SEAT calls on Volkswagen X-PERIENCE

SEAT’S place within the VW empire hasn’t always been easy to pin down.

At one point, it was positioned as the “Spanish Alfa Romeo”, the next it appeared to be just a different flavoured Skoda.

With the Leon X-PERIENCE, the Spanish manufacturer appears to be the recipient of trickle-down concepts from Audi.

You’re probably familiar with the allroad series of Audi estates.

The Leon X-PERIENCE is cut from the same cloth — more capable than you’ll probably require but not as expensive as you might expect.

The X-PERIENCE takes the standard Leon ST estate, adds allwheel drive and gives you the choice of two powerplants, 150 or 184PS versions of the 2.0-litre TDI diesel.

The key difference between the two versions, aside from the obvious power output, is that the 150PS gets a six-speed manual transmission as standard while the 184PS car runs with a twin-clutch DSG box. This helps it to some pretty crisp acceleration, the 380Nm of torque deployed seamlessly to zip the car to 62mph in 7.1 seconds and on to 139mph.

The all-wheel drive system utilises a clutch which transmits most of the engine power to the front wheels. Should their traction decrease, the torque is diverted smoothly and in a matter of a few milliseconds to the rear.

The Leon X-PERIENCE doesn’t plaster the off-road cues on too thickly. There is some protection moulding on the door sills and wheel arches but the car does without hefty plastic bolsters on the flanks. At the back, you’ll find a bash-plate but it looks more cosmetic than functional, SEAT instead calling it an “aluminiumlook insert”. The chunky wheel arches can accommodate 17-inch or optional 18-inch wheels in a dedicated five-twin-spoke design.

Visual tweaks made to this improved version include revised bumpers and bodywork with sharper, more assertive lines, plus there’s a smarter front grille.

Inside, the ambient lighting LEDs’ intensity can be regulated as the driver wishes from the newlyredesigned eight-inch central infotainment screen. This monitor eliminates the need for many of the buttons and dials that were scattered around the fascia on the previous model.

The luggage compartment offers a carrying capacity of 587-litres, which extends to as much as 1,470-litres with the rear-seats folded down.

Prices start at around £28,000 for the 150PS TDI 4Drive version.