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so i am thinking of either the 1.6 petrol leon emocion, or the 1.6 ibiza 3 door sport
so they are built on golfs and polos, but what about the engines electrics etc, who makes them?
anyone got either, and if so pics pls!
your thoughts also would be handy...
My dad has a seat leon cupra R, lovely car 240bph or something like that. Drives very well and seem to be really reliable. Engine is lovely and electrics are good. Cheaper than a Golf too. Go for it.
Had an Ibiza that did close to 200k with virtually zero maintenance. Poor thing. Was still going strong when I got rid. They are very very reliable cars by all accounts. For my money the leon is the best looking car in it's class by a good margin, especially the sporty ones.
As for them being VWs etc, yes, they are vag cars and engines but you shouldnt really read too much into that.
[i]As for them being VWs etc, yes, they are vag cars and engines but you shouldnt really read too much into that. [/i]
I don't see why not. They're arguably the most common engine/chassis in Europe and have a superb reliability record. The difference comes from the Seat bodywork and interior which has had a number of quality issues in the past although I'm sure they're sorted now.
I get Seat Leons through work and have had a few these last 18 months as my company car is a monthly hire car due to lack of company car financing in Gib/Spain.
The Leon 1.9 diesel is way better than the 1.6 petrol in my mind, and I have had a few of each for comparison. Build quality seems pretty good.
Get the diesel, Modern TDi's = bags of torque, so performance and economy are both far better in real world driving* than the 1.6 petrol. Essentially, the Leon is a MkV Golf with plus and minus ponts. It's much cheaper, more sporty to drive but has a cheaper feeling interior and bigger blind spots. You pays yer money....
* emerging from junctions, overtaking oomph & joining motorways rather than driving like a journalist revving the tits off it on an empty mountain road.
go for it
i have had two leon tdis, current one is the 150bhp FR, torquey. excellent cars, bulletproof build, golfs underneath. have to say i didn't like the drive of the new leon, too isolated, felt like driving an arcade game
my missus has my old 96 ibiza still gong strong on 110k with almost no servicing for the last 2 years
try em, good stuff
we've got a 2.0TDi Leon. 140bhp and plenty of torques. When driven sensibly can get 50mpg, normal driving gives about 45.
It is basically a golf mkV chassis with a different body. The steering column stalks are straight out of a golf, most other switches are from golfs but the radio and CC in ours is Seat specific.
Build quality is good, no rattles (except a buzzing speaker that is getting fixed under warranty), the plasitcs aren't quite as nice but they look fine so no problems unless you like stroking the car.
Handling is very good - ours has the sports pack (seats and suspension) which makes the ride a little hard for passengers but good for driver, seats are incredibly comfortable.
As someone says above, in real world driving we don't get overtaken or hassled by many cars and overtaking is much safer due to the oomph that it's got.
We also test drove audi A3s, and Golfs. We preferred the handling and style of the leon (and the relative rarity when we bought it (dec '07)), the saving of several thousand on the price (we bought ours as an ex-demo with 8000 miles) helped a lot as well 🙂
for lots more opinions head over to: www.seatcupra.net
It is basically a golf mkV chassis with a different body.
Not quite, they've got different interiors and different set-up which is crucial. Stiffer springs, better steering (electromechanical) more driving options, different engine options etc.
I loved my Ibiza TDi, felt well quick due to the torque and was a blast to drive, and got 57mpg. And that was a 53 one too, better now.
Personally I quite fancy those new Leons 🙂