SECTOR: Lower-medium   PRICE: TBA   FUEL: 3.5kg CNG/100km   CO2: 94g/km 

With so much attention focused on the search for shale gas around the world, SEAT’s launch of the Leon 1.4 TGI at the Frankfurt Show last year seems timely. The car – otherwise identical to other Leon five-door or ST models, also launched at Frankfurt – is equipped with a compressed natural gas (CNG) conversion of the 1.4 TSI turbocharged petrol engine.

It’s a dual-fuel conversion, so the car can run on either petrol or CNG, which is useful if there is a shortage of natural gas fuelling stations where you happen to be driving. The car carries two CNG gas tanks, capable of carrying some 15kg of gas, which would take the car around 400km. There’s also a 50-litre petrol tank, which adds a further 900km in range, giving a total theoretical range of around 1,300km.

The big advantage for gas is that many countries have tax concessions for natural gas fuels, because the exhaust emissions are particulate free and low in other major pollutants. Low tax makes it considerably cheaper than either petrol or diesel; CNG prices are currently in the €0.75 to €1.34 per kg range across Europe. As a fuel, it is far more efficient than the other major gas road fuel, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and can even rival diesel in equivalent fuel efficiency.

Power output is given as 110hp – slightly more than the 1.6TDI Diesel engine available in the Leon. The gas engine offers 200Nm of torque, from as low as 1,500rpm, so it feels a little like a diesel and doesn’t give that much away in torque to the 1.6 TDI engine. The big advantage is that since it is a spark ignition engine, it sounds like a petrol engine – offering far lower noise levels than the diesel models – even though SEAT has done an excellent job of installing the diesel engines in the Leon and by diesel standards they are fairly quiet.

Because the engine is turbocharged, the result is not an economy car with poor performance. According to SEAT, it can reach 100km/h in 10.9 seconds from rest and go on to a top speed of 194km/h. Out on the road, the performance is certainly lively enough. Another consideration for fleet users is that the TGI does not have a particulate filter, like the diesel models. Drivers who cover long distances in a modern diesel will be unaware of the filter, which will re-generate itself automatically on long journeys, burning off the soot that has accumulated. That is more difficult if the car is used mainly for short-distance driving, where the exhaust gases rarely become hot enough to do this. There are many fleets with drivers who use their cars like this and the TGI will be better suited to that kind of use, while providing low-cost fuel.

The TGI provides all the benefits of the latest Leon – comfort, driver appeal and high-quality construction too. Reference or Style trim options are available.

There is room for five adults on board, while the recently launched ST variant provides additional luggage space and load flexibility in a stylish station wagon package. In short, the Leon TGI just adds another set of options to a car that already has plenty to offer fleets.

What We Think:

The Leon TGI could be attractive for fleets whose drivers cover short distances and would like a low-emission alternative to diesel.