SEAT Leon ST 1.6 TDI DSG
- The SEAT Leon ST arrives
- Fuel economy in the 1.6 TDI Leon
- The Leon ST - big and light
- Cruising control in the Leon ST
- The superb SEAT touchscreen system
- Start to stop complaining
- Leon loses it's cool
- Our Leon ST throws a brief tantrum
- Tunnel vision
- The car that's full of advice...
- No time to talk
- It's the end of the Leon
The SEAT Leon ST arrives
We take delivery of the new Leon ST and Matt is immediately impressed with the 1.6 TDI engine and neat styling.
Date: 24 July 2014 | Current mileage: 402 | Claimed economy: 74.3mpg | Actual economy: -
With the departure of the Toyota Auris Hybrid I have an economical estate-shaped hole in my life. But fear not as that's about to be filled by my latest car - a SEAT Leon ST. I'm currently admiring it on the driveway but it's smaller than I remember having worked on the international launch of it in Barcelona at the start of the year.
In fact it's actually 2.5cm shorter than the Toyota Auris Touring Sports but in my opinion the Leon is better looking with a very sharp and protruded front grille plus lights that are tapered and. There is also an accentuated line on the front wing and rear wing which gives it a sporty look. In fact the crease line at the rear is very prominent, a clever feat of engineering and probably a first.
This is just the start of the sporty appearance and bearing in mind this is the mid range SE trim and not the FR it feels every bit as stylish with the same shape and lines carried through the dash. It has really been beautifully thought out all the way through including small details like the door handles.
My first impressions are that the load space is fantastic with a whopping 1470 litres with the seats folded, although the Auris Touring Sports was bigger with a 1658-litre boot. The opening is wide and the quality of the finish in and around the boot feels solid and hardwearing.
Matt thinks the Leon ST looks pretty sporty, even for an estate
We’ve plumped for what should be the biggest seller in the range with the 1.6 TDI engine in mid-level SE trim and also selected the DSG automatic gearbox. As we've come to expect when it comes to economy, the official claimed figures aren't a true representation of real life. SEST claims the Leon ST will average 74.3mpg, which is pretty much on a par with the claimed economy of the Toyota Auris Hybrid Touring Sports.
The only other options we've gone for are rear parking sensors, darkened privacy glass and a boot divider net. These along with the metallic paint - a fetching shade of Apollo Blue, but in essence this is very close to the standard SE trim.
I'm a big fan of small estates like this and the Leon ST has some stiff competition. And a big reputation to live up given the recent praise for the all-new Leon. Judging on looks alone I'd say it's a sure fire winner with the interior quality and design probably the best in the class.
I'll miss the Toyota Auris Hybrid which I'd grown very fond of but can the SEAT Leon ST 1.6 TDI with the DSG gearbox be better? I guess I'll find out.
Fuel economy in the 1.6 TDI Leon
Matt has had several long motorway trips in the Leon and is enjoying the fast-shifting DSG automatic gearbox and the strong fuel economy.
Date: 7 August 2014 | Current mileage: 1238 | Claimed economy: 74.3mpg | Actual economy: 58.9mpg
Recently I have dragged our SEAT Leon ST up and down the M1 for a photoshoot in the peak district and then on a quick visit to the West Country. Already the trip computer is reading a healthy 58.9mpg. That's not bad considering I've only filled the car up twice although it's a bit early to judge this against my own figures.
That said, it's quite refreshing to fill a car up and see the range stating 485 miles. Although with a claimed figure of 74.3mpg there's clearly some room for improvement. Most of those miles have been on the motorway so I can’t comment too much on the handling of the Leon ST but the engine noise level is impressively.
It's not just quiet for a diesel but quiet full stop. Cruising at 70mph is comfortable and relaxed while getting up to that speed is pretty effortless too. Thanks to the low down torque of 250Nm, the 1.6 TDI is not sluggish. The quoted figures have it at 11.1 seconds from 0-62mph and that feels about right. However, there is a bit of lag initially and the accelerator pedal feels quite unresponsive from a standstill.
Once you're up to speed, there the cruise control does a great job and the controls are pretty intuitive sat on top of the indicator stalk. I must admit I was quite pleased with how quick the car felt, especially as it was full to the brim with my equipment with the seats folded down in the rear. That would probably equate to five people on board.
