New 2020 SEAT Leon - Spanish hatchback gunning straight for the Golf

SEAT has been scoring big sales with its SUVs recently, but the company’s revival was really kick-started by the third generation of its Leon family hatchback, first introduced in 2012. Now the fourth iteration of the VW Golf and Ford Focus rival is here, ahead of UK sales starting in late spring.

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[ryanjohnston]

What ruins it for me is the heating controls within the touchscreen. I have used this before in other cars and I find it more dangerous and difficult to set the heating.

[siviter]

Sad times when an FR looks this Vanilla.

[ConquerDriving]

I've had the mk3 since 2014, still love it. Don't like the look of this new one. Looks a bit SUV like.

[JP-mxzs]

It looks more like it's gunning for the ford focus instead (rather than committing fratricide against the golf). It looks alot like it, including the bonnet, frontal lights and side profile.

[adidasaddict]

I have a 2019 Leon Cupra, at least I don't have to worry about the new model looking better haha

[TheRustedPixel]

This is what the Mk8 Golf should have looked like (or close to it) and the new 2020 Leon should look a lot more sporty than this. I dunno, the whole VW group is really going down weird design paths where the Skoda brands are looking by far the most appealing inside and out. This Leon is nice, yeah, but to me it looks like a weird mix of a Golf and the new Ford Focus with that longer, clam shaped bonnet.

[Tom.G.Wright]

I liked lightbars... until every single manufacturer stuck them on every new car. 0 creativity

[chembleton]

I hate those new touch screen controls for heating. Things like that mean you have to take you eye off the road to be precise with your inputs rather than allowing a little muscle memory and your fingers feeling around a little all while keeping your eye on the road.

[mattluxton]

Front end looks like a Nissan. Side I'm getting old mazda 3 vibes. Rear is the best part for me but overall not blown away by it. Main thing that bugs me is the mirrors? Is it extra to have them painted and not finished in primer?

[dashcam]

Fake double tail pipes to give a sporty look

[paultasker]

The current estate (ST) is a really handy size. Big enough to be practical yet short enough to fit into nearly all parking bays. Not too wide (but still considerably wider than a focus I had in 2005). The new one is 10cm longer and also wider. That makes it harder to park and less manoeuvrable on tight country lanes.

[filipeviola]

designs are getting standardized, from the side it looks like the current Opel Astra

[motorartuk]

I think I'd prefer to go for the current Leon FR Black edition.

Hopefully there'll be a price reduction since the new generation is coming out

[nigelrolf]

Can’t wait to test drive the 2.0 model. Love the new look and specs❤️👍🏼🤩

[eyeballseesaws]

That wavy Leon badge sort of ruins the sharp lines

[robtt]

I have just bought a Mk3 Leon Cupra ST. I fear it will be the last of the full fat performance Cupra before the mild hybrid versions arrive.

[bigfozzybear]

I have a 2011 fr and love it, it's an absolute solid car. I also feel that Shap is the better looking one, I like the door handles for the back doors are hidden and wish they would incorporate that into the newer models!

[squidiebah]

Seat make some great cars. Coming from a current Mk3 owner I don't see the upgrade in looks at all. The interior looks a little OTT of which the MK3 had balanced well. I definitely like rear end and the rear lights on the MK4 and I reckon it's going to perform just as good. I personally thought there would be a bit more from the Mk4 if I must be honest, it looks quite like a Ford Focus and a Hyundai mixed together.

Looking forward to seeing the first consumer reviews.

[paultasker]

Having owned 2 Leon mark 2s and 2 mark 3s I think the interior looks nice. I agree that ditching physical controls is a silly idea. Hired a Peugeot 308 and using touch screen for climate control was a pain. You then had to faff around looking for the right button on the screen only to find you'd changed the radio station whilst trying to keep your eyes on the road. There is a solution. As an Alexa owner a good voice control system might be safest of all. Can keep 2 hands on the wheel. If I'm too cold in my house I simply ask Alexa to turn heating to 22 degrees. When I'm hot enough I ask Alexa to switch to 19 degrees. This is seamless and the lights are integrated too meaning I can choose the perfect level of brightness. Why not in cars. The rubbish system in my mark 3 will occasionally call home when I ask for radio 2 and programming a destination this way is really slow with multiple prompts required for town, then street, then number etc.. I never use it as such but voice technology has moved on a long way since 2012 or even 2017 (facelifted version). If I ask my phone to navigate to an address using ok Google it will do it in one command.

[ApurtureSci]

Can't say I'm a fan of the styling. I've got a 3 door 5F and I think it's the best looking car they've produced to date.