Hi there!
Today
I’m reviewing the Station Wagon derived from a Small Hatchback: the SEAT León.
It was my rental for the past two weeks, and the variety of roads it was driven
in made for a very deep knowledge of the car.
Small
hatchbacks, what do we know about them? Well, they’re mainly an European thing,
as place for 5 and their luggage on a small-ish package are pretty must
mandatory in most tightly packed, crowded European cities. And the VW Golf is
that car, end of story.
Fortunately,
in the last couple of decades, some real alternatives starting to emerge. Opel
has had the Astra since the nineties, with mixed results, Peugeot (306 and 307)
and Renault (Mégane) were also winners but, for me, the biggest contender to
the Golf’s (sales) supremacy has always been the Ford Focus. The self-called
“New-Edge “ design from the first generation was maybe too much for most, and
the interior quality a bit so-so, but underneath the body there has always been,
since then, a great product. Just remember which car debuted a multi-link rear
suspension on the segment, a set up consistently offered on each generation,
despite its high cost.
Some
contenders came from within VW itself. As Volkswagen started building the
current conglomerate, SEAT and Skoda secured access to proper R&D first
developed for the Golf itself. And never before have other VW Group brand had
so close products to the reference – the Golf.
The
León is, for me, a better proposition than the Golf. I know design is on the
beholder’s eye, but I just can’t understand why on earth would anyone buy a
Golf instead of a León. A little bit of research would reveal the products are
basically the same, so why not go for the segment’s supermodel, but instead
opting for the bland status quo?! Furthermore, it’s cheaper and comes slightly
better equipped as well. I guess the VW logo on the front, plus eager VW
dealers pointing up to that, may convince many people…
The
interior is a very nice place to be. This version’s top of the line Xcellence
equipment level offers most relevant things as standard, only missing a
panoramic sunroof and leather or alcantara seats. The panoramic roof might
brighten what otherwise is a dark interior, not only because of the dashboard
and seats colour, but also because of the high shoulder line, a now series
feature on most new cars due to Pedestrian Impact regulations (compare profile
pictures of a Mercedes-Benz W203 with those of a W205 and you will understand).
Noise
insulation is superb; the engine is basically the same as the one used on
Audi’s E-Tron, meaning it was designed to be very quiet from the beginning.
Road and wind noise are also greatly suppressed, and cruising at 140 km/h (88
mph) is very relaxing. Road bumps are well suppressed, but smaller wheels with
taller tires would definitely improve things even more, and I recommend those
to someone living on an area where road conditions aren’t the best – such as in
many areas of Italy.
Also
worth mentioning are the LED headlamps. Considering how cool they look and the
quality of light – I never drove a León with halogen headlights though – I
would opt for them on a heartbeat. They’re now standard on most equipment
levels, from what I understand, although if they’re not in your market for some
reason, do check the option box. Same if you like your music a lot, as the SEAT
Sound – I assume series equipment – offers mediocre quality.
The
engine is, in terms of outright performance, compromised. The technical sheet
looks superb, but in practice things are not so smooth. I drove the car alone,
with some 30kg of cargo on the boot, and regularly it was challenging to
accelerate briskly, such as overtaking. You see, the maximum torque figure is
actually pretty decent, but the gear ratios are elongated beyond reason for
such an engine. On a 2-litre, 252 PS turbocharged Audi A4, leggy gear ratios
aren’t an issue, as that engine has a lot of torque and power and does need to
rev lower in order to save petrol. This 1.4 TSI, on the other hand, is very
economical in every occasion. It’s so suffocated above 5500 rpm that you
couldn’t burn a lot of petrol even if you wanted. My highest average was 6,1 L/100km
(46 MPG UK) on a 2-hour, 140 km/h (88 mph) cruise on a flat Italian Autostrada.
