14th Nov 2004, 17:40
I agree with the comments about the gear box 1st to 2nd when cold is rough.
Drivers heated mirror had to be replaced £40.
Seat air bag sensor replaced £140.
Paint work chips easy.
Had great service from my local Seat dealer.
Loves unleaded petrol, the best we can get out of it is 33mpg and that is keeping the revs under 2000.Thrashed it is low 20`s.
On the up side the cost of a golf GTI or Audi TT in which all three share the same platform I would save the cash and and get another Leon.
On B roads let the turbo blow hard forget the low mpg and have fun.
15th Dec 2004, 05:32
Sorry to disagree with the above comments, but I think maybe if you get an early one (Belgian made) the quality problems don't apply so much. Apart from a leaky rear door in heavy rain I've had no problems at all.
It goes like stink, fuel economy is not that bad considering (easy 300+ miles to a tank on long runs due to tall gearing) handles well, is an entertaining drive and well equipped. I've also found the 6 speed gearbox to be positive and reliable. The only slight issue I have is with the way it eats Pirellis, but with 180 brake through the front wheels that's to be expected.
17th Jun 2005, 03:42
Happy with mine. Gearbox is smooth enough and copes well with the 225bhp version that I have. I use it to commute and I reckon on about 300mpg driving it reasonably hard (not totally thrashing it). There are a few niggles - mostly noises from the interior trim, but apart from that I am happy. The only reason I wouldn't buy another is because I hope to have a bit more cash next time to pick up something different.
8th Nov 2006, 12:26
The Leon is a superb car. It is extremely well built for the price and will last a very long time if serviced correctly. The Leon is a better built and designed car than both the Audi A3 and Volkswagon Golf, the cars the Leon is based on.
27th Jun 2009, 11:10
I really love my Seat Leon Cupra it is the best car I have ever had, its 1.8 20 valve 180bhp engine is great fun and under estimated by other drivers on the road, a real wolf in sheep's clothing. Fuel consumption is not great, but what do you expect from a very quick and fun car.
16th Mar 2004, 16:13
Ive also had similar experiences with my Leon Cupra, the 6sp gearbox is one of the worst Ive come across in a so called performance car (Seat should learn from Hondas Civic type R). I had it replaced by the dealer after months of wrangling with Seat UK and it still crunches when cold, changing from 1st to 2nd is slow and rough, 1st is obstructive at times and the gearbox as a whole is sloppy and inaccurate. This is only the tip of the ice berg, i have had many problems with the car such as leaking doors, squeaking rear seats, vibrations on start up, dash vibrations, knocking front suspension, rust on the sill and the glove box catch fell off, most of these problems have occurred in the first 3yrs of ownership and some remain unresolved even after several attempts by dealers to sort the problems.
By the way, watch the dealers they will try every trick in the book to get out of doing warranty repairs.
The Leons are that bad a member of seats staff at a dealership, said they've got rubber bands attached to the bumpers and keep on coming back.
Although this car has never broke down, the constant problems and wasted time at dealerships has annoyed me that much, it will be the first and last seat I will ever own.