CNG, or Erdgasantrieb as the Germans call it, is popular in many parts of Europe, especially the South, so VW Group is continuously expanding its range of gas-enabled cars. The latest is the SEAT Arona TGI, revealed days ahead of its Paris Motor Show debut.
Following the 'smaller car, smaller engine' philosophy, the TGI unit powering the Arona is a 1.0-liter three-cylinder, unlike the 1.4 or 1.5-liter you would find in the Leon, Golf or Octavia.
Is it enough? Just barely, as the 90 horsepower and 160 Nm (118 lb-ft) of torque produced, the Arona TGI gets to 100 kph in 12.8 seconds and has a top speed of 172 kph (107 mph).
We're not saying that SEAT should use a bigger engine, but an optional DSG option would have been a bad idea, considering engines running on CNG are somewhat easy to stall.
As far as we know, the same unit can also be found on the Ibiza and Polo, likely to be added to the T-Cross as well. Th Arona TGI will be available in the Reference, Style, Xcellence and FR trim levels
Due to its chemical composition, natural gas as a fuel reduces CO2 emissions if it comes from fossil sources. However, if it is produced sustainably, for instance as biomethane from agricultural waste, then looked at from well-to-wheel it really can be considered a green form of transportation.
The Arona TGI has three individual CNG tanks located under the redesigned rear floor. Alone, they give it a range of up to 400 km (249 miles). Once that runs out, the car also has another 160 km (100 miles) to go on regular gasoline.
As we've said, the cold isn't good for CNG engines, so the 1-liter unit automatically stars up on gasoline if the temperature is below -10C. The use of fuel is controlled by gas pressure sensors and electronic pressure regulator. It's little things like these that make factory-installed and developed systems safer.
Is it enough? Just barely, as the 90 horsepower and 160 Nm (118 lb-ft) of torque produced, the Arona TGI gets to 100 kph in 12.8 seconds and has a top speed of 172 kph (107 mph).
We're not saying that SEAT should use a bigger engine, but an optional DSG option would have been a bad idea, considering engines running on CNG are somewhat easy to stall.
As far as we know, the same unit can also be found on the Ibiza and Polo, likely to be added to the T-Cross as well. Th Arona TGI will be available in the Reference, Style, Xcellence and FR trim levels
Due to its chemical composition, natural gas as a fuel reduces CO2 emissions if it comes from fossil sources. However, if it is produced sustainably, for instance as biomethane from agricultural waste, then looked at from well-to-wheel it really can be considered a green form of transportation.
The Arona TGI has three individual CNG tanks located under the redesigned rear floor. Alone, they give it a range of up to 400 km (249 miles). Once that runs out, the car also has another 160 km (100 miles) to go on regular gasoline.
As we've said, the cold isn't good for CNG engines, so the 1-liter unit automatically stars up on gasoline if the temperature is below -10C. The use of fuel is controlled by gas pressure sensors and electronic pressure regulator. It's little things like these that make factory-installed and developed systems safer.