more year warranties, also the car is packed with kit and has really decent value.
And that’s a good thing imo, the new bmw 1 series doesn’t look good as a bmw 1 series but if it was a Hyundai or Kia then I’d say it looks fairly decent
In North America, we're not getting the base Golf 8 (a decision I'm protesting against), and SEATs have never been sold here. A Volkswagen-badged SEAT Leon for the New World wouldn't be a bad alternative.
