Seat Leon SC FR TDI

THE image of BTCC star Jason Plato blasting away the opposition at a rain-saturated Silverstone in his Seat Leon racer is an image that has remained lodged in my mind.

Seat Leon SC FR TDI

Engine: 1,968cc, four-cylinder, turbodiesel

Power: 181bhp and 280lb.ft. of torque

Performance: 0-62mph in 7.2 seconds and 142mph

Economy: 67.3mpg (combined)

CO2 emissions: 109g/km

Price: £22,075

It is now five years since the Spanish manufacturer took on the UK’s premier motor racing series — Plato is now part of MG KX Momentum team — but it remains an image that triggers a desire to see Seat back in the mix.

The fact that Seat’s BTCC campaign shook up the establishment by running diesel engines only added to the drama, the controversial oil burners ripping out of corners on a wave of turbocharged torque and a spookily silent exhaust note.

Subtle hints were dropped at the recent launch of the Seat Leon SC — the three-door derivative of the new Leon — that a racing return might not be out of the question.

For now, though, the sportier derivative of the Leon range will whet our appetites on the road alone...

A vast range of engines is available in the three-door Leon SC, which has a 35mm shorter wheelbase than its five-door sibling and is 13mm to 18.5mm lower thanks to a slightly nose down stance.

Every feature from the A-pillars back is distinct from the bigger Leon, with a falling roofline and rear window some 19 degrees steeper than the five door.

The crease carved over the rear light clusters and around the rear flanks is also more pronounced.

Fans of the Luc Donckerwolke-designed Mk II may miss the outgoing Leon’s distinctive bulbous curves and sharp creases but the more subtle Leon SC is more premium-looking and the best looking of an Audi A3, Volkswagen Golf, Skoda Octavia triumvirate which shares the same Volkswagen Group MQB chassis architecture.

Leon SC prices start at £15,370 for the 104bhp, 1.2 TSI S and extend to £22,075 for the 181bhp, two-litre TDI FR, which is the spiritual successor to Plato’s BTCC racer.

I experienced both engines at the Leon SC’s UK launch in Gloucestershire.

The 1.2-litre TSI SE DSG (£17,740) I drove first came with 16-inch alloys, cruise control, hill hold assist braking and the differential-mimicking XDS system which channels power to the front wheel with most grip along with the five-inch touchscreen entertainment system (with Bluetooth), air con and daytime running lights that come as standard on all SCs.

After the handsome exterior, the somewhat gloomy interior is something of an anticlimax. Dark-coloured, tough plastics are present in some quite prominent places.

Closer inspection reveals the dash top is pleasingly soft-touch and all the controls are intuitive in typical VW Group fashion, the touchscreen stereo coming alive as your finger approaches thanks to the same sensored system as found in the Golf.

The 1.2 TSI engine is willing. Boasting a ten second sprint to 62mph and 119mph top speed it’s no slouch, although the seven-speed, twin-clutch, DSG gearbox’s regular cog shuffling revealed that it was working hard on steep gradients.

Driven coolly, Seat claim 58.9mpg fuel economy and 112g/km CO2 emissions.

The SE is equipped with ‘Comfort suspension’ and the Leon SC’s gait is suitably relaxed, smoothing bumps and striking a neutral balance through corners, but the 1.2 TSI struggles to stretch the dynamic capabilities of the Leon SC’s chassis.

Hop into the two-litre FR TDI — which is available only as a six-speed manual — and things get more lively.

Sitting 15mm lower on springs some 60 per cent stiffer, the FR sets out to deliver a sportier driving experience.

Tinted rear windows, twin exhausts and 17-inch alloys make the point visually.

The same two-litre engine as that found in Volkswagen’s (£3,190 more expensive) Golf GTD, meanwhile, sinks driver into sports seat with the aid of 181bhp and 280lb.ft. of torque at a rate that should see 62mph reached in 7.5 seconds from a standstill.

Such is the effortless and refined nature of the grunty diesel’s progress that pace is piled on without drama.

Under greater duress, the Leon SC’s chassis reveals more character.

Heavy braking lightens the rear end on the entry to a corner and the car can be guided towards an apex with the help of the lively weight transfer.

It might not feel like it without flaring revs and a wailing exhaust note but the TDI’s pace is impressive and the claimed fuel consumption of 67.3mpg and CO2 emissions of 109g/km equally so.

The Leon SC’s chassis does not give the feedback or responses of a Renaultsport Megane or Focus ST — the electronic XDS differential-like system can be a little slow-witted — but we’ll be waiting for the inevitable Leon Cupra to provide truly hardcore thrills.

For now the Leon SC remains an attractive hatch with a range of hardware that can lock horns with Kia pro_cee’d or BMW 1-Series on value, economy or performance.

The interior might have disappointed a little, but a classy exterior could brand the Leon SC into the consciousness of potential buyers on the street...just as Plato’s exploits wormed the Leon into my affections in 2008.