Review
As the company's widest-ever launch line-up was being previewed in Spain, Butt told Fleet NewsNet: 'We are pulling out all the stops in an effort to achieve the recognition we feel our brand deserves. All the building blocks for expansion have been carefully put into place over the last 18 months. We have worked hard with the top 80 contract hire and leasing firms to create an awareness of the brand and have set up a team of seven fleet specialists which will increase as the business grows. We're now poised to make serious inroads into this sector of the market.
'Since it was launched last spring, the Toledo has done a good job in establishing SEAT on company lists, but everything points to the Leon making an even bigger contribution. This is a product that drives us into the heart of the user-chooser area and 70% of that market is fleet,' said Butt. Like its Toledo stablemate, the new five-door model is another product to be based on the ubiquitous Golf platform, - but this time, rear styling reminiscent of the legendary Alfa Romeo Alfetta creates a neat, distinctive and sporty appearance.
On sale from this week in Spain, it will be available in right-hand drive form from April at prices expected to range from £12,995 to £17,995. 'We plan to offer a choice of 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8-litre petrol engines producing from 75bhp to 125bhp and 1.9-litre turbocharged diesels in 90bhp and 110bhp form at launch. That's a strong line-up in itself, but the cream on top will come when we add our turbocharged 1.8-litre versions,' said Butt. 'These will offer a choice of two or four-wheel drive and will set fresh standards in the sector. With 180bhp and six-speed transmission, they will be unique in their class and represent a significant step forward for the marque.'
Developed for a relatively modest cost of £135 million because many of its components are shared with the Toledo, the Leon allows SEAT to compete in the medium hatchback segment, which accounts for 35% of UK car sales. 'We expect to grow our business because at long last, we're able to offer a lower medium hatch alongside an upper medium saloon. We now have an alternative to the Toledo which takes us to 70% coverage of a segment which is very important to our future. In 12 months, SEAT's fleet offering has moved from just the Alhambra to a viable range which promises significantly higher volumes. I think we will sell around 5,000 Leons next year as against 4,000 examples of the Toledo. I'm so confident that I think it will equal the 8,500 registrations we expect from the Ibiza in 2001 to become our best-selling car the following year,' he said.
Produced alongside the Toledo in Belgium and also at the main plant near Barcelona, the new hatchback is claimed to be the first SEAT to fully reflect the sporting image being developed for the brand by the Volkswagen Group. Although detail specifications have yet to be agreed, every Leon destined for Britain will have four airbags, anti-lock braking, three rear head restraints and three rear seatbelts as standard. Each car will also have air conditioning, power front windows, a split rear folding seat and remote-control central locking.
Volkswagen Group chairman Ferdinand Piech thinks the new Leon has the potential to be his group's second most popular car in its class after the Golf. But enthusiastic drivers could soon be rating go-faster versions of the Spanish hatchback more highly than the legendary Golf GTI. Many speed fans are likely to herald the Leon 4 20VT as the group's long-awaited alternative hot-shot model.
After a brief outing with this model on deserted roads in northern Spain, I rate it as having all it takes to be the first new model to win cult status in the next millennium. With blistering performance and a specification that lacks for nothing, the Leon 20VT is a driver's delight. Quick off the mark, its motor surges ahead with smoothness and makes all the right kind of noises at higher revs. Sitting on lowered suspension, SEAT's first all-drive, six-speed model has limpet-like roadholding and is a class act with faultless handling. And the thrill factor is just as high in the front-drive version, which also sweeps along with confidence and much of the brio many regard as lacking in the latest version of the hottest Golf.
Significantly, less glamorous versions of the Leon also prove to be rewarding to drive. Both the 110bhp TDi and base-specification 1.6-litre versions we tested in the area around the city the model is named after had ample power for smart acceleration and brisk overtaking. Quiet, refined and smooth-riding over rough surfaces, the cars use a rear spoiler to extend the roof line and bold rear lamp clusters. Though dash panels are identical to those in the Toledo, they have a different, non-reflective surface and are topped off with a more sporty steering wheel.
While legroom for passengers in the rear is only adequate, there are no complaints about space for luggage in a boot area, which is deep and well planned. All versions feature neat detailing and include handy items like a remote release for the fuel filler and a power socket for accessories. As in the revised Ibiza, the central console houses sound system controls and can also accommodate satellite navigation.
In the proposed model line-up, UK cars will come in S, SE, Sport and 20VT form and the S will have a height-adjustable driver's seat, air conditioning, front power windows, anti-lock braking and remote central locking. SE badging adds front fog lamps, an Aura sound system, all-round power windows, electric mirrors, Climatronic air conditioning, an alarm, alloy wheels and electronic brake force distribution. The Sport will have stiffer suspension, more sporty trim and sports contoured front seats with a leather-covered steering wheel, while the 20VT will have leather and alcantara trim, rain-sensor wipers, a CD autochanger, 16-in alloy wheels, traction control and the ESP safety system.
