Reconditioned SEAT Leon Gearbox

4 gearbox types across 9 engines: the Leon covers a wider range than most people realise

Between 1999 and 2020, the Leon was offered with 5-speed manuals, 6-speed manuals, DSG 6 and DSG 7 — four quite distinct architectures, spread across nine petrol and diesel engines. This is no minor detail: the same engine capacity can be paired with two different gearbox types depending on the variant, and the DSG 6 and DSG 7 families are not interchangeable. Before placing any order, the gearbox type fitted at the factory takes priority over engine capacity.

On the diesel side: the manual dominates, with the DSG 7 appearing on the 1.6 TDI

The 1.9 TDI (codes ASZ, BKC, BXE among others) is fitted exclusively with manuals — 5 or 6-speed depending on the engine code and generation. The 2.0 TDI (codes BKD, BMM, BMN, CFHC among others) offers a choice between 6-speed manual and DSG 6: two entirely different mechanisms with no shared components and different gearbox families. The 1.6 TDI (CAYC, CLHA…) introduces the DSG 7 alongside the 5-speed manual; this is the engine where confusion is most common, as the automatic version is not identifiable by eye alone — you need to check the engine code or the registration document.

On the petrol side: from a simple 5-speed to the DSG 7 on the 1.8 TSI

Entry-level petrol engines — the 1.4 naturally aspirated (BSE, BSF) and the 1.6 (BGU) — are available only with a 5-speed manual. The 1.2 TSI (CBZA, CBZB) stays with a 6-speed manual and has no automated alternative. The 1.4 TSI (CAXC, CZCA…) and the 1.8 TSI (CJSA, CJSB), however, both offer a DSG 7, whilst the 2.0 TSI (CCZB, CULC, CJXA) alternates between a 6-speed manual and DSG 6 depending on power output and generation. The DSG units supplied here are supplied without the mechatronic unit, with a new dual-clutch included: this is an identification point to verify before any fitting, as the original mechatronic unit must be reused or dealt with separately.