Estates are losing more ground to crossovers and SUVs with each passing year, but as long as they will be profitable, automakers will continue making them. Seat is one of the companies that will bet on wagons once more, with the new generation Leon that’s currently in testing phase.
Unlike other prototypes spied before, this one has dropped all plastic cladding, revealing more details on the brand’s evolved and edgier design language. It also shows the fake exhaust holes in the rear diffuser, whereas the actual tailpipe is located on the left side. Don’t worry about the next-gen Cupra Leon ST, as the hot estate will get four real exhaust tips, as other prototypes have proved.
On the inside, the dashboard panel is based on the one found in the VW Golf Mk8, with a few modifications. The free-standing infotainment system is positioned on top of the central air vents, and further down there’s a large storage compartment. The central console has a similar design, too, and so has the gear selector and (in all likelihood) several buttons and knobs. The steering wheel is also new, and in the upper specifications, drivers will look through it at the customizable digital dials.
The Spanish cousin of the Volkswagen Golf Mk8 and fourth-gen Skoda Octavia builds on the same updated version of the Group’s MQB platform. Like them, it will be offered with mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains, but the TSI and TDI petrol and diesel engines won’t go anywhere. Seat has yet to announce the unveiling date of the new Leon ST, but we’ll probably see it in Q1 2020, with a world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in March.
