SEAT Leon Review 2024

January 2020

New SEAT Leon revealed

SEAT is looking to build on the sales success of the Leon with a new generation of its popular family hatchback. The 2020 Leon goes on sale in March with prices expected to start in the region of £20,000.

The all-new SEAT Leon goes head to head with rivals like the Ford Focus and Mazda3, and will be available as either a five-door hatch or sports tourer. Power will come from a range of petrol, diesel, mild-hybrid, and plug-in hybrid engines when it goes on sale in the UK in March.

The Leon was the Spanish carmaker’s top-selling model in the UK in 2019, contributing to a global sales total of 574,000 units. And SEAT has bet the farm on the new Leon being a winner, investing €1.1bn in the project and upgrading the factory. Like the new Golf, the latest Leon is based on the Volkswagen Group’s MQB Evo platform.

This is essentially an all-singing, all-dancing platform that caters for petrol, diesel, hybrid and electric power – all of which will be on offer in the new Leon. We’ve already seen that platform in action with the latest Volkswagen Golf and Skoda Octavia, where it has proved itself extremely competent – but we’ll have to wait a few months to see how it performs here.

The Leon will also have a similar in-car tech offering. Buyers can expect seamless Android Auto and CarPlay connectivity, greater user control via a smartphone app, and real-time wireless software updates. Leon also gets a smartphone-esque touchscreen that allows you to simply slide your finger across the screen if you want to turn up the heating.

From the outside, it looks as if SEAT has returned to its days of being a Spanish Alfa Romeo. While the new car may share very little in terms of panels with the outgoing model, the looks are clearly an evolution of the Mk3.

The final production model has shied away from the steeply raked grille in favour of a traditional flat front, while the updated model gets the new family face, debuted on the Tarraco. At the rear, it’s the ‘coast-to-coast’ full-width LED taillight that does the heavy lifting and gives the car its identity.

Eagle-eyed readers will notice that the bonnet is a touch longer on the new model, but the bulk of the design work has been done to make the car’s lines less fussy. Gone are the ‘lightning strike’ front light clusters, swapped in favour of a much more rounded design.

Buyers will be able to choose from a range of trims: SE, SE Dynamic, FR, FR Sport, Xcellence, and Xcellence Lux. Seven colours are available: candy white, pure red, Nevada white, midnight black, desire red, mystery blue, and magnetic grey.

All Leons get keyless start, two USB points in the front, LED auto-dip headlights, electric heated side mirrors, electric parking brake, leather steering wheel and gear stick. SE Dynamic upgrades the infotainment system to the digital cockpit, while FR trim adds sportier front and rear bumpers as well as 17in wheels and a lowered ride height.

Under the bonnet, the engines can be mated to a six-speed manual or seven-speed DSG gearbox. Petrol engines start with a 110PS three-cylinder 1.0-litre while the 1.5-litre four-cylinder is available in 130PS and 150PS. The most powerful petrol will be a 190PS 2.0-litre.

All diesels are 2.0-litre with either 115PS or 150PS. While mild-hybrids are available with the 1.0-litre 110PS and 1.5-litre 150PS petrols. There will also be a plug-in hybrid electric version of the Leon using a 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine electric motor mated to a six-speed DSG transmission. It will be good for 204PS and can be fully charged in under three-and-a-half hours.

May 2020

New SEAT Leon on sale priced from £19,855

Customers can choose from three trim levels (SE, SE Dynamic and FR) and five power outputs (115PS 1.0 3-cylinder TSI manual; 130PS and 150PS 1.5 TSI manual; 150PS 1.5 eTSI MHEV DSG; and 115PS 2.0 TDI manual) available to order from today.

The new SEAT Leon eTSI, featuring mild hybrid technology, mates 48-volt mild-hybrid technology to the combustion engine allowing engine-shut off coasting as well as transient torque assistance.

As part of SEAT’s easymove strategy, customers need only choose the trim level, engine and colour on the online configurator – each has its own unique equipment to make it stand out and each comes with metallic paint as standard.

All vehicles in the range (SE) benefit from ‘Kessy Go’ keyless start, 2 x USB points in the front, LED headlight technology with automatic high beam, electric and heated side mirrors, electronic parking brake, an eight-inch infotainment system, cloth upholstery, leather steering wheel and gear stick, and SEAT Connect technology as standard. The vehicle rides on Design 16-inch alloy wheels.

SE Dynamic upgrades the infotainment to the SEAT Digital Cockpit with Navi, complete with 10-inch infotainment screen and 10.25-inch digital driver binnacle, Park Assist (front and rear sensors), tinted rear side windows, as well as larger Dynamic 17-inch alloy wheels.

The sportier FR trim level adds a host of additional elements both inside and out, on top of the SE Dynamic trim.

