I like Volkswagen's 1,2 TSI engines. They are a good example of successful downsizing. But Volkswagen has moved on. By going down to three cylinders, both consumption and CO2 emissions are reduced. The new 1-litre engines have even got more horsepower and higher torque, but not the same driving pleasure.
Seat Leon is not a bad car. It is as big as the Volkswagen Golf and more beautiful than the Audi A3 (in my own humble mind). Leon is a lot of car for the money – a car for sensible people. Maybe not in Norway, but in the rest of Europe. In the last five years I have spent many miles in Seat Leon, - as rental cars. NOK 1 for 740 days with unlimited mileage is very affordable.
Widespread engine
My car this time is relatively simply equipped. The engine is the well-known 1,2 TSI with 110 horsepower. This engine is found in a wide range of models, including the Volkswagen Polo, Golf, Golf Sportsvan and Touran, Audi A3, Skoda Fabia, Rapid, Octavia and Yeti. How the 1,2 liter is experienced in the Seat Leon could just as well have been conveyed from one of the other models on the same platform, for example the 2018 Volkswagen Golf 1,2 TSI.
Lower consumption and CO2, but...
In 2019, the Volkswagen group chose to replace the four-cylinder 1,2-liter with a three-cylinder 1-liter. The new engine uses less petrol, has lower CO2 emissions and weight - and consequently lower taxes. On the road, the two engines have a lot in common, especially in the way the power is delivered. With a 6-speed gearbox, the revs can be kept down to around 1500 revs in quiet city traffic, and then you don't hear the engine as much. It is only when you need to go a little harder that the engine is heard. The 1,2 engine, with its slightly high-frequency hum, undoubtedly sounds like a small engine. Nevertheless, I think it sounds better than the three-cylinder 1-litre engine, where the sound image lies in a lower pitch, but with the unmistakable sound you get from three cylinders. It's a sound that reminds me of an outboard I had a few years ago. If it had only been the sound image that had been sacrificed, I should not have said anything. But the 1-litre engine doesn't feel as responsive when we move up from the very lowest rev register. It feels like a slight turbo lag. In addition, I sense vibrations and roughness through the driveline at low revs.
Good torque
Alright "Golf engine"
On the road with "my" 2018 Seat Leon, with the four-cylinder engine, I can pick up the revs carefully from 1200 revs completely smoothly, without vibrations. There is no noticeable turbo lag at startup. The turbo kicks in so early that you rarely notice it. As long as the turbo is on, the 1,2 engine seems very responsive. This is what makes the drive more fun than other similar drives.
After 860 km, the average consumption ended at 0,54 liters per mile measured on the car's trip computer. It's not bad for a car in the Golf class on southern European motorways and traffic that occasionally requires hard use of the gas. Based on previous experiences with the 1 liter engine, I would hardly have saved more than 0,04 - 0,05 liters per mile with the new engine option.
Consider going up an engine size
Regardless of whether you drive the 1-litre engine or the 1,2 engine, there is no denying that it is about the basic engine. You can buy much more exciting engines for the Seat Leon, for example the 1,4 engine with 150 horsepower and Active Cylinder Technology (ACT) which cuts 2 cylinders when the engine runs effortlessly. It is this engine that sits in the cars that are brought into Norway. The Norwegian tax system means that these cars then end up in a price gap where the car buyers choose other cars that are more widespread than the Seat Leon. Both Golf and A3 offer similar engine solutions for those who do not want the 1-litre engine.
Conclusion
The point of comparing the two base engines from the Volkswagen group is that base engines don't have to be boring. The 1,2 TSI is not experienced as a boring engine. The 1-litre TSI engine provides both better performance and lower consumption (win-win), but it feels less engaging to drive. As a "keen driver", I conclude that the Volkswagen Group's downsizing has been more successful on paper than in reality.
If you are considering buying a used Golf, A3 or Octavia, don't worry that you will get the 1,2 engine instead of the new 1-litre engine. On the contrary. I promise you will like it.
Seat Leon
The Seat Leon comes every moment in a completely new edition. Today's model was presented in 2012 and received a small facelift in 2017. Life with "my" Leon's over several years has been good. Super noise isolation – better than its brother Audi A3. The design still keeps up with the times. The driver's seat feels like other cars from the same group and the space conditions are identical to the Golf. So is the technique.
Should you come across a newer Seat Leon on the second-hand market, just go for it. Then you get a car like few others. Don't listen to the advertising. Seat does not make you younger, more attractive or more urban. It's just a sensible everyday car.
Facts
Consumption and benefits
| 1,2 TSI 110 | 1,0 TSI 115 | |
| Consumption l/mile (combined driving) | 0,49 | 0,44 |
| 0-100 in seconds | 9,9 | 9,6 |
| Top speed | 194 | 198 |
| Emission standard | Euro 6 | Euro 6 |
| CO2 emissions g/km | 114 | 102 |
| Horsepower | 110 at 4600-5600 rpm. | 115 at 5000-5500 rpm. |
| Torque (Nm) | 175 at 1400-4000 rpm. | 200 at 2000-3500 rpm. |
| Net weight | 1138 | 1127 |
| Trailer weight w/brakes | 1300 | 1000 |
About the test car
Seat Leon 1,2 TSI Style 6-speed manual
Year Model: 2018
Mileage: 24340
Km driven: 864
Owner: Europcar.es
Source
Pictures
See photos of the Seat Leon around France, 20 miles from Seat's production site. The town is called Céret and here the cherries are just ripe. They are sold from everywhere - from private gardens - and sales stalls have been set up everywhere. Every year the mayor of this small town sends a box of ripe cherries to the French president in Paris.
See
