The SEAT Leon SC will get its UK debut at the London Motorexpo next week. The beautiful new three-door Sports Coupé will be a star attraction at the event, which opens Monday 10 June at London’s Canary Wharf.
Unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March, the Leon SC is the second member of the Leon family and the first ever three-door Leon. It will soon be joined by an ST estate.
Designed to combine the striking road presence of a coupé with the practicality of a family hatchback, the Leon SC is unique from the A-pillars back compared to its five-door namesake.
With a shorter wheelbase, a slightly lower roofline, a more sloped rear hatch, broader rear ‘shoulders’ and distinct rear three-quarter windows, the SC demonstrates SEAT ‘arrow head’ design in its purest form.
Despite this, it loses so little headroom that only giraffes need be concerned, and it remains a full five-seat car – with exactly the same large 380-litre boot as the five-door Leon. Order books are open now for the Leon SC, with first cars expected in showrooms in July.
The Leon SC will be joined at the Motorexpo by five-door versions of the Leon, and thanks to the unique format of the show, attendees will have the chance to get behind the wheel; petrol and diesel Leon five-door models in both SE and FR specification will be available to try, while an Ibiza FR TDI 143 PS will also be on display.
Priced from just £15,370, the Leon SC boasts remarkable value and an extremely generous specification from base level. Beginning with S, every Leon SC comes with air conditioning, sports-shaped front seats, a colour touchscreen display for the media system, steering wheel mounted audio controls, seven airbags, remote central locking, anti-lock brakes and electronic stability control.
SE trim adds, among other things, 16-inch alloy wheels, front fog lights with cornering function, cruise control, leather steering wheel and gear knob, XDS electronic differential lock, and hill hold control.
Top-of-the range Leon models come wearing SEAT’s iconic FR badge, and only the more powerful engines in the line-up qualify. All FR cars get 17-inch alloy wheels, LED rear lights, dual-zone climate control, dark tinted rear windows, and FR-specific front- and rear bumpers.
The Leon is also the first family hatchback in the world available with full-LED headlights, which are optional on SE and FR cars. Full-LEDs provide a powerful light beam that’s closer to natural daylight than any other sort of headlamp, which aids visibility and therefore safety, while reducing the risk of eye strain. They also look great.
They’re staggering value too – particularly at the moment, because SEAT has bundled them with satellite navigation and DAB digital radio into a Technology Pack, the contents of which would cost close to £2,000 when specified as individual options. The pack’s retail price is £1,075, but until the end of this month it’s priced at just £500.
The London Motorexpo takes place 10 – 16 June and is one third of what its organisers call “a revolutionary format” and “the world’s biggest free-to-visit motoring event.” London is the first of three Motorexpo events, with the second taking place in Toronto, Canada, in June, and the third in New York during December.
