SEATLeon ST Estate 2013 - 2020

　　The Spanish brand owned by Volkswagen shared its platform with the Golf or the Audi A3. Unlike its more famous siblings, it didn’t have access to the same markets as these two. Still, the design language of this brand was its most powerful weapon since, from the mechanical point of view, it was similar to them. While the five-door hatchback Leon targeted young customers and regular families, the station wagon, called ST in SEAT’s naming system, aimed at those who needed larger trunks for bikes, kites, or other larger items.

　　It was the first generation of the Leon to receive a station wagon version. The previous two generations were offered just as five-door hatchbacks and the Spanish automaker tried to experiment with this segment as well. By 2013, the car market shifted and didn’t want minivans anymore, so the station wagon could’ve been an appropriate alternative. As a result, SEAT took the gamble and made the ST based on the Leon hatchback. The new version shared the first half, up to the B-pillars, with its hatchback sibling. It even kept the same door panels both front and rear but had a different roof and a third set of windows mounted between the C-pillars and the raked-forward D-pillars. Thanks to the longer roof, the automaker could install a panoramic glass on it. The rear overhang was longer, but its size was neatly concealed thanks to a redesigned bumper.

　　While most station wagons on the market were offered with dull interiors and comfy seats only, SEAT took a different approach. The base models were fitted with similar front seats as the rest of its competitors, but the automaker also offered an option for high-bolstered ones for those who still enjoyed a spirited drive on a winding road, regardless of the vehicle’s station-wagon shape. Moreover, the rear bench seat was profiled for two with sculptured side bolsters. Fronting the driver was the e two-dial instrument cluster offered in the regular Leon, and the automaker offered the option for an LCD between the speedometer and tachometer that showed not just information about the car from the vehicle’s onboard computer but also from the navigation system. The advantage of a station wagon was the split-folding rear bench seat. With the rear seats up, the Leon ST offered 587 liters (20.7 cu-ft) of space, and with those folded flat, it reached 1,470 liters (52 cu-ft.).

　　Since the car was just 45 kilos (100 lbs.) heavier than its hatchback sibling, it offered similar performance. Moreover, the automaker installed a wide choice of engines in it, ranging between 115 PS and 184 PS (113 HP – 181 HP). Strangely, the most potent version was a 2.0-liter turbo-diesel, not a spark-ignited powerplant. Unlike the Golf Variant, the Leon ST was available with a front-wheel-drive system only.

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