SEAT Leon Estate Review & Prices

The new SEAT Leon Estate is a family car, along the same lines as a Ford Focus Estate or Toyota Corolla Touring Sports, but with bodywork that looks decently sporty, and lots of equipment to make the kids go “ooh”, and you go “ahh”.

Under the skin, it’s much like a brother from another mother, because the Volkswagen Golf Estate is exactly the same underneath. It’s just that with the Leon Estate you’re driving the cool uncle.

The Leon might not have a VW badge, but it looks at least as sharp as a Golf Estate, if not even better. The triangular daytime-running lights signify SEAT’s unified look, along with the angular grille that looks a bit like the Tarraco SUV’s.

FR trim adds even more sporty additions, but all versions look good, as there are more creases in the bodywork than the VW Golf gets, and the Leon’s rear end comes with a Porsche-esque full-width brake light.

The SEAT Leon Estate’s interior has a minimalist feel, so it’s very modern. For example, automatic models have a tiny gear selector, but all cars have a stand-out touchscreen display with lots of great features and cool-looking air vents. It’s well-built and looks good, too.

The standard screen is good, but the optional 10.0-inch display is worth paying for. It’s just a shame about the fiddly touchscreen-based air-con controls.

Just like the previous Leon Estate it’s easy to find a good driving position because there’s a good amount of adjustment in the seats, and plenty of space in the cabin. In fact, the Leon Estate is a better car for families than ever because there’s loads of space in the back seats. Even adults will be comfy in the rear.

As for the boot, well it’s a good size at 620 litres, comfortably bigger than the 575 litres of a Ford Focus Estate.

There are also hooks and lashing points to make life easier.

Power-wise, there’s a 1.0-litre 110hp petrol, as well as a 1.5-litre petrol engine offering either 130hp or 150hp in manual form, and a 150hp version linked to a seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox.

There’s also a plug-in hybrid version that’s worth considering if you have somewhere to charge it and you do lots of driving in town, where it can use its electric motor more of the time.

All versions of the SEAT Leon Estate have light steering, which makes them easy to manoeuvre in tight city streets. A tight turning circle means it’s good for driving in the city, although visibility could be better and you need to rely on the parking sensors to stay safe.

The sporty looks might lead you to believe that it’s more fun than it actually is on country roads, and a Ford Focus Estate is a whole lot better from a keen driver’s perspective.

At least it’s quiet and smooth on the motorway and even the sportier FR models with their slightly stiffer suspension are comfortable even over potholes.

The SEAT Leon Estate is a good all-rounder, with lots of space inside, a comfortable drive and plenty of kit included. We reckon a Golf is better, but then it’s also more expensive. If you think the Leon Estate is for you, check out the latest SEAT Leon deals, or had over to our used SEAT area.

The SEAT Leon sits at the more affordable end of the family estate car offerings. The Toyota Corolla Touring Sports slightly undercuts it in base trim, although the SEAT is more affordable than both the Ford Focus Estate and the Volkswagen Golf Estate with which it shares many components.

The best value in the range is to be had with the SE Dynamic trim, it has some desirable extras over the base SE, such as a digital cockpit, larger infotainment screen and keyless entry. You’ll also want to pick the responsive 148hp 1.5-litre engine – it uses no more fuel than the 109hp entry-level engine and is appreciably quicker.

The SEAT Leon Estate is comfortable and relaxing to drive, both in town and on the motorway. Its handling is more solid than scintillating on a winding road, though, and the large rear pillars hinder visibility

In town

Whether you opt for the base SE trim with its 16-inch wheels, or the sporty FR Sport shod with 18-inch items, the Leon copes very well with potholes and speed bumps.

The sharp turning circle and forward collision warning system are useful around town, although the large rear window pillars can obscure your vision when parking, this is alleviated somewhat by standard rear parking sensors. From the SE Dynamic trim up, you get surround parking sensors and a park assist system as well.

On the motorway

The Leon Estate is refined on the motorway, letting very little wind and road noise into the cabin. All the engines deliver decent performance, too, with enough in reserve for safe overtakes. Cruise control and a lane keeping system are standard, with higher trims getting access to adaptive cruise control, high beam assist and dynamic road sign display systems.

On a twisty road

The Leon turns and grips well, with little body lean in fast corners. But it never feels particularly happy to be hustled about in an enthusiastic manner. The Ford Focus delivers a far more engaging driving experience if that’s what you need out of your family estate car.

The latest Leon Estate has grown in size, resulting in more passenger space for all occupants. The rear is great for two but cosy for three, although the boot is larger than most alternatives

With plenty of up/down and forward/backward adjustment in the front seats and tons of headroom, the Leon Estate will accommodate just about any shape and size. The two lower trims get manual lumbar adjustment on the driver’s seat, with the three upper trims (FR Sport, Xcellence and Xcellence Lux) get an electrically adjustable heated driver’s seat.

You also get some practical storage solutions, including a cubby under the centre armrest, two cupholders and a slot ahead of the gear lever for your mobile phone. The door bins and glovebox are both large enough to store big water bottles.

Space in the back seats

There’s a decent amount of space in the rear for two adults, or three with some shoulder rubbing. That’s the case with most cars in this class, and you will need to look at the Skoda Superb Estate if you need more space. The hump in the footwell is not too pronounced but does impinge on legroom a bit.

