The essentials
Anti-theft wheel bolts Fig. 73
Anti-theft wheel bolt with cap and
a d
apt
er. ●
Remove the wheel cover* or the cap*.
● Insert the special adapter (vehicle tools)
ont o the anti-thef
t
wheel bolt and push it on
as far as it will go.
● Insert the wheel brace (vehicle tools) onto
the adapt
er as far as it will go.
● Remove the wheel bolt ›››
page 67 . Note
Make a note of the code number of the anti-
theft wheel
bolt and keep it in a safe place,
but not in your vehicle. If you need a new
adapter, you can obtain it from the SEAT Offi-
cial Service, indicating the code number. Loosening the wheel bolts
Fig. 74
Wheel: loosen the wheel bolts. ●
Insert the box spanner (vehicle tools) onto
the wheel bo
lt
as far as it will go. An adapter
is required to unscrew or tighten the anti-
theft wheel bolts ››› page 67.
● Turn the wheel bolt approximately one turn
to the lef
t ››› Fig. 74 (arrow). To apply the re-
quired torque, hold the wheel brace at the
end. If it is not possible to loosen a wheel
bolt, carefully apply pressure with one foot
on the end of the box spanner. Hold on to the
vehicle for support and take care not to slip. WARNING
Slightly loosen the wheel bolts (one turn) be-
for e r
aising the vehicle with the jack*. If not,
an accident may occur. Raising the vehicle
Fig. 75
Crossbar: marks. Fig. 76
Strut: mounting the jack on the vehi-
c l
e. ●
Place the jack* (vehicle tools) on firm
gr ou
nd. If
necessary use a large, strong
board or similar support. If the surface is slip-
pery (for example tiles) place the jack on a
rubber mat or similar to prevent it from slip-
ping ››› .
» 67
The essentials
● Ret
urn al
l tools to their proper storing loca-
tion.
● If the replaced wheel does not fit in the
spar
e wheel housing, store it safely in the
luggage compartment ›››
page 160.
● Check the tyre pressure of the newly moun-
ted tyr
e as soon as possible.
● In vehicles fitted with a tyre pressure indi-
cator
, adjust the pressure and store the read-
ing in the radio/Easy Connect system*
››› page 283.
● Have the tightening torque of the wheel
bolts c
hecked as soon as possible with a tor-
que wrench (it should be 120 Nm). Mean-
while, drive carefully.
● Have the flat tyre replaced as quickly as
poss
ible.
Snow chains Use Snow chains should only be used on the
fr
ont
wheel
s.
Check that they are correctly seated after
driving for a few yards; correct the position if
necessary, in accordance with the manufac-
turer's fitting instructions. Keep your speed
below 50 km/h (30 mph). If there is a danger of being trapped despite
havin
g mounted the chains, it is best to disa-
ble the driving wheels (ASR) in the ESC
››› page 188, Switching on/off the ESC
and ASR.
Snow chains will improve braking ability as
well as traction in winter conditions.
For technical reasons snow chains may only
be used with the following wheel rim/tyre
combination.
195/65 R15Chains with links of maximum 15 mm
205/55 R16Chains with links of maximum 15 mm
225/45 R17Chains with links of maximum 9 mm
225/40 R18Chains with links of maximum 9 mm Remove wheel covers and any integral trim
rin
g bef
or
e fitting snow chains.
Remove the chains when roads are free of
snow. Driving characteristics worsen, and the
wheels become damaged quickly and may
even be rendered unusable. Emergency towing of the vehi-
cle
T
owing Fig. 77
Right side of the front bumper: tow-
line anc hor
ag
e screwed in. Fig. 78
Right side of the rear bumper: towline
anc hor
ag
e screwed in. » 69
Driving
CAUTION
● Never l et
the brakes “drag” by leaving your
foot on the pedal when it is not necessary to
brake. This overheats the brakes, resulting in
longer stopping distances and greater wear.
● Before driving down a long, steep gradient,
it is
advisable to reduce speed and select a
lower gear. This makes use of engine braking
and relieves the brakes. If you still have to
use the brakes, it is better to brake firmly at
intervals than to apply the brakes continu-
ously. Note
● If the br ak
e servo is out of action, for exam-
ple when the car is being towed, you will
have to press the brake pedal considerably
harder than normal to make up for the lack of
servo assistance.
● If you wish to equip the vehicle with acces-
sories s
uch as a front spoiler or wheel covers,
it is important that the flow of air to the front
wheels is not obstructed, otherwise the
brakes can overheat. Braking and stability systems
El ectr
onic
Stability Control (ESC)The ESC helps to improve safety. It reduces
the t
endency
t
o skid and improves the stabil-
ity and roadholding of the vehicle. The ESC detects critical handling situations, such as
vehicl
e understeer or oversteer, or wheelspin
on the driving wheels. It stabilises the vehi-
cle by braking individual wheels or by reduc-
ing the engine torque. The warning lamp will
flash on the instrument panel when the ESC
is intervening .
