SEAT could hardly have made a more different decision than its adopted sister companies Volkswagen and Audi when it came to styling its first car based on the new and rightly celebrated MQB platform.The 2013 Golf and A3 are so similar to their immediate predecessors that a not particularly car-conscious person might fail to spot that anything had changed. The contemporary León looks like a grown-up Ibiza, and bears almost no resemblance to the last car to bear the badge. Only the tiny triangular rear side windows - no doubt a badge of pride to SEAT, but a mark of shame in my view - have been carried over.I don't particularly like the sharp edges that SEAT has incorporated into the new design. The shape of the door mirrors is a matter of particular concern. But there's no doubt that, like all the MQB cars to have emerged from the VW Group in the past year, this León is a very fine machine, outstandingly better than the old model whose replacement was at least three years overdue.It shares its 380-litre luggage volume with the Golf and A3 Sportback, and is in the middle of the C-segment class in this respect - way ahead of the Ford Focus, way behind the Honda Civic, not even close to the Skoda Rapid or Octavia.Also like the other MQB cars, it's very good to drive. The test car, being an FR (a term meaning Formula Racing and suggesting a level of sportiness between the regular cars and the Cupra), was on stiffer than normal suspension and had a ride height 15mm lower than other Leóns, and the effect was impressive. The turn-in was confidence-inspiring, the levels of grip extraordinarily high, the front-rear balance ideal. I'll say, without giving details, that on difficult, twisty roads it was a lot of fun.But it wasn't remotely uncomfortable. I drove this León a long way in a short time, and as the motorway miles piled up, hundred upon hundred, there was no suggestion that it had anything like a sporty set-up. It's almost as if the car adapts itself to the road conditions. (But it doesn't.)The 138bhp 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine felt ideal and gave me as much straightline performance as I felt I wanted. It's economical, too, though not to the extent that the trip computer likes to think. The readout on the instrument panel assured me I was averaging 53mpg, but I measured the fuel consumption as being 49mpg.That kind of inaccuracy was disappointing, given how accurate some other trip computers (including VW Group ones) are these days. But 49mpg is pretty good, and I was happy to add that to the list of the León FR's very impressive features. Engine 1395cc, 4 cylinders Power 138bhp Transmission 6-speed manual Fuel/CO2 54.3mpg / 119g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 8.2 seconds Top speed 131mph Price £19,385 Release date 15/05/2010
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