Leon Mk3 ST 2.0TSI - any owners?
Discussion
Hi All,
I was wondering if there are any Leon estate owners on here with the 190BHP 2.0 TSI engine that arrived late in the Mk3's lifecycle.
FR SPORT models with the DSG gearbox, such as the one below, are starting to fall into our price bracket.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202310062...
Am wondering if this model, with the digital cockpit and heated seats, is the sweetspot in the range.
Thanks
I was wondering if there are any Leon estate owners on here with the 190BHP 2.0 TSI engine that arrived late in the Mk3's lifecycle.
FR SPORT models with the DSG gearbox, such as the one below, are starting to fall into our price bracket.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202310062...
Am wondering if this model, with the digital cockpit and heated seats, is the sweetspot in the range.
Thanks
culpz said:
They're good value these. But, it's hard to look past the full fat Cupra models for the price, although for an estate, may need a bit of a budget creep. I had a 2020 290 hatch and it was an fantastic piece of kit.
You make a good point about the Cupra's. They do obviously appeal, but at the moment I would have to go 3 or 4 yrs older to get one in budget (around £15k, dont really want to go much higher). We would also really like the digital cockpit along with heated seats and that further squeezes the budget.Anyone got any experience with the 190BHP engine in this or any other VAG offering?
SlowV6 said:
culpz said:
They're good value these. But, it's hard to look past the full fat Cupra models for the price, although for an estate, may need a bit of a budget creep. I had a 2020 290 hatch and it was an fantastic piece of kit.
You make a good point about the Cupra's. They do obviously appeal, but at the moment I would have to go 3 or 4 yrs older to get one in budget (around £15k, dont really want to go much higher). We would also really like the digital cockpit along with heated seats and that further squeezes the budget.Anyone got any experience with the 190BHP engine in this or any other VAG offering?
I had the same unit in my Scirocco 2.0 TSI DSG but with 180BHP. It's the same EA888 engine essentially, just with a lower output. It's responsive, reliable, sounds relatively good for a 4-pot (has a distinctive noise), quick enough and pretty good on fuel. The only issue is, the higher powered variants will give the exact same mpg, which is why you feel a bit short-changed having 100BHP less from a Cupra.
No experience with the 2.0L but I have the 1.8tsi it's only 7hp less I believe. It has part digital dash but not like the one in your link.
Personally if that's the lower end of the scale I would go for a lower mileage 1.8 as 85k is quite high for a Seat Leon. What I mean by that is the materials used on the interior are nowhere near as good as it's German shared platforms. I bought ours with 35k on about 18 months ago and the interior was very good. It's on 52k and it's just about ok, and we do look after it. But when I was viewing, generally anything over 60k was looking shabby on the inside. It's always been the case with Seat.
Overall it's ok. I was disappointed at first with the performance, the handling, the ride quality and the road noise. But I've come to accept that it's been faultless in almost 20k miles and it's very easy and cheap to service, holds value and looks good. Would I buy another, no. Do I wish I bought the Cupra, yes. Has it been a good car, yes.
You won't believe me, but the 03 golf estate 1.8t sport I had before the Leon was better in almost every way. Spec was not far off either, apart from slightly fancier screens and interior lighting. Like I say I can't complain too much, because the Leon is the Golfs cheap alternative. But it does show itself to be just that.
Personally if that's the lower end of the scale I would go for a lower mileage 1.8 as 85k is quite high for a Seat Leon. What I mean by that is the materials used on the interior are nowhere near as good as it's German shared platforms. I bought ours with 35k on about 18 months ago and the interior was very good. It's on 52k and it's just about ok, and we do look after it. But when I was viewing, generally anything over 60k was looking shabby on the inside. It's always been the case with Seat.
Overall it's ok. I was disappointed at first with the performance, the handling, the ride quality and the road noise. But I've come to accept that it's been faultless in almost 20k miles and it's very easy and cheap to service, holds value and looks good. Would I buy another, no. Do I wish I bought the Cupra, yes. Has it been a good car, yes.