ESC includes the Anti-lock brake system
(ABS), the brake assist system, the traction
control system (ASR), electronic differential
lock (EDL), electronic self-locking*, selective
torque control* and tractor-trailer sway miti-
gation*. ESC also helps stabilise the vehicle
by changing the torque.
Anti-lock brake system (ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up un-
der braking until the vehicle has reached a
virtual standstill. You can continue to steer
the vehicle even when the brakes are on full.
Keep your foot on the brake pedal and do not
pump the brakes. You will feel the brake ped-
al pulsate while the ABS is working.
Brake assist system
The brake assist system can reduce the re-
quired braking distance. The braking force is
automatically boosted if you press the brake
pedal quickly in an emergency. You must
keep pressing the brake pedal until the dan-
ger has passed. Traction control system (ASR)
In the event of
wheelspin, the traction control
system reduces the engine torque to match
the amount of grip available. This helps the
car to start moving, accelerate or climb a gra-
dient.
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
When the EDL detects wheelspin, it brakes
the spinning wheel and directs the power to
the other driven wheel. This function is active
up to approximately 100 km/h (62 mph).
To prevent the disc brake of the braked wheel
from overheating, the EDL cuts out automati-
cally if subjected to excessive loads. The ve-
hicle can still be driven. The EDL will switch
on again automatically when the brake has
cooled down.
Tractor-trailer sway mitigation*
If the vehicle is pulling a trailer, it will control
the following: Tractor-trailers tend to sway.
When the swaying of the trailer is felt by the
vehicle and detected by the ESC, it will auto-
matically brake the towing vehicle within the
limits of the system and mitigate the sway.
Tractor-trailer sway mitigation is not available
in all countries.
Electronic torque management (XDS)
When taking a curve, the driveshaft differen-
tial mechanism allows the outer wheel to turn »
187
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety
Operation
at a higher speed than the inner wheel. In
thi s
w
ay, the wheel that is turning faster (out-
er wheel) receives less drive torque than the
inner wheel. This may mean that in certain
situations the torque delivered to the inner
wheel is too high, causing the wheels to
spin. On the other hand, the outer wheel is
receiving a lower drive torque than it could
transmit. This causes an overall loss of lateral
grip on the front axle, resulting in understeer
or “lengthening” of the trajectory.
The XDS system can detect and correct this
effect via the sensors and signals of the ESC.
Via the ESC, the XDS will brake the inside
wheel and counter the excess driving torque
of that wheel. This means that the driver's
desired trajectory is much more precise.
The XDS system works in combination with
the ESC and is always active, even when ASR
traction control is disconnected, or the ESC in
Sport mode or disconnected.
Multi-collision Brake
In an accident, the multi-collision brake can
help the driver by braking to avoid the risk of
skidding during the accident, which could
lead to further collisions.
The multi-collision brake works for front, side
or rear accidents, when the airbag control
unit records its activation level and the acci-
dent takes place at a speed of over 10 km/h
(6 mph). The ESC automatically brakes the vehicle, as long as the accident has not dam-
aged the ESC, the br
ake hydraulics or the on-
board network
The following actions control automatic brak-
ing during the accident:
● When the driver presses the accelerator,
the automatic
braking does not take place.
● When the braking pressure through press-
ing the brak
e pedal is greater than the sys-
tem’s braking pressure the vehicle will brake
automatically.
● Multi-collision braking will not be available
if ESC
is malfunctioning. WARNING
● The ESC, ABS, ASR, EDL, el ectr
onic self-
locking differential or selective torque control
systems cannot exceed the limits imposed by
the laws of physics. Always bear this in mind,
especially on wet or slippery roads. If you no-
tice the systems cutting in, you should re-
duce your speed immediately to suit the road
and traffic conditions. Do not be encouraged
to take risks by the presence of more safety
systems. If you do, an accident may occur.
● Please remember that the accident risk al-
way
s increases if you drive fast, especially in
corners or on a slippery road, or if you follow
too close behind the vehicle in front of you.
The ESC, ABS, brake assist, EDL, electronic
self-locking and selective torque control sys-
tems cannot prevent accidents: risk of acci-
dents! ●
Ac c
elerate with caution on slippery surfa-
ces (for example, icy or snow-covered). De-
spite the control systems, the driven wheels
could spin, affecting the stability of the vehi-
cle: risk of accident! Note
● The ABS and ASR w i
ll only operate correctly
if the four wheels have identical tyres. Any
differences in the rolling radius of the tyres
can cause the system to reduce engine power
when this is not desired.
