100% agree. When I first saw these photos (posted on the mk4 forum board), the front profile one made me think Ford Focus.
I really think that both VW and Seat have dropped the ball with the design of the mk8 Golf and mk4 Leon; IMO the outgoing models look better than the new models. Maybe it’s just because they’re new and it’ll take time to get used to the new design, but three months after the reveal of the mk8 Golf, I’m still not a fan of its looks, with its Wallace (from Wallace and Gromt) shaped mouth for the
lower grille, and odd looking headlamps. I’m also not a fan of touchscreens instead of buttons, switches and knobs for regularly used functions, such as adjusting heating/ventilation, switching lights on and off. In daily use, IMO they’re more difficult to use while driving, so are likely to be distraction if it becomes necessary to divert your eyes away from the road ahead to find and use a particular function on a touchscreen; much easier to find a conventional heating control through touch alone. From earlier interior spy shots of the new Leon’s interior, it looked as if Seat are adoption the VAG family approach to switchless interiors too.
No doubt both the new Golf and Leon will sell well, but I think that the designers at VW and Seat did a much better job with the Polo and
Ibiza, which also still have conventional interior controls for regularly used functions - that’ll probably change when they receive their mid-life facelift though!
