2020 Seat Leon brake

Driving
Driving
St ar
t and driving
Starting and stopping the
engine Ignition and start button Fig. 161
In the lower part of the centre console:
st art butt

on. The engine can be started with a start button
(Pr
ess & Driv

e). For this there must be a valid
key inside the passenger compartment.
Opening the driver's door when exiting the
vehicle activates the electronic lock on the
steering column if the ignition is disabled. Switching the ignition on/off
If you only want t

o switch on the ignition
(without starting the engine), briefly press the
start button once without pressing the brake
pedal or the clutch pedal ››› .
The  


 push-button text flashes
lik e a heartbeat when the syst

em is ready for
the ignition to be turned on or off.
Automatic ignition disconnection
When the vehicle detects that there is no
driver once the engine has stopped, after a
certain time the ignition is switched off auto-
matically. If at that time the dipped beam
headlights are on, the side lights will stay on
for approx. 30 minutes. The side lights can be
turned off by blocking the vehicle
››› page 103, or manually
››› page 120
.
Automatic deactivation of the ignition on
vehicles with the Start-Stop system
The ignition is switched off automatically
when the vehicle is stopped and the auto-
matic engine shutdown is active, if:

Driving
remains stopped, the engine will not stop if
the br
ak
e pedal is slightly pressed, in traffic
jams with frequent stopping and starting
for example. As soon as strong pressure is
applied to the brake pedal, the engine will
stop.

Start and driving
WARNING
When the engine is running, the vehicle will
st ar
t to move as soon as a gear is engaged
and the clutch released. This also happens
if the electronic parking brake is switched
on.

Driving
 – P
arking l ock
When the P button is pressed, the drive
wheels are locked. Only press P when the ve-
hicle is stationary ››› .
T o pr

ess the P button you must press the
brake pedal simultaneously.
 – Reverse gear
Reverse gear must be engaged only when
the vehicle is stationary and the engine is
idling ››› .
T o engage r

everse gear R, you must press the
brake pedal simultaneously. The reverse
lights switch on when the reverse gear R is
selected and the ignition is on.
 – Neutral
In this position, the gear is in neutral.
Press the brake pedal to move the lever from
N to D/S when the vehicle is stationary or at
speeds below 3 km/h (2 mph) ››› .
 – P
ermanent f

orward drive position
The D/S position enables the gears to be op-
erated in normal mode (D) or sport mode (S).
To select Sport mode S, move the lever back-
wards. Pushing the lever again will select nor-
mal mode D. The selected driving mode is
displayed on the instrument panel screen.
In normal mode (D), the gearbox selects the
best gear ratio. This depends on the engine load, the road speed and the dynamic gear
control pr

ogramme (DCP).
Sport mode (S) should be selected for a
sporty driving style. This setting makes use of
the engine's maximum power output. When
accelerating the gear shifts will be noticea-
ble.
Under certain circumstances (e.g. on moun-
tain roads) it can be advantageous to switch
tiptronic mode ››› page 231
, to adapt the
gears to suit the road conditions.
Selector lever lock
In N, the lever lock prevents a gear range
from being engaged, and prevents the vehi-
cle from moving off accidentally.
Press and hold the brake pedal with your left
foot with the engine running.
As a reminder to the driver, when the lever is
in position N the following indication will be
shown on the screen:
When stationary, apply footbrake
while selecting a gear.
The lever is not locked if it is moved quickly
through position N (e.g. when shifting from R
to D). This makes it possible, for instance, to
“rock the vehicle backwards and forwards” if
it is stuck in snow or mud. The lever lock en-
gages automatically if the brake pedal is not
pressed and the lever is in position N for more than about one second at a speed of less
than 5 km/h (3 mph). WARNING

Driving
Driving down hills
Under cert ain cir
cumstances it may be ad-
vantageous to use the Tiptronic mode to se-
lect the gear manually according to driving
conditions ››› .
St op/P

ark
To park on flat ground, just press the P button
››› Fig. 165. On slopes the parking brake
should first be applied and then press the P
button.
If the driver door is opened and the P button
has not been activated, the vehicle could
move. The following warning is displayed on
the instrument panel:

