SEAT Exeo 2.0 TDI CR 143 PS SE road test
Fellow VW Group manufacturer Audi provided a sound base for the latest Spanish model, enabling SEAT to take its first steps into the family car market. It’s feasible however that buying a second-hand Audi A4, the car on which the Exeo is based, would be a better proposition.
There are three turbocharged engines – one 2.0-litre petrol plus 141bhp and 167bhp 2.0 turbodiesels – with a third oil-burner coming by the end of the year. The 143bhp 2.0-litre TD is likely to be the big seller, and it achieves 0-62mph in a respectable 9.2 seconds, going on to reach a top speed of 133mph. Fuel returns on the combined cycle hover at around 50mpg across the range, except for the Sport, which comes in at 36.7mpg. All variants have a standard six-speed manual transmission and are front-wheel drive.
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There are four saloon trims comprising S, SE, Sport and SE Lux, of which the SE is expected to be the big seller, and an estate variant arrives next month (July 09). Fleet sales are expected to account for 70 per cent of sales, and the SE comes in at 19 per cent BIK. Prices range from £17,740 for the S to £21,340 for the SE Lux. Apart from the mystery buzz coming from somewhere in the dash of both models I drove – the SE and the Sport ¬– the overall package was impressive. The interior’s on the verge of being an office-cum-living room on wheels, as it provides an MP3-compatible CD stereo, integrated Bluetooth, aux-in connection, steering wheel-mounted stereo and phone controls, eight speakers and even a USB port. Can’t help wondering, though, if SEAT has missed a trick by fitting an FM radio, due for extinction in 2015, rather than a DAB unit. Still, that would have pushed up the price. And really, price is what counts. The Exeo offers the chance to own an Audi-quality machine without the premium tag. Indeed, that’s possibly the source of its only major flaw, too. For more or less the same money, you could enjoy the prestige of the four-ringed badge by buying a year-old A4 rather than one of these. Still, the SEAT has a more funky image in its favour.
Read the full SEAT Exeo 2.0 TDI CR 142 PS SE road test
RoadTestReports.co.uk provides road tests reports written by members of the Guild of Motoring Writers. These reports are complemented by car reviews submitted by the members of the public who drive the vehicles day in day out.
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