Leon goes low to head SEAT’s green trio
Ecomotive Leon, Altea XL, Altea all promise great mpg
They look all white... and yet these three new SEATs are nothing but green.
The Ecomotive versions of the recently revised Altea, Altea XL and Leon all take their places on the brand’s stand at Frankfurt this week.
They use a 105bhp 1.6-litre common-rail diesel, with a particulate filter – and that gives the Alteas CO2 outputs of 119g/km.
But the big news is that the Leon Ecomotive has crept under the 100g/km barrier. It puts out 99g/km – that’s 20g/km lower than the current version – and so will be exempt from road tax.
The improvement is due in part to the new engine, although the introduction of stop-start technology has also played a major role.
A brake energy regeneration system is fitted as part of the package, too, while the models’ five-speed manual transmission has been uprated.
All three cars now feature a gearshift indicator to help the driver make the most fuel-efficient changes.
Prices for the trio will be announced in the new year, and they are set to go on sale in UK showrooms in the first half of 2010.
Their arrival will take SEAT’s eco range up to five cars – it already sells green versions of the Ibiza supermini and Alhambra people carrier.
