USED Seat Leon Hatchback (05 - )

My car

We have just done the opposite to most people and gone from an FR TDi to an FR TSi simply due to an excellent deal saving us 4.5K on a new one. Also that our annual mileage is low and quite a few short journeys which do not suit a DPF equipped TDi.

The FR TSi is a nicer car to drive than the TDi overall the lighter steering and clutch and slicker gear change make it an easier car to drive. The weight loss over the front wheels does transpire into quicker turn in and under steer later on a twisty B road. The engine is also less laggy than the diesel FR. Much more torque and go lower down along with a more responsive throttle ideal for stop/start and slow speed traffic. Once up and running performance is very similar between the TDi and TSi both are excellent cruisers but again being petrol the TSi is slightly more refined.

With an average of 36 mpg so far and can see up to 40mpg on a long motorway run the TSi works out around 2p extra per mile on fuel and is worth on average about £1500 less come trade in. The extra discount we got offsets the extra depreciation. Overall a fun car and the improved and easier to use stereo from the VW Golf GTi/GTD has addressed one weak area. To summarise more fun to drive than the FR TDi but does not make economic sense unless you do low mileage and short journeys.

My car

Got this 1 year old for £6000 below list price, something of a bargain. I'm very impressed so far. Performance from the 2.0tdi is strong with ample power in reserve for overtaking. This engine has now been replaced with a newer common rail unit to improve economy and refinement. The older engine in my car however is silent at a cruise, a little noisy in 1st couple of gears and at idle but not that irritating. Handling is superb, the car just grips round bends and steering feel is good with non of the over self centering that affects other cars with electric setups. The downside of this is on rough roads the ride can be a bit jiggly but it is pretty well damped and considerably better than pre facelift leons. Was improved in the 2009 update. Settles nicely on a cruise, and standard cruise control is suprisingly useful. The new interior is smarter too, and whilst it misses out on the golfs soft touch plastics it feels solid enough. Its fairly practical although it would be better if the split fold was the other way round. Something I suspect that never got changed in LHD to RHD conversion. Overall I'm very impressed so far. I needed something more comfortable than my mito but still sporty and this fits the bill nicely.

My car

I purchased the Leon from new in 2007. The car is good to drive, although engine and road noise are worse than other cars in the class. Road handling is very good, although there is a tendency to understeer. The diesel engine returns a good 50 mpg, although this has been bettered by newer engine versions. The interior is dull, yet the equipment that came with the car was much better than either a Ford or Vauxhall for a similar price.

Shortly after purchase I had a few minor problems with the car that required fixing under warranty. These included: rear wiper stopped working, rear light aspect not being watertight, climate control not working (no heat being produced). The major issue however occurred 55 days out of warranty. The instrument cluster (multi function display and all the dials) stopped working, which prevented the car from starting. The unit was replaced costing £916. SEAT stated that for the age and mileage of the car (3 years and 55 days and 39,500 miles) that this was a reasonable fault but would pay for 50% of the repair. The replacement unit also appears to have a fault with the display, which I am struggling to get SEAT to examine fully. To surmise, even though the Leon is a decent car, the serious fault with the instrument cluster and it's costly replacement so soon after the end of the warranty period, despite low mileage and a full service history, has left me very disappointed and I cannot recommend or endorse the build quality of the SEAT product.

My car

Is it reasonable to expect to replace a regularly serviced engine after four and a half years and 20,000 miles? This is what happened after the oil pump seized shattering it's drive chain, jamming the cam belt and bending the camshaft. Parts were so expensive that it was more economical to fit a new engine at a cost of about £4,000 ! So, VW, Audi, SEAT and Skoda drivers of models which use the 2.0 TFSI petrol engine beware ! SEAT UK's response: 'As stated in my previous emails, SEAT UK apologises that the engine in your vehicle needs replacing and for any inconvenience caused as a result of this. SEAT UK investigates every case separately and we use this information to decide if any good will gesture can be offered towards a repair. We do have specific guidelines in place when look at the possibility of a good will gesture and the vehicle age is one of the main parameters we look at. As your vehicle is over five years old, it falls outside these parameters and therefore SEAT UK can not offer a good will gesture towards the repair costs. Again I apologise if this is not the answer you were hoping for. This is however, SEAT UK's final decision regarding this issue and any further correspondence regarding this matter will be added to the case notes but not responded to.'