Fuel economy has peaked at 60.5mpg
One thing I have had to get used to is not driving in a hybrid style. It may sound strange but I miss the engine braking of the Auris HSD I ran previously. It does seem a little strange wasting all that energy pressing the pedal and just letting it all go, but then all you need to do is look at the current mpg on the trip computer of the Leon and you soon realise that it's pretty economical without all that technology.
In fact the car is very simple in that respect, the DSG gearbox is as straightforward as can be. It's basically an automatic with the option to put it into manual and just nudge up and down to select gears. Or just drive in auto which is for me preferable. It will always change up or down at optimum revs for economy plus it's just easier.
The Leon also has one last trick to up the economy and lower its emissions. Utilising start/stop technology the Leon takes a break when the car is stationary and switches off, but as soon as you take your foot off the brake the engine starts up again and away you go.
It works very well and is very quick but I have to admit that it's taking time to get used to. Of course you can turn it off, but that's hardly the point.
The Leon ST - big and light
The Leon ST has been busy with estate duties lately as our resident photographer Matt packs all his kit in.
Date: 20 August 2014 | Current mileage: 1868 | Claimed economy: 74.3mpg | Actual economy: 60.7mpg
One of the things I didn't mention in my last update was the firm ride of our SEAT Leon ST which is due in part to the 16-inch Design alloys it comes fitted with as standard on the SE trim. It is quite noticeable on motorways and doesn't hide many bumps well, although it's certainly not uncomfortable.
That's helped by the very well shaped and ergonomic seats. I drove a 300-mile stretch in one go to Cheddar Gorge recently wit no sign of back ache during the journey whatsoever. The drive there included a lot of B roads and this is where the ride in Leon ST excels. The steering is light but incredibly direct and the car feels very well planted to the road due to the suspension set up.
SE models also come equipped with XDS which gives extra safety in corners. This is an electronic differential system which sounds complex but it basically brakes (ever so lightly) the inside wheel in a corner, meaning you don't have to put in as much steering input. In essence the car feels keener through bends.
The Leon ST is quite nimble for an estate but with this engine configuration that's where the sportiness ends unfortunately. The turbo lag in the TDI diesel engine is just too unresponsive compared to the handling and ride. But then you have to remember that this isn't a sports car and is a family estate car. That said it doesn't look boxy. I think it's pretty sporty and handles in the same way.
The Leon interior looks even better at night thanks to the red lighting
On the looks side of things I haven't mentioned the headlights and tail lights which are LEDs with daytime LED running lights. These surround the headlight casing in a triangular wedge which is very eye-catching and adds to the already sharp styling. The headlights are also very effective, far more so than standard bulbs especially on full beam.
Talking of lights, the interior of the Leon comes to life at night and in true SEAT tradition, everything is lit up in red with red LED night lights while the dials have an ice white appearance which mirrors the front headlights. It really is a nice place to be and completely unobtrusive when driving. I’m really getting a strong hint of design throughout the car without anything just being added from the parts bin.
So why did I opt for a Leon ST rather than a standard Leon five-door hatch? Well as a photographer I carry a lot of equipment and the ST gives me the room I need. A lovely touch is the ease of folding down the rear seats with a quick pull of the easy rear seat release by the tailgate. It's effortless and folds the seats to give an ample 1486 litres of boot space which for me is pretty much essential.
The ease of which this can be done is one of those things you wonder why it hasn't been done before. What's even better is the boot tonneau cover retracts with the seats which is something I've complained bitterly about on other cars that don't do this.
Cruising control in the Leon ST
Over some long distances Matt has been able to see if using the cruise control improves fuel economy.
Date: 10 September 2014 | Current mileage: 3225 | Claimed economy: 74.3mpg | Actual economy: 56.4mpg
I’ve managed to notch up a fair few miles this last two weeks and want to touch on the economy of the Leon ST. Initially it seemed pretty good but on reflection that's a bit of an understatement. It's actually pretty darned impressive. On two occasions my average economy has been just shy of 70mpg for a 75 mile motorway journey touching 69.4mpg and 68.8mpg.
That's very impressive considering on both occasions the boot of the Leon ST was full of camera gear which i’d estimate to be at least the weight of another adult in the car. Don’t quote me on this but I assumed that using cruise control would be far more economical than not.
But on driving the same journey in pretty much the same conditions it seems not. The economy achieved was a lower 62.9mpg. Now I know it's not exactly a scientific comparison, but I really thought that it would be closer or a higher figure compared to the economy when driving without using cruise control.
