Is it possible to raise the height of a driver’s seat without affecting the warranty or the car’s safety?

Q. I am buying a new Seat Leon 1.4-litre TSI SE. My wife is not very tall and has become used to the slightly elevated driving position in our current Seat Altea. Is it possible to raise the height of a driver’s seat without affecting the warranty or the car’s safety? BW, Ogbourne Maizey, Wiltshire

A. Yes: the SE comes with driver’s seat height adjustment as standard. It’s a lever to the right of the seat that can be used to move the seat up or down as required.

The Leon and the Altea have similar ground clearance, but the extra height (about 4in) of the latter means there’s more headroom, so the seat can be raised a little higher. There’s not much in it, though, and once the Leon’s seat has been adjusted, your wife should find little difference between them.

INSPECTOR GADGET
Dave Pollard has written several Haynes manuals and has tested just about every car-related accessory – read more from Dave here.

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