For those who want a practical family car with fire in its belly, then the hot hatch is king. The Honda Civic Type R, Volkswagen Golf R, SEAT Leon Cupra – all compact performance idols. But what if you can’t quite afford the hefty price tag of a hot hatch? Enter the warm hatch.
As well as offering all-out performance versions of their hatchbacks, many manufacturers also offer more affordable, slightly less-crazy versions of these hot hatches – called warm hatches – and in the case of the Leon Cupra, the Leon FR is the warm hatch version.
Although performance is still a key factor with the Leon FR, it stays very much true to its family-friendly roots, with plenty of practicality and decent efficiency.
We take the Leon FR 1.4-litre EcoTSI for a spin to see if it can whet the appetite of those who may be dreaming of owning a Leon Cupra.
Performance
A 148bhp 1.4-litre petrol doesn’t sound very exciting – but the Leon FR squeezes a surprising amount of performance out of it. Floor it from a standing start and you can hit 62mph in eight seconds flat. It also offers a rather hefty 250Nm of torque, which kicks in around the 1,500-2,000rpm mark. Before you hit the all-important power band, you do get a smidge of turbo lag, but the sheer pull from this engine makes up for it.
This petrol is mated to a slick six-speed manual gearbox, which adds to the FR’s sporty feel. And if it’s sportiness you are after, then you can engage Sport Mode – which sharpens up the throttle response.
The 1.4-litre EcoTSI really does feel like a bigger engine and is more than capable of giving the Leon FR the added grunt you’d expect from a warm hatch.
Ride and Handling
The slightly firmer set-up comes into its own in the corners though, ensuring the FR sits nice and flat in the bends.
The Leon FR manages to hit the sweet spot in terms of ride. While the sports suspension is noticeably firmer all-round, it is not uncomfortable, managing to mitigate most bumps with ease. It’s certainly no back-breaking hot hatch. The slightly firmer set-up comes into its own in the corners though, ensuring the FR sits nice and flat in the bends. Steering wise, the FR is precise and allows you to have a decent amount of fun on winding roads. Push it too hard however and you can feel a slight lack of feedback, and it can be difficult to know exactly where the front wheels are pointing at times. Ford’s Focus warm hatch – the Focus Black Edition – is a tad better in this department.
Interior and Equipment
It is not just the SEAT Leon that shares components with the Volkswagen Golf. The Audi A3 and Skoda Octavia also share parts with the German hatch.
Seat has clearly made an effort to make the FR more special than the standard Leon. Step into the cabin and you are greeted by ‘FR’ kickplates on the doors, along with ‘FR’ badging on the steering wheel. And this steering wheel, which has a sporty flat bottom, is also wrapped in thick perforated leather with red stitching, as is the gearknob. Comfort and convenience wise, the FR mimics the VW Golf’s interior closely, which is a good thing. All the buttons are easy to reach and understand, there are two cup holders in the centre console and a sliding arm rest. The Golf is slightly superior in terms of material quality, but overall the FR feels up-market. The FR isn’t short of kit either, with the likes of cruise control, Bluetooth, parking sensors and dual-zone climate control all thrown in. The highlight is probably the sat-nav system though, standard on all FR models. What isn’t standard is the Full Link pack, which enables the car’s touchscreen infotainment screen with Mirror Link, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. This costs an additional £150. Rear practicality is as good as it gets from a hatchback perspective. Plenty of head and leg room. There is enough foot well and elbow room for a middle passenger too. With a 380 litre boot, the Leon FR sits near the top of the practicality charts – and although the boot does have a high loading lip, the sheer size of it makes you forget about it very quickly. The seats will fold down to allow for greater storage space too – but again, you will get a bit of a lip when they are folded.
Cost
Assuming you will be tackling both urban and country roads, 40 to 50mpg shouldn’t be a problem.
The price difference between the standard Leon, Leon FR and Leon Cupra is astonishing. The Leon FR starts from £20,525 – which will get you the 1.4-litre EcoTSI we drove. That is £2,300 more than the standard Leon hatchback and a whopping £8,000 less than the Cupra. The 1.4 petrol isn’t too shabby when it comes to efficiency either. Assuming you will be tackling both urban and country roads, 40 to 50mpg shouldn’t be a problem. And CO2 is quoted at just 114g/km.
Our Verdict
The Leon FR is undoubtedly great value for money – especially for those after a practical hatch with a bit of fire in its belly. It Formula Racing badge doesn’t feel like a gimmick; it delivers genuinely impressive performance. Sure, the Leon FR isn’t the most adept performance hatchback, but it offers just enough finesse to allow for exciting country lane stints. And thanks to the suspension set-up, you and your passengers can blast down said rural routes in impressive comfort.
