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| Road Test SEAT Exeo ST 2.0 TDI CR 170PS Sport |
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by Mike Grundon (23 Nov 09)
I've been driving one with the most powerful of the diesel engine options – a two-litre turbocharged unit turning out 168bhp and 258lb/ft of torque. All that's fed to the front wheels through the standard fit six-speed manual gearbox. Things look good on paper. The car's based on the last version of Audi's A4 Avant. It's good for 139mph and it'll reach 62mph in 8.6 seconds. The official fuel consumption is almost 48mpg too so it's as affordable to run as most. Things look good in the flesh too. A stroll around the car shows it has a reserved look of homely elegance, if you know what I mean. Sort of Charles Dance with an allotment. It's got a smoothly curved bonnet above a wide grille and lights with an agreeably more squared-off profile. The flanks are clean with the most subtle of creases echoing the line along the bottom of the windows and muscular bulges around the wheelarches. The tail lights are elegant, the name-badge is central and the SEAT badge in the middle rocks up to form a handle to open the rear hatch. There's a good-looking double-barrelled exhaust port low on the nearside too. It's all very smooth, understated and self-confident.
Things even look pretty good on the road. This test car is kitted out to Sport level - that's second from the top of the range. Even the base models are relatively well equipped with such things as dual-zone climate control air-conditioning, heated mirrors, power windows all round and good music systems. SE adds leather here and there and things like automatic headlights and wipers, parking sensors, extra speakers, trim upgrades and bigger alloy wheels. The important performance advantages the Sport has over the SE include bigger wheels again (18" diameter now) and firmed-up suspension. On the motorway that suspension is certainly firm but very far from harsh. The steering is well weighted and the engine pulls well. It's a lovely engine in fact; smooth and refined, and it whirs away quietly doing the job. There's genuinely hardly any engine noise. Wind noise at speed is minimal, but there is a bit of a rumble coming up off the black-top. Acceleration isn't enough to spread your eyebrows but it's good enough to make pulling out into motorway traffic and swift lane changes no trouble at all.
Get out into the country roads, stir up the gearbox a bit and the performance is excellent. The suspension holds the car fairly level through the corners and if you're called on to make a swift bunny-avoiding crank on the wheel, the whole thing regains composure instantly. So it looks good and it goes well, but what's it like inside? Well, the sport seats on this model are comfortable and are adjustable for height, rake and reach.. The steering wheel is height- and reach-adjustable too, so getting a comfy driving position is no problem. Looking around, the dash is pretty conventional, laid out in rather boxy format with lots of black plastic. The dials are disappointingly rather dark for easy reading until you switch the lights on. There aren't many cubby holes in easy reach of the front seats and when the driver's armrest is down, the handbrake annoyingly bumps up onto it when you pull it on. You'd need to be confident in your smooth driving too if you've got an open drink in the pop-out cup holders; they dangle your bevvies just above the CD slot.
The transmission tunnel is a bit imposing. For the driver, the footrest on the left is rather cosy with the clutch, while in the back, any unfortunate consigned to the middle seat will be astride it for the duration. While we're in the back, the two main seats are comfortable with adequate head and knee room. An adult middle seat passenger will not only be bandy by the time he gets out, though, he'll also be hunched from trying to avoid polishing his head on the ceiling. Cargo gets a pretty good deal, though. The hatch at the back is big and there's no lip you have to hoik your bags over. The boot is big and square with flat sides, there are anchor points in the floor and side-straps to help you keep your goods from touring the interior. Need a bit more space? The back seats fold almost flat with the simple stab of a single button each. Couldn't be easier. So in conclusion, the Exeo ST is a big, practical, economical family car that's comfy to ride round in and elegant enough to be proud of. You're not going to turn heads in it, but it's a rare beast in that it's a good-looking SEAT. You get plenty of car for your money, and the motoring magi say the residual value of this diesel model should be pretty good too. Comment on this story on Facebook or Twitter. Price: £22,455 |