On the steering wheel, there are an array of controls for the stereo and on board computer functions, all nicely styled to fit in with the whole feel of the car. Within the functions you can display between the main dials are the current fuel economy for the journey and also the average economy.
Matt is struggling to get to grips with the start/stop system in the Leon
Given time and distance, the average creeps up during the journey to a point where it gradually slows its rate of increase, whereas the actual economy display changes frantically with every incline, decline and variation in throttle. In fact watching it can become distracting to the point of being obsessive as the figure alternates between anything from 300mpg to 25mpg and back in a matter of seconds.
But strangely, when watching the actual economy while using cruise control, the variation seems much less. I can only guess that without cruise control my average speed is actually a little less and therefore possibly a little more economical. Maybe my throttle is more erratic so I may be slowing my average speed down a little compared to when using the cruise control which is more consistent.
The main bulk of my journeys seem to be motorway runs and other than driving through the night to airports, cruise control on English roads is a bit of a challenge given the congestion. If my findings are fairly accurate, i’ll be sticking to my right foot rather than the cruise button.
The 1.6-litre diesel engine in the Leon ST seems very competent at crunching through the miles. But there is always a catch. I’m just not getting on with the start/stop function. I find myself wanting to turn it off, but I know that will affect my fuel economy. So for now it's staying on.
The superb SEAT touchscreen system
While Matt may not like the start/stop system he's a big fan of the excellent media and navigation system in the Leon.
Date: 9 October 2014 | Current mileage: 5735 | Claimed economy: 74.3mpg | Actual economy: 60.2mpg
In my last update I wasn't very complimentary about the start/stop system and looking back I was perhaps a little unfair on the system. It does do exactly what it's supposed to and that shouldn't be a poor reflection on the car itself.
My best guess is that the delay from pulling away quickly is the same problem on start/stop systems. I have noticed that you can control it to a certain degree. If you push the brake hard it will almost certainly cause the start/stop system to cut in. However, gently decrease your speed to a stop and the engine doesn't cut out. Although that does defeat the object of having the system in the first place!
Something which really does stand out in the opposite manner is the brilliant touchscreen and navigation system. To sum it up in one word would be impossible but lets go with 'brilliant' or maybe 'fantastic', take your pick.
The navigation is spot on and so far hasn't come anywhere near to getting anything wrong. It's intuitive, quick and precise. So far it hasn't left me waiting until the last second on telling me whether to come off a motorway or turn at the last minute off a main road.
What I like most about is that there's no need for any instruction manual. It' so easy to use and incredibly well thought out. Of course, anything that appears seamless in operation has probably had months and years of design and decisions poured into it. SEAT has got it spot on.
It would be easier to list all the small annoyances most of us find with navigation systems which cause you to shout and thump the off switch but they simply dont exist on the Leon. All the main menu buttons are laid out around the five-inch screen for quick access and everything else is on touchscreen menus which are very quick to navigate.
There's even a very neat sensor which detects when your hand draws near to the screen. Doing so reveals a further set of sub menus which then disappear off screen again when you move your hand away. It may seem a little gimmicky, but it means you get an uncluttered view of the map.
As well as this, there's a series of handy reminders such as 'don't forget your mobile phone' which pop up as you turn off the engine and open the door. Even more useful is the 'please refuel' reminder which displays even with a range of 60 miles still in the tank.
Start to stop complaining
Matt is finding that a combination of start/stop and the DSG automatic gearbox makes for frustrating driving in the Leon.
Date: 25 September 2014 | Current mileage: 4166 | Claimed economy: 74.3mpg | Actual economy: 56.8mpg
In my last update I mentioned how the economy of the ST was staggeringly good but I must admit I did finish on a bit of a clanger, namely the start/stop system.
Now before I go into a rant about this, I need to be clear that the system does work flawlessly in the Leon ST, in fact it works too well. And that is kind of the problem. Having said that if it didn't work that well, this rant would be far more prolonged.
It's important to point out that the start/stop system is fitted to reduce emissions and improve the economy of the car which in turn saves money. Sorry, the planet.
So why the rant? Well, the problem is that there’s a substantial delay between putting your foot down and the car actually doing anything before it moves. Now I’m not expecting the car to perform miracles and in fact, considering the time delay from engine off to pulling away is very small, in a way, the start/stop system is performing miracles but in certain situations this delay is too long.
