The Seat Leon Sportstourer TDI at a glance
Seat Leon is growing up
A spirited being can inspire careers and arouse desires. When it comes to cars, the Seat Leon is the best example of this. The compact one from Spain always uses the parts range from its parent company, Volkswagen, but was always a little more challenging than VW Golf, Audi A3 and Skoda Octavia. He gladly sacrificed the last few centimeters of space or the loud “Ah” and “Oh” when fumbling with the material quality, and the customers played along.
They then swapped a Leon Cupra (yes, that was still called that until recently) for a FR – with the younger generation, happily with the longer estate of the Leon ST (that was also called that). Years later, not only part of the target group, but also the Seat Leon has grown up. This is what the Leon Sportstourer station wagon (yes, that’s now called) exudes.
Lots of space in the rear, 620 liters of trunk
The Spaniards cleverly use the flexibility of the MQB evo architecture and use the new Leon generation on the longer wheelbase of the Skoda Octavia. Suddenly the Leon is also bragging about the feudal space in the rear, miming the understanding of family par excellence. And then at the latest, the sports tourer jostles in front of the five-door in the sales room. Because as a station wagon, the Leon can now swallow up to 620 liters of luggage with full seating. It should therefore meet all transport requirements.
Comfort is added to the space. Although the Seat Leon is still a touch tighter than its corporate brothers, it is still mostly pious. At the latest with the optional DCC chassis, which allows the electronic setting of the adaptive dampers, everyone will find their own personal setup. In principle, it can be classified in such a way that the Leon springs in the “Comfort” position of the damping about as much as a normal Golf VIII in “Normal”.
If you don’t just go to a sports tournament with the kids on the weekend or park in front of the furniture store, but also cover many kilometers with the company car on the way to customer appointments on weekdays, a diesel is still the first choice these days. In a (not at all so) compact station wagon like the Leon, a diesel engine brings a good mood without causing consumption to skyrocket.
Urgent diesel transporter
The test car also drove up in a fast freighter configuration, the Seat Leon Sportstourer 2.0 TDI with 110 kW / 150 PS (combined fuel consumption: 3.7 l / 100 km, combined CO2 emissions: 97 g / km²). Here, too, a double twin-dosing exhaust gas cleaning system with two SCR catalytic converters should ensure the best possible reduction in emissions. As standard, the diesel has its 360 Newton meters of maximum torque sorted by a 7-speed dual clutch transmission with shit-by-wire technology. A small knob instead of a selector lever in the center console is sufficient as the commands are electronically transmitted to the transmission.
Flipping on D and with one foot on the right pedal, the Seat Leon Sportstourer 2.0 TDI starts moving quickly. The diesel engine hardly gives rise to the desire for more power. After entering the village, he pulls the station wagon at lightning speed to country road pace and also belongs to the more urgent group on the autobahn. The top speed of 218 km / h is not only reached after the horizon.
Partly loud combustion noise
“Do good and talk about it.” The Leon TDI thinks this or something like that. Because the diesel does not work really quietly under the hood. It is not only after a cold start that the high injection pressure is responsible for the now no longer so accustomed nail noise. Even when turning the digital rev counter in higher regions, you can clearly see the Seat as a diesel. It shares this fact within the group with the new Audi A3.
During relaxed cruising he is satisfied with a monotonous grumbling. In partial load operation, the engine and transmission also switch to freewheel. The four-cylinder then runs at idle speed and saves fuel. If more power is called up, he is back to business in a flash.
If you can trust the information on the on-board computer, 5.6 liters of diesel per 100 kilometers flowed through the lines on our test drives. Given the dynamic lure of the Leon Sportstourer, an acceptable value.
The eTSI petrol engine is hardly more thirsty
But the fact is: The Seat Leon 1.5 eTSI, which was driven for a longer period of time in the spring as a mild hybrid petrol engine with 150 hp, was only a good liter thirstier with 6.7 liters of test consumption per 100 kilometers. However, it costs over 2,300 euros less to buy and is cheaper to insure. It is worth doing the math. One should not forget, however, that in direct comparison, the TDI always sends more torque to the driven front wheels.
The Seat Leon is not only mature in terms of format, but also in terms of multimedia equipment. As a new car from the Volkswagen Group, it also uses the MIB3 (third-generation modular infotainment kit) with online access for navigation and other services.
Complicated operation, sometimes stubborn software
Did we say “grown up”? Oh well. Because the beautiful digital operating world is still showing its teething problems. This does not only mean the slider for temperature and volume settings that is not illuminated at night. But much more the operating system that likes to freeze. The Leon software went on strike several times and was only encouraged to work again after the car had been idle for a long time.
Maybe an isolated case. But what is more annoying, this also applies to the Golf 8, among other things, is the sometimes sluggishly reacting touchscreen. If you have to look away from the road to operate simple functions, then please as briefly as possible. Often the finger pressure is not recognized immediately, so the procedure has to be repeated. With the state of the art, you can also save yourself the Wireless Full Link for Apple CarPlay. At 190.08 euros it costs the same surcharge as the wired version, but it often refuses to work. In the meantime, we could not find out whether this is a problem with the car manufacturer or Apple.
Android users don’t care, their smartphone integration always requires a connection via the alternative USB-C socket in the car.
When it comes to the choice of materials in the interior, the Seat Leon only keeps a minimal distance from the VW Golf, if at all. But this is mainly due to the fact that the Gulf approaches from above. In the Xcellence equipment of the test car, however, the harmony of wood optics with gray-brown fabric seats is pleasing and ensures a modern lounge atmosphere. The seats look a bit too soft in the lower back area. The sport seats in the Leon FR offer significantly better long-distance comfort.
Cheaper than Golf and Octavia
The well-equipped Seat Leon Xcellence as a sports tourer with the 150 PS diesel costs 32,148.57 euros (including 16% VAT). This means that, adjusted for equipment, it is just under 3,000 euros under a VW Golf Variant Style and, so much for the new hierarchy in the group, over 2,000 euros under the Skoda Octavia Combi Style.
The reliable Travel Assist with a predictive cruise control system is only introduced into the Leon with the XL driver assistant, and the price list also includes other temptations from larger wheels to the electric tailgate to navigation and park steering assistance. A deep grip in this basket lets the test car price climb to a lush 41,162 euros.
Conclusion
In the eyes of many, the Seat Leon Sport Tourer is an emotionally designed compact station wagon that wins hearts more than the Golf and Octavia. At the same time, the brain doesn’t say “no” either, because now the Spaniard also scores with space for family and luggage. The 2.0 TDI with 150 hp is sufficiently powerful and drives the station wagon forward, but is sometimes quite cheeky. In the long run, however, the complicated operation, occasional software failures, topped by the sometimes sluggish response of the touchscreen, bothers much more. (Text and image: Bernd Conrad)