SEAT Exeo

If SEAT prices its new saloon competitively, it could appeal to those wanting a premium model for mainstream money. But with the old A4’s body, interior and chassis, the Exeo faces a tough battle to stand on its own feet. Although the previous A4 was a good car, we’re not entirely convinced that slightly reworked styling and new engines can stop this looking like an old German who has retired to Spain.

It’s the new SEAT that’s not really new. Or even a SEAT! This is the Exeo, which hits UK showrooms in April, and is a reworked version of Audi’s previous-generation A4.

The Spanish firm sees the car as its quickest route into the Ford Mondeo market – developing a totally new model would simply have taken too long, it claims. Prices should start at around £17,000, and by offering what was, in Audi guise, an excellent compact executive model, SEAT hopes the Exeo will be a sporty alternative to the likes of the Honda Accord. The maker has wasted no time in getting to grips with the challenge. All the A4’s tooling has been moved from Germany to SEAT’s Barcelona plant, and production has begun.

The shape has been given an Ibiza-style makeover. There’s a reworked grille and new lights front and rear, but when viewed in profile, the Exeo appears virtually identical to the A4.

It’s a similar story inside, where the dashboard is from the A4 Cabriolet. That means you get a neat layout and an upmarket feel, although it’s not quite up to the standards of the latest A4. Chassis changes are limited to revisions of the damper, spring and roll bar settings. But the Exeo does get the latest VW Group engines: a 2.0T FSI petrol and, for the first time in a SEAT, the new common-rail 2.0 TDI diesel.
Four trims will be offered in the UK: S, SE, Sport and a luxury model. And an A4 Avant-based estate, called the Sport Tourer, will follow later in 2009.

Unsurprisingly, the new car feels like the old A4 on the road. It lacks the sharper, more refined manners of the latest Audi, but it still handles well and has decent steering feedback. However, Sport models have stiffer suspension, and are rather uncomfortable as a result.
In the rear, tight legroom and a 460-litre boot means the Exeo can’t compete with the Mondeo for practicality. But with its new engines and premium quality, it might tempt drivers who don’t rate space as a priority.