SEAT have ruined the LEON

markm49uk

Active Member
Oct 15, 2015
401
28
Hull,UK
I totally agree with all that. Why put everything on one screen?
I know you’ll get used to where everything is on menus etc but it must be very distracting for the first few weeks of ownership trying to navigate round these things while driving.
Mate of mine has a new Merc. When he first picked me up in it he asked ‘what colour do you want the interior lights?’
‘I couldn’t give two hoots what colour the lights are just get us to the Indian take away.’ Lol
Even reading a car magazine now is half reading about the car and half reading about how big it’s info screen is.
Mk1 leon all the way for me!!
Steering wheel, gear knob, CD player
Sorted!
It’s bloody frustrating. My wife drives a Citroen Grand Picasso which has two huge screens and many of the controls are touch based including the climate control. Now I use CarPlay when in the car but to access the air con means you have to leave the CarPlay interface - fiddle about trying to touch a frigging tiny arrow while the car is bouncing around, then press the sources icon to bring up the media source page and then press the CarPlay icon to return to CarPlay. It’s so stupid - all the time you are having to glance across, then back at the road, then back etc.
 

Scott.T

Active Member
Sep 30, 2008
262
19
Who thinks the red 2020 leon in the release video that press are using is fitted with wheel spacers?
Wheels look dead in line and maybe even proud of arches from some angles
 

Seriously?

Active Member
Apr 20, 2018
1,237
831
I notice in the infotainment walkthrough part of the video that Syphon posted, clearly shown in the home screen menu is a 'Legal Notice' button.
What's the betting it says something along the lines of "By using this device you agree not to take legal action against SEAT when you inadvertently crash through the window of your your local Maccy D's when you're trying to work out how the hell you switch on the rear screen heater...."
 
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markm49uk

Active Member
Oct 15, 2015
401
28
Hull,UK
I notice in the infotainment walkthrough part of the video that Syphon posted, clearly shown in the home screen menu is a 'Legal Notice' button.
What's the betting it says something along the lines of "By using this device you agree not to take legal action against SEAT when you inadvertently crash through the window of your your local Maccy D's when you're trying to work out how the hell you switch on the rear screen heater...."
Makes you laugh when the CarPlay interface allows you to send messages, ask for music etc without taking your eyes off the road yet as soon as you need to change the frigging temperature or put the recirculating air on you have all this ******* around. I just sit and let the kids breathe in the noxious fumes from the 25 year old bus in front now as I can’t be arsed to turn it on. Smh.
 

SRGTD

Active Member
May 26, 2014
2,388
1,278
What I want to know is have SEAT put fabric in the glove box and door pockets this time around??
They seem to have deleted the felt lining from the glovebox in the new mk8 Golf, judging by this video on YouTube - glove box is shown at 5min 18sec to 5min 27sec;


If they’ve deleted it from the Golf, IMO it’s unlikely they’ll have added it in the Leon.
 

BigJase88

Jase
Apr 20, 2008
3,767
1,069
Who thinks the red 2020 leon in the release video that press are using is fitted with wheel spacers?
Wheels look dead in line and maybe even proud of arches from some angles
The one on the seat website that views it from the rear / side has been photoshopped it looks like its been dropped 40mm
 

markm49uk

Active Member
Oct 15, 2015
401
28
Hull,UK
Don’t worry i felt the same after numerous items of trim fell off and the dealer wasn’t interested
Ive had nothing but good experiences with SEAT. Ive had a Ibiza FR 150 for the past 4 year from new - never missed a beat nothing fallen off. My dad has a MK3 Leon FR 150 and his has been perfect too. Always get some cars with problems no matter what the brand.
 

red line fun

Full Member
May 24, 2004
602
12
Scotland
I totally agree with all that. Why put everything on one screen?
I know you’ll get used to where everything is on menus etc but it must be very distracting for the first few weeks of ownership trying to navigate round these things while driving.
Mate of mine has a new Merc. When he first picked me up in it he asked ‘what colour do you want the interior lights?’
‘I couldn’t give two hoots what colour the lights are
just get us to the Indian take away.’ Lol
Even reading a car magazine now is half reading about the car and half reading about how big it’s info screen is.
Mk1 leon all the way for me!!
Steering wheel, gear knob, CD player
Sorted!

This is the thing. Cars increasingly have configurable things like interior disco lights, different augmented exhaust notes, 5 different driving modes, 10 different ways to configure welcome and goodbye lights etc etc. I suppose some people like tinkering with all this 'stuff.' Me? I prefer just getting in and driving the blo0dy thing, which yes I appreciate you will still be able to :)

Ties in with my earlier comment, cars are becoming increasingly connected, increasingly tech filled and increasingly configurable. Broadly, as consumers we either like this direction or we don't. I think to an extent I'm in the latter camp. Yes progress is good, especially when it comes to vehicle safety and comfort. But don't tell me some of the stuff isn't anything else than frivolous fun, usually of an electronic nature, that will undoubtedly break. Take this mk4, 'if' it's the case many things will now be controlled via the infotainment system, what do you do if it doesn't boot and you need to use one of the functions?
 

leonlad

Full Member
Mar 28, 2004
1,123
48
london
What I want to know is have SEAT put fabric in the glove box and door pockets this time around??

looking at the video there seems to be lots of cheap nasty scratchy plastic on the doors and around the bottom of the dash. i like how the dash flexes when he presses the headlight button LOL
 

hitchygolf1971

Active Member
May 4, 2017
213
32
Yes sorry to say it’s the end of Seat for me, my Cupra 300 is due to be returned in July and I’ve loved every bit of it despite it costing me 6 points on my license and a hefty fine. TBH it’s not the cars shape it’s solely down to that I must be old fashioned that I like a simple button or a knob to turn my lights on and to control any other control in the car.
Without having to but my readers on to see the screen then scrolling through different tabs to find a way of switching on my rear de mist or to switch my air con on and then looking up and I’m sat on the back seat of a bus.

