Seat ExeoSeat is a manufacturer whose marketing types love to talk of ‘emotion’. So when they launch a new car such as the Exeo, the wordage has much along the lines of: “we dared to push our own boundaries………whilst remaining true to the essence of Auto Emoción.”The new car is in fact a reworked Audi A4 (Seat and Audi being two units of the VAG empire), and there are many happy owners of that German machine who would say it was a pretty good place from which to start. It’s actually quite rare for a manufacturer to admit that its car has not been the result of years of planning in their own works, but such is the cachet associated with the Audi brand that Seat are quite open about their Exeo’s debt to it. The Spanish company has of course put its own slant on the vehicle, and though it may not be the sort of thing to turn heads in the high street, it’s nonetheless a capable and enjoyable machine.Available as saloon or Sport Tourer (estate), the Exeo is a Mondeo competitor, though the Ford is some 18cm longer. Power is from a choice of three diesels or one petrol engine, all of which are of 2-litre capacity. The petrol engine is VAG’s high performing device that scales the magic 100PS per litre barrier, and with a 0-60 time close to 7 seconds and top speed of 150mph, this is very much a car for those who are prepared to pay for performance, and don’t mind the firm ride that’s dished up with the Sport suspension package – standard fitment on this and a couple of the other Exeos.The bulk of sales will be concentrated on the diesels, and these are all typical of the Volkswagen group common rail diesels, which means they’re good. On the motorway if you’re aware of any unwanted noise it’s probably from the tyres, for the engine is all but inaudible at that speed. Ride of the standard models is an excellent compromise that allows for refined, comfortable travel with handling that’s more than up to any behaviour that our crowded roads will allow. Standard transmission is an easy-to-operate 6-speed manual box, and the whole driving experience is pretty easy, though the shallowness of the side windows – seemingly a current obsession in most parts of the marketplace – doesn’t help the visibility.Interior of the Exeo is typical Seat, and typical Volkswagen, which is to say majoring on the dark grey with odd bits of silvered finishing to lighten the load. Up front the cabin is roomy and comfortable, and it would have been in the back too had the designers left more room for legs. How you view the leg room/luggage conundrum will depend on whether your usual needs are for cavernous luggage space that will easily cope with regular trips to B&Q, or are more concerned with keeping long-legged teenagers happy in the rear seat. The Exeo, in both saloon and estate formats, is certainly skewed towards the former. Having said which, the boot is not only big – 460 litres for the saloon, and 442/1354 for the Sport Tourer – but wonderfully straight sided to make the loading easy. There’s a slight slope up when the rear seats are folded, as only the back rest (not the seat cushion) moves, but otherwise it’s brilliant.The Exeo is Seat’s first ‘upper medium’ sized car, and with the UK recently showing itself to be the company’s largest export market, sales are likely to be significant if not exactly enough to challenge the Mondeo. For most of last year Seat gained record market shares here; they achieved an average 1.5%, and to put this in perspective it’s above that of Land Rover and Suzuki, and not far off Volvo. The start of 2010 has seen them do even better.When you glance at the Exeo prices, they look on the high side. But if you applied them to an Audi A4 you’d probably reckon you were getting a lot of car for the money; such is our sense of values in the automotive arena. The understated nature of the design means the Exeo doesn’t shout its qualities loudly, as to most eyes does a Beemer or an Audi, but take a test drive and you’ll most likely end up agreeing with Seat’s own line about the Exeo: “lowering emissions, not emotions”.Size: 4.66m x 1.77mEngines: Petrol: 2.0 litres – 200PSDiesel: 2.0 litres – 120, 143 & 170PSGearbox: 6-speed manual FWDBest Consumption: 120 & 143PS diesels – 53.3mpgPrice at Jan ’10: £18,155 to £23,555Full details of the Exeo range available on the manufacturer’s website: www.seat.co.ukPeter CracknellJanuary 2010
Seat Exeo
Seat is a manufacturer whose marketing types love to
talk of ‘emotion’. So when they launch a new car such
as the Exeo, the wordage has much along the lines
of: “we dared to push our own
boundaries………whilst remaining true to the
essence of Auto Emoción.”
