Seat Leon Third generation (Typ 5F)

The SEAT Leon...if my memory serves me correctly, the Leon is nothing more of a Volkswagen Golf with a bit of se habla espanol because it is just a Spanish equivalent to the Golf. This car may have spawned two generations but it still won't deny that it's still a VW Golf after taking Spanish lessons. Besides, it does come with the same engine choices from the Golf as well...

2013 Seat Leon

At long last, a full model change for the Seat Leon and hey, do you think it still has the guts of other Leons to prove it has the wit to stay competitive? Do you think it's going to feel like Leon the Professional? Leon Guerrero? Leon S. Kennedy? Sadly, it's a no because this is just the same old Leon for nothing because even though it's an all new model, it still just based on the Golf 7 because of its new MQB platform developed by Volkswagen Group for future models. Let's not forget that future VW Group models will be using this new platform no matter which body style they're on.

2013 Seat Leon interior

First of all is the design and this one's rather looking similar. The new Leon is becoming more like the big brother of the recently facelifted Seat Ibiza compact car. When you put them both, just look at them. Their fronts really look like it was some sort of inheritance of genes, just like when a little boy has the nose of his father's and the pubic hair of his. Okay, it's going to be too cheesy for words but anyway, how about the interior? It seems that VW's doing the right thing to make the Leon more accessible for the drivers because most of the switches, buttons and controls in the new SEAT Leon are located exactly where the driver would expect them to be. New to the Leon is the techie-favored Easy Connect system which features a user-friendly touch-screen. For beginners, the Media System Touch gets a CD player with SD card slot, four speakers and a five-inch touchscreen while for the advanced yuppies, the Media System Colour includes a better screen, six speakers, Bluetooth connectivity, USB and aux-in. Then, comes the Media System Plus, which adds iPod connectivity, DAB, voice recognition, eight speakers and sat nav, and finally, the SEAT Sound System, which upgrades to ten speakers and a sub-woofer. Sounds lovely and this is becoming a premium hatchback in its own right when most of the concessions to comfort and convenience are bundled together in the all new Leon.

2013 Seat Leon

There are several kinds of engines available on the new Seat Leon such as a 1.2 TSi, 1.4 TSi, 1.8 TSi, 1.6 TDi, and a 2.0 TDi engine. Choosing either of these engine lineups is like choosing for your Pringles flavor of choice at your nearest 7-Eleven convenience store but whichever side you're on, you might be expecting a choice of either a five- or six-speed manuals and seven-speed DSG twin clutch systems.

When you take your foot on, the Seat Leon feels like you're swimming with hard candy that smells like menthol and tastes like fruit...and menthol. They're like MAXX menthol candies to me when I'm driving one because when I bite one of these, it feels a bit rough but by not biting one of my MAXX's, it feels a bit okay to me, it soothes me right until the MAXX in my mouth is shrunken down to nothingness. That's how the driving feel of the new Leon feels like, having a piece of my favorite fruit-menthol hard candy in my mouth and decide if I'm going for the fast but rough way or the slow but sensual way.

It might be a VW Golf taking so much Spanish lessons but the new Seat Leon (Typ 5F) can make a decent opponent to the likes of the Citroen C4, Alfa Romeo Giuletta, Peugeot 308, or the brand new Renault Clio. As for me, I didn't like this new model in terms of its design because it looks like an oversized Ibiza to me. Seems like some alien boy's busy playing with his grow ray and he accidentally zap it on the parked Ibiza in Madrid until it grew into something. He he he... Anyway, as for the driving style, it's harsh but when you take it slowly, it's not that harsh. Remember the fruit-menthol candy reference I'm talking about. It was quite a surprise that VW Group invested a few Euros just to regenerate the Leon...only know is can the Leon cope up in Spain's current economic climate? I mean of course, there's been a huge debt crisis lingering on in Europe for several months now and I think the Leon might not work here unless it has the chance. Besides, now that SEAT is coming to China, will the Chinese appreciate the new Leon more? Spoilers...

PRICE LIST:


León 1.6 TDI CR 90 CV (66 kw) Emoción 17.720 €
León 1.6 TDI CR 90 CV (66 kw) Reference 19.770 €
León 1.6 TDI CR 105 CV Start&Stop (77 kw) Reference 20.300 €
León 1.4 TSI 122 CV Start&Stop (90 kw) Style 20.330 €
León 1.4 TSI 140 CV Start&Stop (103 kw) Style 20.870 €
León 1.6 TDI CR 105 CV Start&Stop (77 kw) Style 21.900 €
León 2.0 TDI CR 150 CV Start&Stop (110 kw) Style 23.250 €
León 1.4 TSI 122 CV Start&Stop (90 kw) FR 21.790 €
León 1.4 TSI 140 CV Start&Stop (103 kw) FR 22.330 €
León 2.0 TDI CR 150 CV Start&Stop (110 kw) FR 24.710 €