Unprecedented. For the first time in a presentation of a new model, we didn't go against the car… the car came to us. THE SEAT Leon FR 2020 that you can see in this test was delivered… in Diogo's garage, properly disinfected and with an individual protection kit. No doubt we live in different times.
It was the peculiar beginning of this test of the new SEAT Leon, which is already on sale in Portugal.
And expectations are high for the fourth generation of the model, as its immediate predecessor has not only been the best-selling SEAT model, it is also the best-selling Leon generation ever, accounting for nearly half of the 2.3 million of Leon units sold since the first generation in 1999.
In this video, Diogo Teixeira tests the new SEAT Leon FR 2020, with the, for now, top gasoline engine, the 1.5 eTSI with 150 hp. A lot has changed, but is it better?
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“Our” SEAT Leon FR 2020, the version with an emphasis on dynamics and sportiness, is not only the most powerful octane Leon you can buy at the moment, it's also supported by a mild-hybrid 48V system — justifying the acronym eTSI. System that has the potential to reduce consumption and emissions, as well as, under certain conditions, to provide an extra “boost” helping acceleration.
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All Leons equipped with this mild-hybrid system — as well as all other models in the Volkswagen Group mild-hybrid that derive from the MQB Evo platform — are associated with a dual-clutch transmission (seven-speed DSG).
Another of the new features introduced, and also associated with the DSG, is the new shift-by-wire selector. In other words, the small selector on the center console is no longer physically connected to the transmission and it is also no longer possible to use it in manual mode. If we want to be the ones to change relationships, it will only be possible through the paddles behind the wheel.
The tested SEAT Leon FR 2020 unit was also equipped with adaptive suspension, one of the many options that fitted this Leon, adding more than 5000 euros to the base price.