|

|
All-new
SEAT Leon gets the latest VW MQB
platform. |
|
05
Oct. 2012, Elie
Aoun: Making its world debut at this year's Paris
international motor show (public days from 29 September to 14 October), the new,
third-generation SEAT Leon comes loaded with interesting
standard
as well as optional equipment (such as the SEAT Drive Profile)
for its segment and
price positions, in addition to a longer wheelbase,
larger boot volume,
and a varied selection of VW's advanced petrol (gasoline) and diesel
engines.
At
launch, the new Leon will be available (UK specs) with
1.2 TSI , 1.4 TSI and 1.8 TSI, petrol
engines, and 1.6 TDI and
2.0 TDI turbo-diesel engines.
Based on engine choices, the gearbox is either 5- /
6-speed manual or 6- / 7-speed
DSG twin-clutch automatic gearbox.
As a matter of fact, the obvious
advances in the new Leon generation, including its
design, represent a great deal for the VW-owned
Spanish brand.
That may not be too hard to guess
when you look at the current financial situation in
Spain, amongst several other countries of course. Add
to this the fact that the Martorell-based (Barcelona)
carmaker sold last year about
350,000 units (+3.5% compared to 2010), of which about 80%
are exported.
All this indicates the urgent need
for SEAT to boost its production, as the company employs around 14,000
at its three production centres in Barcelona – Zona
Franca, El Prat de Llobregat and Martorell, where it
builds the Ibiza, Leon, Altea, Exeo as well as the Audi
Q3 compact SUV.
In
this context,
the new Leon is a structural part of SEAT’s current product offensive,
after the introduction of
its new city car, the Mii (built
at the VW factory in Bratislava, Slovakia)
as well as an extensively
refreshed Ibiza and the launch of the fourth
generation Toledo hatchback which is produced
in the Czech Republic and based, like
the European Skoda Rapid (Skoda is also part of the VW
group), on the VW Polo platform.
|

|
Longer
wheelbase within a shortened overall
body length. |
|
In the broader sense, the all-new five-door
SEAT Leon – the first of
an expanding new
Leon family – looks quite promising and convincing as a
compact (lower-medium, C-segment) hatchback, both by the looks and the specs.
Besides this 5-door body, other Leon versions are expected to
follow next year with a three-door SC shape and an ST
estate (break, station wagon), since the platform supports all these
applications, in addition of course, to the compact SUV crossovers and compact
minivans seen in the Audi and VW brands line-up.
That's why the new Leon brings a successful mixture of Spanish-peppered Latin
identity, with a German quality perception. After all,
what is more normal than to share some family looks with other Volkswagen models
based on the new Modular
Transverse Matrix (MQB) platform, such as the new Audi A3 and VW
Golf for instance.
|
autopressnews.com/motiontrends.com
|
|
|
Thanks to this common
platform denominator, the
new Leon is some 90 kg (198.4 lb) lighter than its predecessor
(in equivalent versions comparison), with many advanced driver assistance and
infotainment technologies, a full LED headlamps option
and the rich choice of advanced engines and
transmissions.
From the currently available
information, the wheelbase grows in the new Leon by 6 cm (2.36 in.),
from the current 2.58 metres (101.57 in.) to 2.64 m.
(103.94 in.), while the overall body length is reduced by
about 5 cm (2 in.), to 4.26 m (167.7 in.), bringing it closer the new
VW Golf dimensions (the latter had its overall
length extended by 5.6cm / 2.2 in.).
Boot
capacity has also grown in the new Leon, to 380 litres (13.4 lb-ft, was 340 litres /12
lb-ft in the previous generation). More detailed
specifications will be made available nearer to market
launch.
In the
UK, SEAT recently announced its pricing, standard
equipment and options for the all-new five-door Leon. The trim levels will be
three at launch: S (base), SE and
FR. Prices starts from
GB£15,670 RRP
OTR (recommended retail price, on-the-road), for the
Leon S 1.2 TSI, to £22,635 for the Leon FR 2.0 TDI
DSG. Deliveries start in March 2013.
The standard equipment list
(based on the information provided for the UK market)
for the base Leon S versions includes seven airbags,
ABS brakes, traction control, electronic
stability control (ESP) with emergency brake assist
(BA),
the Easy Connect system with a full colour five-inch
touchscreen interface (or an optional 5.8'') to control the in-car information and
entertainment, an MP3 compatible six-speaker CD
player, integrated hands-free phone operation with
Bluetooth audio streaming, remote central locking, air conditioning, twin halogen headlamps with
electric adjustment, active
front head restraints and ISOFIX with Top Tether
anchorage.
On top of the standard
equipment of the S version, Leon SE trim adds ambient interior spot lighting, a
leather wrapped steering wheel and gear knob, chrome
dashboard detailing, front fog lights with cornering,
cruise control, 16-inch alloy wheels, XDS
electronic differential lock system and hill hold
control.
|

