Seat Leon PD 150

[darren9]

I'm looking to buy a MK1 Seat Leon TDi PD 150 version.

What are these cars like? I have come from a peugeot 306 GTi and I loved its handling and cross country pace, but hated the rattles and associated problems coming from a 10 year old french performance hatchback.

I may be able to persuade SWMBO that a Seat Leon TDi should be sat on the drive and would obviously want the PD 150 version (we all want as much power as possible don't we?) and she likes the Leon anyway.

What are these cars like to live with?

I want something with reasonable build quality (though coming from an old peugeot my idea of 'reasonable' may be lower than some other peoples) and I want some refinement as apparantly this car would have to also be a 'family car' (do we hear the pitter patter of tiny Darren9's at somepoint in the future?)

The car also has to be capable of putting a smile on my face when covering a B road, outright speed is not the main factor but I want something which stops and handles well and has some sort of driver involvement.

Is the Leon TDi a suitable car for my needs or am I being unrealistic with what I want?

Thanks.

[Prometheus]

Buy a 130, this is by all accounts a more robust engine than the 150. Then get it remapped.

[krallicious]

I have owned mine for about 4 years (80,000 miles) and it has proved reliable and is good fun to hussle down some B-roads but it will be a little bit of a disappointment compared to your old 306 handling wise (although I have never driven one). You can get up to 500miles to tank and it is a comfortable place for long journeys. I regualarly drive through Europe for 6 hours plus and do not get back aches etc.

I have had a new gearbox replaced under warrenty but, touch wood, the engine has been fine

[darren9]

Thanks for the info. I'm well aware that the car wont offer the same sort of thrills as the 306 but part of my old cars charm is also what led me to sell it too. Its all very well and good having something which is brilliant on a back road but 95% of my driving isn't there and the Leon seems to do what I need it too better than the 306 while still allowing me some fun should the opportunity arise.

What do you mean by the 130 being more 'robust'? is there a particular problem with the 150 lump? Would a remap make the 130 less robust? Do the 130's come as well specced as the 150? I've noticed that the 150 has a Cupra R type kit on (could be the same bodywork, I'm not sure) and I like that look.

[ITMonkey]

darren9:
I ran a Leon Cupra TDI (150) for 4 years, and have also had a 306XSi in the past. My Dad had a TDI FR (basically a rebadged Cupra TDI). In later cars, the 130 only came in SE spec (no body kit), the Cupras & FRs were 150. The Cupra/FR TDI bodykit is slightly different to the Cupra R (petrol) one.

As you suspect, the Leon isn't as chuckable as the Pug through the corners, and the heavy diesel engine means the handling's nearer "safe" than "exciting". Having said that, it can be hustled round corners and it's ideal for motorway & A-road work (2000 rpm = 75mph+). The mid-range torque is handy for overtaking.

I've heard that the 150 engine is less reliable then the 130, but the only problem I had over 50K miles was a sensor failure in the coolant overflow tank. The 130 may actually be quicker for some in-gear sprints, apparently because the smaller turbo takes less time to spin up. My 150 didn't seem particularly quick off the mark.

I found with the 306 that mechanical reliability was fine, but the quality of interior fittings and electrical gadgets was a bit suspect. The Leon is a big step forward (it's a Golf IV underneath, after all). You might find small differences in spec between individual cars, because some accessories were dealer-fitted (e.g. CD autochanger, cruise), and some of the "run-out" cars came with non-standard extras (mine came with folding mirrors that I didn't pay for).

Problems to watch out for? Early Leons suffered with water getting into the footwells through the door seals, but later cars seem to have this cracked. There's a good forum at www.seatforum.net where you can get loads more information.

Should be fine as a family car - reasonable space inside, and a large boot.

Hope this helps.

[darren9]

ITMonkey said:

stuff

Thanks mate thats brilliant, exactly the information I was wanting.

Looks like all I need to do now is convince SWMBO that its a good idea and then I can have one lol

[Prometheus]

I have also heard, although I cannot substantiate it, that although the basic 130 engine is the same across a VW and a Seat, the Seat has a different turbo bolted on.

[silence]

Hi mate. I currently drive an 05 mk1 Leon 1.9TDi FR. Previously I owned a mk5 2.0GT DSG TDi Golf, which was plagued with problems. It needed a new gearbox at 35,000 miles, had most of its front suspension components changed and started making very weird noises from its steering column when turning at low speed when I decided to sell it. The problems were driving me insane, as was the 'dull' image of driving a golf. There's nothing worse cruising on the motorway and having 3 golfs in the same colour as yours drive past within 5 minutes of each other .

So cue the FR. I've had it for just under a month and have already covered 1,500 miles in it. Seeing as though most of my driving is done on the motorway I don't really get much opportunity to test its handling. Although what I can say is that it's a great cruiser with good levels of low-down torque. Plus it looks damn fine in silver