Take the Seat Leon TFSI FR - the FR stands for 'Formula Racing' which gives a clue as to the league we are dealing with. It is a car with high injection technology that has enough turbo power to blow your socks off and can make you illegal at the touch of the throttle. It's a thoroughbred that is loaded with equipment for safety, performance and comfort on the road and will cost you about 32,850.

Go down the road to the VW dealer and pick a Golf GTi.

Virtually the same car in terms of equipment and performance but you will pay 37,185 plus 700 for dual climatic air con which is standard equipment on the Seat.

They are two very similar highperformance models but the VW badge says money.

The Seat may be up to GTi standards of performance but the driver of the GTi will get more nods of approval than the person with the FR keyring. Seat should do a lot more to play up their value for money with their models, particularly the FR as it is actually a better looking car than the GTi, and, after all, they are both VWs. Sibling Skoda has made great play of its VW family ties, and with their low prices sales are on the up and up.

But back to the Leon FR. It's a full-sized hatchback with all the seating room and boot space for family motoring. But beneath the sharply sculpted lines lies a true performer which will not disappoint the most spirited driver.

The engine develops 200 bhp and maximum torque is 380 Nm.

Power comes through a slick 6speed manual transmission and there is an option of a dual clutch DSG automatic transmission.

The sprint form 0- 100 kms takes just over seven seconds and the top speed, if you go to Mondello, is 229 kms (145 mpg) for those brave enough or reckless enough to test it.

So with massive power on tap, how does the FR perform on the road? It does very well on motorway driving with a quick throttle response and virtually no turbo lag. Road holding is good with wide tyres on expensive Alliotyh 17" alloy wheels. There are four disc brakes with ABS, TCS, ESP, EBA, DSR . . . in fact, enough aniskid technology to keep any driver out of ditches and other drivers' laneways for a lifetime.

Occupant safety is further covered by six airbags with the option of two further side rear airbags.

The suspension is stiff but not uncomfortable and the driver has the choice of engaging "specific sport suspension" if the mood dictates.

A well-behaved owner will manage 7.9L/100kms in lightfooted mixed driving, but town driving will see the consumption figure rise to 11L/100km . . .

nothing that will greatly concern the owner of a FR who will probably spend pots of euros on washing and polishing the family pride and joy. It's all about image after all. The C02 emission figure from Seat is 190g/km in mixed driving.

The FR logo is very prominent inside the car and is woven into the seats just in case your passengers need a reminder of the car's excellent pedigree.

Sports seats are standard up front and there is a computer to tell you all you need to know about your driving, multifunction controls on the steering wheel, lumbar support for the driver, an eight-speaker in-car entertainment system, fog lights, cruise control, tyre pressure sensor, wiper rain sensor, tinted windows - the list is long enough to bore even the most ardent supporter of your choice of car.

Even without the badge on the boot lid the FR is an impressivelooking car with sweeping lines rising into the bonnet from the grille and deep air-intake. At the rear the wide hatch lid breaks the wide light clusters and the roof spoiler incorporates the third brake light. Impressive? Yes. And as you may have guessed, good value for money too.

VITAL STATISTICS
Model Seat Leon 4-door FR 200 bhp
Engine 2-litre petrol
Length 4315 mm
Width 1768 mm
Height 1458 mm
Wheelbase 2578 mm
Acceleration 0. . .100km in 7.3 seconds
Top speed 229 kms
Transmission 6-speed manual
Economy 7.9L/100kms
C0 2emissions 190g/km