Advice on Leon FR

[Houghsx]

Hi all,

I'm in the market for a new car and decided I want the new Seat Leon FR. I'm being very indecisive on the actual model tbh. The models I have considered are

1.4tsi
1.8tsi
2.0tdi (184)

There should be a 184 coming into the local garage soon for a test drive but it has the DSG gearbox. I have no issue with an 'automatic' and actually like them so its another option. However, I'm asking for people with more knowledge about any potential problems with those models or the DSG.

Thank you

 

[Ckpearce91]

I have the 184 manual, it's done 11300 miles and haven't had any mechanical problems at all. Just little things like rattling door cards

 

[Raymondo111]

Hi all,

I'm in the market for a new car and decided I want the new Seat Leon FR. I'm being very indecisive on the actual model tbh. The models I have considered are

1.4tsi
1.8tsi
2.0tdi (184)

There should be a 184 coming into the local garage soon for a test drive but it has the DSG gearbox. I have no issue with an 'automatic' and actually like them so its another option. However, I'm asking for people with more knowledge about any potential problems with those models or the DSG.

Thank you

Really depends on a couple of things, do you do a lot of short journeys and what is your estimated annual mileage? Short journeys and low annual mileage means the diesel is not a good option, the next thing is at the moment the 1.4 TSI ACT or Eco as it is now known is currently very cheap to tax and very economical and is a good drive also it's a bit cheaper than the 1.8tsi, agreed it has more power at the higher end but in normal driving the 1.4 is very good with plenty of power when you need it.
Taxation wise everything changes in 2017 when it looks like most cars will fall in the £140 P A tax bracket so if you have a 1.4 for a couple of years it will save you money until 2017.

If you can try to get a test drive in all 3 cars to compare them and then based on your mileage etc make a decision from there.

 

[DEAN0]

Just to add :

The 1.8tsi and the 2.0TDi 184 have the independent rear suspension and the bigger brakes.

The 2.0TDi 184 is only £20 road tax currently

EDIT - the road tax on a car bought NOW will only rise by the rate of inflation each year.
Only cars bought FROM 1st April 2017 will be subject to the new £140 rate.

 

[Houghsx]

Really depends on a couple of things, do you do a lot of short journeys and what is your estimated annual mileage? Short journeys and low annual mileage means the diesel is not a good option, the next thing is at the moment the 1.4 TSI ACT or Eco as it is now known is currently very cheap to tax and very economical and is a good drive also it's a bit cheaper than the 1.8tsi, agreed it has more power at the higher end but in normal driving the 1.4 is very good with plenty of power when you need it.
Taxation wise everything changes in 2017 when it looks like most cars will fall in the £140 P A tax bracket so if you have a 1.4 for a couple of years it will save you money until 2017.

If you can try to get a test drive in all 3 cars to compare them and then based on your mileage etc make a decision from there.

It can be a mixture of shirt journeys with motorway driving thrown into the mix. The DPF was and is a concern tbh due to its expense to fix. I would imagine I would do around 11-12000 a year now.
I wasn't aware of the tax changes either! Any way to grab money eh.
I have been trying to get some test drives sorted but it's finding the time to do so. Hopefully this 184 dsg turns up soon so I can test that one at least.

 

[DEAN0]

It can be a mixture of shirt journeys with motorway driving thrown into the mix. The DPF was and is a concern tbh due to its expense to fix. I would imagine I would do around 11-12000 a year now.

I have the 184 with a manual box.

My work is only 5 miles away and the car does this all week without issues.

It gets longer runs at the weekend and when I work away from the office.

Never had the DPF light on in 6000 miles - only precaution is watching for the signs that a regen is happening ( burnt rubber smell from exhaust & idle is raised to 1000rpm ) - then allowing the regen to finish by doing a short detour before switching off.

Had a 2.0TDi Ibiza with DPF before this car - same lifestyle and it was running well at 60K when I sold it.

 

[Houghsx]

I have the 184 with a manual box.

My work is only 5 miles away and the car does this all week without issues.

It gets longer runs at the weekend and when I work away from the office.

Never had the DPF light on in 6000 miles - only precaution is watching for the signs that a regen is happening ( burnt rubber smell from exhaust & idle is raised to 1000rpm ) - then allowing the regen to finish by doing a short detour before switching off.

Had a 2.0TDi Ibiza with DPF before this car - same lifestyle and it was running well at 60K when I sold it.

That's the trouble with the web you only really get to read horror stories. Thanks for the input

 

[NevadaFR]

Id say as long as your driving the car on a regular basis, and giving it a "good run" every now and again then you should not have any dpf problems - out of your 3 options id say the 184 is a good bet, but give them all a try and see which suits your driving style better!