It's most apparent at roundabouts, that moment when you try to squeeze onto a very busy roundabout when there's a car hurtling around it. You spot your gap, take your foot off the brake, and fully stamp on the accelerator. Only to find nothing happens. The car starts in a nanosecond, but it then seems to take an eternity to select a gear, find the revs and eventually pull away .
So, is it the start/stop that is at fault or the DSG gearbox? Or a combination of the two? I’d put my money on the two of them at play as you can switch the start/stop off, something I admit doing. With the system deactivated you can pull away fine. There is a delay but that's due to the fact it's DSG, but it's nowhere near the delay with the system turned on.
I was reluctant to deactivate the start/stop as I am recording my own fuel test, however the economy on the 1.6 TDI is very good, so in a way I'm not feeling too bad for not being 100 per cent accurate. I’d rather that than being crunched into by a local rush hour Lewis Hamilton, which in my case is very likely as I live in Stevenage.
So, is this a Seat Leon ST problem? Probably not as most cars with start/stop have an uncomfortable delay, it's just down to the engineering systems designed to maximise economy and lower emissions. I’m just thankful there’s an off button, although I do wonder why SEAT put it there?
Leon loses it's cool
While our Leon is proving an impressive estate, it dies seems to keep warning of a non-existent coolant level problem.
Date: 23 October 2014 | Current mileage: 6317 | Claimed mileage: 74.3mpg | Actual mileage: 59.2mpg
This week I travelled to Newcastle and back and after 450 miles in a day, the Leon impressed me even more. One thing that's very notable is the engine noise - or rather lack of it. It's not the quietest diesel out there, but for this size of car you can't fault the Leon ST .
Especially so when you're on a motorway and can use the cruise control. It's like take off in an Airbus, 10 minutes after leaving the ground you just don't notice the engines anymore and at 70mph in the Leon it just tends to find its groove.
The bluetooth system and handsfree phone connection coupled with the voice recognition system all built into the steering wheel is another great convenience feature. To make a phone call, you don’t need to move your hands from the wheel. You just touch the phone button and using the scroll wheel you can call anyone in your phone directory.
It involves zero thought process, which keeps your mind on the job at hand. There is some rough with the smooth though. The Check Coolant warning came on yesterday in big red letters with a red warning triangle.
The pesky check coolant message...
I’ve previously mentioned that the car loves to give you some feedback with all its messages but this one I thought best not to just shrug off. So bonnet open, coolant level checked and all seemed fine. So with that I assumed that it might be programmed in at a certain mileage, like service warnings.
Perhaps after a certain amount of miles covered it warns you. But there doesn't seem anything significant as it came up at 6126 miles. So after double checking the coolant, I thought the warning would now disappear.
Only it didn't. Two days later it returned with a vengeance. So I checked the coolant again and all appeared fine. Once again it disappears only to return again. Sometimes it appears and other times not but the car hasn't overheated and drives absolutely fine .
So currently it's a bit of cat and mouse. But the levels are fine, which makes me wonder what really is going on and whether there is anything else underlying or just an overzealous sensor, something I’m keeping a close eye on .
Our Leon ST throws a brief tantrum
With an errant engine coolant light repeatedly coming on, our Leon ST has had an engine limp home incident.
Date: 6 November 2014 | Current mileage: 6606 | Claimed economy: 74.3mpg | Actual economy: 59.2mpg
It's all been too good to be true. After my last update the check coolant light is still warning me to keep checking the levels which again seem totally fine. Worse still was an incident that has only happened once thank goodness and I could only hazard a guess as to why.
After driving on the A1 towards the M25 in very heavy rain, I stopped at a set of traffic lights only to find limited power from the engine. As I pulled away, the car seemed limited to 2000 revs and I simply couldn't build up speed. And initially there were no warning lights.
Considering I was at the junction for South Mimms I decided to pull into the services and at the next set of lights the engine start/stop cut in. But when I released the brake, nothing. So I put the gearbox into Park and after many attempts to re-start the engine, a warning message 'Start/stop Failure' appeared. That didn't help matters until I pressed the start/stop deactivation button.
The car did eventually restart after a few minutes of being stranded, but again there was no power apart from the limp home mode it seemed to have gone into. So once again, while parked in the garage and after checking the coolant - which was fine - I started the engine and the revs seemed absolutely fine.
Since then the car hasn’t shown any signs of repeating this and I’ve covered a further 1000 miles without incident or warning of any kind.
