FRill a minute Seat Leon - Buying and owning

The FR gives you a lot of dash for minimal cash, undercutting most key rivals on price. Residuals are likely to be reasonably strong, although no match for those of a GTI, and insurance groups are also low given the pace.

Fuel consumption does suffer if you drive it hard, but go easy on the throttle official stats predicts 35.8 average mpg for the petrol and 47.1mpg for the diesel.

All the controls operate with precision and the cabin feels solidly built, but some of the materials used look a little drab compared with those in the best rivals. Seats tend to perform well in customer satisfaction surveys, and most mechanicals, being VW-sourced, should be reliable.

Twin front, side and curtain airbags are fitted as standard, while an electronic stability control system is on hand to help should you get into difficulty.