The Seat Leon Sportstourer represents a category of cars that, before the invasion of SUVs and crossovers, was the favorite of those who needed a lot of space and to travel many kilometers, without spending a fortune. The compact station wagons for many years were true best-sellers on the European market: cars derived from the corresponding sedans, which however offered a much greater interior volume. The category is not yet in danger of extinction, given that there are a dozen models left on the Italian market, mostly belonging to generalist brands. The Leon Sportstourer is the latest addition to arrive in chronological order, shortly after its cousin Skoda Octavia which is slightly more voluminous. The Golf station wagon will soon arrive to complete the Volkswagen Group’s offer in the segment, and compared to the Spanish one it will have practically the same measures but a more classic approach, from Golf, in fact.
This is because the three cars have very distinct characters and the Leon is the one that focuses more on dynamism, both in terms of aesthetics and performance. The range is very extensive, starting from the 90 HP of the 1.0 TSI petrol engine and reaching the 204 HP of the plug-in hybrid, with the CNG and Diesel engines in between. We tested the latter, with the 150 bhp 2.0 TDI (there is also 115 bhp), the DSG gearbox and the FR sports trim. With this evolution, the 4-cylinder diesel has almost reached perfection in terms of driveability, while as regards emissions it can count on technologies such as twin dosing, that is a double injection system of the AdBlue additive, which is injected upstream. of the two SCR catalysts arranged in series. With this exhaust gas after-treatment system, the notorious nitrogen oxides are drastically reduced.
Then there are the common rail which works at 2,200 bar with injectors that support up to nine injections per combustion cycle and the low pressure exhaust gas recirculation system. In short, a load of technology that has led the German group to concentrate its efforts and investments only on the 2.0 TDI, so much so that the 1.6 TDI has left the scene. In everyday driving, the turbodiesel is very pleasant: 360 Nm of torque are already available at 1,700 rpm and the thrust is always full-bodied, as evidenced by the 8.8 seconds required to go from 0 to 100 km / h. The double-clutch automatic transmission, which always selects the right ratio among the seven available, is also responsible for the overall pleasantness and performance, favoring brilliance or efficiency depending on the situation. Thus, consumption is also excellent, with the 20 km per liter that are outside the city are always within reach, while in urban contexts with a little attention it remains around 15.
In any case, the highlight of the Leon Sportstourer is the luggage compartment: there are always at least 620 liters available – that is 240 more than the 5-door sedan – with a wide and low access threshold that facilitates loading and unloading. . There is also good news for the rear-row passengers, who have all the space they need for both legs and overhead. For the rest, the Sportstourer is the same as the other Leon and confirms the technological leap forward of this new generation, thanks to equipment such as the virtual cockpit, the DSG shift by-wire gear lever – common to the entire Volkswagen Group and disconnected from the mechanics – and the new super connected and more intuitive infotainment (even if not always very smooth), also compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay in wireless version. Even in terms of driving assistance systems, nothing is missing: predictive adaptive cruise control, travel Assist, side and exit assist, are the spearhead of level 2 autonomous driving.
