SEAT have ruined the LEON

vc-10

Active Member
Mar 29, 2016
330
112
I wouldn't even consider a 3-door. They may look a bit nicer but it's a real hassle. I don't have anyone else in the car particularly often but it's still often enough to want a 5 door. Add in that it's so much easier when loading the car up with stuff too.

I actually quite like the look of the new Leon. But I think the Mk3 is a better design overall though. I'm also really unconvinced by the touchscreen setup. The A3 looks like a better bet with that.
 

Mr Pig

Active Member
Jun 17, 2015
2,614
906
I wouldn't even consider a 3-door. They may look a bit nicer but it's a real hassle.

I wouldn't have one as a main car but I had a tree-door Golf as a second car. The back seats weren't used often enough to be a big problem and the car does look a lot better. I wouldn't actively look for another but I would take one if all else was right.
 

SRGTD

Active Member
May 26, 2014
2,387
1,278
I’ve owned quite a few three door cars in my time. Would I buy one now? Probably not.

With advancing years and not being as flexible as I used to be, I find getting in and out of a three door car can be challenging if you’re forced to park in a narrow space. The long doors mean it’s not possible to open them wide enough for easy entry and exit.

Oh, to be young again.......:(
 

Mr Pig

Active Member
Jun 17, 2015
2,614
906
The long doors mean it’s not possible to open them wide enough for easy entry and exit.

No argument from me. Two doors has one advantage. It looks better. That's it. I bought the two-door Golf because it was clean car at a good price. Not because I wanted less doors than seats! ;0)
 

BigJase88

Jase
Apr 20, 2008
3,767
1,069
I would actually disagree and say the 5 door’s now look better. 3 door big hatchbacks just look daft now.

prime example

the audi a3 3 door or 5 door spaceback. The 5 door looks much better.
 

SRGTD

Active Member
May 26, 2014
2,387
1,278
I also prefer the looks of a five door car over a three door.

I think that very long doors on some three door variants can make them look ill proportioned. That’s just my personal opinion though, and no offence intended to anyone who prefers three door cars as it’s good that different people like different things.
 

vc-10

Active Member
Mar 29, 2016
330
112
The other issue with 3-doors is that with the ever increasing size of cars, and seemingly ever shrinking parking spaces, it becomes quite tricky to extract yourself! I say that as a 29-year-old, although admittedly a 6'2, 100kg rugby playing 29 year old.

My old housemate had a Mk.4 Polo 3-door, I had one at the time with 5 doors. My car was way easier to get in and out of- they were otherwise identical but mine was far easier.
 

martin j.

Active Member
Feb 11, 2007
1,996
889
Fife
I could live with a 3 door easily since my car is a 2 door, making it less easy to enter/leave via the front might mean somebody else in the family saying ‘we’ll take my car’ , that would be a shock.
Anyone else consider them 2/4 door hatches, only the dog used the tailgate as a door .
 

tak-fr

Active Member
Dec 3, 2017
75
8
May aswell buy a Fiat Tipo, save around £7k


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

SRGTD

Active Member
May 26, 2014
2,387
1,278
I could live with a 3 door easily since my car is a 2 door, making it less easy to enter/leave via the front might mean somebody else in the family saying ‘we’ll take my car’ , that would be a shock.
Anyone else consider them 2/4 door hatches, only the dog used the tailgate as a door .

The Americans don’t tend to use the term 3 door / 5 door.

3 door / 5 door are terms that has become embedded in the English language and used by the majority of people for a hatchback car, which either does or doesn’t have rear doors although yes, strictly speaking they’re either 2 door or 4 door with a tailgate.

Completely off topic (apologies!) but also relating to incorrect / improper car terminology - wing mirrors. Cars haven’t been fitted with wing mirrors since the 1970’s. IMO exterior rear view mirrors attached to the car doors are door mirrors. To be wing mirrors, they need to be attached to the car’s front wings - as they used to be before door mirrors became the norm.

To move this back on topic, I do quite like the satin grey covers on the door mirrors on the new Leon FR. :)
 
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vc-10

Active Member
Mar 29, 2016
330
112
I think the main reason was to differentiate a hatchback/liftback from a saloon or coupe model.
 

kevster184

Active Member
Mar 14, 2015
682
29
In my opinion the MK3 was a car that I'd waited for a while that I actually like the look of. Don't like this Mk4, the Golf doesn't win any awards and the Audi isn't pretty. Seats new ' design language ' on their range sign good to me.