You won't believe me, but the 03 golf estate 1.8t sport I had before the Leon was better in almost every way. Spec was not far off either, apart from slightly fancier screens and interior lighting. Like I say I can't complain too much, because the Leon is the Golfs cheap alternative. But it does show itself to be just that.
That looks lovely Op. They are good cars and if your budget doesn't quite stretch to a full fat Cupra ST then the FR will still be a good buy, and you could always have it re-mapped if you fancy a bit more performance.
I had a 2020 Cupra ST 300 4Drive for 3 years and it was a fantastic all-rounder. 32mpg average which I was surprised at considering I never drove it with economy in mind, so the FR should in theory get a bit more than this. Digital cockpit was a nice option but I could easily have lived without it.
At that mileage I would check the history for at least one gearbox oil service and if there isn't any proof then ask the dealer to do it as part of the deal.
My Cupra came with Conti Sport Contact 5 tyres which I wasn't a fan of and I replaced them early with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S's, which were much better.
I had a 2020 Cupra ST 300 4Drive for 3 years and it was a fantastic all-rounder. 32mpg average which I was surprised at considering I never drove it with economy in mind, so the FR should in theory get a bit more than this. Digital cockpit was a nice option but I could easily have lived without it.
At that mileage I would check the history for at least one gearbox oil service and if there isn't any proof then ask the dealer to do it as part of the deal.
My Cupra came with Conti Sport Contact 5 tyres which I wasn't a fan of and I replaced them early with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S's, which were much better.
rufusgti said:
No experience with the 2.0L but I have the 1.8tsi it's only 7hp less I believe. It has part digital dash but not like the one in your link.
Personally if that's the lower end of the scale I would go for a lower mileage 1.8 as 85k is quite high for a Seat Leon. What I mean by that is the materials used on the interior are nowhere near as good as it's German shared platforms. I bought ours with 35k on about 18 months ago and the interior was very good. It's on 52k and it's just about ok, and we do look after it. But when I was viewing, generally anything over 60k was looking shabby on the inside. It's always been the case with Seat.
Overall it's ok. I was disappointed at first with the performance, the handling, the ride quality and the road noise. But I've come to accept that it's been faultless in almost 20k miles and it's very easy and cheap to service, holds value and looks good. Would I buy another, no. Do I wish I bought the Cupra, yes. Has it been a good car, yes.
You won't believe me, but the 03 golf estate 1.8t sport I had before the Leon was better in almost every way. Spec was not far off either, apart from slightly fancier screens and interior lighting. Like I say I can't complain too much, because the Leon is the Golfs cheap alternative. But it does show itself to be just that.
Tbf, the 1.8 TSI is pretty much the same engine as the 2.0, just smaller.Personally if that's the lower end of the scale I would go for a lower mileage 1.8 as 85k is quite high for a Seat Leon. What I mean by that is the materials used on the interior are nowhere near as good as it's German shared platforms. I bought ours with 35k on about 18 months ago and the interior was very good. It's on 52k and it's just about ok, and we do look after it. But when I was viewing, generally anything over 60k was looking shabby on the inside. It's always been the case with Seat.
Overall it's ok. I was disappointed at first with the performance, the handling, the ride quality and the road noise. But I've come to accept that it's been faultless in almost 20k miles and it's very easy and cheap to service, holds value and looks good. Would I buy another, no. Do I wish I bought the Cupra, yes. Has it been a good car, yes.
You won't believe me, but the 03 golf estate 1.8t sport I had before the Leon was better in almost every way. Spec was not far off either, apart from slightly fancier screens and interior lighting. Like I say I can't complain too much, because the Leon is the Golfs cheap alternative. But it does show itself to be just that.
