Just sold my A4, and wondering what to get… there was nothing really wrong with it, it had don 160k and was about to get expensive, but as a type of car it was perfect.

Was considering a new(er) A4, but the Leon ST looks a lot better value for effectively the same (underneath) car.

Anyone had one?

Dave

Looked at an Octavia mk3 estate and a Leon ST at the weekend. Just looked not a test drive but the Octavia seemed like a much nicer place to be in, so much so I ordered one.

The octavia is the other obvious option… only problem is that my dad has just bought one. A beige one. I’m not sure I can do that to myself.

Yes.. We’ve had 2 now. Sister in law works for Audi so we are on the employees lease scheme and get one every 6 months. It’s a great car as good as the Audi for my money with a great engine/handling and all mod cons. Couldn’t really ask for more. We’ve only had brand new ones though so idea what happens after they’re 6 months old?

Had an FR diesel hatch back as a hire car at few months ago. I was impressed with the performance/mpg. I was a little disappointed with the boot/interior space , but that should be less of an issue in the estate. Overall I quite liked it but it just didn’t feel quite as ‘nice’ as the Golf which I have, arguably they look better though (assuming it’s the new shape).

I tested the ST FR against the golf & octavia estates and the preferred the ST-handled the best, looks good, boot was a good size- as with the golf it has a false floor which drops to give you more room. The finish is a lot more similar to Vw than older seats though not as much silver bits as Vw or Audi. I would definitely go for the technology pack with led lights, they do a good job. Wasn’t as nippy as I was expecting but the engine hadn’t been run in yet.

I have a 2014 184BHP Diesel FR ST. I bought it with 8000 miles on it in July and now have nearly 23000 on it. Car has been very good with outstanding fuel economy at times. I managed to get a true average of 62 mpg out of a tank and it will regularly break 60mpg on a motorway run. It did drop it’s MPG over the winter months though and low to mid 50’s was the norm.

Seats are very comfortable, LED lights are very good and I have the seat sound pack as well which gives a very good sounding hi-fi as well.

I’ve got the titanium pack which gives 18″ wheels with a polished face and silver mirror covers. The ride of the 18″ wheels is fine but I would probably go for the standard wheels as the polished face is very easy to scratch. Managed to scratch one with what I can only assume was a bit grit on the wheel when I was cleaning it.

Put it into sports mode and it’s a rocket. The bigger brakes on the 184 model also help slow it down very quickly. It was good for 140mph on the Autobahn and accelerated from 100-120 like it does from 60-80. Car felt like it could go quicker but my wife wasn’t too happy at 140 !

Bad things, I think the fuel tank could be bigger, 45l but it does go a long way on that 45l. Windscreen washers are not so great and the headlight washers mean that it goes through screenwash pretty quickly.

Easily swallowed my bike and all our gear for two weeks in Europe with the seats down.

I tested the FR against the VRS octavia. Bought the Skoda. Haven’t regretted it. Just seemed a little more grown up and the boot a better size.. The Leon was good though.

kjrogers – Member

I have a 2014 184BHP Diesel FR ST. I bought it with 8000 miles on it in July and now have nearly 23000 on it. Car has been very good with outstanding fuel economy at times. I managed to get a true average of 62 mpg out of a tank and it will regularly break 60mpg on a motorway run. It did drop it’s MPG over the winter months though and low to mid 50’s was the norm.

That’s interesting. I keep looking at these as a replacement for my aging Ibiza. Was thinking in terms of economy I should really go for the 150bhp version, over the 184. But, mid 50’s+ for the 184bhp version sounds a lot better than I thought it would be.

The 150bhp version doesn’t get the more advanced suspension set-up of the 184bh version, which apparently makes quite a big difference in how the cars feel.

For me, I think it’ll be between the Leon estate and the Civic estate. I love the seats in the Civic for bike carrying duties – the way the seat base moves out of the way as the seat drops – so much easier to get the bike in and out. I know that the Leon has the levers in the back to drop the seats, but the base stays where it is, so the load area doesn’t go flat.