Driven: Seat Leon FR+ Supercopa TDI

Under the hood

It’s no surprise that Volkswagen-owned Seat uses the German’s 2.0-litre TDI unit. And for that we’re thankful; 168bhp and more torque than Jezza Kyle (258lb ft in old money) gives the ‘Copa a 62mph blast off time of just 8.2sec and a top speed of 133mph.

And for anyone who cares, you’ll see the good side of 50mpg provided you don’t drive like Lindsay Lohan a moron.

Behind the wheel

Flat-bottomed steering wheel? Check. Sports seats? Check. Flashes of ‘faux’ carbonfibre, aluminium and an abundance of special FR badging? Erm, the Leon takes a raincheck on those. Which is a shame because without the extra tinsel, the inside’s simply not special enough.

Which becomes more of a shame when you look outside. The Leon FR+ Supercopa looks as rude as Andrew Mitchell sounds (yes, we keep up with current affairs), thanks to smart 18s, twin exhausts and a body kit to make even a VW Golf lover straight.

But enough of the superficial. Out on the tarmac is where the FR+ makes sense of the world again. Thanks to that previously mentioned diesel torque, the Supercopa's a rapid thing, capable of quick overtakes and entertaining bursts of hard acceleration.

Launch the Leon at a bend and the sports suspension keeps body roll well in check, only resulting in understeer when really pushed. Fine, so the suspension’s a bit hard (blame the 18s) and the engine quickly runs out of puff after the turbocharger's had its end away in the rev range, but the six-speed manual gearbox is as crisp as an American flag in Afghanistan and steering as quick and accurate as Russell Brand in a crack den. (He’s apparently stopped all that now).

Splash the cash?

If you’re considering an equivalent Volkswagen Golf GTD 2.0 TDI, then we can’t recommend the Leon FR+ Supercopa enough. At £22,535, the Seat’s just over £3k cheaper than the Golf. It’s also better specced than the VW, and includes cruise control and parking sensors.

Job’s a good ‘un.