Here is our holiday rental car: a fair amount of dust covers the SEAT Leon’s attractive shape. It was good to drive, too
Business Car Manager: Editor’s Blog
WHAT is your experience of holiday rental cars? Many years ago the answer would have been universally poor. Maybe some gruesome Corsa with a vertiginous drop between each gearchange – once you’d cleared the obstructive gate, of course.
But that really has changed as better cars are on the market (including current Corsa) and there’s more variety. I actually think it’s rather smart of ‘up and coming’ car makers to make their cars available to rental companies in holiday destinations as a way of getting ‘bums on seats’. Here’s a chance for a family or couple to experience a car that may never have appeared on their shopping list before.
I have driven a SEAT Leon previously, but not for a prolonged period. We had ordered a Ford Focus, but the Leon substitution was fine, with its sporting, coupe-like profile it’s an extremely attractive design. And you could also play spot the Alfa design cues (hidden door handles in the rear pillar, AlfaSud rear light treatment), which frankly makes it more appealing in my book.
The split-fold rear seats were immediately put to use in order to accommodate our cases, and the only real sign of wear was the lack of stubs to hold up the rear shelf panel (although I did find one of them later in the boot).
More impressive was the general standard of finish with the Leon’s carbonfibre finish dashboard and high level of quality materials. As we were in Spain, the air conditioning was also put to good use and proved up to the job – as it should for a Spanish brand.
So what were the overriding impressions? Good looks, a great motorway ride over the crests and dips and very quiet too. Some surprise and delight functions such as the VW Group’s autolock and autoclose/open windows. The shape might have the coupe teardrop style but there was plenty of room inside. And a gutsy diesel engine that had oodles of mid-range oomph.
Downsides? The gearing was long – tuned for economy – so you could sometimes find yourself just the wrong side of either the lower or higher gear. The meaty and sporting feel to the steering was much appreciated, less so the lamentable lack of a turning circle. And that same supple suspension on the motorways turned a little harsh on tough urban road surfaces. My final remark was the lack of rear visibility while reversing. I love the Leon’s shape, but the thick rear pillars and shrunken rear window meant you really needed to have your wits about you when parking.
Final verdict? If you’re in the market for a five-door hatchback, the Leon might not be on your radar, but try it out. You will be pleasantly surprised. And models such as the Leon Ecomotive – see the road test SEAT Leon Ecomotive: frugal five-door hatch with style – provide low company car tax, and low business running costs, too.
