Road Test: Seat Leon 1.6 TDI Ecomotive SE 5dr

The capable, understated Seat Leon hatch has been quietly gathering a fanclub at TG, particularly the new, ballistic Cupra 280. The Ecomotive is the Cupra's frugal alter-ego, the most efficient Leon you can buy. This latest version is packing the same trick 1.6 TDI engine as the excellent Golf Bluemotion, and so claims better fuel economy than a Prius at 85.6mpg. Emissions of 87g/km mean it's tax-free, and it has a five-star NCAP rating.

While we struggled to get anywhere near the official consumption figures in urban driving, what did stand out once again is what a decent car the Leon is. It shares VW Group's MQB parts bin with the Audi A3, VW Golf and Skoda Octavia, and thus remains good value without ever feeling cheap. Just 108bhp does mean you need to keep in the right gear, but do so and it's not woefully underpowered until you get to motorway-overtaking speeds. Looks good, too.