The family hatchback segment is full of dull and boring choices, each of which apparently purposefully designed to suck the last bits of livelihood out of the family man. But in this sea of dullness you sometimes come across a car that, while still boring underneath, at least looks kind of evocative and exciting. The Spanish SEAT Leon is one of them, and now there is a new one.

SEAT admits that the changes in the styling of the new Leon are somewhat subtle, but the car had a good design and they didn’t want to mess it up by changing it too much. So you get a new bumper design and a revised grille with some chrome on it on the outside, and ambient lighting LED and a new eight-inch screen on the inside.

Technology-wise the 2017 SEAT Leon comes with Full-LED headlights, Traffic Jam Assist, a function that offers great comfort in traffic with frequent and intermittent stops, Lane Assist and ACC, Pedestrian Protection System, Traffic Sign Recognition, Blind Spot Detection, and the most advanced parking assist technology with both bay and parallel parking, Emergency Assist and High Beam Assist. There is also the Easy Connect infotainment system, SEAT Full Link and the exclusive SEAT ConnectApp.

For 2017 the SEAT Leon is offered in the new luxurious XCELLENCE trim level which adds items like Alcantara and leather to the standard kit. You can order the car with a 1.6 90 PS or a 2.0 184 PS diesel unit, or if petrol is your poison with a new 1.6 115 PS, another one with 110 to 180 PS or the new 1.0 litre TSI three-cylinder 115 PS. There is also a new high performance CUPRA model planned for early 2017 launch.