A five-door coupé
The elegant new Leon successfully combines the sleek image of a coupé with five-door practicality, in a ‘design to stir the emotions’ which is the trademark of SEAT’s new generation styling.
Interplay of lines and forms. With compact proportions and avant-garde forms, the front end features expressive, teardrop-shaped headlamps and integrated turn signal lamps, while the flowing bonnet features a large, inverted trapezoid intake grille.
Singular design characteristic. The wheel arches form the starting point of the Dynamic Line, the design hallmark of new generation SEATs. After sweeping over the wheel arches, the line slopes across the front and rear doors before finishing at the rear wheels.
Coupé image. The new Leon’s coupé appearance is accentuated by its steeply raked windscreen and roof line that curves downwards toward the rear. This is emphasised by the impression of no rear doors, the handles being concealed in the door frames. The commanding exterior is further complimented by door mirrors which are directly attached to the door panelling.
Large hatch. Capped by a discreet spoiler and third brake light, the body’s rear end is dominated by the large hatch with elongated rear light clusters that slice into the hatch from both sides. Now customary for SEATs, the large SEAT "S" symbol in the centre of the hatch doubles as the boot release handle.
Vertical windscreen wipers. The innovative, vertical park wiper system made its debut in the Altea and was also adopted for the Toledo. The new Leon’s system is an even more distinctive design element. The two wiper motors produce a ‘butterfly-style’ wipe before returning to park with wipers on view clear in front of the A-pillars.
Superior dimensions. Despite the dynamic design and compact format, the new Leon’s dimensions have grown significantly. All the vital statistics have increased, resulting in improved spaciousness and handling.
Interior Concept
Exemplary levels of spaciousness
The dynamic design ethos of the new Leon’s exterior has been successfully transferred to the interior, with the passenger compartment offering exemplary spaciousness. For example, the height from the seat cushion base to the roof is 1,000mm in the front and 963mm in the rear. The ‘comfort dimension’, (distance from pedals to rear seat backrest), is 1,929 mm. This is an increase of 88mm over the previous model, with an extra 59mm of rear knee room.
Dashboard. Made from high-grade materials with soft-touch surfaces, the instrument cluster is neatly shrouded, the centre console has been given a more prominent appearance, while an ample glove compartment is located passenger side. The three, black-faced, oval-shaped dials now feature white backlighting to contrast with the red needles and displays. Depending on model specification, the multifunction display flashes up information for the navigation and audio systems, car phone, trip computer, digital clock and vehicle status, as well as automatic gearshift information, system configuration and personal settings.
Centre console. Tilted slightly towards the driver, the centre console houses the audio, climate and navigation systems (where fitted), and appears to be suspended, This allows for an oddments tray and two cup holders (plus the hazard warning button) in a cavity within the transmission tunnel.
Steering wheel and pedals. The new Leon offers a choice of up to five steering wheels with differing materials and thumbtip controls (eg. audio or both audio and ‘phone). The wheel can be adjusted for height and reach, while the pedals are ideally spaced and allow for a generously proportioned footrest.
Seating. Seat design was closely scrutinised during development to offer maximum lateral support with superior comfort. With improved cushioning, the backrest is 9% higher than before while the base of the driver's seat houses a stowage compartment with a crumple system to prevent breakages. The space below the front passenger seat is reserved for the optional CD changer.
Seat manoeuvrability has also been improved due to a new ball-type seat guide system. This permits easier, more convenient seat repositioning with 24% improved height adjustment on the driver’s seat and 4% better fore-aft adjustment.
New headrests. Now 20mm closer to the head, the headrests have locking sleeves for added safety. The inverted, L-shaped rear headrests provide improved rear visibility.
Generously sized rear seat. Accommodating three passengers, the rear bench seat split-folds asymmetrically. The seat cushion, (manufactured using a special cold-foaming technique for improved comfort), has guides for the ISOFIX anchorage points which allow child seats to be more easily secured.
More versatile boot. Now one litre larger, the new Leon has 341 litres of luggage space. More importantly, its new form allows far more efficient use of the available space. With the rear seat backrest folded completely flat, boot space expands to 1,166 litres.
Chassis
More agile than ever
Optimising dynamic performance was of overriding importance and so SEAT engineers again opted for their renowned Technical Centre-developed Agile Chassis. Already in some other SEATs, its integration into the new Leon required further and meticulous fine-tuning for even greater refinement. Every element of the Agile Chassis has been revised and modified, from the suspension to the brakes, from the steering to the wheels and tyres, including the development of a new fuel tank concept.
