GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Hot new SEAT Leon SC slinks in

Perennial Spanish also-ran SEAT looks to have hit its third consecutive winner with the Leon SC.

The three-door coupe version of the MQB-based Leon will make its debut at the Geneva motor show and promises to be more nimble and sporting without compromising interior space or comfort.

While SEAT has long been the Volkswagen Group’s problem child, struggling for both brand identity and an imploding domestic market, it has taken advantage of sharp styling and generous family engineering to start making a European impact on quality alone.

Its roll started with the Polo-based Ibiza, hit new heights with the Golf 7-based Leon (which last month won a major German comparison test with the Mercedes-Benz A-Class) and continued with the hotshot Ibiza Cupra 1.4.

Now it’s the Leon SC’s turn to continue the momentum and it slashes 35mm from the Leon’s MQB wheelbase to deliver a slinky combination of coherent angles and sleek window glass.

The rear glass is 19 degrees shallower than the five-door Leon’s rear window, leading to a compact three-door shape that is just 4.23 metres long.

The Leon SC is a full-blooded production car, though, and not a one-off Geneva concept. It will be on sale in Europe from mid-year, with engines ranging in capacity from 1.2 to 2.0 litres and in output from 63kW to 135kW.

All of its engines will be four-cylinder units with direct-injection and turbocharging, with the sporty leader set to be the 135kW/380Nm powerhouse that is the strongest version of the 2.0-litre TDI.

The best of the petrol contenders will be the 132kW/250Nm 1.8 TSI, though it won’t be available until late this year. Until then, the petrol charge will be lead by the 103kW/250Nm 1.4 TSI.

All of its engines promise to be economical, with the 1.6-litre TDI slipping beneath the 100 gram barrier to post 3.8L/100km, though the stronger 110kW 2.0-litre TDI is just 0.3L/100km thirstier.

There is no all-wheel drive on offer, even though Volkswagen has just launched the diesel-only 4MOTION Europe, and all engines will drive through either five- or six-speed manual gearboxes and six- or seven-speed DSG units.

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