Ahead of their imminent public debut ‘in the metal’ at the forthcoming Geneva Motor Show, Seat has unveiled the first official pictures of its revised Leon and Altea family of vehicles.
Seat tells us that the wide array of changes to its big-selling compact family hatchback and five-seat MPV offerings are calculated to further strengthen the cars’ already broad appeal, adding fresh visual charm as well as extensive engineering and equipment improvements.
And Seat’s quickly-establishing trademark Arrow Design, first seen on the new Ibiza, makes its debut on the revised Leon and Altea models. There are subtle but important changes front and rear adding a coherent ‘family’ face and making the cars instantly recognisable on the road.
They now boast smoother, more elegant lines, a new grille with a smaller SEAT logo and more stylised chrome surround as well as larger headlights, new door mirrors and new wheel designs. Meanwhile, at the rear, the glass area is made larger to deliver greater visibility, while the rear hatch and light clusters have also been modified.
Inside, there are important modifications to the instrument panel and centre console as well as changes to the door panel trim and materials resulting in a modern, more ergonomically efficient passenger compartment.
Seat tells us that the revisions to the Leon and Altea family are much more than skin deep, though. Engineers have been working to include a raft of crucial if ‘invisible’ engineering upgrades to the new models.
Perhaps chief among these is the addition, depending on specification, of cutting-edge XDS electronic traction control technology. Mimicking the function of a conventional limited slip differential but doing without the costly and heavy mechanicals associated with existing systems, XDS works together with ESP to improve the car’s performance in situations where traction is lost by braking the wheel that loses grip.
Combined with SEAT’s famous Agile Chassis concept, XDS serves to deliver exceptional dynamic response and car control in the broadest possible range of driving situations.
These subtle design changes allied to the significant engineering and equipment improvements combine to make the new Leon, Altea and Altea XL models even more appealing.
I will bring you more Irish specification and price details on Seat’s revised Leon and Altea line-ups closer to the models’ debut here this summer or autumn.
