Used Seat Exeo 2009-2013 review

Although the Exeo is clearly very closely related to the old A4 (Seat calculates that 70 percent of the components are shared), there are clear mechanical differences. The most notable is the 2.0 TDI engine, a common-rail unit used across the VW Group brands but never found in the old A4, which instead employed pumpe düse technology. As in its other applications, this 2.0-litre diesel impresses with its refinement and linearity of torque delivery.

This is an engine that will dish out traditional turbodiesel-style whoosh if you so desire, but it doesn’t need to be driven that way. Such is the spread of torque and precision of accelerator response that it is easy to access just the right amount of propulsion. All out, 0-60mph takes 9.1sec and the real-world measure of 30-70mph is dispatched in 8.8sec. In both respects this is quicker than the figures we recorded for the current A4 2.0 TDI with the same engine.

The gearchange quality is an area where the Exeo tops the current offering from Audi

Vicky Parrott

Deputy reviews editor

This is partly explained by the Exeo’s 80kg weight advantage, but also some cannily chosen gear ratios. First through fourth are broadly in line with the Audi’s, giving keen performance, while fifth and sixth are markedly taller for quieter cruising and better fuel economy.

The gearchange quality is another area where the Exeo tops the current offering from Audi; the movement is precise and pleasantly mechanical, but smooth-shifting and ideally weighted. It’s disappointing, then, that on one of the two Exeos we sampled the clutch produced an occasional vibration as the plates engaged, particularly in reverse.

All Exeos get disc brakes all round, complete with ABS, EBD, and EBA. Disc sizes vary with model, rising to 320mm/288mm for the 2.0 TSI, although the smaller units fitted to our 2.0 TDI proved more than up to the job during our measured stops; a dry stopping distance of 45.8m from 70mph is bang on the money for a VW Group car, slightly bettering the Mk6 Golf, if not quite matching the new A4. The Exeo’s performance in our wet tests actually betters its group counterparts. In less extreme use, though, the Seat’s middle pedal impresses less, having inherited the Audi tendency for a period of dead travel followed by an overly sharp initial bite.