JOE’s Oisin Collins was out in Barcelona recently to test-drive the all-new 3-door SEAT Leon SC. Check it out.
Are you a bloke between the ages of 24 and 35 who likes to look after himself as much as his motor? If so then the SEAT Leon SC is perfectly suited to you. No, seriously, it’s actually aimed towards you…
SEAT have aimed the new 3-door only Leon SC specifically towards a market that’s young and looking for fun, and you can see why just by looking at the car.
A 3-door car isn’t exactly ideal for someone with a brood of young kids, is it? But it’s fine if your mate has to clamber into the back, because, well, he’s just your mate and his comfort isn’t top of your priorities.
The car also looks well suited for someone who’s young and style conscious as it has a nice eye catching sports coupé appearance without looking like a cheap boy racer’s toy. A lot of work went into creating the side panels that now look more sleek and muscular than the previous model, and the extra work has certainly paid off.
The wheelbase on the new Leon SC is 35mm shorter than the normal 5-door model, so that helps to balance out the car’s proportions without taking away too much room in the back – so your mates will fit in fine without any hassle. This also mean’s the SC will stick to the ground much better. It really did feel solid at speed on straights and around Barcelona’s twisting mountain roads.
The Leon SC is currently available in Ireland in three different trim specs across the range including Reference, Style and FR – the FR being the sportiest (and coolest) of the lot.
The first car I tested out in Spain was 1.6-litre TDI in the Style spec (pictured in blue). Second up, I tested the 1.8 TSI in the FR spec (pictured in red).
Now, while the 1.6-litre TDI was a nice car to drive and spacious on the inside, it just didn’t compare to the 1.8 TSI FR’s power. The diesel was extremely quiet and comfortable on the road, but I have to say it felt a bit sluggish off the start (as do most diesels). However, the same can’t be said for the 1.8 TSI FR.
The engine growled nicely while in ‘Sport’ mode, the ride felt stiff, sporty and super responsive, and the DSG gearbox ensured that gear changes occurred in lightening fast times.
Both cars came equipped with the 7-Speed DSG gearbox, which makes for some very smooth driving, but the 1.8 TSI FR came with the added luxury of flappy paddles behind the steering wheel for changing gears – so you’ll feel like a real life racecar driver.
I really enjoyed my time behind the wheels of the two new Leon SCs, but if I had to pick just one it would be an obvious choice. I didn’t get bored behind the wheel of the 1.8 TSI FR once, and I suspect the 2.0 TSI FR (which will be available in Ireland later this year from just €28,295) is even more fun.
The Leon SC 1.6 TDI tested comes in at €22,145 and sits in Tax Band A3 (€180 p.a.) while the 1.8 TSI FR costs €26,475 and is in Tax Band B2 (€280 p.a.).
The entry level Leon SC is the 1.2 TSI Reference, which costs just €18,645 and the top of the range 2.0 TSI FR will set you back €28,295… but I’m sure it would be worth every penny.
To check out more about the new Leon SC and to see the rest of the SEAT range head over to their Irish website here and keep you eye out later in the year for JOE’s full Leon SC review.
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