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Eco, Comfort or Sport? The button for the “SEAT Drive Profile” smiles at you. A short tap opens the menu selection in the multimedia display in order to adjust the characteristics of the engine, transmission and steering. What a question, of course you choose sports. After all, you're sitting here in the Spanish GTI. Almost.
SEAT LEON FR 180 PS in the driving report
The Spanish pre-dancer
Could there be any other color for the test car than this powerful, this rich and seductively glowing red? No - if Leon FR, then with the activated sport button and of course in “Emotion-Red”.
Fiery like the lips of an Andalusian lover, just before the last bar of the last tango falls. In its youngest generation, the Leon FR finally got the necessary portion of sporty elegance that the brand had wanted to miss for 10 years. Ever since Seat (now 28 years old) has been part of the VW Group, people have been looking for their own identity.
Sporty and cheap? Only athletic? Just cheap?
[one_half] [=”notification_mark” ]The basics:[star_list]
- 2 weeks in the test
- 903 test kilometers
- Base price: 26.140 €
- Test Car Price: 31.200 €
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- Eco-Tour: 6.2 l / 100 km
- Commuting: 7.4 l / 100 km
- Field service mode: 12.1 l / 100 km
- More information about the test consumption
The new SEAT Leon FR is above all sporty. In design. Sharp edges on the sidelines, the body crouching flatter on the asphalt than in previous generations. The 18 inch wheels press themselves into the wheel arches. Are you looking for a sporty compact car that offers enough space for everyday life and does not look as teutonically cool as the Golf? But with the technical brilliance of the Golf, please? The SEAT Leon combines exactly these requirements.
The tango dancer in the group
Agile like a tango dancer with the right dose of a Rioja Gran Reserva in the bloodstream, he steers into curves, lets you feel just as much feeling for the road on the steering wheel as the dancer does from the rhythm of his partner via the firm grip on her hip perceives. The front axle reacts sensitively to the driver's wishes; you look each other carefully in the eye. The Leon FR senses the driver's urge for country road tango and gives in to his wishes.
Motor, gearbox, brakes - all old acquaintances on the dance floor. You know each other from dozens of encounters with the corporate brothers. The Audi A3 and the Golf both use the same hardware. Because the new Leon has also arrived on the MQB platform. This has advantages, but also disadvantages. The 180 hp turbo gasoline engine did not appear in the Seat with more torque for tea than in previous dance tournaments. You can still feel the castration at 250 Nm. As if you were approaching the next tango with shoes that are too small, that slows you down. The talent is there, the engine reacts sensitively to the accelerator pedal, it storms onto the dance floor - only to be a little short of breath. The 7-speed dual clutch transmission could now be blamed. It's his job to manage the power of the direct injection engine. The dry-coupled DSG represents the bottleneck already known from the A3 1.8 TSI. In everyday life, however, the gearbox with the two clutches fulfills its task far too exemplary to be embarrassed because of this ridiculous 250 Nm restriction in the women's choice to stay.
Theoretically, the engine could sharpen a much sharper and faster rhythm, but the combination with the gearbox forms a unit that you have to accept compromises. This is particularly noticeable in the tightly tailored dress of the Leon FR.
Sporty, jagged, an athlete with distinctive facial features. But not a top athlete. The 180 PS gasoline engine has to get by with its 250 Nm. For this he distributes this obediently, over almost the entire speed range. From 1.250 revolutions up to 5.000 revolutions, the TSI fills the widest dance floors with its constant verve. Only dance highlights - meanwhile, they stay away. He sprint from zero to 100 in 7,2 seconds and only runs out of breath at 224 km / h.
As a driver, you feel in good hands in the Leon. A solid compact class. You can tell that the Leon is closely related to the class leader golf in many ways. Sitting position, the structure of the cockpit, the sober clarity of the instruments, the modern design of the on-board computer. Everywhere there is a smell of the will to perfection, a smell that is well known from Wolfsburg products. The Leon infuses a pinch of Spanish passion, just not too much. Add this design with the sharp edges - is that already too much? The bright red switch lights in the interior are reminiscent of the sporty spirit from Ingolstadt and only with the built-in multimedia system do you realize that someone in Wolfsburg was afraid that the Leon could become more attractive than the eternal bestseller VW Golf.
The Leon has to be satisfied with the 5.8 ″ small multimedia unit. It's not a broken leg, but it tarnishes the anticipation of the next tango like a shirt that is too small. Of course everything works fine - but with the large 8 ″ navigation touchscreen, brilliant resolution and unbeatable operating quality, the Golf can play the leading role. The Leon has to queue up at the rear as a well-executed and well-equipped FR.
The headlights at the front form a highlight that first arrived in the Leon. Full-LED headlights were previously not available in the compact car class. Plain white light illuminates the street, creating a cool glow in front of the Leon. At the rear, the FR also lets elegant LED elements shine. It looks technically valuable and at the same time elegant. The high beam of the LED headlights, however, looks a little blotchy and could use more radiance.
No criticism on the subject of the trunk. With a load volume of at least 380 liters, the Leon offers enough space to be equipped for long journeys or a long dance.
Positive list:
[One_third]+++ designWith the latest generation of the Leon, SEAT was also able to present a compact car based on the current model. The design got its own character. That is good for Leon!
[/one_third] [one_third]++ LED lightOffering LED headlights in the compact car class is already a real step forward. The low beam of the Leon is convincingly white. The high beam could use more range.
[/one_third] [one_third last=last]+ ProcessingUp until now, people were used to the SEAT having to wear the clothes worn by its bigger brother like a little brother, but in the youngest generation everything looks fresh and of good quality.
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The better golf?
The FR is not yet the GTI replacement. The Wolfsburg-based company has a shovel more power to offer with 220 hp. But that's why SEAT still offers the Cupra. The then already makes 265 hp or 285 hp.
In general, the Leon could be the better Golf GTI. Or even cheekier, the better Audi A3. It offers similar space conditions, the same technology under the sheet metal, extensive equipment and in the end it easily saves € 5.000 on the purchase price. Adjusted for equipment, the A3 can even cost € 7.600.
You could start pondering and invite the fresh Spaniard to a brisk dance - or can you not dance at all?
Click here for the SEAT Leon configurator ...
Facts:
| Manufacturer: | SEAT |
|---|---|
| Model Name: | Leon FR 180 hp TSI DSG |
| Body style: | Four-door compact hatchback |
| Engine: | R4, turbo gasoline engine with direct injection, 16V, DOHC, variable valve timing exhaust valves, aluminum cylinder head, EA 888 |
| Transmission: | 7-speed double clutch DQ200 |
| Drive: | front-wheel drive |
| displacement: | 1.798 cc |
| Power: | 180 hp at 5.100 - 6.200 rpm |
| torque: | 250 Nm from 1.250 to 5.000 rpm |
| From 0 to 100 km / h: | 7.2 seconds |
| Top speed .: | 224 km/h |
| Consumption according to standard: | 5,9 liters / 100 km |
| CO2 emissions according to standard: | 137 g / km |
| Test consumption: | 7.74 l / 100km over the test distance |
| Bikes: | 225 / 45-18 - Bridgestone winter tires |
| Empty weight: | 1.310 kg [dry] |
| Length, width, height, wheelbase: | 4.271 / 1.816 / 1.444 / 2.631 mm |
| Warranty: | 2 years warranty |
| Test period: | March 2014: Mostly dry, first spring temperatures. |