Mixed driving (5% urban, 95% back roads) provided consistent averages as low as
4,3 L/100km (66 MPG UK), while both driving with gusto in Tuscany’s hilly,
windy roads, such as the one on the photos, or German Autobahns (speeds between
60 to 200 km/h, average 120 km/h), meant around 5,5 L/100km (51 MPG UK). A
shorter-ratio gearbox would surely increase fuel consumption a bit, but also
provide more flexibility in every occasion. That is especially true for a
practical estate, which is designed to carry around 5 people and a lot of
luggage…
(Footnote: drove the same car with the 1.6 TDI engine some months ago; it’s a tragic
combination. VW should be ashamed of that small diesel. It’s slow, ruff and not
economical at all. If Diesel power is a must – you drive over 20k kilometres
(12k miles) per year, mostly out of urban areas – then go for the 2.0 TDI.
Easiest choice of your life.)
Apart
from that lack of flexibility – a more powerful engine, such as the 110kW TSI
version, would solve that – The León is a great family car. It’s easy to
operate on every occasion. The leggy gearbox is actually great to use, very
mechanical and precise, despite the lever’s throw being a bit long. It corners
relatively fast, even on Winter tires, and felt planted on a cold Alpine Pass.
What
the León doesn’t do though, is fun. I know, fun isn’t as relevant on an Estate,
but the Focus proves that that’s achievable without the expense of comfort or
ease of driving. It’s all very predictable, the car’s always planted, but there
is zero interaction with the driver. The steering has no feel, the pedals have
very long travels (typical VW) and although understeer is pretty well contained
(the light engine up front has something to say about that), the back never,
ever ever ever ever moves. And trust me, I did try to unsettle it. It’s totally
idiot-proof this car. While on a deserted, beautiful, hilly, curvy Tuscan back
road, driving like an Italian, you can almost imagine the car telling you “come
on, really?” when you arrive way too fast on a corner and enter it while
planted on the brakes. But nothing ever happens. It just processes the abuse
and doesn’t complain. High praise for that.
So
here we are. Never I admired a bland car as much as this León. I would just opt
for the more powerful, 110kW/ 150PS version and eventually the DSG gearbox, in
case of intensive urban use. I assume that, at this point, VW has already
learned how to make both last longer than an ice cream on a child’s hand…
Verdict:
A grown up ex-model, who’s now a mother. Taking great care of her offspring
while going around in Stilettos.
Official vital data:
Engine
and transmission:
1395
cc, turbocharged, direct injection, inline-4 cylinder, DOHC, 4 valves per
cylinder, all aluminium (Otto)
125
PS (92 kW)/ 5000-6000 rpm
200
Nm/ 1400-4000 rpm
Red
line: 6000 rpm
6-speed
manual transmission
Dimensions
and weights:
Length/
wheelbase/ width/ height: 4.549/ 2.636/ 1.816/ 1.454 metres
Turning circle: - metres
Weight:
1260 kg
Boot:
587/ 1470 litres (VDA, respectively with 5 and 2 seats)
Fuel
tank: 50 litres
Tires:
205/50R17, Good Year Vector 4Seasons (Winter tires)
Performance:
Top
speed: 203 km/h (126 mph), reached on 5th gear
0-100
km/h (0-62 mph): 9.4 seconds
Fuel
consumption (NEDC, urban/extra-urban/average): 6.7/ 4.3/ 5.2 l/100km (42/ 66/ 54
UK mpg)
CO2
emissions: 120 g/km
3000 rpm, 5th gear: 116 km/h (72 mph – shown)
3000 rpm, 6th gear: 141 km/h (88 mph – shown)
Main
equipment: twin-zone climate control, twin front airbags,
sidebags, radio with Bluetooth connectivity, MP3-player and USB+AUX in, Sat
Nav, multifunction steering wheel, faux leather steering wheel and gearbox
knob, heated seats, cruise control, lane assist, automatic braking in the city,
parking sensors, rear-view camera, drive lock, key-less entry, power steering,
LED head and tail lights, 17” alloy wheels, rear tinted windows with sunshades,
ABS+ASR+ESP+hill holder.
German
price in 2016: 23 000€.
Driven:
2 300 km (1 400 miles), May 2018; car left with 19 100 km (11 900 miles).
Rating:
16 out of 20
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