I’ve ordered a brand new Leon FR Sport - is it worth it ?

[Seatboi]

Evening all, I have a very ‘straight to the point’ question. Is the Leon worth it ?

I have actually already placed my order via lease (with a wait of 8-9 months for the FR Sport 1.5 eTSI) but having discovered this forum after ordering, I’m now getting a bit worried if I’ve made the right choice (with all of these infotainment issues and other little bits people post about).

Do these issues massively impact your daily drives ? Or are people just having a good ol’ moan and it’s not as bad as it is ?

Just to note I currently have a 2021 Ibiza and love it ! So thought the Leon would be a nice stepping stone.

i’d really appreciate some genuine responses, as it seems like a fantastic car (amazing reviews from genuine car reviewers) - Thanks !

 

[Alex667]

If I’d known in advance what a PITA the infotainment system was (both usability and bugs), I wouldn’t have bothered with it. It’s better after it’s been back to the dealers twice (which has fixed a lot of the issues) but it’s still rebooting at random after a few minutes.

They’re good to drive and not too bad on fuel though, but it’s the little things that let down what should be a good experience with it.

Edit to add:

* DSG gearbox that wants to coast the very instant you let your foot off the throttle. Very annoying when you're in 30-40 mph traffic that's varying in speed by a few mph constantly (gearbox goes into coast, then back into drive, then back into coast constantly etc etc). Also likes to coast when you start going downhill so instead of engine braking you get acceleration. Consdiering they've started using dry clutches, it's probably wearing them out at a rate of knots without need.
* Collision warning that either totally ignores you coming up on a car fast, or flashes up on the dash with a loud beep for literally no reason cos it thinks you're going to hit something
* You'll definitely want an OBDeleven to set the lane assist to OFF on startup (and also to remove the warning on the dash that comes up when it's off). Any time you want to pass a parked car or overtake a cyclist, it will steer you towards them instead of trusting that you're actually trying to pass an obstruction. On UK roads where you're often passing rows of parked cars by partially using the opposing lane, it's a menace. It also has a bonus that sometimes instead of steering you back into the lane, it will try to kick the car towards the opposing lane sometimes....
* High beam flash that takes 1-2 seconds to hit full brightness. Every other car with LED headlights can do an instant flash so it's really obvious to the other driver. Without the "fog lights with high beams" modification, 90% of the time the other car will miss your flash.

All the points from DougS below are on the radar too.

 

[Seatboi]

If I’d known in advance what a PITA the infotainment system was (both usability and bugs), I wouldn’t have bothered with it. It’s better after it’s been back to the dealers twice (which has fixed a lot of the issues) but it’s still rebooting at random after a few minutes.

They’re good to drive and not too bad on fuel though, but it’s the little things that let down what should be a good experience with it.

Thanks for the response ! I'm praying that when I do eventually get it, most of the issues will be resolved with the latest software (but I'll keep reasonable expectations with it). It's just annoying to read, as I had been looking forward to getting the car ! (and it would be too late to cancel if I wanted to).

 

[DougS]

Hi
I’ve got a 70 plate xcellence estate 1.5 130. I cannot fault the car for its comfort, size, drive or mpg. The 2 cylinder mode is faultless and seamless.

My main issue is how intrusive all the safety features are:
The lane assist is horrendous and tries to kill cyclists you are trying to pass them (might not be a bad thing after all).
The incessant bleeping from the lane assist if you are 1” from the centre of a motorway lane whilst going round a bend.
And the collision assist scares the chuff out of me just because someone is turning off the road in front of you.

Then there are the little things that just confuse and irritate me:
Cup holders that don’t fit cups.
Heater and volume controls that don’t light up at night.
The heated rear window button on the same touch pad as the headlight controls that you cannot see whilst driving.
The unbelievably noisy rear wiper.
The reversing camera that falls out.
The keyless entry that doesn’t work every time so it looks like you’re trying to break in.
The handbrake that doesn’t automatically release every time.
When navigating to the radio on the touch screen it hides your Favourite
stations.
The number of screens you need to navigate through to adjust the AC or blower settings.
The number of times the info system freezes.
The automatic wipers that aren’t automatic for the first drops of rain.
The temperature controls never stay synced.
The welcoming lights on the wing mirrors that only light up when you’ve opened the door because of the keyless entry. Thanks for showing me the puddle I’ve already stepped in. HOLA doesn’t help either.

I’m sure I’ve missed some from this rant. Sorry.

 

[rodman]

Evening all, I have a very ‘straight to the point’ question. Is the Leon worth it ?

