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Seat has raised the “XP” - the X-Perience - 2,7 centimeters - this now results in a ground clearance of 17.1 centimeters. Not much for an off-roader. Those who seriously dare to venture into the terrain would rather look for an all-wheel drive with at least 25 centimeters of ground clearance. In times when our cars are getting flatter and offer less resistance to the wind, the trend towards “SUV design” in classic station wagons is a very welcome one. Because the additional ground clearance helps in everyday life in a very practical way. Without having to accept the disadvantages of an SUV straight away.
Test: SEAT Leon X-Perience 180 PS TSI
Robust room companion
The modern all-wheel drive technology “4Drive” based on the Haldex-5 generation, common VW group technology, is not to be seen in the Spaniard. But the elements of the body that have been trimmed to be robust. A bumper that has to get by with significantly less paint. Solid panels in contrasting colors simulate an underride guard and the wheel arch extensions in matt black complete the “shirt-sleeved off-roader look”. That is enough to make the statement of the “country boy” in the city.
Agile especially on the street
Seat may have given the Leon X-Perience an off-road design pack and garnished the whole with additional protection measures for underbody and suspension. The XP remains primarily a family combo for everyday life. And that does not usually take place off-road. The SEAT technicians also know this and, in addition to the relatively manageable ground clearance, have also found a rather solid suspension setup. The Leon XP remains true to its Spanish roots and prefers to put the tango on asphalt rather than off-road. Whereby the increased ground clearance and martial design elements simplify the search for a parking space. On the green meadow? At any time. Even if it is a hill to overcome.
The weather during the test period unfortunately gave the 4Drive all-wheel drive little opportunity to show what is possible. A little snow would have been helpful. Instead, summer temperatures. The trip into nature, over small obstacles, gave an impression of what the XP can do better than its sporty brother - the Leon ST Cupra.
Handy through the curves of our regular route, you don't notice anything behind the wheel of driving a little more ground clearance. The side tilt is subjectively no greater than with a “Not XP”.
Our test car had the 180 hp TSI turbo gasoline engine on board and the 6-speed dual clutch transmission. In the future, SEAT will also offer adaptive dampers, the test car still managed without them. However, there is already a “driving dynamics mode” button that influences the transmission and engine control. A gimmick. A nice one. Not more. The chassis of the SEAT Leon XP is well tuned even without adaptive dampers. The steering is always a little more indirect in each of the driving modes than in the sporty one Cupra - but only senses who has driven this before. For everyone else, the Leon - also as an XP - will present itself as a driving car with lots of fun in the compact class.
The Haldex all-wheel drive is among the “hang-on” systems in its fifth generation of the class representative. Other systems don't work that convincingly, the wheel slip before the power reaches the rear axle is barely noticeable. The whole system runs in connection with the brake interventions for traction control completely free of the user. Nothing is fiddled with, the traction is on point.
1A workplace
Even without having to put extra hooks in the surcharge list, the stalls in the X-Perience is one of the most recommended in the compact car class. In addition, since the steering wheel in height and depth is adjustable, there is the ideal seating position for each driver in the cockpit of the jigsaw Spaniard. The processing of the VW subsidiary has meanwhile reached a similar high level. You really miss nothing as a golf driver.
The optional and extra charge LED light looks good, radiates a fine white carpet of light, but has deficits in the illumination. This is not noticeable in a simple test drive. However, anyone who had the chance to drive a market companion with adaptive lighting technology will then give the Seat an option for improvement.
Raising the body only marginally is sufficient to make everyday life more pleasant. It's just easier to get in and out of the car if the car isn't completely stuck to the floor. And the loading of the trunk, which is sufficiently large with 445 liters, is easy with the now higher trunk edge. The rear seat backrests can be folded down from the opened tailgate with a twist of a finger. The Leon X-Perience can serve a maximum of 1.470 liters. The fact that the trunk is practically square is more of an advantage than a disadvantage.
Cart
In addition to the optional LED light, the rest of the standard security systems also meet the requirements of a modern but compact all-rounder. There is enough space, thanks to the hatchback. It also has traction off-road, thanks to the all-wheel drive. You don't have to shift any more. Thanks to the DSG. And the 1.8 liter TSI with 180 hp has enough power for everyday use. With the 280 Nm, there is also enough power available between 1.350 and 4.500 revolutions to accelerate the station wagon appropriately out of town. At 221 km / h it is over. The normal ST has "only" 250 Nm and comes to the customer with the 7-speed DSG. Why did the engine only get 30 Nm more when the 6-speed DSG can handle up to 350 Nm? (You'd have to ask the VW Group, currently the Audi TSI with 180 PS and 6-speed DSG are also being allocated 280 Nm. You can see that more is possible with the sporty brother, the Cupra - the 2.0 delivers 350 liters Nm.We have no doubt that the 1.8 could do that too.)
But this leads to the question: How much car, how much power do you actually need?
With its base price of € 24.420, the X-Perience is listed as 1.4 TSI. The 1.8 TSI with 6-speed DSG that we drive costs at least € 31.080. In addition, there are a few options, the navigation and multimedia system is unreservedly recommended, the LED headlights and driver assistance packages I + II are also allowed. In the end, there is a good € 36.000 on the wish list - if you want to put together your own Seat Leon XP, you can do so on the site do directly from SEAT (click me).
"When the supermarket is in the outback"
Alternative to: Skoda Octavia Scout, Subaru ForesterPeugeot 508 RXH
Match with: People who optically prefer the hard way
Looks good: When walking, in the woods
SEAT |
Leon X-Perience 1.8 TSI |
| Motor | R4, gasoline, turbo, direct injection |
| Capacity | 1.798 cc |
| Performance | 180 hp @ 4.500 - 6.200 rpm |
| kraft | 280 Nm @ 1.350-4.500 rpm |
| Transmission | 6 automatic gearbox dual clutch |
| drive axle | All-wheel drive, Haldex-5 |
| Length Width Height | 4.543, 1.816, 1.481 mm |
| wheelbase | 2.630 mm |
| Empty weight | 1.486 kg |
| turning circle | 10,2m |
| top speed | 221 km/h |
| Acceleration 0-100 km / h | 7.2 sec |
| standard consumption | 6.5 l / 100 km |
| everyday driver | 8.3 l / 100 km (gasoline) |
| Eco-expert | 7.5 l / 100 km |
| Field service mode | 11.6l / 100km |
| More about consumption: | That's how we measure on mab |
Test, text and photos: Bjoern Habegger
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