New SEAT León - In Depth

Press Release

The sportiest model in the new generation line-up

The new León is here. The arrival of the second generation León sees SEAT launch the third model in its all-new product line-up following on from the Altea and Toledo. The characteristic traits of the brand's new model image are plain to see in both the Altea and Toledo and now the new Leon. The SEAT Salsa concept car unveiled in 2000 has been the inspiration for the Spanish manufacturer in terms of styling ever since, turning it into automotive reality.

The launch of the new León renews the second of the mainstays of the new SEAT image, as the León and Altea have been christened by SEAT President, Dr. Andreas Schleef. It has resulted in an elegantly styled body that neatly blends the sporty image of a stunning coupé with five-door practicality. Out of all of the new-generation models from SEAT, it is the new León which comes closest to expressing the very ultimate in sportiness and innovative design, thereby reinforcing SEAT's own intrinsic values within the Audi brand group.

Designed by Walter de’Silva and his team at the Technical Centre in Martorell, the body of the new SEAT León is imbued with a sense of sporty elegance. The expressive styling of the headlamps and the alluring lines of the bonnet, with a large radiator grille at the front, combine perfectly with the distinctive wheel arches. These form the starting point for the Dynamic Line that slopes down the flanks of the car to the rear wheels.

The coupé look stems from the roof line that curves downwards towards the rear and is emphasised by the apparent absence of rear door handles. The car's dynamic image is further enhanced by the repositioning of the door mirrors, which are now attached directly to the door's panelling.

The elegant, sporty lines of the new León bring together a number of dynamic qualities as well as exceptional engineering. During the course of its development at SEAT's Technical Centre, state-of-the-art technology, sophisticated virtual development tools and innovative new welding methods have been used at the factory in Martorell in order to achieve optimum manufacturing quality. The new SEAT León is produced exclusively at the factory in Martorell.

Despite the dynamic design and compact form that characterise the new León, its dimensions have increased compared to the outgoing model. It now measures

4,315 mm from nose to tail, an increase of 131 mm; its width is 1,768 mm, representing an extra 26 mm; height has increased by 19 mm to 1,458 mm and the wheelbase has been extended by 67 mm to 2,578 mm. The track widths at the front and rear are more broad-set too, measuring 1,533 mm and 1,517 mm respectively.

The boot's capacity has increased slightly by one litre to 341 litres, and more importantly its design allows more efficient use of the space available.

The most powerful model of the new generation

The new León offers a choice of five different engines, including three petrol and two diesel powerplants, which all comply with Euro IV emissions standards.

The most noteworthy model in the engine range is the new four-cylinder, 2.0-litre power unit with FSI direct-injection technology, which is supercharged by a turbocharger that forms a single unit together with the exhaust manifold. Additional features include an intake system with continuously variable distribution and internal exhaust-gas recirculation.

The new 2.0 TFSI engine developing 185 hp (136 kW) will be the most powerful model in the new León range and will make its market debut before the end of this year. This power unit has a peak torque of 270 Nm, which is on tap from 1,800 up to 5,000 rpm, giving the León a top speed in excess of 220 km/h.

The other two petrol options are the 1.6 indirect-injection engine generating 102 hp (75 kW) and the 150 hp (110 kW) 2.0 FSI power unit. Diesel customers, meanwhile, will be able to choose from the 1.9 TDI with 105 hp (77 kW) or the 2.0 TDI model producing 140 hp (103 kW).

The 1.6 petrol and 1.9 TDI engines are coupled with a five-speed manual gearbox, while the three most powerful models (2.0 TFSI, 2.0 FSI and 2.0 TDI) are partnered by a six-speed gear change. The 2.0 FSI offers a choice of either a manual gearbox or a conventional automatic gearbox, and the 2.0 TDI can be ordered with either an automatic gearbox with latest-generation DSG technology or a traditional manual gearbox. Both automatic gearboxes include the sequential Tiptronic function.

The new León comes ready equipped with several key advances on the active safety front. Most of the new features are incorporated into the vehicle's ESP Electronic Stability Program. The Electronic Differential Lock (EDL) and EBA Emergency Brake Assistance are now joined by a series of new systems, including Overboost. This enables maximum braking power to be delivered even when the discs are very hot, BSW cleans the brake discs regularly whenever the windscreen wipers are switched on, and Driver Steering Recommendation helps to keep the vehicle on the correct course in critical handling situations. The TCS traction control system now includes an anti-lock braking system with electronic brake power distribution.

As for passive safety features, the new León is the first ever model from SEAT to offer side airbags in the rear. The model's standard specification already includes two front airbags, two front side airbags and two curtain airbags. All five seats are equipped with three-point seat belts as standard.  The seats in the front also include pre-tensioners and belt force limiters. The outer seats in the rear have belt force limiters and feature Isofix anchorage points for attaching child seats.

Exterior Design: A five-door coupé

The design of the new León is rooted in the SEAT Salsa concept car, whose fundamental styling traits have already been seen in the body of the SEAT León Prototype in early March at the Geneva Motor Show. It was from this very prototype that the new León was derived with very few modifications, thereby transforming the Salsa concept car into a genuine automotive reality.

The elegantly styled body of the new SEAT León blends the sporty image of a coupé with five-door practicality, whilst emphasising the trademark “design to stir the emotions” which Walter de’Silva uses to define the styling concept for the latest generation of SEAT products.

Interplay of lines and forms. The body is all about sporty design, compact proportions and avant-garde forms. At the front end, it is the expressive styling of the graceful headlamps with teardrop-shape design and integrated turn signal lamps that really stand out. Presiding at the head of the alluringly designed bonnet is a large radiator grille in the form of an inverted trapezoid.

