Seat had it difficult with the new Leon. The fourth generation of this compact had to exceed high, very high expectations. His presentation, just before the first wave of covid-19, did not leave anyone indifferent. The aesthetic changes, which make it a more refined and elegant car , have ended up conquering a market that was at its feet. However, the most momentous changes to the Leon have nothing to do with its aesthetics . This best seller has drastically evolved in the technological section, so much so that we are facing the most connected, safe and efficient of the lions produced to date. These advances have allowed it to pass the Euro NCAP tests with the highest score, demonstrating a high level of safety for both adults, children and other road users. Some results that show the objective of the firm and that they do in some recently updated and hardened tests in 2020 .
These new tests have arisen from the need to adapt to constantly changing situations. For this reason, a mobile barrier has been incorporated in the frontal crash test with the Leon in motion . Before, the barrier was static and deformed, now it has been hardened to check the degree of protection offered by the front of the vehicle. The side impacts have also been modified, since the test speeds and the masses with which it hits have been adjusted. In addition, for the first time, Euro NCAP tests take into account what would happen if the passenger area (the right side of the car) was hit.
More systems, more tests
Another vital aspect in the Euro NCAP tests is the appearance of new driving and safety assistance systems, the so-called ADAS . This evaluation pays special attention to the innovations of each vehicle, classifying functions such as emergency braking or fatigue detection . In this sense, Seat has worked deeply on the sensors and cameras that are responsible for protecting all passengers. In this way they have been able to go further with systems such as Front Assist with detection of other vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists. Now this system is capable of turning and avoiding the obstacle, not just braking.
Some aspects are optional but 100% recommended if what you are looking for is one of the safest compacts on the market. Among the most interesting systems we find: autonomous emergency braking, the blind spot detector, the recognition of traffic signs and the pre-collision assistant (Pre-Crash) . The latter is in charge of preparing the vehicle for an imminent impact. It takes just 0.2 seconds to tighten the seat belts, activate the warnings, roll up the windows and close the panoramic roof . Nor are they of more help such as the traffic jam assistant (semi-autonomous) or the light assistant, which will make your life easier.
The Euro NCAP tests assess the protection of passengers, and the rest of road users, in percentage. In the case of the Seat León, both with a combustion engine and in its plug-in hybrid variant, they have obtained the following score: adult occupants (92%), child occupants (88%) , vulnerable road users (71%) and attendants security (80%).
Turn night into day
Vision during night driving is another of the most important aspects of safety. For this reason, the Seat team has worked on an LED lighting firm that not only gives it personality, but also an amazing capacity in the middle of the night . To test its scope and width, they went to the Dark Sky Alqueva reserve, in Portugal , a place from where you can see nebulae and constellations thanks to its low light pollution. We explain everything in detail in this article.
The appearance of LED modules have changed the way of understanding headlights and light in cars. As Magnolia Paredes, Head of Electronic Lighting Development at Seat, comments: “It allows us to have much more light on a much smaller surface and, with this, we can work with it in a much more efficient way.” It also involves harder work in the electrical section, so they have had to invest more than 2,500 hours in the design and 800 in an optical tunnel, a space in which the driving conditions of hot and icy areas are recreated.
Another key aspect of LED light is its white tone, which allows us to much better identify the shape and color of the objects that we will find on the road. In addition, an LED diode responds 150 milliseconds faster than an incandescent lamp , thus reducing the reaction time to any blinker or brake. It also allows a much greater play with ambient light, something that has been spun very well in this fourth-generation Seat León. The surround light of the dashboard and doors has been one of the challenges for programmers, since it incorporates functions such as the blind spot warning or the range of another vehicle from behind if we are going to open the door. “It has been a great electronic challenge, but we have achieved a great technological and design leap,” adds Paredes.