More effective suspension. The independent, MacPherson strut front suspension is the same as the first Leon’s, but it’s now mounted on a new aluminium sub-chassis (replacing the previous sheet-metal item). A new 23.6mm anti-roll bar has been made more effective by reducing the distance from anchoring point to wheel centre. Improvements to comfort have also been made by optimising the axle kinematics with new wishbone mountings, and separating the spring and damper unit mounting points on the body.
New rear axle concept. The semi-independent torsion axle of the outgoing Leon has been replaced by an independent four-arm multilink axle. This enables longitudinal dynamics (comfort) to be handled separately from lateral dynamics (agility), resulting in excellent ride comfort with exceptional handling agility. The rear suspension features a new 21.7mm diameter anti-roll bar, and shock absorbers and springs with different settings depending on the engine.
Optimised steering. The new Electrical Power Steering (EPS) system with intelligent electro-mechanicals has a number of benefits over the old Leon’s conventional hydraulic power-assisted steering. Power assistance is varied to match speed and steering wheel angle, bestowing the car with very precise handling and outstanding responsiveness. The new Leon has two separate steering set-ups, one for the 1.6 petrol engine and a second for the others.
Minimal environmental impact. Because power assistance is only provided when needed and not as a function of engine speed, EPS produces tangible energy savings (0.2 litres per 100km). EPS also features self-adjustment of straight-ahead steering and offers direct yet gentle steering response. Dispensing with conventional hydraulic components also reduces the impact on the environment, simplifies maintenance and lowers sound levels. Steering wheel damping over rough surfaces has also been optimised.
Increased safety. Steering column design has been modified for improved vibration resistance and enhanced safety in a collision. The new Leon offers 60mm of reach adjustment with 50mm of height adjustment (51 and 36 mm respectively on the previous Leon). Both the housing and the lower shaft are telescopic. The steering column's upper housing can collapse by 100mm and the lower shaft by 58mm. Further features include an energy absorption system and an impact-resistant steering lock.
New brake booster. The braking system features ventilated discs at the front with solid discs at the rear. Front disc diameter depends on the engine fitted – 280mm on the 1.6 petrol and 1.9 TDI engines, and 288mm on the two-litre FSI and TDI versions. 255mm rear discs are fitted to all models. The new Leon is equipped with a new dual-rate brake booster with two different mode characteristics; one offers comfortable, metered braking, while the second provides high braking power by reducing pedal resistance when braking hard.
Wheels and tyres. Three 16-inch wheel designs are available: steel with hubcap, plus five- and seven-spoke light-alloys. All 16-inch wheels measure 6.5Jx16” with 205/55 R16 tyres. There is also a 7Jx17” light alloy with a 225/45 R17 tyre. (An 18-inch light alloy is optional on the Sport version.)
Sophisticated ESP. Several key innovations have been incorporated into the Electronic Stability Program (ESP). The Electronic Differential Lock (EDL), Emergency Brake Assistance (EBA) and O-HBV hydraulic pressure booster (for automatic models only) are now joined by several new systems:
Overboost - Increases braking pressure when the system temperature far exceeds normal operating temperatures without noticeable change in brake pedal pressure.
BSW - Derived from Bremsscheibenwischer, (brake disc wiper), BSW cleans and dries the discs in wet conditions. Activated when the wipers are on for more than five seconds, the ABS pump applies minimal pad-to-disc pressure thus clearing the disc surface of water or dirt. This is repeated periodically while the wipers are operating.
Driver Steering Recommendation (DSR) - Helps keep the vehicle on the correct course during critical handling situations. When the ESP detects oversteer, DSR instructs the system's electric motor to “turn” the steering wheel in the opposite, i.e. the correct, direction. The driver senses this as a recommendation and is prompted to turn the wheel in that direction to re-stabilise the car. However, it is important to not that in critical driving situations DSR only recommends steering input to the driver, it does not steer the vehicle – the driver remains responsible for steering at all times. When driving on a dry, asphalted road, the driver barely notices this steering prompt. The system proves most effective when driving on roads with differing levels of grip on each side of the car.
The principal benefits of ESP with DSR are improved stability with a reduction in stopping distance of between 5 and 10%.
The Traction Control System (TCS) now includes an anti-lock braking system (ABS) with Electronic Brake-Force Distribution (EBD) and wheel-slip regulation (ASR).
