Greener SEATs
There is now more choice for green-minded motorists after SEAT has added its Ecomotive badge to the Altea, Altea XL and Leon. The move brings some real family-sized motoring to those with an environmental conscience, with the three newcomers significantly reducing CO2 output and fuel consumption.
Making their debut at Frankfurt next week, the Ecomotive models boast sub-120g/km CO2 outputs, the Altea and Altea XL achieving 119g/km and the Leon a highly impressive 99g/km. Helping the 1.6-litre TDI turbodiesel engined machines achieve these low CO2 outputs is a Start/Stop system that shuts down the engine when the cars come to a halt at lights or in traffic.
Automatically switching the engine back on when the driver selects first gear, the Start/Stop system is complemented by low friction tyres, improved aerodynamics and gearshift indicators to assist the Ecomotive models in achieving their green credentials. SEAT has yet to reveal the official combined fuel consumption figures for its new environmentally conscious machines, but mid-60s mpg is likely for the Leon and mid-50s mpg for the larger Altea models.
We'll find out at next week's Frankfurt motor show, where Yahoo! Cars will be providing extensive coverage of the important European event.
