Seat Leon

Review

The Spanish cousin of the Volkswagen Golf, the Seat Leon, has reached the peak of design combining sportstiness with aesthetics with its fourth generation. With its sharp triangular LED headlights, aggressive lines on the hood, and especially the "Coast-to-Coast" LED taillight running across the tailgate, it glides on the roads at night almost with the demeanor of a Porsche. It is very clear that it is designed for young (or young-at-heart) drivers who are bored of the Golf's dignity but do not want to break away from the flawless mechanics of German engineering.

Looking at the mechanical side under the workshop light, the 1.5 eTSI engine and 48V mild-hybrid system under the hood are one of the VW group's most efficient units. After the exhausting clutches of old-generation manual Leons, it is a huge comfort that even the microscopic tremors of this 7-speed DSG transmission at takeoffs have been ironed out by the electric motor. 150 horsepower and 250 Nm of torque propel the car to 100 km/h in 8.5 seconds, doing justice to the sportsty design. Shutting down 2 cylinders on long trips with Active Cylinder Management (ACT) provides serious economy. While that minimalist structure inside the cabin requires you to take your eyes off the road to adjust the climate control due to the lack of physical buttons; especially the red-stitched sportsts seats and steering wheel in the FR trim take the driving pleasure to the sky. Its 380-liter trunk is at C-Hatchback standards.