MK3 Leon driving position

[Greggo]

I like sitting upright which is not what the Leon is all about. (l

Think that's exactly what I've experienced with the MK1 and MK3 Leon. Unfortunately I had to scrap a focus c-max recently and that had a very comfortable high driving position that I think may have spoiled comfort for me in other cars.

I had a cheap mk1 Leon as a temporary car until I got my new car through work (Leon MK3 SE model) and had to accept a more reclined driving position than C-max with it being a smaller car but I did get used to it.

Then when I did get my MK3 I tried to emulate the C-max style driving by having seat up a fair bit, as it felt like it might work with it being a slightly taller car than the MK1 Leon but it didn't feel right and obviously the cars dashboard and pedal position aren't designed for that kind of posture, so I've had to accept a lower position very similar to how I drove mk1 in order for car to feel right.

To be fair it is actually far better how I've got it now and allows me to get the most feel and control out of the car even if it is not necessarily how I would prefer to have the seat set given a choice. Maybe I will be better off ordering a higher seating car again next time, but its my third Leon and I do have a massive soft spot for them!

 

[GaryPL]

That's fairly chronic economy from the Fiat! How could it be so bad?? :0.

Slab sided, relatively heavy car, with a 1.4 turbo engine. Not exactly ideal for fuel economy! I only ever had it at 40mpg once. Same with all SUVs unfortunately. By contrast, I will get low to mid-40s in my Leon with normal driving and the occasional boot full on my 26 mile commute. Have seen it at over 50 with restrained driving.

To be fair though - beyond the comfort which it's clear I liked, the now discontinued multi-air engine, is a peach. Sounds right, is smooth, revs very happily, almost silent on idle. Just needs to be maintained properly, otherwise it has issues.

 

[Mr Pig]

Slab sided, relatively heavy car, with a 1.4 turbo engine. Not exactly ideal for fuel economy!

Yeah, but it's not the fifties! Nothing I've ever owned was that poor. Cars were better than that thirty years ago. Don't know about the FR yet but the 1.6tdi gives between 50 and 60 mpg all the time. Heck, we've got Peugeot Expert vans at work that give 38mpg! And that's mostly driving around town.

 

[GaryPL]

Yeah, but it's not the fifties! Nothing I've ever owned was that poor. Cars were better than that thirty years ago. Don't know about the FR yet but the 1.6tdi gives between 50 and 60 mpg all the time. Heck, we've got Peugeot Expert vans at work that give 38mpg! And that's mostly driving around town.

Small turbocharged engines aren't as economic as companies like to portray. They appear as such as they tend to deliver better results in the official tests.

As an example, I had a 2.2 2003 Astra SRi (another great engine by the way). It'd easily give me the same economy figures as my 1.4 500x. Yes, it's a lighter car, but that's a huge 4 pot engine by today's standards!

 

[Mr Pig]

Small turbocharged engines aren't as economic as companies like to portray.

It will be interesting to see how the 1.4act does with its cylinder shutting off trick. It will mostly be driving around town doing short trips so not a fair test but we'll see.

 

[GaryPL]

It will be interesting to see how the 1.4act does with its cylinder shutting off trick. It will mostly be driving around town doing short trips so not a fair test but we'll see.

Mine is the 1.4 ACT. You can keep it running on two cylinders for a surprisingly long time around town, but you have to be very gentle with the noisy pedal.

I think we've gone off topic!

 

[Greggo]

I've noticed my Leon seems to do a happy 42mpg since I've had it, which is only slightly less than the C-max and 10 mpg more than the 1.6 mk1. I'm guessing this figure could go up the more the engine beds in, it's the 1.0 TSI, no ACT

 

[BigJase88]

My leon 1.5 tsi evo gets 37mpg combined

 

[Mr Pig]

My leon 1.5 tsi evo gets 37mpg combined

That's poor. Do you rag it a lot?

 

[Kirky]

That's poor. Do you rag it a lot?

This is not far from what I get in my Cupra. Think I've got around 35 mpg since getting it.

 

[Norbert]

This is not far from what I get in my Cupra. Think I've got around 35 mpg since getting it.

My act city drive with heavy feet 33 the good 27 the bad but mainly 30ish. So cant wait my cupra how will be same environment.my girlfriends act city drive around 37-40.

 

[rob280]

Wow we are now on to a fuel economy thread

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

 

[LouG]

I'd hate to see what electric car forums are like.

 

[cupra14]

Electrifying...

 

[LouG]

I'm glad my fuel tank doesn't have to be nearly full before my car will give it's best performance.

 

[Greggo]

Back on the subject driving position, still struggling to be comfortable in this car, it's most noticeable on my commute in to work cand and I'm getting leg pain. It occurred to me though, that in my previous 2 cars I've used quite thick pile car mats which in affect raised the floor height and made pedals feel a bit lower which were easier to use and I didn't have any trouble with pain or foot angles.

Current issues in this car is leg pain and I feel that I can't get the ball of foot onto brake properly, and my right foot is always at a weird angle.

I no longer have the front mats from the previous car but I do have a rear mat, so an experiment I put it under the existing mat to raise the overall height and this is loads better and closer to the comfort I had in previous car.

But it's not really great to carry on with this, so I want to get a taylored set of thick mats (like an inch thick in total like my previous) does anyone know or any like that out there they recommend?

 

[Glosphil]

I have found it much easier to find a comfortable driving position in my current and last car than earlier cars. I put this down to both having DSG and so not having to allow for fully depressing a clutch pedal.
I also note that many drivers don't seem to know that the steering wheel can be adjusted both in/out and up/down.

 

[Jaco2k]

I find my driving position quite comfortable, but I have the bucket seats - not sure if that makes a difference here.

 

[ima]

I think part of the issue is the driving position is offset so that the pedals are set to the right rather than straight ahead. I’ve got used to it but still find I have a slightly twisted position.

 

[Jaco2k]

I think part of the issue is the driving position is offset so that the pedals are set to the right rather than straight ahead. I’ve got used to it but still find I have a slightly twisted position.

Hmmm... Can it be this is more an issue on RHD cars than on LHD?
Also, DSG or manual probably plays a part too.