Just don't change anything that customers have liked so far. A maxim that weighed on the design studio near Barcelona like a mortgage. It was about the routine renewal of the Seat Leon, after all the most successful model of the Spaniards. Most of the previous customers bought the compact model closely related to the VW Golf because of its sporty, solid dress. "We didn't have to change the way he looked," said Seats design director Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos. "We only underlined and refreshed our strengths". Standard statements by many designers when a so-called facelift has to be explained, in which normal contemporaries, with the best will in the world, cannot discover anything really new.
At the premiere of the new Leon in Barcelona, development chief Matthias Rabe had to bend his knees to trace the differences from today's model by hand. For example, since the middle air inlet became narrower, the effect of the chrome-rimmed radiator grille, extended by four centimeters, had a better effect. Similarities to the face of the new Ateca are definitely wanted. After all, the first SUV with the Seat logo was ordered more than 30.000 times in just a few weeks.
If you look closely, you can ultimately identify the Leon as new. In addition, there are newly drawn LED headlights, whose daytime running lights signature has now been designed a little bolder. Or modified body folds on the front and rear, which appear more pointed and, together with the less pronounced side lines, serve the goal of making the Leon look even “sharper”. The overall effect of the Leon outfit, which was already highly praised, could be increased overall. Even if only designers from the discipline can say straight away which of the small changes will have the greatest visual impact. It doesn't matter to Leon customers, whose number the Seat Manager wants the update to keep increasing.
Above all, they will be pleased that all the assistance systems that have been introduced into the Seat family with the Ateca will now also be available for the Spanish “Golf”. The traffic jam assistant, for example, which automatically follows the vehicle in front when traffic is at a standstill. Or the emergency braking function for city traffic, whose sensors now also recognize pedestrians. In addition, there are traffic sign recognition, semi-automatic parking even in transverse gaps or improved performance of the camera and navigation system.
The latter can now also spread in the Leon on an eight-inch touchscreen monitor, which of course also benefits the increasingly important networking of the car with the virtual environment. The tile look, which is reminiscent of the surface of a tablet PC, makes it easier to select the individual functions. The new system, also adopted by Ateca, now also understands smartphones of all systems. A GSM booster could be helpful in areas with a weak cell phone network. In addition, there is the charging cradle, which enables the battery to be refilled wirelessly. IPhone owners are still looking into the tube.
Development chief Matthias Rabe wants to continue the previous "Leon success story" with all the "pioneering technology in the field of assistance and safety systems and networking". Which should also succeed if his strategists have identified a clientele that has been somewhat in the background so far. "For fleet customers and company car users, the sportiness that every Seat traditionally offers is not so important," explains Rabe. "This is more about comfort and elegance." So a new equipment variant had to be created that accommodates the wealthy professional customers. It is called "Xcellence", lets the occupants sit on leather or Alcantara, has a lot of chrome on the sheet metal dress and offers a solid interior instead of sporty ambitions. The electronic chassis has also been improved in the direction of comfort. The noble version is offered at the same surcharge as the sporty top model FR.
"Now we have the best possible option for both types of driver," emphasizes the chief developer, referring to the wide range of engines that can be ordered for the Leon. Six petrol engines from 63-132 kW / 86-180 hp, three diesel engines from 85 - 135 kW / 115-184 hp. Among them is a new "small" diesel with 1,6 liters and 85 kW / 115 hp, which shines with a standard consumption of 4,1 liters per 100 kilometers. As before, the Leon family consists of the five-door model, a model without doors to the rear and, of course, a rather large station wagon, which now accounts for more than a third of all Leon registrations and can also be ordered with all-wheel drive.
Matthias Rabe does not yet give prices and exact technical data. However, he is convinced that the Leon, who has been made fit for his second half of life, can hold the top position in the Seat program, even if the almost exploding orders for the Ateca SUV suggest otherwise. However, Rabe is pleased that the brand, once misjudged as a VW stepchild, now stands on three strong pillars. In addition to Leon and Ateca, the Ibiza has been a guarantee of success for years, the new edition is coming up next year. A completely new Seat model is born later: the SUV named Arona is the little brother of the Ateca and is said to annoy an Opel Mokka or a Ford Ecosport, for example.
(Peter Maahn / SP-X)