● The regulating processes of the systems
can mak
e noises when they intervene.
● If the warning lamp lights up
, or alter-
natively, there could be a fault ››› page 119. Switching on/off the ESC and ASR
Fig. 197
Centre console: Button for switching
on/off the E
SC
and ASR188
Driving
WARNING
If the gear is changed down inappropriately
by sel
ecting a gear that is too low, you may
lose control of the vehicle, causing an acci-
dent and serious injuries. CAUTION
When travelling at high speeds or at high en-
gine speed s, sel
ecting a gear that is too low
can cause considerable damage to the clutch
and the gearbox. This can also occur if the
clutch pedal is pressed and held and it does
not engage. CAUTION
To prevent damage and avoid premature
we ar
, please observe the following:
● Do not rest your hand on the gear lever
while driv
ing. The pressure applied by your
hand is transmitted to the gearbox selector
forks.
● Always ensure that the vehicle is complete-
ly st
opped before engaging the reverse gear.
● Always press the clutch to the floor when
chan
ging gears.
● Never hold the vehicle “on the clutch” on
hill
s with the engine on. Automatic gearbox/DSG auto-
m
atic
g
earbox*
Introduction Your vehicle is equipped with an electronical-
ly c
ontr
olled manual gearbox. Torque be-
tween the engine and the gearbox is trans-
mitted via two independent clutches. They re-
place the torque converter found on conven-
tional automatic gearboxes and allow for
smooth, uninterrupted acceleration of the ve-
hicle.
The tiptronic system allows the driver to
change gears manually if desired
››› page 193, Engaging gears with the trip-
tonic mode*.
Selector lever positions Read the additional information carefully
› ›
›
page 50
The selector lever position engaged is high-
lighted on the display in the instrument clus-
ter. With the selector lever in the manual
gearbox positions G, D, E and S, the engaged
gear is also indicated on the display.
P – Parking lock
When the selector lever is in this position,
the driven wheels are locked mechanically. The parking lock must be engaged only when
the vehic
le is stationary ››› .
The int erloc
k
button (the button on the selec-
tor lever handle) must be pressed in and si-
multaneously the brake pedal must be de-
pressed before moving the selector lever ei-
ther in or out of position P.
R – Reverse gear
Reverse gear must be engaged only when the
vehicle is stationary and the engine is idling
››› .
T o mo
v
e the selector lever to position R, the
interlock button must be pressed in and at
the same time the brake pedal must be de-
pressed. The reverse lights come on when
the selector lever is in the R position with the
ignition on.
N – Neutral (idling)
With the selector lever in this position, the
gear is in neutral.
D/S – Permanent drive (forward) position
The selector lever in the D/S position enables
the gears to be controlled in normal mode (D)
or Sport (S) mode. To select Sport mode (S),
move the selector lever backwards. Moving
the lever again will select normal mode (D).
The selected driving mode is shown on the
instrument panel display. »
191
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety
Operation
Gearbox malfunctions Gearbox: Fault! Stop the ve-
hicle and place the lever in the
position P.
Ther e is
a fault in the gearbox. Stop the vehi-
cle in a safe place and do not continue driv-
ing. Seek specialist assistance.
Gearbox: System fault! You
may continue driving.
Have the fault corrected by a specialised
workshop without delay. Gearbox: System fault! You
can continue driving with re-
strictions. Reverse gear disa‐
bled
Take the vehicle to a specialised workshop
and have the fault repaired without delay. Gearbox: System fault! You
can continue driving in D until
switching off the engine
Stop the vehicle in a safe place well away
from moving traffic. Seek specialist assis-
tance. Gearbox: too hot. Adapt your
driving accordingly
Continue driving at moderate speeds. When
the warning lamp switches off, you can con-
tinue driving in a normal manner. Gearbox: press the brake and
engage a gear again.
If the fau
lt was caused by a gearbox with a
high temperature, this driver message will be
displayed when the gearbox has cooled
again.
Address Electromec
hanical steering Electro-mechanical power steering assists
the driv
er when s
t
eering.
Electro-mechanical power steering adapts
electronically to the speed of the car, torque
and turning angle.
If the power steering should fail at any time
or the engine is switched off (for instance
when being towed), the car can still be
steered. However, more effort than normal
will be required to turn the steering wheel.
Driver warning lamps and messages (in red) Faulty steering! To
park the vehicle
If the warning lamp remains on and the driver
indication appears, the power steering could
be faulty.