It's important to note that the when this happened on the way to the M25, the car was absolutely fine, so what happened? The only thing I can think was that I’d just refuelled no more than 10 minutes prior to this happening and I did have a similar incident years ago in a Ford Focus.
After taking it to a garage, the mechanic couldn't find anything, but mentioned that possibly a bit of dirty fuel caused the car to go into an engine management mode without the car requiring any remedy.
It's a bit of a worry and the car is driving as it was from day one, apart from the coolant level warning light on start up. I’m also driving with the start/stop activated and that's all working as it should. I think it might be worth a trip to a dealer, just to give it a once over. I’ll keep you posted on the outcome .
Tunnel vision
Our Leon ST doesn't come with automatic headlights which isn't too much of a problem. Apart from when you go into a tunnel.
Date: 27 November 2014 | Current mileage: 7142 | Claimed economy: 74.3mpg | Actual economy: 58.8mpg
The Leon ST is still really impressing me, albeit with a few small hiccups, and the car is going from strength to strength. Its economy is truly impressive considering there's no hybrid technology at work here. Currently the car indicates an average of 58.8mpg and to be fair these are motorway miles at relatively economic speeds .
But having such an impressive experience does make you look for faults. As with everything if you look hard enough you’ll find them and I have to point out these are minor flaws I’ve noticed. Because of the SE specification, our Leon doesn't come with automatic lights, just the standard headlights turned on by the dial on the right side of the wheel.
No problem so far. But drive the ST into a tunnel during the daytime and within five seconds, suddenly you cannot see the dials and more importantly what speed you are driving at. It seems ridiculous , but you simply can’t see anything other than two red illuminated pointers for speed and revs pointing into two circles of black.
The cars numbers within the dials are illuminated all the time but begin to auto dim as it gets darker to avoid glare. The trouble is, because there is no automatic headlight system, the numbers simply disappear into darkness as the light sensor assumes it is dark outside, even though it's simply a tunnel.
Along comes a tunnel. And everything goes dark.
It's not a problem driving at night as your headlights are already on and thus the dials will be illuminated. The only remedy to this is to manually turn on your sidelights or headlights when you drive into a tunnel and then off again. Or just drive all the time with your sidelights on which kind of defeats the object of having those cool daytime running lights which the ST has.
I doubt it's a design fault, more than likely just an oversight that could easily be remedied as my guess is the Leon FR probably has automatic lights on its dial and therefore doesn't suffer this problem.
It does seem a bit of a shame as the car does half the job of dimming automatically to avoid glare but it just goes a too far. Yes it's a small niggle but my regular journey to Kent incorporates three tunnels and sometimes I drive this route three times a week. Plus driving without the car showing your speed is a safety issue.
There is one other remedy and that is to have the speed displayed in large digits in the centre part of the display on the trip computer. But then you can't have the navigation display which is a bit of a shame as its a great feature.
The car that's full of advice...
The Leon ST is a car that really does like to help you and offer advice. And sometimes it can be a bit overzealous.
Date: 11 December 2014 | Current mileage: 7824 | Claimed economy: 74.3mpg | Actual economy: 57.3mpg
Having mentioned the slight niggle of the lack of automatic lights in the Leon ST I thought I would talk about some of the good points. Because the Leon ST is a car that really does like to help you and offer advice.
I’ve mentioned before that the Leon likes to give you warnings and sometimes it can be a bit overzealous. But now, not only am I getting warnings such as being low on fuel despite having a range of 60 miles, but i’m also getting economy tips.
Generally this happens in the morning as you start the car up. Because the car isn't up to running temperature the start/stop doesn't cut in and sure enough, within minutes you get a warning on the centre display advising you to avoid remaining still while the engine is running.
You can also go into your car data settings in the trip computer and see where you’re adding extra consumption such as using air conditioning or heated wing mirrors. The car will also and rather brilliantly tell you that fuel levels are low albeit a little over zealous at a 60 mile range.
But what's very neat is that a message on the MMI will ask if you want guidance to the nearest petrol station. So at the touch of the screen up comes all the fuel stations near you with their distances from your location. Touch the one you want and the guidance is instantly activated.
Another of the Leon's useful eco tips.
Now comes an eco tip I found quite bizarre. Driving on the M25 recently, it was quite cold outside so the heaters were on. However it became a bit too hot in the car, so to cool down I put the window down, only to have a chime and an eco tip informing me that driving at this speed with the windows down was causing drag.
