Our fleet: Seat Leon 1.6 TDI SE - September 2013

Several thousand fleet motorists have chosen to drive a Seat Leon since the latest version of the popular hatchback went on sale in March.

Having taken delivery of our latest long-term test car in June, I’m a relatively late addition to that total – but only a few weeks’ experience of the car suggests everyone should be happy with their choice.

After too long in the doldrums, the Spanish manufacturer has finally got around to producing the kind of vehicles that meet the needs of a wide range of business customers and the Leon has the makings of becoming a smash-hit success.

Company drivers demand a lot from their cars and the level of comfort that comes with SE trim makes this an easy car to live with as a result of supportive seats, a good driving position, convenient controls and well laid out instrumentation.

But that’s only part of the story. Thanks to LED lighting, a navigation system and DAB radio – a £1,075 technology pack option bundle available for £500 when the car was launched but currently on offer at no cost – this model brings an unusual degree of sophistication to workhorse motoring.

Full LED headlamps are making their first appearance on a family hatchback.

Sleek and smart, they provide a flood of illumination that’s close to natural daylight and noticeably superior to that from either xenon or halogen bulbs.

Touching the large dashboard screen makes satellite navigation operation particularly easy and the system constantly monitors speed limits as well as providing a handy back-up display directly ahead of the driver.

All in all, the best model from Seat so far is an impressive package.