New turbocharged Seat Leon on sale

The Seat Leon is now available with a high-tech turbocharged petrol engine which provides better fuel economy, power and performance

The Seat Leon is now available with a high-tech turbocharged petrol engine which provides better fuel economy, power and performance than the current 1.6-litre petrol model.

The new 1.4-litre TSI has 123bhp and 147lb/ft of pulling power, despite its smaller size than the 1.6-litre Seat Leon, which has 101bhp.

The 1.4-litre TSI’s extra power is thanks to its efficient turbocharger and direct fuel injection – which also increases its average fuel consumption to 44.1mpg – better than the 1.6-litre’s 37.2mpg.

View more pictures of the Seat Leon TSI

Performance is strong, with 0-62mph dispatched in just 9.8 seconds and a possible top speed of 122mph.

The Seat Leon 1.4-TSI is also cleaner, emitting 155g/km of CO2 compared to the 180g/km emitted by the 1.6-litre. This drops the new-engined Seat Leon from tax band E to band D, a saving of £25 annually.

Seat will still be selling the 1.6-litre model alongside the 1.4-litre TSI, but the smaller-engined TSI model will be more expensive to buy.

The Seat Leon 1.4-litre TSI is available in ‘Reference Sport’ and ‘Stylance’ trim levels, and its starting price is £13,755.

The rest of the Seat Leon is unchanged and retains its ultra-modern looks.

The Seat Leon scored four out of a possible five stars in EuroNCAP crash testing, and has six airbags as standard and skid-preventing safety features, including ABS and brake assistance.

Check out our road tests of the Seat Leon Cupra, Seat Leon FR and the ultra-efficient Seat Leon Ecomotive to find out how we rated each car.

We have also road tested a Volkswagen Golf GT fitted with a 1.4-litre 168bhp turbocharged and supercharged version of the TSI engine.

View more pictures of the Seat Leon TSI