The as three-door (SC), five-door and station wagon (ST) available Seat Leon traditionally appeals to compact buyers with a slightly sportier appeal. But with the new Xcellence equipment line introduced in the wake of the current facelift, the Spaniards now want to target a second target group: comfort-oriented customers. There's also a new diesel engine, current assistance and infotainment technology and smaller optical embellishments. The price remains unchanged: starting with 14.990, the revved Seat Leon SC will be available from the dealer 2017 in January, the cheapest five-door will cost 15.490 Euro, and the combination surcharge will be 1.200 Euro.
The facelift is above all the new LED turn signals to recognize, there are, as usual, revised aprons front and rear. Professionals can also recognize the lifted version on the three new exterior colors (red, blue and purple). Lay a layman to be sure to take a look inside. Here Seat has tidied up properly: The kanpp 4,30 meter long Leon gets the cockpit of the Ateca, with a very clear center console. The navigation infotainment system (from 400 Euro) now comes with an 8 instead of 6,5 inch large touch screen and just two right buttons: a home button that leads to the main menu and a connectivity button that quickly and easily connects the smartphone via MirrorLink , Apple CarPlay and Android Auto can be connected. Compatible devices can also be charged inductively in the Phonebox (210 Euro) in front of the gearshift lever. Well done: The volume control has not wandered into one of the menus, but still works with a handle via rotary control.
Connectivity is a big topic these days, the other is the assistance systems. Seat has also been upgraded neatly - and at a relatively low price: the distance cruise control (300 Euro) now works up to 210 km / h and the front camera (100 Euro) recognizes traffic signs much better. Together, they now enable pedestrian detection, an emergency assistant that gently stops the car when the driver stops responding, and a traffic jam assistant. Until 60 km / h, the seat follows the lane and brakes when needed even to a stop. However, lawmakers still do not allow their hands to be taken off the steering wheel.
The supply of gasoline remains unchanged, the six Otto range from the 1.2 TSI with 63 kW / 86 PS up to the 132 kW / 180 PS strong 1.8 TSI liter; The 1.4 TGI (81 kW / 110 PS) with natural gas drive is also on offer. Reinforcement get the two two-liter diesel (110 kW / 150 PS and 135 kW / 184 PS). Seat offers a new 1.6 TDI. His 85 kW / 115 PS sound not particularly strong, but feel much stronger on the road. Without much detours, the smooth-running four-cylinder puts the gas command in forward thrust and makes the 9,5 seconds seem pretty entertaining up to highway speed. 193 km / h in the top are enough for brisk swimming and the 250 Newtonmeter torque also allow spontaneous overtaking maneuvers. If the five gears of the manual switch are not sufficient, you can also order the new 1.6er with a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. The average consumption is Seat with low four liters per 100 kilometers on our first exit certified the on-board computer a good liter more.
However, the new diesel is only available in the sober basic Reference and the second line Style. This leaves him delicacies like the full-LED headlights, denied the large touch screen and the adaptive suspension. The renunciation of the latter is not difficult, because the standard setup is wonderfully balanced: The Leon springs comfortably over most bumps and feels still binding. The steering also works sufficiently directly to run precisely around the bend with the Spaniard. The steering wheel itself, however, should be a little thicker and grippier.
Also not available for the new 1.6 TDI is the new Xcellence equipment. In the future, it will be offered in parallel to the top sporting version FR, for which (along with the potent Cupra, which will be refreshed in February 2017) decide on 60 percent of customers. The X version is now intended to appeal to customers who value comfort and stylish appearance more than dynamics. Chrome and aluminum accents make the claim clear, the standard range includes, among other things, the ambience light with now eight different colors, high beam and lane departure warning, the keyless start and access system and parking sensors behind. Cheapest Xcellence model - and thus as expensive as the FR version - is the 92 kW / 125 PS strong 1.4 TSI to 22.840 Euro; for the three-door SC, the new line is not available. This could be a first sign of farewell, rumors that the SC is completely canceled with the new generation starting in a few years. (Michael Gebhardt / SP-X)