Do not continue driving. Seek specialist as-
sistance. (in yellow) Steering: System
fault! You may continue driving.
If the warnin
g lamp comes on, the steering
could react with more difficultly or more sen-
sitivity than normal. In addition, when driving
in a straight line the steering wheel may be
off-centre.
Drive slowly to a specialised workshop and
have the fault repaired.
(in yellow) Steering lock:
fault! Go to an Official Service
The electronic steering lock is malfunction-
ing.
Go to a specialised workshop as soon as
possible and have the fault repaired. WARNING
Take it immediately to a specialised work-
shop and hav e the f
ault repaired: risk of acci-
dent! Note
If the lamp (in red) or el se
(in yellow)
lights up briefly, you may continue driving. Progressive steering
Depending on the vehicle equipment, the
pr
ogr
e
ssive steering can adapt steering hard-
ness to the current driving situation. The
198
Technical specifications
km/h (62 mph)). The figures may be different
in other c ou
ntrie
s. All data in the official vehi-
cle documentation takes precedence over
these data at all times ››› .
Dr a
wb
ar loads
The maximum permitted drawbar load on the
ball joint of the towing bracket must not ex-
ceed 80 kg.
In the interest of road safety, we recommend
that you always tow approaching the maxi-
mum drawbar load. The response of the trail-
er on the road will be poor, if the drawbar
load is too small.
If the maximum permissible drawbar load
cannot be met (e.g. with small, empty and
light-weight single axle trailers or tandem
axle trailers with a wheelbase of less than 1
metre), a minimum of 4% of the actual trailer
weight is legally required for the drawbar
load. WARNING
● For s af
ety reasons, you should not drive at
speeds above 80 km/h (50 mph) when towing
a trailer. This also applies in countries where
higher speeds are permitted.
● Never exceed the maximum trailer weights
or the drawb
ar load. If the permissible axle
load or the permissible total weight is excee-
ded, the driving characteristics of the vehicle
may change, leading to accidents, injuries
and damage to the vehicle. Wheels
Ty
r
e pressure, snow chains and wheel
bolts Tyre pressure
The stic
k
er with the tyre pressure values can
be found on the back of the left front door
frame. The tyre pressure values given there
are for cold tyres. The slightly raised pres-
sures of warm tyres must not be reduced.
››› The pressure for win
t
er
tyres is 0.2 bar
(2.9 psi / 20 kPa) higher than that of summer
tyres.
Snow chains
Snow chains may be fitted only to the front
wheels, and only for the following tyres:
195/65 R15Chains with links of maximum 15 mm
205/55 R16Chains with links of maximum 15 mm
205/50 R17Chains with links of maximum 15 mm
225/45 R17Chains with links of maximum 9 mm
225/40 R18Chains with links of maximum 9 mm
225/35 R19Chains with links of maximum 7 mm
205/55 R17Snow chains are not permitted
225/45 R18Snow chains are not permitted Wheel bolts
Af
t
er the wheel
s have been changed, the
tightening torque of the wheel bolts should
be checked as soon as possible with a torque
wrench ››› . The tightening torque for steel
and al lo
y
wheels is 120 Nm. WARNING
● Check the ty
re pressure at least once per
month. Checking the tyre pressure is very im-
portant. If the tyre pressure is too high or too
low, there is an increased danger of accidents
- particularly at high speeds.
● If the tightening torque of the wheel bolts
is t
oo low, they could loosen while the vehi-
cle is in motion. Risk of accident! If the tight-
ening torque is too high, the wheel bolts and
threads can be damaged. Note
We recommend that you ask your Technical
Serv ic
e for information about appropriate
wheel, tyre and snow chain size. 291
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety
Technical data
Petrol engine 1.8 TSI 132 kW (180 PS) All-wheel drivePower output in kW (PS) at rpmMaximum torque (Nm at rpm)No. of cylinders/displacement (cm 3
)Fuel
132 (180)/4,500-6,200280/1,350-4,5004/1,798Super 95 RON/Normal 91 RON a)
a)
Slight power loss.
Outputs and weightsLEON ST
X-PERIENCE 4WD
Top speed (km/h)221 (V&VI)
Acceleration from 0-80 km/h (seconds)4.9
Acceleration from 0-100 km/h (seconds)7.2
Maximum authorised weight (kg)2,000
Weight in running order (with driver) (kg)1,486
Maximum authorised weight on front axle (kg)1,000
Maximum authorised weight on rear axle (kg)1,050
Permitted roof load (kg)75
Maximum trailer weight without brakes (kg)740
Weight of trailer with brakes on gradients up to 8% (kg)1,700
Weight of trailer with brakes on gradients up to 12% (kg)1,500 300