In the discussions about reducing the greenhouse gas CO2, the burning of natural gas in the car instead of gasoline or diesel is often overlooked. Seat wants to change that and combines CNG with an SUV.
SP-X / Keitum. An alternative to gasoline and diesel is natural gas, also called CNG (compressed natural gas). But with hardly any other automotive topic there is so much uncertainty, ambiguity and misunderstandings. So also the constant confusion with the liquid LPG. The Spanish automaker Seat has become the technological pioneer worldwide for CNG drives, which is due in no small part to the relatively clean way of combustion and the stricter CO2 regulations that will soon apply.
CNG-powered engines emit up to 25 percent less CO2, up to 95 percent less nitrogen oxides and up to 99 percent fewer soot particles than other combustion engines. Because of the higher technical expenditure, natural gas cars are actually more expensive to buy than petrol engines of the same strength. Actually, because the Spaniards waive this surcharge for the time being. It's worth it for the customers. Because CNG vehicles are tax-privileged and the operating costs are particularly low. In practice, savings of 30 percent compared to diesel and 55 percent compared to gasoline operation are possible.
The brand's natural gas fleet includes various variants in the Ibiza, Leon and now also in the Arona models. This makes the small compact crossover the world's first CNG SUV. Arona 1.0 TGI is the name of the economical Spaniard who, with a length of 4,14 meters, also fits perfectly in city traffic. The small car SUV in the equipment variant "Style" costs from 19.820 euros. The higher-quality equipment "Xcellence" and "FR" are available from 21.820 euros each. All three variants have the three-cylinder with a displacement of 999 cubic centimeters and 66 kW / 90 hp under the hood. The three CNG tanks together hold 13,8 kilograms, which are good for a range of around 360 kilometers. If the three tanks are empty, Plan B comes into play with gasoline. The nine-liter tank then provides a total range of a good 500 kilometers.
We liked the front-wheel drive 1,3-tonner during our test drives. The six-speed manual transmission could be shifted flawlessly and smoothly and the interior convinced with the sporty, solid equipment from the VW shelf. Because of the total of four tanks, the trunk is 282 liters smaller than the petrol and diesel models that hold 400 liters. By folding down the second row of seats, however, 1.162 liters of luggage or smaller items can be moved behind the front seats.
Overall, the natural gas Arona offers economical and clean driving fun at a good price-performance ratio. Incidentally, the decision for a CNG vehicle should not fail on the gas station network. There are currently around 900 natural gas filling stations across Germany. By 2025, there should be around 2.000 stations.
Wolfgang Wieland / SP-X