 

[robin cur]

Father in law has a 2012 VW Jatta 2l tdi dsg only done 7k never had a problem with DPF, we told him not to buy it because of the DPF but it has been fine. I have now replaced my cupra with a SLK 250 CDI, only done 2700 miles in a year in the Cupra, hope the SLK will be OK as this is our second car and will only clock up low milage.
As for the dsg it is great.

 

[andrewpain]

got 15k miles on my 184 and it's been a peach. Driving "normally" gets anything over 50mpg, with 60+ on a long steady run.
Insurance was cheaper than my previous 55 plate E320, and so's servicing.
DPF does worry me as I do mainly short (15 -20 minute journeys).
Buying again? I'd look seriously at the 140 TSi, but the 184 would be a tough act to follow for anything....

 

[Houghsx]

Thanks all. My main concerns have been the DPF and the DGS but I think you can get a fixed on those that have had issues rather than those that haven't.
The only issue I have seen with the DGS is in eco mode and the gears being a bit slow to engage but others have said the different profiles don't really change the MPG so just keep it in normal or sport mode?

 

[FamilyGuy]

I'm loving the 1.4 ACT but it must be giving up 10mpg compared to the diesels. I don't mind because of the cheaper lease and insurance costs. Refinement is a cut above the diesels too. To be honest I think you'll be chuffed whatever you go for.

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[KenTT]

I'm loving the 1.4 ACT but it must be giving up 10mpg compared to the diesels. I don't mind because of the cheaper lease and insurance costs. Refinement is a cut above the diesels too. To be honest I think you'll be chuffed whatever you go for.

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Just to add,

The 150, 1.4 ACT is very quick to warm up for defrosting in the winter too, which I think in part is because of the the small light engine.

 

[trebor]

Try to drive them all before you decide would be my advice, however with that sort of mileage I'd not be looking at diesel.

For me the 1.8 is the more capable car over the 1.4, with the bigger brakes and better rear suspension.

Had my 1.8 FR manual for 9 months now and done 5000 miles, and just love it.
40 mpg is very achievable on most trips - I commonly return this on my 11 mile daily commute unless traffic is really bad or I have some fun on the way home. On longer trips I regularly see 42-44 or so with a bit of mixed driving.

My long term mpg is creeping up as the engine beds in and loosens up a little, currently sitting at 39.1.

As soon as I drove the 1.8 I knew it was the one for me.

 

[BlackFR]

Taxation wise everything changes in 2017 when it looks like most cars will fall in the £140 P A tax bracket so if you have a 1.4 for a couple of years it will save you money until 2017..

That isn't a wholely truthful statement! Indeed everything changes in 2017 for tax on NEW vehicles. It is not backdated to vehicles you purchase now. So a 1.4 ACT bought today will still have its current lower banding and cost post the new tax changes.

Full details are here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vehicle-excise-duty

 

[Houghsx]

So we could end up paying more for potentially a cleaner running car!

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[100andthirty]

All the scary stories about DPF and other features of modern diesels seem to relate to expensive problems at around 5 years/90k miles. If you buy new and follow the instructions regarding DPF regeneration (assuming that it doesn't happen automatically eg because of short journeys) then you should be OK. If you buy on PCP and hand back after 3 years, then there is probably nothing to worry about.

The scare stories are aimed at those who think they're buyng a 3 to 5 year old cheap to run diesel. There are also scare stories that the residual value of diesels might be harmed because of all these potential costs.

 

[Raymondo111]

Ok I stand corrected, however, I think Deano also mentioned that VED will increase by the rate of inflation but I haven't seen this in any information that has currently been released. Typical of information releases by Government sources who tend to write gobbledegook!! I thought they were supposed to be using the "Clear English" methodology?

 

[DEAN0]

So we could end up paying more for potentially a cleaner running car!

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YES.

And if you are in the market for a £40k + car ( LIST PRICE ) - even if it is very low emissions - they add another £310 per year for the first 5 years.

 

[DEAN0]

Ok I stand corrected, however, I think Deano also mentioned that VED will increase by the rate of inflation but I haven't seen this in any information that has currently been released. Typical of information releases by Government sources who tend to write gobbledegook!! I thought they were supposed to be using the "Clear English" methodology?

Road tax overhauled
Vehicle excise duty will be radically changed to keep pace with the falling CO2 emissions of modern cars.
Osborne claimed that over three quarters of new cars would pay no VED at all in their first year if the current system continued by 2017 as cars continued to clean up.
His new system changes all that. The first year's tax for new vehicles registered after April 2017 will still be directly linked to CO2 emissions, but in subsequent years there will be just three rates: zero-emissions (free), standard (a flat rate of £140 applying to 95% of cars on the roads today) and premium (a supplement of £310 a year for cars over £40,000 list price new). The changes apply only to new vehicles registered after 2017:

All existing cars on the roads will pay at today's rate, typically an average of £166.
Existing Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) rates for cars, vans, motorcycles and motorcycle trade licences will increase by RPI,' the Budget confirmed.