Anything Top Gear doesn't like, I do. I don't get why leaf's are still an issue. Many cars and vans produce them. 'cept, in Marbella's and MK1 Panda's it's more obvious..
leafs are good for carrying heavy loads, they spread the weight out more than coil springs, it's why many vans/pickups/large 4x4s have them, but they aren't ideal for road cars as they contribute a great deal of weight, and often are used in non-independent suspension.
though the corvette uses leaf springs, transverse plastic ones or something though.
hmmmmmm if not kia pride (it wouldn't of been a terrible car in the 80s, but for something made in late 90s it was apalling!)
hmmmmmmm, kdf wagen isn't crap as such, hmmmmmm, marina would seem the likely target being set out to be as cheap and unoriginal as possible yet eventually costing more to develop than the "advanced" allegro.
probably something british....
MGTF?