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SEAT EXEO SPORT – Espresso in an Instant World
We are all told that recycling is the best thing we can do now days and that re-using items again rather than throwing them away has got to be good for our planet.
Well that’s exactly what the Volkswagen Group has done with their old Audi A4, they’ve given it to SEAT, who have re-badged it, re-engineered it, re-named it, and they moved the entire production line from Germany to Spain to build it and they have put it back on the shelf for sale.
So a bit of lateral thinking has definitely came into play here (how refreshing) giving SEAT a much needed new flagship car for its range lifting SEAT into the upper medium sector at a stroke.
The fact that the Volkswagen Group re-launched the car with its new identity, is maybe indicative of what a good car the old A4 was and what a good car it still is, but it might also be that its Customers still loved it, and frankly, even despite its age, because of the constant improvements made to the A4 over its life with Audi, it was still up there with its competitors even at the end of its production run and add to that, the re-engineering by SEAT and this is now a car that stands up well alongside any of the competition in its price bracket.
By coincidence, SEAT loaned us an Exeo Sport at the same time as we also had a new Vauxhall Insignia on test, which we all know, was voted “European Car of the Year” for 2009, so with that in mind, we thought comparing the two cars, we probably had the toughest benchmark to judge the SEAT by, and indeed maybe you would think its a little unfair to compare the Exeo with the car that has won such an award and is by virtue of that, theoretically state of the art at the moment. Well, it’s going to surprise you, but both of us that tested the two cars back to back, unanimously preferred the Seat Exeo.
Now I don’t know whether that’s a leg up for the SEAT, or a kick in the mouth for the Vauxhall, but we both simply enjoyed driving and living with the SEAT on a day to day basis more than we did Vauxhall’s award winning Insignia.
That said, we are not saying we are right or that everyone would feel that way, its just an opinion, but it does give an indication that if anyone could prefer the SEAT Exeo, its clearly still a viable product even in today’s market place, against today’s most modern cars. Anyway, this review is only about the SEAT Exeo, so we will get back on track and tell you why we liked this executive bargain so much.
So what’s different, well SEAT say that around 30% of the components that are used in the Exeo are different to the old Audi A4 and we will start with the obvious bits and that’s the bodywork.
We all know what the previous model Audi A4 looks like, and in side view, the SEAT Exeo, looks just the same as the old A4 (and that’s very nice) and our car being a Sport version had the big 18” wheels that filled the arches nicely, making this Exeo look like it deserved the “Sport” name and the dark tinted privacy glass just reinforced that.
The main changes to the bodywork come at the front and rear, where SEAT engineers, I would imagine spent around 20 minutes in some tapas bar drawing their ideas on the back of a fag packet, basically they’ve stuck a SEAT grille on the front, and at the back end, found a home for the number plate on the bumper, allowing them to remodel the boot lid and give the SEAT & Exeo badges somewhere to live. Whilst neither of these changes are unpleasant, and I am not for one moment saying they don’t work, its really kind of odd looking at the car, as its not how you expect it to be and it’s sort of like meeting up with a grey haired mate you only saw a week ago, to find he’s had his hair dyed jet black, its not awful, its just different.
So what’s it like to live with and what’s it like to drive? Well I had been driving “another car” (which will be nameless) and just getting into the SEAT it was like having a cup of Espresso, compared to an instant Nescafe, both fine in their own way, but the Espresso just tasted so much better and it seemed that a higher quality bean had been used to make it and that’s obvious, the moment you open the door.
The dashboard comes straight from the A4 Cabriolet and oozes quality with everything delicately placed and made of such nice materials and nothing rattled, or wiggled, or was difficult to figure out. The fit and finish was superb and things like the grab handles on the headlining were all beautifully dampened and even just closing the cars door sounded nice. Everything seemed in the place it was meant to be, it was so intuitive and as such, we felt at home immediately.
Sitting in the car is without doubt a nice place to be and the quality of the materials and fabrics used is excellent. The seating is comfortable and as our car had the sports seats, you really felt at one with the car.