Sporty front and rear bumpers, Dynamic 17-inch alloy wheels, dual exhaust pipes and a unique suspension set-up (15mm lower ride height than other trims) ensure FR models stand out from the crowd visually and acoustically.

Inside the cabin, FR includes contrast stitching, a leather multifunction steering wheel, three-zone air conditioning, wireless charging tray in the front and two additional USB points in the rear.

The FR trim also brings full-LED technology to the rear of the vehicle including the coast-to-coast light and LED dynamic indicators (front and rear), and illuminated front aluminium door plates.

Customers can option an electric panoramic sunroof and either a fixed or electric towing hook on all trims.

Seven colours are available on Leon: two solid (Candy White and Pure Red) and five metallic (Nevada White, Midnight Black, Desire Red, Mystery Blue and Magnetic Grey).

Full price list: five-door

Full price list: Estate

Pricing and data for the FR Sport, Xcellence and Xcellence Lux trims, as well as the 2.0 150PS TDI engines, will follow later in 2020.

September 2020

SEAT Leon range expanded with new engines and trim levels

Among the most significant additions to the range is the new entry-level Leon SE, which starts from just £19,855.

As part of SEAT’s easymove strategy, customers only need to choose the trim level, engine and colour on the online configurator. Each has its own unique equipment and all feature metallic paint at no extra cost.

Every Leon in the range benefits from ‘Kessy Go’ keyless start, 2 x USB-C ports in the front, LED headlight and fog light technology with cornering function, cruise control with speed limiter, electronic parking brake, an 8.25-inch infotainment system with Full Link smartphone integration, cloth upholstery, leather steering wheel and gearstick, and SEAT Connect technology as standard.

SE Dynamic upgrades the infotainment to the SEAT Digital Cockpit with Navigation, complete with 10-inch infotainment screen and 10.25-inch digital driver binnacle, Park Assist (front and rear sensors), tinted rear windows, as well as larger 17-inch ‘Dynamic’ tri-spoke alloy wheels.

The sporty FR trim level adds a host of additional exterior elements including electric folding door mirrors, sportier front and rear bumpers and 17-inch ‘Dynamic’ bi-spoke alloy wheels and a unique suspension set-up (15mm lower ride height than other trims) to ensure FR models stand out from the crowd.

Inside the cabin, FR includes Lava Red upholstery stitching, three-zone air conditioning, wireless charging and two additional USB-C ports in the rear.

The FR trim brings full-LED technology to the rear of the vehicle including the coast-to-coast light and LED dynamic indicators (front and rear), and illuminated front aluminium door plates.

FR Sport is also now available, adding a Winter Pack which includes heated front seats, heated steering wheel a unique black interior roof lining, microsuede cloth upholstery, wraparound ambient lighting technology and exclusive 18-inch ‘Performance’ machined alloy wheels to complete the look.

New XCELLENCE trim brings a different aesthetic, with the exterior adding unique bumpers, a hot-stamped Diamond grille, chrome-framed side windows and 17-inch ‘Dynamic’ alloy wheels. Inside, the key surfaces are finished in microsuede cloth as well as the Winter Pack.

Range-topping XCELLENCE Lux adds leather upholstery, Predictive Adaptive Cruise Control technology and 18-inch ‘Performance’ machined aero alloy wheels making it the most luxurious Leon to date.

All models come with a range of safety technologies as standard such as the tiredness recognition system, lane keeping assist, XDS Electronic differential lock, Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) and forward collision warning with braking reaction to vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists.

New variants of the Leon added to the line-up that are now available to order are:

October 2020

SEAT Leon plug-in hybrid priced from £30,970

Combines a 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine with an electric motor and six-speed DSG transmission, resulting in a total power output of 204PS and a 0-62mph time of 7.5 seconds.

Power is supplied to the electric motor via a 13kWh lithium-ion battery back which is recharged via a 3.6kW AC inlet. This enables Leon e-HYBRID to be fully charged from 0 per cent in less than 4 hours.

Leon e-HYBRID produces CO2 emissions from as low as 27g/km (WLTP) and an official combined fuel consumption figure of 217.3-235.4mpg.

The Leon e-HYBRID has an electric-only range of 36 miles, enabling it to be driven with zero tailpipe emissions, ideal for urban environments with strict air quality regulations and business users thanks for its benefit-in-kind rating of just 10 per cent.

The Leon PHEV drivetrain is available in FR, FR Sport, Xcellence, Xcellence Lux and First Edition trims.

Also new to the Leon line-up is the mild-hybrid 1.0-litre eTSI engine. This drivetrain offers 110PS and is available exclusively with a DSG gearbox across all trim levels, with prices starting from £22,720.