Two door bins are standard, but you’ll need to skip the two lower trims if you want the rear centre armrest to incorporate a pair of cupholders. Head room is generous, without the usual tapering you get in shorter hatchbacks. This also makes it easier to slot a baby seat into one of the two outer ISOFIX mounting points.

Boot space

With a total of 620 litres of boot space, The SEAT Leon Estate offers more load lugging ability than a Ford Focus Estate (575 litres) or Toyota Corolla Touring Sports (581 litres). Even the mechanically similar VW Golf Estate offers a slightly lower 611 litres. The plug-in hybrid version of the Leon Estate gets a smaller 470-litre boot due to the location of its battery pack.

What you don’t get in the Leon is an adjustable boot floor or boot partitions to help separate your luggage. There is a small boot lip which can hinder the loading of heavier items, but you do get a tonneau cover and the top Xcellence Lux trim gets an electric tailgate.

You can operate it with a foot-swipey movement under the rear bumper – great for when you have your hands full of shopping bags.

The interior looks modern and feels posher than you’d expect. Some features could be more user-friendly, though

It may offer a strong value proposition, but this is no cut-price alternative to the posher Volkswagen Golf Estate. The interior looks and feels quite upmarket, with a minimalist design that’s dominated by a centrally mounted 8.25-inch infotainment screen (10.0-inches on higher trims).

A leather covered steering wheel and gear knob are standard, with the FR Sport, Excellence and Excellence Lux trims getting leather seats as well. Build quality and fit-and-finish are good, too.

The basic 8.25-inch infotainment system works well enough, offering DAB digital radio, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as Bluetooth connectivity. The upgraded 10.0-inch unit standard from the SE Dynamic trim up, adds sat nav, wireless Apple CarPlay (Android Auto remains wired) and voice control. This infotainment system is a good step up from the base unit and mimics the one you get in the Golf Estate, but it isn’t quite as sharp to look at or use.

One frustrating feature on both systems is that you have to delve into the menu system to control the air-conditioning system. You do get steering wheel mounted audio controls, but a few extra physical buttons would have been better than having to use the touchscreen, especially while on the move.

A digital driver display isn’t available on the base SE trim but comes standard on the rest of the range. It’s sharp, easily customisable and another good reason why the SE Dynamic trim is the sweet spot here. Two USB-C ports are provided up front on all trims, with all but the SE trim also getting a pair in the rear. A 12-volt socket in the boot is standard on all trims.

The SEAT Leon Estate is offered with four petrol engines, two diesels and a plug-in hybrid petrol. That’s a decent selection that should cover most bases, although the plug-in hybrid isn’t available in the lower two trims (SE and SE Dynamic), while some of the more powerful petrol engines are limited to the upper four trims (FR, FR Sport, Xcellence and Xcellence Lux).

The entry-level engine is a 110hp 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol unit, offering 50mpg when paired with the standard six-speed manual and an almost identical economy figure if you choose the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. In this guise it also gets a mild-hybrid 48-volt system.

Acceleration is leisurely, with the 0-62mph sprint taking just over 11.0-seconds, it’s on par with the Ford Focus Estate and the VW Golf Estate, but you may want something a bit more potent if you do a lot of motorway driving.

The 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol is offered in 130hp and 150hp flavours. Both match the smaller engine on fuel economy but are far sprightlier, sprinting to 62mph in the 9.0-second range. The more powerful engine can be paired with the seven-speed automatic transmission, which also gets the 48-volt system.

The petrol range-topper is a 188hp 2.0-litre turbocharged engine, paired solely with the seven-speed automatic. It will get to 62mph in only 7.4-seconds, but you pay for it at the pumps, as fuel economy drops to 42.1mpg.

The 115hp 2.0-litre diesel offers an impressive 63.8mpg in mixed driving, making it a great choice for maximum fuel efficiency, although it is manual only. Acceleration and fuel economy figures slightly trail the Ford Focus Estate’s 120hp diesel engine but are a close match to the VW Golf Estate – not totally surprising as it uses basically the same engine and gearbox. The more powerful 150hp 2.0-litre diesel engine offers stronger acceleration through the gears, and its fuel economy is only marginally worse, at 62.7mpg.

The impressive but pricey 198hp 1.4-litre turbocharged plug-in hybrid model accelerates almost as quickly as the 188hp petrol, yet it can deliver up to 235mpg according to official test figures, thanks to an all-electric range of up to 36 miles. Plug the car in regularly and keep your trips short and the higher purchase price can be marginally offset in the long run.

The SEAT Leon hatchback scored a full five-star Euro NCAP rating in 2020, and these results should be applicable to the Leon Estate as it is identical aside from the boot section. The Leon scored 92% for adult occupant safety and 88% for child occupant safety, a few percentage points behind the VW Golf Estate, and slightly better than the Ford Focus Estate.

The standard safety equipment count is decent, if not quite as comprehensive as in some alternatives. You get cruise control, rear parking sensors, forward-collision warning and lane-keeping assist as standard.

Some useful features like keyless entry, adaptive cruise control and high beam assist are standard only on the top Xcellence Lux trim and optional on certain higher trims.

The SEAT Leon Estate gets a three-year/60,000-mile warranty. That’s pretty standard, but you can extend it to four years/75,000 miles or five years/90,000 miles. Bear in mind though that the Kia Ceed Sportswagon offers a seven-year/100,000-mile warranty as standard.

There have been a few recalls over the years for the Leon, these range from improperly anchored seatbelts to airbag issues. All should have been resolved under warranty, but if you are buying used it is worth making sure that the dealer has taken care of it.