I have actually already placed my order via lease (with a wait of 8-9 months for the FR Sport 1.5 eTSI) but having discovered this forum after ordering, I’m now getting a bit worried if I’ve made the right choice (with all of these infotainment issues and other little bits people post about).

Do these issues massively impact your daily drives ? Or are people just having a good ol’ moan and it’s not as bad as it is ?

Just to note I currently have a 2021 Ibiza and love it ! So thought the Leon would be a nice stepping stone.

i’d really appreciate some genuine responses, as it seems like a fantastic car (amazing reviews from genuine car reviewers) - Thanks !

I have 21 plate FR sport 1.5 it has great engine very responsive don't worry about most of niggles people are talking about as these are getting better with the newer models, lane assist can be turned off as and when I have not had had any niggles.The infotainment system is ok for navigation I use waze through the system which is faultless you will enjoy it I'm positive

 

[Nathan penney]

Hi
I’ve got a 70 plate xcellence estate 1.5 130. I cannot fault the car for its comfort, size, drive or mpg. The 2 cylinder mode is faultless and seamless.

My main issue is how intrusive all the safety features are:
The lane assist is horrendous and tries to kill cyclists you are trying to pass them (might not be a bad thing after all).
The incessant bleeping from the lane assist if you are 1” from the centre of a motorway lane whilst going round a bend.
And the collision assist scares the chuff out of me just because someone is turning off the road in front of you.

Then there are the little things that just confuse and irritate me:
Cup holders that don’t fit cups.
Heater and volume controls that don’t light up at night.
The heated rear window button on the same touch pad as the headlight controls that you cannot see whilst driving.
The unbelievably noisy rear wiper.
The reversing camera that falls out.
The keyless entry that doesn’t work every time so it looks like you’re trying to break in.
The handbrake that doesn’t automatically release every time.
When navigating to the radio on the touch screen it hides your Favourite
stations.
The number of screens you need to navigate through to adjust the AC or blower settings.
The number of times the info system freezes.
The automatic wipers that aren’t automatic for the first drops of rain.
The temperature controls never stay synced.
The welcoming lights on the wing mirrors that only light up when you’ve opened the door because of the keyless entry. Thanks for showing me the puddle I’ve already stepped in. HOLA doesn’t help either.

I’m sure I’ve missed some from this rant. Sorry.

So in answer to the ops question is that a no?

 

[stevemc81]

I love my FR Sport (DSG estate). Looks lovely, drives nice and very practical.

There's the odd random infotainment reset annoyance and the lack of backlight for temp and volume control is annoying in the dark (just bring back some knobs FFS) but other than that it's great.

Put it this way, despite the small irritations I'd still buy another.

 

[BoomerBoom]

I was in two minds about getting the MK4, as the MK3 was a bit poor compared to the MK3.5, but the leasing situation at the time made me jump for the last of the real bargains and not wait for a facelift.

In retrospect that decision was bad, even with the great deal I had. This version of the car is the worst I've had, and I've had every Leon made, easily the worst long term drive I've ever had and it's a credit to the car designers that such 'small' elements of the car can totally ruin what is otherwise a solid improvement on the chassis, interior, engine etc.

Basically the human interface is fundamentally flawed, from the lack of buttons to the hopelessly designed menus and finally the safety systems that, as others have already said, seem designed to actually kill you.

I've never driven a car more irritating or distracting to the driver by design, just changing the temperature or getting some fresh air requires you take your eyes off the road and navigate at least three menu options, even when it's all working correctly. Then there are the software bugs which can be a huge PITA, the infotainment screen is the only way to access and amend 90% of the systems - if that's restarting, frozen or just painfully slow just when you really need to know if this your exit junction you'll realise what I mean.

I've got a year left with this car; I love the way it looks, it handles and the interior but I can't wait for the day they come to take it away. I've already decided on the VAG model I'm getting next - which still has the 'old' infotainment system in the current builds and which isn't trying to be everything.

 

[DougS]

So in answer to the ops question is that a no?

It’s a maybe.

Mines a lease car through work so I cannot do the OBDeleven thing mentioned above to turn the lane assist off. If that was done, I would probably live with everything else. The size, comfort, practicality and economy are spot on.

 

[SamuelDonuts]

The infotainment and tech niggles are pretty annoying. It happens a lot to me, especially the reboots. That said, the one time it really p*ssed me off was when we were on a long journey. During the short drive to the ferry it came up with SOS Error - Visit workshop. When getting off the ferry and restarting the car for a 3hr drive, the infotainment was dead as a dodo. Totally useless - couldn't use the radio, CarPlay, maps, anything. Had to listen to music from my partner's phone.