The new car is in fact a reworked Audi A4 (Seat and
Audi being two units of the VAG empire), and there
are many happy owners of that German machine who
would say it was a pretty good place from which to
start. It’s actually quite rare for a manufacturer to
admit that its car has not been the result of years of
planning in their own works, but such is the cachet
associated with the Audi
brand that Seat are quite
open about their Exeo’s
debt to it. The Spanish
company has of course
put its own slant on the
vehicle, and though it
may not be the sort of
thing to turn heads in the
high street, it’s
nonetheless a capable
and enjoyable machine.
Available as saloon or
Sport Tourer (estate), the
Exeo is a Mondeo
competitor, though the
Ford is some 18cm
longer. Power is from a
choice of three diesels or
one petrol engine, all of
which are of 2-litre capacity. The petrol engine is
VAG’s high performing device that scales the magic
100PS per litre barrier, and with a 0-60 time close to
7 seconds and top speed of 150mph, this is very
much a car for those who are prepared to pay for
performance, and don’t mind the firm ride that’s
dished up with the Sport suspension package –
standard fitment on this and a couple of the other
Exeos.
The bulk of sales will be concentrated on the diesels,
and these are all typical of the Volkswagen group
common rail diesels, which means they’re good. On
the motorway if you’re aware of any unwanted noise
it’s probably from the tyres, for the engine is all but
inaudible at that speed. Ride of the standard models
is an excellent compromise that allows for refined,
comfortable travel with handling that’s more than up
to any behaviour that our crowded roads will allow.
Standard transmission is an easy-to-operate 6-speed
manual box, and the whole driving experience is
pretty easy, though the shallowness of the side
windows – seemingly a current obsession in most
parts of the marketplace – doesn’t help the visibility.
Interior of the Exeo is typical Seat, and typical
Volkswagen, which is to say majoring on the dark
grey with odd bits of silvered finishing to lighten the
load. Up front the cabin is roomy and comfortable,
and it would have been in the back too had the
designers left more room for legs. How you view the
leg room/luggage conundrum will depend on whether
your usual needs are for cavernous luggage space
that will easily cope with regular trips to B&Q, or are
more concerned with keeping long-legged teenagers
happy in the rear seat. The Exeo, in both saloon and
estate formats, is certainly skewed towards the former.
Having said which, the boot is not only big – 460 litres
for the saloon, and 442/1354 for the Sport Tourer – but
wonderfully straight sided to make the loading easy.
There’s a slight slope up when the rear seats are
folded, as only the back rest (not the seat cushion)
moves, but otherwise
it’s brilliant.
The Exeo is Seat’s first
‘upper medium’ sized
car, and with the UK
recently showing itself
to be the company’s
largest export market,
sales are likely to be
significant if not exactly
enough to challenge the
Mondeo. For most of
last year Seat gained
record market shares
here; they achieved an
average 1.5%, and to
put this in perspective
it’s above that of Land
Rover and Suzuki, and
not far off Volvo. The
start of 2010 has seen
them do even better.
When you glance at the Exeo prices, they look on the
high side. But if you applied them to an Audi A4 you’d
probably reckon you were getting a lot of car for the
money; such is our sense of values in the automotive
arena. The understated nature of the design means
the Exeo doesn’t shout its qualities loudly, as to most
eyes does a Beemer or an Audi, but take a test drive
and you’ll most likely end up agreeing with Seat’s own
line about the Exeo: “lowering emissions, not
emotions”.
Size:
4.66m x 1.77m
Engines:
Petrol: 2.0 litres – 200PS
Diesel: 2.0 litres – 120, 143 & 170PS
Gearbox:
6-speed manual FWD
Best Consumption:
120 & 143PS diesels – 53.3mpg
Price at Jan ’10:
£18,155 to £23,555
Full details of the Exeo range available on the
manufacturer’s website: www.seat.co.uk
Peter Cracknell
January 2010
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