Infact why does every car look so similar now, Leon, Golf, A3, Focus, 1 series, A class, Hyundai, they have all gone for this sticking out piggy nose and the same headlights. One starts and they ALL copy.

I actually prefer the Peugeot 308 general Peugeot/Vauxhall route at the moment! Didn't think I'd say that.

Someone told me If you don't turn and look at your car as you walk away, you bought the wrong car!

Also why on make the MK4 longer again than the MK3 it's 80mm or so longer.... The Ibiza will soon be as per the MK3 Leon which is far better looking, like a mini MK3 Leon.

I actually use my garage to park in and the Mk3 is a wide car compared to a MK5 Golf. I can throw my Saab 9-3 estate in far easier than the Leon.

As for the touch screen controls everywhere, it's a bit like mobile phones. You could text without looking with buttons, now you have to look. As with a car you could adjust most things without even looking at them and still look where you are going. Not so likely on full touch screen....might as well have sellotaped a tablet on the dash board. So dangerous.

Soon indicators will be touch screen....and we won't have ant levers, knobs or bottoms to use at all
 

BigJase88

Jase
Apr 20, 2008
3,767
1,069
Personally i really like the new Audi A3 think they got that right. The new A1 is also a good looking car
 

SRGTD

Active Member
May 26, 2014
2,387
1,278
With the mk4 Leon and it’s sibling, I’d rank them in the following order for looks / overall exterior design;

1st; Audi A3
2nd =; Seat Leon and Skoda Octavia
Last; VW Golf

The A3 and Octavia also seem to have retained some conventional switchgear rather than moving to everything being operated via touchscreens, although the Octavia’s lighting controls are also in the same low down fumbling position as the Leon’s.
 

CupraGeezer

Active Member
May 11, 2018
357
163
With the mk4 Leon and it’s sibling, I’d rank them in the following order for looks / overall exterior design;

1st; Audi A3
2nd =; Seat Leon and Skoda Octavia
Last; VW Golf

The A3 and Octavia also seem to have retained some conventional switchgear rather than moving to everything being operated via touchscreens, although the Octavia’s lighting controls are also in the same low down fumbling position as the Leon’s.
The problem with the A3 is that it's either much slower or much more expensive than a Cupra. S3 is mega bucks and I don't see A3 getting the GTi engine.
 

vc-10

Active Member
Mar 29, 2016
330
112
The Octavia seems to just have the buttons that are touch sensitive on the Golf/Leon as hard buttons. The AC controls are still through the touchscreen or the 'sliders'.
 

Green Mamba

Active Member
Feb 22, 2008
65
2
Warwickshire
I honestly can't see myself going for the MK4, I've had a MK 1-3, typically the high end Diesel 6 Speed. The MK3 was a nice refinement on the MK2 without ruining any of the fun and it was still something to stand out for the VAG group. I think the accountants have come into play far to much on this.

Suddenly we have a car that looks like what Ford & Kia are putting out, with the floating tablet bandwagon. There is no high end engine without going for the heavier PHEV with no option of an independent rear suspension system, which frankly shocked me the first time I started throwing my MK3 FR into the bends.

The lack of dedicated AC controls that I can just reach and use without looking, the interface I use 90% of time (ignoring actual driving inputs) is a mistake.
 

HighFlyingBird

2016 Leon FR 1.4 150 in Chilli Red 2019 - 2020
Jan 15, 2019
250
87
Leeds
I don't like the droop snoot at the front of the car they could've probably met the pedestrian safety requirements without doing that. The DSG gear selector looks a bit daft, but as long as there's paddles as standard with the DSG box I see no issue. The one thing that really puts me off is everything being touch buttons, even the light switches. It's a lot harder to use touch screens when driving along, you don't get the physical feedback you do from an actual button or dial.

The climate control going digital other than the temperature adjusters is a bad idea too, the touch screen in the Mk3 was funky in cold weather, don't think people will be too happy that they can't switch the heated seats on in the cold weather because the touch screen has decided to die.
 
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