I think using the iPad on a dash is ok for using sat nav, dab radio and that’s it. How this function is legal to use while driving is beyond me with the distractions it can cause. Unfortunately most cars are going this way and I can see myself on a push bike before long.
 

SRGTD

Active Member
May 26, 2014
2,388
1,278
Yes sorry to say it’s the end of Seat for me, my Cupra 300 is due to be returned in July and I’ve loved every bit of it despite it costing me 6 points on my license and a hefty fine. TBH it’s not the cars shape it’s solely down to that I must be old fashioned that I like a simple button or a knob to turn my lights on and to control any other control in the car.
Without having to but my readers on to see the screen then scrolling through different tabs to find a way of switching on my rear de mist or to switch my air con on and then looking up and I’m sat on the back seat of a bus.

I think using the iPad on a dash is ok for using sat nav, dab radio and that’s it. How this function is legal to use while driving is beyond me with the distractions it can cause. Unfortunately most cars are going this way and I can see myself on a push bike before long.

@hitchygolf1971; 100% agree with you on the general issue of touch screens in cars, and based on some of the other members posts, I’m not alone.

I’m currently a VW owner and my next car is likely to be another VW, but not the new Golf, which has also gone touchscreen crazy. I’m planning on getting a Polo GTI+ sometime this year - certainly before it gets its mid life facelift (which will probably next year), when VW will no doubt remove all the conventional switches, buttons and knobs and replace them with touchscreens. They’ll probably hit the Polo with the ugly stick too as part of the facelift and make it look like a mini mk8 Golf - another reason to get one before they do that to it!
 
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markm49uk

Active Member
Oct 15, 2015
401
28
Hull,UK
looking at the video there seems to be lots of cheap nasty scratchy plastic on the doors and around the bottom of the dash. i like how the dash flexes when he presses the headlight button LOL
I saw this - the new Golf is the same - garbage.
 

Mr Pig

Active Member
Jun 17, 2015
2,614
906
Have to say, that's bad. The MK3 Leon had its own thing going on but the new car is a mashup of cars already on the market. Check out the Mazda3 and MG ZS for instance and no one is talking about how good looking those cars are.

And who wants heater controls on a touchscreen? Eggs and basket anyone? Apart from the fact you'll have to flick through screens to turn the heater down, if the screen packs in the car becomes pretty darn hard to operate.

No thanks.
 

SRGTD

Active Member
May 26, 2014
2,388
1,278
Hopefully the current generation of touchscreens used by VAG aren’t susceptible to gremlins at the bottom end of extreme (very cold, sub-zero) temperature conditions like some of the early MIB 1 infotainment screens were.

I can remember quite a few instances on VW Golf forums where owners with the first generation MIB infotainment units experienced issues such as blank screens, unresponsive screens, radio channels changing on their own. One owner over on uk-polos.net experienced an intermittent blank active info display screen in their Polo GTI+ within the last 12 months, so loosing their instrumentation display (speed, rpm etc). Not a good situation to be in when you don’t know how fast you’re travelling with all the speed cameras around, or being able to check things such as fuel level, coolant temp etc. Hopefully this was a one-off and these screens will prove to be reliable. Time will tell.........
 

Mr Pig

Active Member
Jun 17, 2015
2,614
906
Hopefully the current generation of touchscreens used by VAG aren’t susceptible to gremlins .......

I don't think that's the point. Certain controls are so fundamental to the operation of the car that they deserve dedicated switches. I'd say heating and ventilation switches come under that.

What you need to understand is that they are not doing this to improve the car. They are doing it because it is cheaper! With most things under control of the computer you can do away with dedicated switches as the functions can be controlled via the touchscreen, which is in the car anyway. But buyers are so thick they'd be all gooey eyed over the big screen and clean dash they won't release the damn car is going to be harder to use every single day they own it.
 

SRGTD

Active Member
May 26, 2014
2,388
1,278
I don't think that's the point. Certain controls are so fundamental to the operation of the car that they deserve dedicated switches. I'd say heating and ventilation switches come under that.
I agree 100%. I’ve posted a number of times on the mk4 and mk3 forum boards that IMO having touchscreens in a car to operate often used, basic functions is a distraction that can compromise safety. If fact IMO, fumbling around on a touchscreen to operate certain functions and needing to look at the screen whilst driving, rather than looking at the road ahead and concentrating on driving is potentially dangerous. How car manufacturers can consider that to be OK and safe to do, when using a handheld mobile phone isn’t (and rightly so) beggars belief.

What you need to understand is that they are not doing this to improve the car. They are doing it because it is cheaper! With most things under control of the computer you can do away with dedicated switches as the functions can be controlled via the touchscreen, which is in the car anyway. But buyers are so thick they'd be all gooey eyed over the big screen and clean dash they won't release the damn car is going to be harder to use every single day they own it.

I fully understand this, and have made the point in earlier posts that using touchscreens rather than retaining conventional controls is a blatant case of form over function, driven by cost. The technophiles will love the ‘clean’, uncluttered look of touchscreens. I prefer conventional controls, and my next car will still have buttons, switches and knobs! :mad:
 
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