SEAT Leon ECOmotive : WHATS YOUR MOTIVE-ATION?

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Whats SEATs greenest Leon? That would be the ECOmotive. Steve Walker reports.

SEATs seat on the environmental bandwagon has been booked by the Leon ECOmotive. Mechanical, aerodynamic and weight saving modifications made to the car enable it to return 62.8mpg and 119g/km. Its less rewarding than some Leons to drive but comes with the feel-good factor you get from knowing youre doing your bit.

It seems that green is very much the in colour this season as far as the automotive industry is concerned. It was last season and the season before that and, barring some miraculous reversal of global warming or the sudden discovery of vast untapped oil reserves somewhere under Birmingham, its likely to be dominating proceedings for some time to come. Were not talking about green the colour here but green the concept. To be deemed green, a car must sup lightly on the Earths dwindling resources and cause as little harmful emissions as possible to enter our planets atmosphere - and if it can avoid running over any cute animals in the process, so much the better.

A responsibly driven SEAT Leon ECOmotive would appear to fit the bill. ECOmotive is SEATs eco brand. It wasnt so long ago that no car manufacturer had one of these but now numerous marques with designs on the cost-conscious mainstream market have. Theres no LAMBOficiency version of the Lamborghini Murcielago supercar (yet) but motorists are able to choose BlueMotion, ECOnetic, EfficientDynamics and GreenLine versions of more mundane Volkswagens, Fords, BMWs and Skodas.

SEATs ECOnetic, like these others, is in part a marketing department contrivance that presents customers with a convenient handle to grasp. Through these branding constructs, you and I can identify that these are green cars without necessarily having to understand the complicated engineering and aerodynamic factors that make them that way. The 1.9-litre TDI engine that powers the Leon ECOmotive was on sale in the Leon and many other Volkswagen group products long before this environmentally inclined model came along although it has been slightly modified here with a revised ECU.

Its an unremarkable but proven TDI direct injection engine thats notably less sophisticated than the 2.0-litre common-rail oil-burners that are available further up the Leon range. It has 104bhp and can reach 60mph in 10.9s which is OK but its noisier than weve come to expect from the very best modern diesel engines.

It delivers the best of its power over a narrower band of the rev range too which, combined with the longer gearing of the ECOmotive model, makes for a somewhat lazy feel. The low rolling resistance tyres on the car also have fractionally less grip than conventional ones.

"A good-looking and spacious family hatchback, but one thats also capable of driving from London to Barcelona on a single tank"

The SEAT Leon runs on Volkswagen Golf underpinnings and, surprise, surprise, its pretty much like a Golf to drive. Theres a compliant suspension set-up that offers a decent ride and handling compromise, at least when travelling on smaller wheel-and-tyre combinations. Theres good feedback too, through the electric power steering. The long ration gearbox in the ECOmotive is also pleasant to use, with mechanical precision and a lovely slick feel to the action.

The SEAT Leon is a good deal bigger than you might expect for this class of car and this extra space is particularly noticeable in the rear where theres plenty of knee-room, even if youre transporting six-footers. Although theres no armrest in the back and the bench is a little flat, you wouldnt feel hard done by undertaking a longer journey here. The rear tailgate opens wide to reveal a load bay thats a little awkwardly shaped for bulky items but is otherwise perfectly adequate for this class of car. Weight has gone up by a mere 8kg, helped in no small part to innovative panel stamping procedures and an acrylic rear side window that incorporates the door handle.

Both the front seat and the steering wheel are multi-adjustable and theres plenty of headroom up front even for taller drivers. The nose curves rapidly out of view and shorter drivers may want to specify parking sensors. The windscreen pillars are annoyingly chunky which means that youll probably be doing a fair bit of see-sawing in your seat as you negotiate roundabouts. One can almost excuse this feature due to the fact that the windscreen wipers park vertically into the pillars a rather neat trick that helps with the vital showroom wow factor.

All-round visibility isnt a Leon strong point, the three-quarter view being hampered by thick pillars and the rearward view consisting of a number of headrests. The £14,275 Leon ECOmotive is offered in one trim level with one engine and with the Leon itself only available in the five-door bodystyle, the choice available to buyers isnt what you might call extensive. The ECOmotive comes equipped to a similar standard as a Reference model from the standard range but the cars focus on weight saving has meant that its not the plushest Leon to travel in. The Leon achieves its low fuel consumption and emissions through a collection of small but significant modifications.

Theres a revised engine management system and a diesel particulate filter which helps lower emissions. Then you have the low rolling resistance tyres, the longer ratio gearbox and a host of weight saving tweaks that lower the cars mass from 1,405kg to 1,320kg. The result is combined fuel economy of 62.8mpg and CO2 emissions of 119g/km.

The price premium you pay for an ECOmotive over an equivalently specified standard Leon with the same 1.9-litre TDI engines but none of the efficiency modifications is £1,000, so youll need to cover a fair few miles to recover your outlay in fuel and tax savings. However, you will be doing your bit for the planet as well as for your pocket and plots on the moral high ground like that dont come cheap. The arrival of special economy models like the Leon ECOmotive has shown what the industry is capable of when it puts its mind to it.

Theres nothing groundbreaking technologically about the car but a series of sensible modifications have produced a family hatchback capable of 62.8mpg and 119g/km emissions. One wonders why such measures werent taken earlier but before the green issue hit the publics consciousness and saving fuel became a method of saving substantial sums of money, there was no consumer demand for cars like this SEAT. The moral of the story; where theres a market, the car makers will find a way.

The Leon ECOmotive forces its driver to make a few compromises to save that fuel but nothing too major. Its a little noisy, the long ratio gearbox takes away some fluidity from the driving experience, and the special tyres arent the most grippy. Otherwise, its just like driving a conventional SEAT Leon, a good-looking and spacious family hatchback, albeit one thats capable of driving from London to Barcelona on a single tank.

Facts At A Glance
CAR: SEAT Leon ECOmotive range
PRICE: £14,275 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 6
CO2 EMISSIONS: 119g/km
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 115mph / 0-60mph 10.9s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 62.8mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: six airbags, 3-point seatbelts with pre-tensioners, ESP, EBA and DSR.
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 4315/1768/1458