SEAT Leon vs. Honda Civic vs. Hyundai i30 Race Has No Hot Hatchbacks

Instead, it features the three reasonably priced hatchbacks we showed you a few days ago, the Civic X hatch, Hyundai i30, and Leon facelift. We saw how the Civic came out on top during the review, despite costing more and having less power. However, it's now time to see why the SEAT remains one of our segment favorites.

All three of these cars have high-performance versions powered by 2-liter turbo engines producing between 275 and 320 HP. However, those all cost more than a standard BMW 3 Series and aren't aimed at the general public.

Both the Hyundai i30 and the SEAT Leon have a 1.4-liter turbo for this race. However, the Leon boasts 10 HP and 8 Nm extra. As for the Civic, it's not even playing in the same league, as it's been fitted with a 1-liter turbo. Sure, a 1.5-liter is also available, but it costs significantly more money. Speaking of which, the Leon is the cheapest car in this race.

The gearboxes don't play any significant part either, as all cars are fitted with a manual. The CVT offered by Honda could have swang things even further in favor of the Leon.

According to the official numbers released by the respective manufacturers, the Civic hatchback is the slowest car here, with a 0 to 100 km/h time of 10.4 seconds, followed by the Hyundai i30 with 9.2 seconds and SEAT Leon with 8 seconds. The latter is also tied with the Civic on weight (around 1,160kg) and fuel consumption (4.8 l/100km combined).

The results of the drag race confirm the numbers, as the 5-door Leon wins by a long margin.