What’s new: The all-new, lower medium Leon surfaced earlier this year and BusinessCar has been impressed by a couple of versions we’ve tried so far. Here, we test the 1.4-litre TSI petrol version in SE trim.
Excellent: The Leon is a superb all-rounder and, at 43.2ppm, a cheaper alternative to the VW Golf on which it’s based. It’s more mature than its predecessor in every way and sports handsome styling.
Good: This 140hp 1.4-litre engine renders the Leon pretty swift with 0-62mph in 8.2 seconds, but it also musters 119g/km and an official 54.3mpg.
Average: Some small areas in the cabin come across as more low-rent than what you’d expect to find in the Golf or the Skoda Octavia – which also shares the same platform – but it’s good overall. The boot is also about average for the class at 380 litres.
Poor: There isn’t really anything the Leon does badly. The VW Golf has better RVs and badge appeal, but it’s dearer, while Skoda’s Octavia is much larger but is also more expensive than the Leon.
Verdict: A great all-rounder – diesels are more efficient but this strikes an excellent balance as petrols go.