The 1.0 eTSI uses a 48V starter-generator and lithium-ion battery to enable the car to coast with the engine switched off, recuperate energy under deceleration and provide electrical torque assistance during acceleration.

While the Leon SE 1.0-litre eTSI DSG benefits from a P11D value of just £22,500 it is anticipated that this drivetrain in SE Dynamic trim will prove the most popular with fleets, balancing value for money with impressive technology. The trim level adds SEAT Digital Cockpit with Navi, a 10-inch infotainment screen, 17-inch alloy wheels, tinted rear side windows and Park Assist over and above the already generously equipped SE while still retaining a low P11D value of £23,600.

April 2021

SEAT Leon range expanded

SEAT has further expanded its range, revealing the pricing and technical data for new variants of the Leon, its best-selling model.

The new Leon Hatch 2.0 TSI DSG-auto 190PS is available from £28,810 RRP, while the new Leon Estate 2.0 TDI 115PS costs from £24,515 RRP.

Achieving up to 42.2mpg, CO 2 emissions of 151g/km, a 0-62mph time of 7.4 seconds and a top speed of 144mph, prices for this new variant of Leon Hatch start at £28,810 for FR trim.

The powertrain, available exclusively with the DSG-auto transmission, can also be specified in FR Sport, XCELLENCE and XCELLENCE Lux trims.

While FR trim includes 17” alloy wheels, sports suspension, ambient lighting, SEAT drive profile selection, rain sensing wipers, Full Link smartphone integration and dark tinted rear windows as standard, FR Sport trim adds 18” alloy wheels, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel and microsuede upholstery.

With a focus on luxury, XCELLENCE trim includes electric folding door mirrors, keyless entry, heated front seats, heated steering wheel and 17” alloy wheels. XCELLENCE Lux adds leather upholstery, dynamic road sign display, High Beam Assist and predictive and Adaptive Cruise Control.

The Leon Estate 2.0 TDI is available in two trim levels, with prices starting from £24,515 RRP for SE trim and rising to £25,615 for SE Dynamic. It delivers a 0-62mph time of 10.5 seconds and a top speed of 124mph. This efficient new engine option offers up to 65.7mpg and CO 2 emissions from 114g/km.

Customers will be able to choose between seven paint options for the Leon Estate and eight paint options for the Leon Hatch, including Asphalt Blue, Magnetic Grey and Midnight Black.

Leon Hatch 2.0 TSI DSG-auto 190PS

Leon Estate 2.0 TDI DSG-auto 115PS

July 2021

SEAT Leon updated for 2021 model year

The SEAT Leon will receive a boost to its standard specification, a new colour option, and will see the introduction of the 2.0 TSI EVO DSG-auto 190PS powertrain from FR spec upwards, following model year updates for 2022.

The entry price point for the Leon Estate specified with the potent new engine and gearbox option will now be lower, starting from £29,890 in FR trim.

Brand new to the colour palette of the Leon, the striking Asphalt Blue colour option will be available across the range and all trim levels, including 5DR and Estate models.

SEAT’s 2022 model year specification updates also sees the SE Dynamic gaining highly practical additions, including a centre armrest, three zone climate control and two additional USB type C sockets in the rear as standard.

Across the range where a manual gearbox option is available, vegan leather will be used on gear shift knobs, extending SEAT’s drive to reduce its environmental impact.

Improving convenience for plug-in models, all Leon e-HYBRIDs will get mode 3 charging cables as standard (for public and home installation chargers).

Prices for the SEAT Leon start at £20,405 OTR for Leon Hatch SE 1.0 TSI EVO 110PS (or £21,555 in Estate form), rising to £36,170 for the Leon Hatch XCELLENCE Lux 1.4 e-HYBRID DSG-auto 204PS (and £37,580 for the Estate).

May 2024

Upgraded SEAT Leon gets new engines and improved interior

SEAT has announced a number of upgrades to the Leon, including the fact that it's now exclusively available with four-cylinder engines.

The entry point for the SEAT Leon is the new 1.5 TSI engine, previously the three-cylinder 110PS 1.0 TSI, that develops 115PS and comes with a six-speed manual gearbox. Two mild hybrid options are now available - either the new 115PS 1.5 or 150PS version of the same engine - and these come with a seven-speed DSG transmission.

The Leon also benefits from a new plug-in hybrid powertrain that delivers 204PS. This combines a 1.5-litre TSI 150PS petrol engine, 115PS electric motor and 19.7kWh lithium-ion net battery pack. This gives a claimed electric range of over 62 miles.

Elsewhere, matrix LED headlights are available for the first time, while digital dials and a larger 10.4-inch infotainment system, up from 8.25-inch before, are standard and a 12.9-inch screen is an option. A 15W wireless smartphone charger is also available.