New Seat Leon at the Paris Motor Show: The Iberian Gulf

In the beginning there was the MQB, d he modular transverse construction kit from the VW group as the basis for numerous new ones Models. One of them is the Seat Leon, which is debuting at the Paris Motor Show alongside the new VW Golf VII. While VW is still behind the scenes with its version, Seat lets buyers take a look.

More space thanks to MQB

With a total length of 4.26 meters, the new Seat Leon is five centimeters below its predecessor. The kit allows the wheelbase to grow by six centimeters and thus promises a more spacious interior and trunk. The load volume is said to have increased by 40 to 380 liters. At the same time, the Seat Leon has lost 90 kilograms of weight thanks to countless lightweight construction measures.

In terms of design, the compact remains true to its corners and edges. The front of the new Seat Leon is characterized by trapezoidal and triangular structures. For the first time, the headlights are also available as full LED lights. The Spaniard is striking in the flanks. A distinctive bead extends from the front fenders to the rear door. As a counterpart, a bead extends from the rear lights to the rear doors. The C-pillar is filigree in the roof area and wide at the bottom.

The interior of the new Seat Leon has also been completely restructured. Two round instruments take a multifunction display in the middle. The radio multimedia navigation system and touchscreen are located at the top of the center console. The climate control resides below.

New Seat Leon with engines from 90 to 184 hp

The drive range is broadly positioned. Depending on the engine, manual five- or six-speed gearshift boxes are used; alternatively, six- and seven-speed DSGs are available. The base engine will be a 1.2 TSI with 86 hp, there will also be a version with 105 hp. A 1.4 TSI with 122 PS and a 1.8 TSI with 180 PS are used as further petrol engines. The smallest compression-ignition engine is a 1.6 TDI with 90 PS, alternatively there is a 105 PS /250 Nm variant, which as an Ecomotive model has a start-stop system (available as an option for all other engines) and with an average consumption of 3, 8 liters comes. A 2.0 TDI with 150 hp, 320 Nm and 4.0 liter consumption ranks above it; Top dieselbecomes a 2.0 TDI with 184 PS and 350 Nm. New in the Leon is the 'Seat Drive Profile' with which the responsiveness of the steering and the engine can be controlled in three modes. In the FR - of course the new Seat Leon is also being offered as a sporty version again - the driver can also influence the engine sound.

The Spaniards are also improving on the assistance systems. Among other things, a drowsiness warning as well as a high beam and a lane departure warning are available.

The new Seat Leon will be available as a five-door model at the end of the year. The three-door is considered to be set and Seat boss James Muir promises further body variants. Do you think of a Leon ST station wagon in Spain? Yes, the Seat Leon ST will debut at the IAA 2013.