► Time to say goodbye to the Seat Leon X-perience
► It’s an excellent, straightforward estate car but…
► … why haven’t we seen another one on the road?
When it comes down to it, when the lycra-clad X-perience name has been gladly forgotten, the Adventure Brown paint is just a muddy brown and the protective cladding has repelled nothing more than a runaway shopping trolley, our Seat Leon X-perience is in fact just a pretty straightforward estate car.
It is though, a bloody good one. There are a number of things that make it so, principal of which is the packaging, allowing a lower-medium-sized car to easily deal with everything needed by a family. At no point, whether it was heading to deepest, wettest France on holiday, transporting chickens and dogs or mowers or rubbish to the tip, did it ever feel like we were hampered by a lack of space, and that a larger Mondeo or Superb would be a better option. I might not waffle on about its expeditionary capabilities (or lack of) to people, but I can turn every one of them glassy-eyed about the triumph of engineering that is the MQB platform.
The result is that I would happily have this car over a taller, less nimble crossover, of which the Qashqai is the ubiquitous choice, because it does exactly the same job but without looking like we really wanted a Range Rover, but were too poor.
There are other things to like a lot about the Leon too. The extra height in the suspension makes it ride very comfortably and I’m glad we went for the lower powered 150 engine rather than the 184, because there’s no need for any more power in a car like this. It also feels well screwed together and had the sort of workmanlike cabin you felt could take a pasting yet be returned to ship-shape condition with liberal use of baby wipes.
But. There’s always a but. As I sit here looking out of my office window, herds of Qashqais, Kugas and the like mill about in the street, munching contentedly on families. If I sat here for a week, I’d never see a Leon X-perience. I haven’t seen another on my travels either. So what’s the problem?
The bloody Skoda Octavia Scout, that’s what. If you’re in the market for an estate with cladding and a dependable four-wheel-drive system, strong engine and decent build quality, the Octavia has the market sewn up.
Here we go again, with Seat getting the crappy deal. The Octavia uses the same platform, yet has a 5cm longer wheelbase for more cabin space. With the seats up, the Skoda has 23 more litres of already ample bootspace, and with them down a vast 270 more. And it is cheaper too, but will make you look like a wind turbine repair man or somebody who squeezes sperm up cattle. The Leon does all that, and looks sharper and funkier too. It would be my choice.
Logbook: SEAT Leon X-PERIENCE SE Technology 2.0 TDI 150 PS 6-speed manual
Engine: 1968cc 16v 4-cyl turbodiesel, 147bhp @ 3500-4000rpm, 250lb ft @ 1750rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual, all-wheel drive
Stats: 8.7sec 0-62mph, 129mph, 129g/km CO2
Price: £26,370
As tested: £28,285
Miles this month: 201
Total miles: 7142
Our mpg: 48.7
Official mpg: 57.6
Fuel cost overall: £633.26
Extra costs: £0
Count the cost
Cost new (including £1915 of options): £28,285
Dealer sale price: £20,328
Private sale price: £19,003
Part-exchange price: £18,153
Cost per mile: 11.2p
Cost per mile (including depreciation): £1.37