To avoid drag I should not drive for prolonged periods with the windows open apparently. Overzealous, informative or just pointless? I’ll let you decide, but it does show that the designers really want the car to interact with you.
These little touches do make a difference and a feeling of being looked after was obviously paramount when this car was developed. I like it, especially the petrol station guidance. So onto that final bit of advice , the coolant level warning which continuously requests me to check and upon checking the levels they are in fact okay.
I’ve topped up with a thimble full of coolant and since the mystery fault, which was several weeks ago. Since then the warning has stopped.
No time to talk
Matt has been trying out the voice activation on our Leon ST. But is it merely a pointless gimmick?
Date: 23 December 2014 | Current mileage: 8050 miles | Claimed economy: 74.3mpg | Actual economy: 55.7mpg
On the Leon ST steering wheel there's array of extremely intuitive buttons and scrolling thumb wheels that can be used to navigate through various functions and displays on the trip computer. It's very well laid out and very simple to use, meaning you can keep your eyes firmly fixed on the road and your hands on the wheel.
More information is actually available from the steering wheel buttons than the central touchscreen. he centre. In fact, it's so simple I had completely taken it for granted. To the point of using this method all the time. But there is one question, what is the speech button for?
The one button I completely ignore at all times just never gets a look in because everything else works so much better, so it's time to give it a go.
Voice activation has come a long way over the last few years and I was surprised at how accurate it now is. Not once did the car change to Radio 4 when I was trying to listen to Chris Evans and not once was I guided to the nearest airport when trying to turn off the air conditioning.
The Leon ST is a Chris Evans infected zone. Best to keep your distance...
But there is a problem with it - it's just far too slow. Not only is it too slow, to the point of losing all patience with it, but I find that you are concentrating on the job at hand - namely focussing on yor driving - far less. Surely this defeats the object
Yes you keep both your hands on the wheel but that's totally pointless if you do so while driving into a ditch when repeating in a loud voice "Radio", "Radio 2", "Menu", etc. The problem is have to go through a series of sub menus to get what you want.
Plus you need to know the names of the categories prior to doing so. It's the same as when you press buttons or scroll dials, but the difference is that the options are already there for you to choose, making things so much easier.
Once you know the key words, it's fine. That is until you next get in the car and forget it all again. Then I just go back to using the buttons and thumb wheels. Why take 20 seconds changing a radio station talking when you can do it just as easily in two seconds without taking your hands off the wheel?
It's the end of the Leon
After six months and 9000 miles our Leon ST is going back. And we think it's one of the best compact estates out there.
Date: 14 January 2015 | Current mileage: 8886 | Claimed economy: 74.3mpg | Actual economy: 54.3mpg
Six months and just under 9000 miles and it's time to say goodbye to our SEAT Leon ST. And it will be sorely missed. I can completely understand why the Leon has had the great reviews from critics and owners alike.
It's a car that does everything very well. I can safely say, if I was in the market to buy a compact estate, I wouldn't hesitate in going for a Leon ST. The 1.6 TDI is great and I wouldn't bother with the FR version. For me the SE is fine. I like the DSG gearbox but the only thing I would change would be the addition of automatic lights. Other than that I just cant complain at all.
The positives after 9000 miles of motoring in the ST far outweight the negatives. I haven't had any problems with this car mechanically albeit one coolant related hiccup which I just dont believe is the car at fault.
What stands out is the design of the Leon. It's a car for the masses, not a niche supercar, yet it looks great and I'm a big fan of the sharp lines that flank the rear and swoop round the tailgate. The interior is top notch with an upmarket feel and a good quality feel to everything.
Leon ST. Lines so sharp you could slice bread on them.
So what about the negatives? Well there aren't many aside from the start/stop system that I didn't get to grips with. That said, you can turn it off if you want.
I did actually drive most of the time with the start/stop off so my fuel figures won't be as good as some, but my own recordings gave me an average of 54.3mpg while the trip computer told me it was doing 56.2mpg which isn't bad at all.
That said, it's nowhere near the official economy, but it never would be unless I drove everyday on a rolling road. Instead I used this car for work and as a family car. For the £20k price tag, I don’t think there's much out there to beat it.
There are some strong rivals out there like the new Ford Focus Estate and the Golf Estate but for me the Leon ST is just as ood if not better. So what's next? Well replacing the Leon ST will be a Suzuki SX-4 S-Cross. It will be interesting to see how this fares compared to the SEAT. Watch this space.