That one scenario really tainted my love for the car.

 

[Greenglass]

It honestly comes down to what your used to and how much little things annoy you.
Ive come from a 2020 Mercedes A class and I think the Leon is 10x the car the Mercedes is.
Comfort, practicality, leg room, mpg in the Leon are all briliant and I always look forward to driving it.
Yes the main niggle is a slightly buggy infotainment system and the annoyance of touch controls for everything.
The lane assist is not as bad as everyone says it is.
But put these aside and I believe you are getting a car worth more money than you will pay.

 

[Glosphil]

If you don't like the DSG coasting then don't use ECO mode - I never have on my mk3.5 FR 1.4TSi (150). Still averaged 45mpg over 16k miles & 52+mpg on longer journeys. Steering & engine always in Sport mode (just a sharper throttle) & DSG in D (not S).

 

[Alex667]

If you don't like the DSG coasting then don't use ECO mode - I never have on my mk3.5 FR 1.4TSi (150). Still averaged 45mpg over 16k miles & 52+mpg on longer journeys. Steering & engine always in Sport mode (just a sharper throttle) & DSG in D (not S).

It happens on normal mode too on the mk4, only way to stop is is to have the gearbox in sport mode...

 

[Glosphil]

It happens on normal mode too on the mk4, only way to stop is is to have the gearbox in sport mode...

I don't know that. Yet another reason my MK3.5 won't be replaced by a Mk4.

 

[Philk]

We had a Leon Mk4 1.5 FR and went back to one of the last built MK3 FR Black Edition models. I'd reinforce everything said above in terms of issues. Too many things added up to a poor driving experience. Yes, you can switch off the lane assistance, but you should not have to do this if it was programmed and acted correctly. In addition to cyclists, driving closer to the centre line in the summer due to hedges waiting for the council to give them their annual trim always resulted in the lane assistance trying to intervene. Sensing the presence of obstructions that are preventing you for taking the centre line in your lane should be a key piece of programming on its system. In terms of ride quality, we believe the MK3 is better. If memory serves correct, the MK4 has a less sophisticated rear axle set-up than the MK3. The final frustration was the Over the Air updates. Fine if you live in an area with a really strong 4G/5G signal but, for us, the number of times that updates did not download properly was really frustrating.

 

[someuser08]

The lane assist is not as bad as everyone says it is.

I concur. I think it depends on you where drive. Where we are - the only roads where you can go above 40mph (at which speed it activates) are motorways where parked cars/cyclist/hedges etc are not a problem. Yes, you can get on occasional pull on a motorway bend, but that's about it. I guess it could be different on country lanes, buI personally would not drive above 40mph on them when I have to drive on a different lane to avoid obstacles (it's just crazy its allowed to drive up to 60mph on some of them...)

 

[andylong]

So lane assist doesn't work on roads with one lane in each direction?

 

[Greenglass]

I concur. I think it depends on you where drive. Where we are - the only roads where you can go above 40mph (at which speed it activates) are motorways where parked cars/cyclist/hedges etc are not a problem. Yes, you can get on occasional pull on a motorway bend, but that's about it. I guess it could be different on country lanes, buI personally would not drive above 40mph on them when I have to drive on a different lane to avoid obstacles (it's just crazy its allowed to drive up to 60mph on some of them...)

Yes completely agree. As you said the lane assist only pulls the wheel slightly, if you are holding the wheel with both hands as you should it doesnt really take much effort to counteract anyway. But I can see how this would be annoying if happening constantly on a country road. OP, if you live in an urban area and do some motorway driving you wont have any issues.

 

[BoomerBoom]

So lane assist doesn't work on roads with one lane in each direction?

It still activates but that's when it's at its very worst. If you drive A and B roads over 30mph (which is 90% of my local network) then you will develop the habit of turning it off every time you start the engine. As others have said it's not a very hard pull but it's completely unpredictable and unreliable, if you have a light touch on the wheel it's very unnerving to have to wheel suddenly jerk you towards the middle line as you take a fast sweeping right hand bend.

Then there are the obvious bugs in the software, you are holding the wheel and already driving in the middle of the lane but it starts binging at you to 'take the wheel' or 'drive in the lane'. These are annoying but then, just occasionally, if you approach the edge of the lane it pulls the wheel towards it, rather than away - which at just the wrong moment feels like the car is trying to kill you.

 

[andylong]

Ah that sounds like something I'd also hate