Occasionally it pays to look at petrol power, particularly for perk or lower-mileage drivers, and the Leon ST powered by the 1.4 TSI engine is a case in point. The 140hp engine offers a great mix of frugality and performance.
On steady motorway work it returned just shy of 50mpg with no effort to be an eco driver. This is not only close to the official figure of 53.3mpg, but it’s also the same as BusinessCar returned from its long-term test Mazda 6 estate with a 150hp 2.2-litre diesel. And if you think that’s an odd comparison, it’s worth noting that both are well-equipped estate cars with similarly sized boots and acceleration. And when you factor in petrol’s lower cost per litre than diesel, the Seat makes even more sense.
The 1.4 TSI engine scores additional points over diesel models for its refinement. If all you drive is a diesel, you almost forget that while they are increasingly refined, petrols are still much quieter, particularly on cold mornings. It’s these factors that mean the TSI shouldn’t be dismissed as an option.
