SEAT may even be planning the electrification of its range, however, this does not mean that the Spanish brand has forgotten the other fuels. Proof of this are the Mii Ecofuel, the Ibiza TGI, the Arona TGI and even the Leon TGI, all powered by natural gas, better known as CNG.
Motivated by the reduction in CO2 emissions (25% less) and costs compared to gasoline and Diesel models (50% and 30% less respectively) that CNG allows, SEAT not only maintained its commitment to this type of fuel, but operated some improvements to ensure that your CNG range becomes even more attractive.
The improvements carried out by SEAT were aimed at responding to a request made by customers: more autonomy in CNG mode. Thus, the Ibiza, Arona and Leon received a third deposit that allowed them to increase their range in GNC mode to 360 km (in the case of the Ibiza and Arona) and 440 km (in the case of the Leon).
We drive a SEAT Leon ST TGI. read our opinion
A reliable and secure system
Although both the Mii Ecofuel and the Ibiza, Arona and Leon TGI use CNG as their main fuel, if the outside temperature is below -10º the engine starts on gasoline while the gas injectors are heated to the ideal temperature. then automatically activated the GNC system.
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As for the other circumstances, the SEAT CNG range only uses gasoline if the CNG tanks are empty. With regard to safety, the tanks are built and approved to withstand pressures greater than twice the working pressure, and there are also several safety valves in the circuit and in the tanks.
Speaking of tanks, both the Mii Ecofuel and the Ibiza TGI and the Arona TGI use tanks made of high-strength steel (in the case of the Mii there are only two instead of the three on the Ibiza and Arona). The Leon TGI has a smaller high-strength steel tank in front of the rear axle and two larger tanks behind the rear axle made of carbon fiber composite.
A full range
SEAT's CNG range starts with the Mii Ecofuel. Thanks to the two deposits, the city is able to travel 290 km using natural gas. Equipping it is the 1.0 Ecofuel associated with a five-speed manual gearbox, capable of delivering 68 hp and 90 Nm of torque. As for the trunk, it drops from 251l of capacity to 213 liters.
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As for the Ibiza and Arona TGI, both share the 1.0 TGI engine with three cylinders, 12 valves, 90 hp and 160 Nm. In the case of the Ibiza, the luggage capacity drops from 355 l to 252 l, while in the Arona TGI the luggage compartment goes from 400 l to 282 l.
Finally, the Leon TGI Evo is an evolution of the one we've already tested. Compared to the previous model, it comes with a 1.5 TGI instead of a 1.4 and saw the power rise from 110 hp to a more interesting 130 hp with torque staying at 200 Nm. As for the trunk, this is at 275 l in the five-door and 482 l in the van (it was 380 l and 587 l).
SEAT GNC range numbers:
| CNG deposit capacity | Autonomy in GNC mode | Fuel tank capacity | Autonomy in gasoline mode | full autonomy | |
| SEAT Ibiza 1.0 TGI 90 HP | 13.8 kg | 360 km | 9 liters | 150 km | 510 km |
| SEAT Arona 1.0 TGI 90 CV | 13.8 kg | 360 km | 9 liters | 150 km | 510 km |
| SEAT Leon 5p 1.5 TGI 130 CV (manual) | 17.3 kg | 440 km | 9 liters | 140 km | 580 km |
| SEAT Leon 5p 1.5 TGI 130 CV (DSG) | 17.3 kg | 440 km | 9 liters | 140 km | 580 km |
| SEAT Leon ST 1.5 TGI 130 CV (manual) | 17.3 kg | 440 km | 9 liters | 140 km | 580 km |
| SEAT Leon ST 1.5 TGI 130 hp (DSG) | 17.3 kg | 440 km | 9 liters | 140 km | 580 km |
| SEAT Mii Ecofuel 1.0 68 hp | 10.9 kg | 290 km | 9 liters | 150 km | 440 km |