Driving
Downhill speed control is deactivated as
soon as the r oad l
evels out again or you press
the accelerator pedal.
On vehicles with cruise control system*
››› page 245, downhill speed control is acti-
vated when you set a cruising speed. WARNING
The downhill speed control cannot defy the
l aws of physics. Ther

efore, speed cannot
be maintained constant in all situations. Al-
ways be prepared to use the brakes! Inertia mode
The inertia mode allows you to travel certain
dist
ances without using the accel

erator,
which saves fuel. Plan ahead and use the in-
ertia mode to “let” the vehicle “roll”.
Activation of the inertia mode
Condition: lever in position D, slopes of less
than 12% and speeds between 20 and 130
km / h (12 and 80 mph).

Start and driving
For the sake of the environment
If the engine is run in gently, the life of the
engine will be incr eased and the engine oil
consumption r
educed.Economical and environmentally
friendly driving
Fuel consumption, environmental pollution
and w
ear t

o the engine, brakes and tyres all
depend largely on driving style. Consumption
can be reduced between 10-15% with an effi-
cient driving type. The following section gives
you some tips on lessening the impact on the
environment and reducing your operating
costs at the same time.
Active cylinder management (ACT®)*
Depending on vehicle equipment, the active
cylinder management (ACT®) may deacti-
vate some of the engine cylinders if the driv-
ing situation does not require too much pow-
er. The number of active cylinders can be
seen on the instrument panel display.
››› page 72.
Foresight when driving
If you think ahead when driving, you will need
to brake less and thus accelerate less. Take
advantage of the inertia of the vehicle when-
ever possible, with a gear engaged. This takes advantage of the engine braking effect,
r
educing w

ear on the brakes and tyres. Emis-
sions and fuel consumption will drop to zero.
Changing gear to save energy
An effective way of saving is to change in ad-
vance to a higher gear.
Manual transmission: shift up from first to
second gear as soon as possible. Choosing
the right gear enables fuel savings. Select the
highest possible gear appropriate for the
driving situation (the engine should continue
functioning with cyclical regularity).
Automatic transmission: accelerate gradu-
ally and without reaching the “kick-down”
position.
Avoid driving at high speed
Avoid travelling at your vehicle’s top speed,
whenever possible. Fuel consumption, emis-
sion of harmful gases and noise pollution
multiply as speed is increased. Driving at
moderate speeds will help to save fuel.
Reduce idling time
In vehicles with the Start-Stop system idling is
automatically reduced. In vehicles without
the Start-Stop system it is worth switching off
the engine, for example, at level crossings
and at traffic lights that remain red for long
periods of time. When an engine has reached
operating temperature, and depending on the cylinder capacity, keeping it switched off
for a minimum of about 5 seconds alr
eady
saves more than the amount of fuel necessa-
ry for restarting.
The engine takes a long time to warm up
when it is idling. Mechanical wear and pollu-
tant emissions are also especially high during
this initial warm-up phase. It is therefore best
to drive off immediately after starting the en-
gine. Avoid running the engine at high speed.
Regular maintenance
Regular servicing helps in saving fuel even
before the engine is started. A well-serviced
engine gives you the benefit of improved fuel
efficiency as well as maximum reliability and
an enhanced resale value. A badly serviced
engine can consume up to 10% more fuel
than necessary.
Avoid short journeys
The engine and catalytic converter need to
reach their optimal operating temperature
in order to minimise fuel consumption and
emissions.
A cold engine consumes a disproportionate
amount of fuel. The engine reaches its work-
ing temperature after about four kilometres
(2.5 miles), when fuel consumption will return
to a normal level. »
239

Driver assistance systems
Emergency brake assistance
syst em (Fr
ont Assist)*
Introduction The objective of the system is to prevent
head-on collisions against ob
jects that may
be in the v

ehicle’s path or minimise the con-
sequences of such impacts.
The function is designed to avoid collisions
against: