The Crittenden Automotive Library

Leon Helps You Breathe More Easily.

Topics: Seat Leon

Leon Helps You Breathe More Easily.

Geoff Maxted
DriveWrite
November 3, 2013

Those wags at SEAT are being a bit of a tease by saying that their latest mid-sized hatchback is ‘the most extreme production SEAT Leon ever.’ Sadly what they actually mean is that they have opened the order books on the most extreme production Leon ever - extreme in the environmental efficiency sense. The SEAT Leon Ecomotive is, with a CO² rating of just 87 g/km, the most CO²averse conventionally powered car that the Company has ever produced.

Launched officially at September's Frankfurt Motor Show alongside the new Leon ST estate, the Leon Ecomotive is available in all three body styles (SC, five-door and ST) and is priced from just £19,360 RRP OTR.

That outlay buys a three-door Leon SC Ecomotive, but all three versions return the same incredible 85.6 mpg combined fuel consumption. The 87 g/km CO² figure puts the car into VED Band A, so the tax disc costs exactly nothing per year.

The car's CO² emissions figure is a full 12g/km lower than that of the outgoing, second-generation Leon Ecomotive, despite being more powerful. This is accomplished most notably via a 90kg weight reduction and a 10% improvement in aerodynamic efficiency. Power comes from a 1.6L TDI diesel engine, mated to a six-speed manual gearbox whose ratios are spaced for optimum efficiency; the transmission is a fundamental difference between the Leon Ecomotive and the standard Leon 1.6 TDI, which itself emits a very modest 99 g/km, equipped with a five-speed manual gearbox.

Other changes over the standard Leon 1.6 TDI include a higher engine output, up from 105PS to 110PS, and the fitment of low rolling resistance tyres. To improve aerodynamic performance there's a body package comprising rear and side spoilers, and the suspension is lowered by 15 mm, while the radiator grille is unique to the Ecomotive. These changes help the Leon Ecomotive travel 11.3 miles further per gallon of fuel than the standard version according to their respective combined consumption ratings.

As with every other model in the Leon range, the Leon Ecomotive comes with an Energy Recovery System and a Start/Stop System, the former to capture and store brake energy otherwise lost as heat, which can be used to power electrical systems, and the latter to shut down the engine when the car is at a standstill, preserving fuel.

The Leon Ecomotive doesn't scrimp on equipment like it does on fuel, thankfully, coming as standard with 16-inch alloy wheels, front fog lights with cornering function, cruise control, a leather steering wheel and gear knob, air con, electric windows all around (aside from SC versions), Bluetooth and SEAT’s Easy Connect multimedia system.

Until at least the end of 2013, the Leon Ecomotive is eligible for SEAT's free Technology Pack offer, which endows the car with cutting edge full-LED headlights (including their distinctive strip-LED daytime running lights), satellite navigation and a DAB radio.

First deliveries of the Leon Ecomotive begin January 2014, priced at £19,360 for the SC, £19,660 for the five-door and £20,485 for the ST.