SEAT Leon 1.9 TDi

Well it is a bit boring, but it's not bad compromise considering the benefits. The economy, quality and second hand price more than make up for the fact it's not exactly a race car. At about 50-60 mpg, I can hardly blame it if it isn't terrifyingly quick, though the fact it handles pretty well lets you have some fun on those narrow, twisting country roads. It's a great all-rounder with only a couple of let downs.

Although I adored my previous car, a BMW 325i, it was no fun turning up at the petrol station every 3 or 4 days, having only covered a couple of hundred miles, and throwing more money down the drain. It was time for a change and after many hours trawling the net, the leon seemed like an attractive option. It hasn't disappointed me and although it has less soul and character than some other cars I've had, it is impossible to dislike a car that is this economical.

Performance:

As I said, it's not staggeringly fast in a straight line, 0-60 in about 11 seconds, which isn't sluggish, but it's just not that quick. It's not meant to be though. Instead, the engine has plenty of torque to drag you along at low speed in higher gears, but put your foot down, let the turbo kick in and you're gently, but firmly propelled on a wave of torque till about 3500 rpm. Exciting stuff.
Although I'm being a little sarcastic, it isn't that slow and it never really struggles and it certainly makes up for lack of speed in terms of handling. Considering it's front wheel drive, you have to push quite hard for any significant under-steer. When it does slide it's controllable and progressive, giving you a a fair bit of confidence chucking it into a bend. The best technique for embarrassing those pesky boy racers is to build up moment and carry it through a corner, leaving them stuck in a hedge somewhere.
The steering has a reasonable amount of feel to it, though it's not as taut as it could be, but it is by no means poor. The brakes are sharp and responsive, nothing to get too excited about but they certainly do the job. Overall, it's still quite a sporty (I use the term loosely) drive if not exactly fast. They can be re-mapped to produce an extra 20 bhp or so over what you already have, but I'm not too bothered about this for now.

Equipment:

The SE model has enough equipment to make it worth the £2500 or so you will pay for it. Electric windows, climate control, central locking, electric mirrors (which you can set to fold in when you park) adjustable steering wheel, alloy wheels, disc brakes all round with abs, even a cute little cup holder that pops out of the dash. Overall, there is certainly not a lack of technology, though it could of course be more luxurious, but where do you stop? It has everything I expected out of a car that price and it is all high quality.

Quality:

It's practically a volkswagen, so the quality is fairly high. The doors shut with a weighty thud, all the levers and buttons have a tactile quality to them and the engine itself has never missed a beat. There seems to be issue with the door seals common to all Leons, mine is leaking slightly on the passenger side but barely, and it looks like an easy fix. This does, however, cause it to steam up a bit in cold weather, which is perpetual in England, so it is annoying me slightly. The paintwork seems pretty tough and there's no rust appearing anywhere, which is partly down to the care of previous owners, but I'm confident that the Leon has played it's own part. A very slight niggle is that the steering wheel is quite smooth so sometimes you can loose grip on it a bit, but very rarely and only if your hands are very cold. The quality leaves very little to be desired and certainly exceeds newer, frencher hatchbacks and other similar vehicles.

Economy:

I'm sure you can tell that I don't just potter about in this car and sometimes it gets a damn good thrashing. Even so, it is still unbelievably economical. About 50-60 mpg and god knows what on a long run. Like I said, you can forgive this car for lack of power and any other little problems because it's just so economical. The attendant in the petrol station no longer recognises me and I can actually buy things for me rather than the car.

Reliability:

On the whole, it is very reliable. However, on a cold morning it has a bit of trouble starting. Changing the glow plugs hasn't solved this problem and I've yet to investigate further. Luckily the engine will eventually start so it's not the end of the world, but it would be nice to get this sorted out. Even with this problem, it has never let me down and once the engine's turned over, it runs perfectly fine. I've seen a few other people reporting this problem so if you are going to test drive one, insist you start it from cold. Preferably ask them to leave it overnight as it seems to take a good 8 or 9 hours to cool down to the point where it has trouble starting.

On the whole, it's a pretty good car that doesn't necessarily have to be all compromise to gain economy. For me, it lacks a little flair and character, but it is reliable and extremely economical. Whether you like the way it looks is up to you, but I don't find it particularly offensive and from some angles it does look quite nice. It's pleasant to drive, comfortable and solid. I couldn't ask much more from it.