It's a strange one, as my Cupra 290 felt much nicer inside that both my VW Scirocco's and Audi A4 I had previous. The Audi was the biggest shock, as I thought it was dreadful and the worst out of the lot! Yes, the materials and plastics themselves are clearly cheaper and more low-rent, but I felt the VW's were boring in comparison and had no character.
culpz said:
Tbf, the 1.8 TSI is pretty much the same engine as the 2.0, just smaller.
It's a strange one, as my Cupra 290 felt much nicer inside that both my VW Scirocco's and Audi A4 I had previous. The Audi was the biggest shock, as I thought it was dreadful and the worst out of the lot! Yes, the materials and plastics themselves are clearly cheaper and more low-rent, but I felt the VW's were boring in comparison and had no character.
Ah yes, see this is main reason I wish I had gone for the Cupra. The Cupras interior is a nicer place, the seat material is lovely and I'm sure the headliners are a nicer tone or texture. That does surprise me on the Audi, I don't have much experience but would just have presumed they would be the better interiors. It's a strange one, as my Cupra 290 felt much nicer inside that both my VW Scirocco's and Audi A4 I had previous. The Audi was the biggest shock, as I thought it was dreadful and the worst out of the lot! Yes, the materials and plastics themselves are clearly cheaper and more low-rent, but I felt the VW's were boring in comparison and had no character.
rufusgti said:
culpz said:
Tbf, the 1.8 TSI is pretty much the same engine as the 2.0, just smaller.
It's a strange one, as my Cupra 290 felt much nicer inside that both my VW Scirocco's and Audi A4 I had previous. The Audi was the biggest shock, as I thought it was dreadful and the worst out of the lot! Yes, the materials and plastics themselves are clearly cheaper and more low-rent, but I felt the VW's were boring in comparison and had no character.
Ah yes, see this is main reason I wish I had gone for the Cupra. The Cupras interior is a nicer place, the seat material is lovely and I'm sure the headliners are a nicer tone or texture. That does surprise me on the Audi, I don't have much experience but would just have presumed they would be the better interiors. It's a strange one, as my Cupra 290 felt much nicer inside that both my VW Scirocco's and Audi A4 I had previous. The Audi was the biggest shock, as I thought it was dreadful and the worst out of the lot! Yes, the materials and plastics themselves are clearly cheaper and more low-rent, but I felt the VW's were boring in comparison and had no character.
The A4 was only a sport model, so not top-spec. Still, bits of it scratched easily and really didn't feel a notch above the VW's for me. Excessive amounts of chrome was horrendous too. I'm sure maybe a S3 will be much better, but it would be wasted on me. Give me the Golf R or the Cupra any day!
I have concluded I need to up the budget, because the one i really want is in fact the 300 4drive dsg.
It seems the 2019 model year, which I think is identified by the copper coloured SEAT badges, got the 7spd DSG. These seem to be sitting between £19k and £20k at the moment.
Did these final cars get a GPF and if so is that something to avoid and instead go a bit earlier?
I need to save a little more and see a little more or a softening of the 2nd hand market. I would rather spend £18k on the car I really want than £15k on the model that isn't the one I really want
Ps. I don't really like the looks of the Golf R estate, and I don't want a car longer than our E91 330d (Leon is +2cm so OK). I do however want a boot size similar to our mk4.5 mondeo estate. The Leon achieves all this and I like the (boring) looks.
It seems the 2019 model year, which I think is identified by the copper coloured SEAT badges, got the 7spd DSG. These seem to be sitting between £19k and £20k at the moment.
Did these final cars get a GPF and if so is that something to avoid and instead go a bit earlier?
I need to save a little more and see a little more or a softening of the 2nd hand market. I would rather spend £18k on the car I really want than £15k on the model that isn't the one I really want
Ps. I don't really like the looks of the Golf R estate, and I don't want a car longer than our E91 330d (Leon is +2cm so OK). I do however want a boot size similar to our mk4.5 mondeo estate. The Leon achieves all this and I like the (boring) looks.
