Honestly, no. The Leon has spent most of the last few months being a normal, run-of-the-mill family car for the four members of the Nichol household. That doesn't sound too exciting, but then how many family-of-four diesel hatchbacks go on track days and bungee jumping holidays anyway? Exactly.
But it's time for the Leon to go back to SEAT now, and we'll be genuinely sad to see it go, because at that task of being a regular, workaday family runabout the Leon has excelled. It's helped us move house, got us through a snowstorm, acted as Santa's sleigh during the Christmas present run, ferried me from Newcastle to Heathrow on numerous occasions, and, most importantly, done the weekly nursery run.
Anything stand out...?
It's not been without its annoying niggles, but what's impressed us most about the Leon is that it's been as hassle-free and useful as we could have hoped for, as well as being half decent to drive. Taking a Leon as a long-termer was a nice experiment to see whether the old family hatch could still cut it against the gamut of family crossovers and neo people-carriers coming to market now, all of which aim to offer more space and flexibility on relatively small platforms. The conclusion? Most have been more convincing in the practicality stakes, but none has been as involving behind the wheel.
The standout feature of the Leon (and some of you will guess where this is going) is the brutal ride. However, SEAT assures us that the facelifted model has resolved that issue across the range, so we've asked the Spanish maker to put its money where its mouth is and send us one. An FR TDI on 17-inch wheels and sports suspension will be with us shortly, so we'll let you know.
...and for the wrong reasons?
A few things, some of which aren't that important, but a couple that would properly bug me if I'd bought the car with my own hard-earned finance agreement. The paint, for a start, which has hologrammed from front to back, emitting a set of highly annoying horizontal 3D streaks when viewed from certain angles. The stray boot lining would be another reason to take it back to the dealer, as would the increasingly irritating rattle from the central air vents.
It's also telling me it's due a service after just 9,000 miles, which is a pretty short interval these days. However, a call to a local SEAT service centre revealed it would only cost £128.60 and could be done that very afternoon. That's some commendable customer service right there, from Colin at North East Garages in Newcastle, if you're interested.
On reflection, the SEAT has been an exemplary family chariot. It's not the cheapest hatch, and it's now two leagues below the Golf in the quality stakes with the introduction of the Mk VI VW, but if you can live with that and a few sacrifices (compromised front and rear visibility, a small, high boot aperture that makes getting big stuff like pushchairs in awkward, and a noisy diesel engine), the rewards are there in the form of a great looking, involving to drive hatch.
Where next?
Middle age. I probably shouldn't say that, but I might as well get it out of the way now. See, the Leon's replacement, a Volvo S40 DRIVe, is already with us, and for someone whose auto du jour is the Ford Focus RS, a 70mpg diesel Volvo saloon should be a difficult long term pill to swallow. Yet, the prospect of all that safety, boot space, child seat space, fuel pump avoidance, and alternative Swedish prestige is alarmingly appealing. I even like the look of it, too. What's happening to me?
Back to the Leon, we will sorely miss it. Not perfect, sure, and not the most civilised of hatches either, but it was never less than fun behind the wheel and a much better way of getting the kids to nursery than a people carrier.