Specification wise, our car had as standard, a really good, easy to use voice controlled Bluetooth phone system, dual zone climate control, electrically heated mirrors, cruise control, MP3 compatible CD player and both auxiliary inputs and a USB port, get you home lights, rain sensing wipers, plus stacks more.
Safety isn’t neglected either and whilst the SEAT Exeo hasn’t been crash tested by NCAP yet, the old A4, achieved 4 stars back in 2001 and SEAT have re-engineered the car to even a higher standard with a huge range of additional safety features including seven air bags, Isofix child seat anchor points and the rear seats also benefit from a top tether system to prevent child seats from spinning in the event of an accident. Amongst the other get you home alive kit you get an electronic stability programme, electronic brake assist, and active front headrests to prevent whiplash. SEAT consistently gains high scores in NCAP testing with both the Altea and the Leon achieving the top scores from NCAP and so I expect the Exeo to be following down that same road.
Currently, the Exeo is only available with a six speed manual box, however a multitronic type transmission is promised at some point.
Engines are new and are the latest that the VW Group has to offer and including two 2.0-Litre Diesel units, one a 143ps and the other a 170ps. Both the diesels return excellent mpg, with as much as 51.4mpg possible from the smaller 143ps engine. There is also be a 2.0-litre 200ps TSI petrol alternative which does the 0-62 sprint in just 7.3 seconds and almost touches 150mph, but it’s expected only around 10% of UK buyers will opt for that. CO2 figures are good also, ranging from 143 for the 143ps, 153 for the 170ps and 179 for the 200ps petrol.
Our test car had the 143ps diesel and we would be happy to own the car with that engine. Yes diesels are noisier than petrol units but this was well acceptable, feeling much less agricultural than the units in some other “state of the art” cars we have driven. As for performance, we asked a number of other people to try the car and they were all surprised when we told them it was the 143ps unit, as everyone had imagined it was the 170ps and that’s quite some compliment.
The Exeo enjoys a sophisticated chassis with four-link front suspension which has also been re-worked with modified springs, dampers and anti-roll bars and gives the buyer the option of either standard, or sports settings. The Exeo has ‘Servotronic’ power steering which is speed sensitive and the software has been re-written to improve it even further, adding some real weight to the steering, making the driver feel involved and really assured.
So I guess its time to sum this car up.
Well for us, we though the SEAT Exeo seemed like an old friend that we liked and trusted and in this case, still held as much warmth for as we did in its previous incarnation. We loved the car for its honesty, for the way it was built and the way it drove. We loved the quality feel about everything we asked it to do and our benchmark is “would we be happy to drive it for 3 years” and it’s passed that test with flying colours.
That said, we are a funny lot when it comes to choosing a car, and for many of us, it’s nothing to do with common sense or logic, as we often let our heart starts making decisions for the heads. That’s bad enough, but if you then chuck in a little ‘status’, mix that with some ‘brand snobbery’ what results is what we see everyday in this industry, and that’s drivers choosing a car that’s really not the best or even the best value and are often, very fed up with after just a few months.
There is no point in hiding the Exeo’s pedigree, because it is what it is but I tell you what, it’s all the better for that. SEAT have taken a well sorted desirable car and made it even more so. They’ve improved on something that was already very good and have then loaded it with bits and are offering it at a bargain basement price.
In the ‘S’ version with the 143ps diesel, on the road price is just £18240 and to give some indication what good value this is, comparing it with the basic model of the new Audi A4 with the same engine, the SEAT is £5,182 cheaper. Top of the range, is the highly specified Exeo 170ps SE Lux which tips the scales at £21,940 on the road and that’s also a mega bargain and of interest, the new Exeo, holds higher second hand or ‘residual value’ than most of its major mainstream competitors.
The SEAT Exeo is going to go head to head with serious competition from with cars such as Mondeo, Laguna, Insignia, C5 & Avensis, to mention just a few and how it will fair, may come down simply to the choice of badge, but for those of you that know a deal when you see one and quietly like a bit of quality in their lives, well SEAT clearly has the car that will tick those boxes.
For a quotation on the new SEAT Exeo, or any other SEAT, please contact us. |