|
Boot
volume grows to 380 l. (13.4 lb-ft).
Leon FR pictured. |
|
The Leon
FR
top versions will be available with the most powerful
engines of the model line-up, with standard equipment
including
17-inch alloy wheels, redesigned front and rear
bumpers, twin chrome exhaust pipes, dark tinted
windows, front sports seats, a flat-bottomed leather
steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, LED tail
lights, sports suspension and SEAT Drive Profile
(equivalent of the driver
profile selection in the new
VW Golf).
With the SEAT Drive Profile option,
the driver can select the characteristics
of the power steering (more or less resistance), the throttle
response and,
in DSG-equipped cars (dual-clutch), the gear shift pattern. The
combination of these factors modifies the driving feel
(more relaxed or sportier). Also, the dials become red
in Sport mode (compared to
their standard white glow), and in models with 180 PS
engines or more, the engine note becomes more
aggressive.
The options list includes also 18-inch alloy wheels, full leather
upholstery, satellite navigation, SEAT Sound System
(including a boot-mounted sub-woofer), rear parking
sensors, rain-sensing wipers, light sensing headlamps,
driver drowsiness detection function, an automatic lane-keeping
assistant and the full LED headlamps.
The new Leon
is launched with 1.2-, 1.4- and 1.8-litre petrol
engines and 1.6-litre and 2.0 litre TDI diesel, in
different power versions and all
with direct fuel injection and turbo charging. The
following fuel
consumption and CO2 emissions figures
are with the Ecomotive versions with start/stop system and
recuperation. They are provisional and subject to final
homologation.
The petrol
versions start from the Leon
1.2 TSI version. It has an output of 105 PS (77
kW, 104 bhp), with a maximal torque of 175 Nm (129 lb-ft) at
1400 rpm, an average fuel consumption figure (6-speed
manual gearbox) of 57.6 UK mpg (equivalent to 4.9
litres/100 km, 20.4 km/litre, 48 US mpg), CO2
emissions of 114 g/km, a 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) acceleration
time of 10 seconds and a top speed of 119 mph (191 km/h).
|

|
Standard
7 airbags,
ABS, 5''
touchscreen interface... |
|
With the
DSG twin-clutch automatic gearbox, the Leon 1.2 TSI gets
a
combined fuel
consumption figure of 58.9 UK mpg (4.8 litres/100 km,
20.85 km/litre, 49 US mpg) with CO2
emissions of 112 g/km, a 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in 10 seconds and a top speed of 119 mph (191
km/h).
Another Leon
1.2 TSI version will be available with 86 PS
(63 kW, 85 bhp).
The Leon
1.4 TSI has an output of 140 PS (103
kW, 138 bhp), with a maximal torque of 250 Nm (184 lb-ft) at
1500 rpm, an average fuel
consumption (6-speed manual gearbox) of 54.3 UK mpg (5.2 litres/100 km, 19.2 km/litre, 45.2 US mpg),
CO2 emissions of 119 g/km, 0-62 mph
(0-100 km/h) in 8.2 seconds and a top speed of 131 mph (211 km/h).
Another Leon
1.4 TSI version will be available with 122 PS
(90 kW, 120 bhp).
The Leon
1.8 TSI
has an output of 180 PS (132
kW, 178 bhp), with a maximal torque of 250 Nm (184 lb-ft) at
1500 rpm, an average fuel
consumption (6-speed manual gearbox) of 47.1 UK mpg
with the 6-speed manual gearbox (6 litres/100 km,
16.7 km/litre, 39.2 US mpg), CO2
emissions of 139 g/km, 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) acceleration in
7.5 seconds and a top speed of 140 mph (225 km/h).
With the 7-speed
DSG, the average
fuel
consumption is 49.6 UK mpg (5.7 litres/100 km,
17.56 km/litre, 41.3 US mpg), with CO2
emissions of 132 g/km, a 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) acceleration
time of 7.5 seconds and a top speed of 139 mph (223 km/h).
The turbo-charged diesel engine options
offer, at launch, both the most powerful and the most
economical versions.
The most frugal engine comes in
the Leon 1.6 TDI 105
PS (77 kW, 104 bhp). Maximum torque is 250 Nm (184 lb-ft) at 1500 rpm.
Average fuel consumption
(with the 5-speed manual gearbox) is 74.3 UK mpg (3.8
litres/100 km, 26.3 km/litre, 61.87 US mpg) with CO2
emissions of 99 g/km. 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h)
acceleration time is 10.7 seconds, with a maximum speed of
119 mph (191 km/h).
|

|
Leon FR:
flat-bottomed leather
steering wheel. |
|
With the seven-speed
DSG twin-clutch automatic gearbox, the average fuel consumption
is 72.4 UK mpg (3.9 litres/100 km, 25.6 km/litre, 60.3 US mpg) with CO2
emissions of 102 g/km. 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h)
acceleration time is 10.7 seconds, with a maximum speed of
118 mph (190 km/h).
Another Leon
1.6 TDI version will be available with 90 PS
(66 kW, 89 bhp).
On the power
end of the spectrum comes the 2.0 TDI 184 PS FR (135 kW, 181 bhp), with a maximal torque of 380 Nm (280 lb-ft) at 1750
rpm and an average
consumption of 65.7 UK mpg (4.3 litres/100 km,
23.26 km/litre, 54.71 US mpg), CO2
emissions of 112 g/km, a 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) acceleration
time of 7.5 seconds and a top speed of 142 mph (229 km/h).
Another 2.0 TDI
turbo diesel
version generates 150 PS (110
kW, 148 bhp), with a maximal torque of 320 Nm (237 lb-ft) at
1750 rpm and a combined consumption (6-speed manual gearbox) of
68.9 UK mpg (4.1 litres/100 km, 24.4 km/litre,
57.4 US mpg) with CO2 emissions of 106
g/km, a 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) acceleration time of 8.4
seconds and a top speed of 134 mph (216 km/h).
With the 7-speed
DSG twin-clutch automatic gearbox, the SEAT
Leon 2.0 TDI turbo
diesel gets a combined consumption of 64.2 UK mpg (4.4 litres/100 km,
22.7 km/litre, 53.46 US mpg) with CO2
emissions of 117 g/km, a 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) acceleration
time of 8.4 seconds and a top speed of 131 mph (211 km/h).
The front suspension has a MacPherson front axle with
sub-frame, while the rear gets a torsion beam suspension for
engines up to 110 kW (150
hp) and a multi-link geometry for the more powerful
versions.
|