SlowV6 said:
culpz said:
They're good value these. But, it's hard to look past the full fat Cupra models for the price, although for an estate, may need a bit of a budget creep. I had a 2020 290 hatch and it was an fantastic piece of kit.
You make a good point about the Cupra's. They do obviously appeal, but at the moment I would have to go 3 or 4 yrs older to get one in budget (around £15k, dont really want to go much higher). We would also really like the digital cockpit along with heated seats and that further squeezes the budget.Anyone got any experience with the 190BHP engine in this or any other VAG offering?
We have one in a Cupra Formentor with 4x4 - it’s OK, nothing earth shattering but the DSG box can get in a bit of flap if you lose revs when someone brakes or pulls out in front of you and you need to change down.
Biggest letdown for me is fuel economy - don’t expect more than 35ish on a run with late 20’s early 30’s around town.
I persuaded our niece to go for a 2 year old Cupra Ateca with the 2.0 300bhp engine - fuel economy is also pretty crap (best around 31mpg if you’re lucky) but sort of expected that. I think the four wheel drive really saps the fuel economy.
My 2.0T Boxster is better than that (40mpg on a long run not unheard of).
Biggest bugbear is the crap infotainment as with all VW group products of late.
SlowV6 said:
I have concluded I need to up the budget, because the one i really want is in fact the 300 4drive dsg.
It seems the 2019 model year, which I think is identified by the copper coloured SEAT badges, got the 7spd DSG. These seem to be sitting between £19k and £20k at the moment.
Did these final cars get a GPF and if so is that something to avoid and instead go a bit earlier?
I need to save a little more and see a little more or a softening of the 2nd hand market. I would rather spend £18k on the car I really want than £15k on the model that isn't the one I really want
Ps. I don't really like the looks of the Golf R estate, and I don't want a car longer than our E91 330d (Leon is +2cm so OK). I do however want a boot size similar to our mk4.5 mondeo estate. The Leon achieves all this and I like the (boring) looks.
I had a 68 plate one, which was one of the first copper badges ones. Anything copper badged will be 7 speed and have a GPF.It seems the 2019 model year, which I think is identified by the copper coloured SEAT badges, got the 7spd DSG. These seem to be sitting between £19k and £20k at the moment.
Did these final cars get a GPF and if so is that something to avoid and instead go a bit earlier?
I need to save a little more and see a little more or a softening of the 2nd hand market. I would rather spend £18k on the car I really want than £15k on the model that isn't the one I really want
Ps. I don't really like the looks of the Golf R estate, and I don't want a car longer than our E91 330d (Leon is +2cm so OK). I do however want a boot size similar to our mk4.5 mondeo estate. The Leon achieves all this and I like the (boring) looks.
Don't worry about GPFs. They're nothing like DPFs in terms of issues. I ran my Cupra for about 3.5 years and other than a muted exhaust note would not have known it had a GPF.
SlowV6 said:
I have concluded I need to up the budget, because the one i really want is in fact the 300 4drive dsg.
It seems the 2019 model year, which I think is identified by the copper coloured SEAT badges, got the 7spd DSG. These seem to be sitting between £19k and £20k at the moment.
Did these final cars get a GPF and if so is that something to avoid and instead go a bit earlier?
I need to save a little more and see a little more or a softening of the 2nd hand market. I would rather spend £18k on the car I really want than £15k on the model that isn't the one I really want
Ps. I don't really like the looks of the Golf R estate, and I don't want a car longer than our E91 330d (Leon is +2cm so OK). I do however want a boot size similar to our mk4.5 mondeo estate. The Leon achieves all this and I like the (boring) looks.
Hate to say I told you so It seems the 2019 model year, which I think is identified by the copper coloured SEAT badges, got the 7spd DSG. These seem to be sitting between £19k and £20k at the moment.
