SEAT Leon SC Review

The past two generations of the Leon imposed a strange sort of relationship on their driver. You were drawn by the car’s looks, but once you climbed aboard, you wished you had stayed outside. Well, things have changed for the better now, the fit and finish is superior to that used in the past.

However, before you decide to relocate your office inside the Leon, you should know something. The cabin still doesn’t matches the expectations you get when you see the car on the outside.

The large door of the SC has just closed and we find ourselves treated with the same kind of aggressive angular lines we met on the exterior. Even the Volkswagen Golf 7 has a driver-orientated center console these days, so it’s no surprise to find one in the Leon.

However, the center console and the top of the dashboard have massive shapes. This tricks you into believing you’re in a car belonging to a superior segment.

Here, at the middle of the dash, you can find infotainment systems going up to 5.8 inches is size. The top one offers a voice-controlled navigation.

There’s a sensor that triggers special menus as your hand approaches the screen, so we felt like using a generous smartphone. However, since we were in a SEAT, we would’ve expected to flirt with the sweet feminine voice of the navigation. Instead, we got a robot talking to us.

However, the navigation instructions are also shown in the large color display between the speedo and the rev counter. This is also the place where we felt a strong Audi aroma. The design of the instrument panel is very close to what the Germans use. A nice move, but ergonomics were prioritized over sportiness, with the rev counter being the best example for this.

And since we mentioned the Golf, we have to explain that the ergonomics in the Leon are just as good. Everything is where you’d expect it to be and works... well, in a German way. The design is obviously more dynamic in the Leon, but the Golf wins the quality feel race, albeit by a small margin.

As for the features, the Leon offers all the toys of the Golf, sans the adaptive cruise control and the city safe system, which autonomously applies the brakes when sensing an imminent impact. However, you do get the multi-collision assist, which applies the brake to prevent a secondary impact in the event of a crash. Another intelligent safety feature is the lane-keeping assistant, which can apply slight steering inputs to keep your Leon in its lane.

There’s one more important difference between the SEAT Leon and the Volkswagen Golf can be found in the driving position. In the Leon, you sit lower. Together with the way in which the gear shifter feels in your hand, this gives you a bit of a sporty feeling. We’ll also include the steering wheel here, which is a pleasant cocktail of ergonomics and design.

Climbing in the back, we find that you can really feel the shorter wheelbase of the Leon SC. Two adults can fit in here, but don’t expect to get the same knee and headroom as in the five-door Leon. You can use the car on short and medium trips though.

Nevertheless, the Leon Sport Coupe mirrors the five-door version’s luggage capacity, with a decent 380-liter boot. Add this to the multitude of stowage spaces around the cabin and you’ll be pleased.