Singular design characteristic. The distinctive, rounded front wheel arches form the starting point for the Dynamic Line, the most prominent hallmark design trait of the new generation of SEAT models. After sweeping around the wheel arches, the line slopes down the flanks of the body across the front and rear doors before finishing at the rear wheels. This smooth transition of lines and forms flow back from the nose of the car to its tail injects the exterior with an extra-sporty flair.

Coupé image. The sporty essence of the new León is accentuated by its coupé looks from the steeply raked windscreen and roof line that curves downwards towards the rear. The sporty image is further emphasised by the impression of no rear doors, these having been concealed out of sight in the doors' own frames. The sporty picture is completed by the door mirrors which are attached directly to the door panelling.

Large hatch. The rear end of the body is dominated by the large hatch, which is capped by a discreet spoiler at the top and the third brake light. The extremely stylish, elongated rear light clusters slice into the hatch from both sides. The large SEAT "S" symbol, which is situated in the centre of the rear hatch level with the rear lights, doubles as the handle for opening the boot, as is customary on SEAT models.

Vertical windscreen wipers. The innovative windscreen wiper system with a new vertical park position for the wiper blades made its debut in the Altea and was also adopted for the Toledo. In the new León, the system is transformed into a genuine design element, giving it an even more distinctive character. As in the Altea and Toledo, the windscreen wiper blades run parallel to the A-pillars with the difference that, on the new León, they remain fully visible to show off a more stylised design. The two motors which operate them are also new and operate in perfect harmony to produce a "butterfly-style" wipe before returning the wipers to their park position without coming into contact with the pillars.

Superior dimensions. Despite the fact that a dynamic design and compact format are two of the overriding features of the new León, its dimensions have grown significantly compared to the model it replaces. All of its vital statistics – length, width, height, wheelbase and the track width at the front and rear – have increased, resulting in improved spaciousness and handling.

Interior Concept: Exemplary levels of spaciousness

The dynamic design of the exterior has been successfully transferred into the interior of the new León is immediately confirmed by its aesthetic appeal and layout. Its creators paid a great deal of attention to delivering the high level of practicality promised by the car's five-door format. As a result, the interior offers plenty of room and comfort for up to five passengers.

The passenger compartment of the new León offers exemplary levels of spaciousness. For example, the height measured from the seat cushion base to the roof is 1,000 mm in the front and 963 mm in the rear. The "comfort" dimension, which measures the distance from the pedals to the rear seat backrest: a distance of 1,929 mm. In the new León this represents an increase of 88 mm compared to the previous model and a significant increase in knee room in the rear, with an extra 59 mm of space now available.

Sporty dashboard. Specially designed for the new SEAT León, the dashboard has a distinctly sporty look. Composed of simple, clean-cut lines, it has been built exclusively from high-grade materials and its surfaces have a soft-touch finish. The instrument cluster is neatly sheltered by the curved instrument shroud arching over it.  The centre console has been given a more prominent appearance courtesy of its ample dimensions and refined styling while a generously proportioned glove compartment can be found on the front passenger side.

Instrument cluster illumination. The instrument cluster dials now feature white backlighting to contrast with the red needles and displays.

Three large dials. All efforts have been made to simplify the driver's task. Consequently, the instrument cluster is now made up of three large, black-backed dials which are slightly oval-shaped. The centre one houses the rev counter, the right-hand dial the speedometer.  On the left hand side is the multifunction screen or display which, depending on the model's specification, is able to flash up information for the navigation system, the car phone, the trip computer, the audio system, the digital clock, the vehicle's status, as well as automatic gearshift information and functions for system configuration and personal settings.

Prominent centre console. Sporting a design that gives it the feel of a shield, the console is tilted slightly towards the driver. What makes its design particularly special is that it is suspended. This produces a cavity in the transmission tunnel that acts as an oddments tray as well as housing two cup holders and the button for the hazard warning lights, where it can be activated in the event of an emergency. The centre console itself accommodates the climate control system, audio system and the navigation system if fitted.

Steering wheel and pedals. The new León will offer a choice of up to five different steering wheels, which vary in terms of the material used and the functions they are able to perform (with controls for operating just the audio system or both the audio system and the car phone). The steering wheel can be adjusted for height and reach.  To increase driver comfort the pedals have been arranged to create an ideal distance between them and leave sufficient room for a generously sized footrest on the left.

The importance of good seats. During the development of the front seats for the new León, the design was analysed right down to the finest detail in order to offer maximum lateral support and a superior level of comfort. A rigid framework has been used for the backrest and seat cushion in conjunction with a modified foam cushioning design to optimise the seats' ergonomics. The backrest is now 9% higher than before. The base of the driver's seat houses a stowage compartment with two opening positions and a crumple system to prevent breakages, while the space below the front passenger seat is reserved for the CD changer.

Seat manoeuvrability has also been improved in the new León compared to the first-generation model, thanks to a new ball-type seat guide system. This allows for more practical, more convenient repositioning of the seats, whilst the seats' height adjustment range has been increased by 24% and the fore-aft adjustment range by 4%.

New headrests. With a design that positions them 20 mm closer to the occupant's head, the headrests also feature locking sleeves for added safety. The rear three passengers each enjoy the benefit of headrests shaped like an inverted "L" which gives the driver improved visibility through the rear window.

Generously sized rear seat. Designed to accommodate three passengers, the rear bench seat has an asymmetric split-folding design in all model versions. The seat cushion, has been manufactured using a special cold-foaming technique that offers superior seating comfort, has guides for the Isofix anchorage points located in the join between it and the backrest. These anchorage points allow child seats to be attached more easily.

More versatile boot. Capacity has increased, by one litre compared to the outgoing model, now producing 341 litres of luggage space. More importantly, its design allows far more efficient use to be made of the space available. With the rear seat backrest folded completely flat, the available boot space expands to 1,166 litres.