- Technique, because the chassis makes the Seat Léon a special car
- History. 70 years of Seat, in 15 emblematic models
Traditional sales dominators in Europe, with the VW Golf at the helm, compact cars face, in addition to their own rivalry, the inclement that comes from the tyranny of models with SUV silhouette. To this, Seat adds that the León is not only the best-selling model in its range (150,000 units in 2019), but has been leading the Spanish market for five years. And that territory is the one that the fourth generation has to defend. It is already on sale with prices starting at 22,170 euros.
It does so with a design, out of the pencil of Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos, a lot bolder on the outside than the Golf 8. The grille and the headlights make it gain aggressiveness, the hood is slightly longer, the front pillars slightly receded and the windshield was positioned more vertically, "to improve visibility" according to its designer. Some strokes are reminiscent of the Ford Focus and others of the Mazda3, but the final effect has an undeniable visual impact for a car that grows eight centimeters long, while the width and height hardly change.
Technology and quality, unsportsmanlike dashboard
Inside, the materials and finishes inspire confidence due to solidity and quality to the touch. The seats are large and comfortable enough, with reinforced side support in the sportier versions. As is already the norm, the tendency to reduce physical controls forces to give many orders through the digital infotainment screen, which frees up space. This screen can be 8.25 inches or 10 in higher versions, and allows you to control almost everything, except the air conditioning that is regulated with an intuitive touch bar system , which also looks bad at night as in other models of the VW group with the electronic platform MIB3).
Obviously, everything is more modern and functional than in the previous León, but we hoped that the central screen would integrate better with the dashboard, as in the new Golf and A3, and that it would be more focused on the driver.
Digital instrumentation (standard at higher levels) and the steering wheel modernize the look, as does the minimalist DSG gear selector, which no longer allows sequential manual use, reserved for the paddles behind the steering wheel. By the way, there is no longer a physical connection to the transmission, which, among other advantages, allows the automatic parking assistant to select gears without having to move the lever.
More space than a Volkswagen Golf ...
Being the MQB modular base a kind of Lego to play with, it is not surprising that the wheelbase is the same as that of the Skoda Octavia (2.69m), which are five cm more than Golf and Audi A3 (and that the Previous lion). Thus, it offers more legroom in the second row and is one of the most generous compacts in this regard.
The height behind is enough for occupants up to 1.85 m (and since there is a lot of free length we can adjust the pelvis if it is necessary to carry basketball players ...). In width, two rear passengers travel very well and a third is bothered by the bulky tunnel, as in all cars with this platform. It is appreciated that there are direct ventilation outlets at the rear, in some cases with temperature adjustment with digital display.
The trunk has 380 liters, very regular and usable shapes and the volume can be expanded by folding the seat backs asymmetrically, creating a practically flat cargo compartment. By volume it is on the average and is equal to that of the VW and that of the Audi, although very far from the Skoda Octavia. This reaches 600 liters, top in the category because, although it uses the same platform, it has a 32 cm longer rear overhang and enjoys a sedan silhouette despite the five doors.
Adjustable dynamic chassis
In versions equipped with driving modes, you can choose between four: Eco, Normal, Comfort and Sport, which change the steering response, the gearbox (automatic) and the sound of the engine, in addition to the hardness of the suspension when the Leon is equipped with suspension with variable dampers (DCC or Dynamic Chassis Control). In this case, the Individual mode has a slider for a wider range of suspension settings (up to 14).
The MIB3 platform also allows all systems to connect to an online connectivity unit with an eSIM so that users access a growing range of services and functions.
In this sense, one of the fields in which more progress is made more is in assistance systems: lane keeping, pedestrian monitoring and emergency urban braking, adaptive predictive cruise control, braking function when the car is at an intersection and the rapid approach of another vehicle that would cause a collision is detected, approach detection at the end of a row of immobilized cars (or an accident vehicle) that has communication functions with other cars and the road infrastructure in a 800 meter radius help ensure your safety.
Engines for (almost) all tastes.
When it comes to engines, it all starts with the new 1-liter petrol three-cylinder unit, with 90 or 110 horsepower, and then evolves to the 1.5-cylinder 130-hp four-cylinder block, in both cases running on Miller cycle, with a variable geometry turbo, for greater efficiency.
The most powerful variant of the 1.5 (with 150 hp) can be ordered with a light hybridization (or mild hybrid) always associated with the automatic seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. It draws on an additional 48V electrical architecture and starter / alternator, a system that recovers energy during deceleration (up to 12 kW) and stores it in a small lithium-ion battery. Thanks to this, the gasoline engine turns off when the car travels by its own inertia or under low throttle loads. This extra energy also provides an electrical impulse (up to 50 Nm) when it is time to recover speed.
The two 1.5-liter units, on the other hand, are equipped with the ACM system that shuts down half of the cylinders at low (or no) throttle loads.
The gasoline range is completed with a natural gas version and a plug-in hybrid (with external recharge), with 204 HP of maximum performance and promises a 100% electric range of up to 60 km. The diesel offer is limited to the 2-liter block with 115 or 150 HP, in the first case only with a six-speed manual transmission, in the second with the option of the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic (a logic that follows all range, that is, the entry versions only with manual gearbox, the highest with both or only the automatic one).
The 1.5 eTSi shines with electric impulse
Sales of the new León start in May, but, with the limitations dictated by the pandemic, we have only been able to test the 1.5 eTSi soft hybrid version (it costs 26,850 euros), which, like the Golf and the A3, leaves a very good taste in the mouth . Not so much for taking 8.4 seconds from 0 to 100 km / h or reaching 221 km / h, but because it reveals an immediate response to very low turns, since the maximum torque (250 Nm) is available at an early morning speed (1500 rpm).
The DSG box, fast and smooth and with very well adapted developments, also contributes to this effect; as well as the electric drive of the hybrid system, which is mainly manifested in intermediate accelerations, with the ability to make driving more relaxed and to reduce consumption.
In the test unit, the suspension had no electronic dampers and the setup felt a little dry, to which the tires (225/45 on 17-inch wheels) contributed. Some irregularities in the middle of curves are more noticeable than would be desirable, especially since the rear suspension is driven by a torsion axle and not a more elaborate multi-link independent wheel architecture.
And it is that the Leon, like the Skoda Octavia, only uses this scheme in versions of more than 150 HP , while the VW Golf and the Audi A3 count on it from that power threshold. As for the steering, it is much more precise and communicative than that of the predecessor, at the same time that the brakes show a great mordant, intuitive progression and resistance to fatigue. The rigidity of the chassis and the construction translate into the absence of parasitic noise, and the quality of the soundproofing is another aspect to highlight.
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