Did these final cars get a GPF and if so is that something to avoid and instead go a bit earlier?
I need to save a little more and see a little more or a softening of the 2nd hand market. I would rather spend £18k on the car I really want than £15k on the model that isn't the one I really want
Ps. I don't really like the looks of the Golf R estate, and I don't want a car longer than our E91 330d (Leon is +2cm so OK). I do however want a boot size similar to our mk4.5 mondeo estate. The Leon achieves all this and I like the (boring) looks.
Mine was a 2020 hatch, so copper badging and GPF. It's obviously quieter, but as said above, it's not like a DPF that should cause any issues clogging up. Literally just for emissions. It still sounds pretty good IMO. I like the distinctive EA888 sound, even for a 4-cylinder. The tone with the GPF is different and a bit deeper maybe. I had the centre resonator taken out and it didn't really make much difference, but it at least didn't sound too asbo and OTT. I believe the ST versions don't even have a resonator either. The 7-speed DSG is great and almost felt slush-boxy to me and a bit more lazy compared to the 6-speed. I mean that as a good thing though.
I've heard the ST versions of these are even quieter though and really don't make much noise at all. Depends if bothers you though, I guess.
culpz said:
Hate to say I told you so
Mine was a 2020 hatch, so copper badging and GPF. It's obviously quieter, but as said above, it's not like a DPF that should cause any issues clogging up. Literally just for emissions. It still sounds pretty good IMO. I like the distinctive EA888 sound, even for a 4-cylinder. The tone with the GPF is different and a bit deeper maybe. I had the centre resonator taken out and it didn't really make much difference, but it at least didn't sound too asbo and OTT. I believe the ST versions don't even have a resonator either. The 7-speed DSG is great and almost felt slush-boxy to me and a bit more lazy compared to the 6-speed. I mean that as a good thing though.
I've heard the ST versions of these are even quieter though and really don't make much noise at all. Depends if bothers you though, I guess.
You did tell me and you are right! Reassuring to hear GPF is less worrying than DPF (I have warnings again on our old E91)Mine was a 2020 hatch, so copper badging and GPF. It's obviously quieter, but as said above, it's not like a DPF that should cause any issues clogging up. Literally just for emissions. It still sounds pretty good IMO. I like the distinctive EA888 sound, even for a 4-cylinder. The tone with the GPF is different and a bit deeper maybe. I had the centre resonator taken out and it didn't really make much difference, but it at least didn't sound too asbo and OTT. I believe the ST versions don't even have a resonator either. The 7-speed DSG is great and almost felt slush-boxy to me and a bit more lazy compared to the 6-speed. I mean that as a good thing though.
I've heard the ST versions of these are even quieter though and really don't make much noise at all. Depends if bothers you though, I guess.
Quieter the better suits me. Now just need the market to soften a little more (10% suffice) and affordability stress-tests will be met.
I had an '18 plate Leon ST FR 1.4 DSG from new.
Overall not a bad car, but let down for me by firm ride, terrible road noise and jerky DSG/ power delivery.
On some motorway/dual carriageways where you're travelling 60mph+, I literally found the road noise unbearable. It was also my first DSG and it was jerky in car parks and pulling away from junctions - maybe I couldn't adapt to it very well.
Otherwise, it was reliable, decent sized boot and the tech worked well. The Adaptive Cruise was faultless, and I loved using it.
I'd make sure you give one a good long test drive if possible.
Overall not a bad car, but let down for me by firm ride, terrible road noise and jerky DSG/ power delivery.
On some motorway/dual carriageways where you're travelling 60mph+, I literally found the road noise unbearable. It was also my first DSG and it was jerky in car parks and pulling away from junctions - maybe I couldn't adapt to it very well.
Otherwise, it was reliable, decent sized boot and the tech worked well. The Adaptive Cruise was faultless, and I loved using it.
I'd make sure you give one a good long test drive if possible.
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