2012 SEAT Leon Photos, engines & full specs

The Spanish brand SEAT introduced the third generation of its compact hatchback Leon on the market in 2012 and surprised European customers with the car’s new design language that moved away from the rounded shapes of its predecessors.

Volkswagen tried to get back on its feet after it had to pay a huge amount of money for the Dieselgate, and for that, it needed smart planning and engineering solutions. As a result, the German automaker made the MQB platform that was largely used by most of its brands, such as the SEAT, Skoda, and Audi. The Leon was one of these products and continued to attract its customers thanks to its bold design language and affordable pricing policy. Still, it has its drawbacks due to the low-quality materials used inside the vehicle. But customers knew that already from the Leon previous two generations.

After the Italian designer Walter da Silva left the helm of the SEAT’s design department in the competent hands of Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos, the new chief stylist of the Spanish brand went into a different direction previewed by the IBE, IBL, and IBX concept cars. The third generation of the Leon featured angular-shaped headlights with a claw-like shape and inner-mounted LED daytime running lights. It was a daring method to emphasize the car’s new styling and was emphasized by the reversed-trapezoidal shape of the upper grille. In addition, in the apron, the automaker placed a second trapezoidal grille that mirrored the one above it. From its profile, the sculptured door panels offered a dynamic look for the vehicle, with two creases that emerged from the rear doors onto the quarter panels. Moreover, the upward window line created a triangular shape for the third side window mounted in the car’s C-pillars. At the back, the raked forward tailgate adorned with a roof spoiler was already part of the Leon design signature, being present also on the previous generations of the car.

Inside, the automaker couldn’t use the best quality materials available on the market, so the modern design of the cockpit was affected. Still, customers could order the vehicle with Alcantara or leather upholstery, depending on the engine version and trim level. But the light-gray plastic trims were nothing to write home about. At the front, the driver and their side passenger sat on bolstered bucket seats that provided adequate support during high-speed cornering maneuvers but were not the sportiest in the house; those were reserved for the Cupra range. In the back, the split-folding (60/40) bench seat offered enough room for three passengers, thanks to the low profile of the center tunnel that crossed the car from front to back. Fronting the driver was an analog instrument cluster with two large dials for the rev counter and the speedometer that flanked a TFT display. In addition, the automaker offered a color touchscreen atop the center stack, between the center vents, for the infotainment system.

Under the hood, the third generation of the Leon offered a wide choice of gasoline and diesel engines, all turbocharged, paired with five- or six-speed manual gearboxes or with a seven-speed automatic (dual-clutch) transmission. Power went to the front wheels only since SEAT deleted the option for all-wheel-drive systems. That was reserved for the upscale brand Cupra.