Seat Exeo (Audi A4) road test

L-M

First of the official road test pics I've seen, I'd buy one.

http://www.channel4.com/4car/gl/seat/exeo/27020/

EPM

Limerick man wrote: »

First of the official road test pics I've seen, I'd buy one.

Tut tut! This was soooooo yesterday:p

http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/RoadTestsHistory/Seat-Exeo-2.0-TDI-143-Sport/239815/

I think the 120 brake diesel when it arrives will kepp the farmers happy:D

Actually I'd probably buy one too...

Harcrid

You can really see the A4 likeness in it, especially the back. Very nice looking car though and I one I would not be ashamed to be seen in.

EPM

I wonder will they do an FR or Cupra version

CoDy1

Nice but a pretty blatent copy all the same..

The Real B-man

Id rather this over a A4 or Passat!

Look at the interior! :P

Biro

Ya, the interior is off the A4 convertable, so it's nicer than the standard A4 one. And the new 120bhp engine would be a lot more refined than the old 1.9 engine, therefore you could get an A4 with a better engine brand new (called a Seat) for the same money than an A4 with a worse engine and in used condition with 4 rings in front.
We already know that smart people will buy the Seat version, but the question is the pricing... That will dictate to how old an A4 you can compare with it!

Cookie_Monster

I thought it'll be dalayed till Sept or so over here so no buying one anytime soon:(

Dutch prices (was over there recently and saw advertising, no idea of exact specs relating to below)

1.6 bog standard 24k
2l petrol 32k
2l d 140 32k
2l d 170 35k

Or similar. If they are close to that when come out here would be nice but not going to hold my breath. UK prices are reasonable too.

Biro

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

I thought it'll be dalayed till Sept or so over here so no buying one anytime soon:(

Dutch prices (was over there recently and saw advertising, no idea of exact specs relating to below)

1.6 bog standard 24k
2l petrol 32k
2l d 140 32k
2l d 170 35k

Or similar. If they are close to that when come out here would be nice but not going to hold my breath. UK prices are reasonable too.

Looks steep enough to be honest. How do Dutch prices normally compare to Irish ones?

EPM

For it to do well you'll need an entry diesel at the 25k mark.

35k is a bit much for something that will more than likely sink in value no matter how good the engine is

TomMc

Looks like a good enough package (price dependent of course) even if the front grille and badging looks like the afterthought which of course it was. Like an aftermarket conversion kit.

I'd say a lot of A4 owners will not be too happy to see this on the roads. Using the same underpinnings is one thing but when they wear the same party frock that is a bit much. Another typical move by VAG to more homogeneous cars albeit with a greater share of the market. Will definitely hurt Audi with some of their aspirational clients, switching to rival premium marques.

Cookie_Monster

Biro wrote: »

Looks steep enough to be honest. How do Dutch prices normally compare to Irish ones?

No idea, jsut thought i'd throw it out there:)

pburns

TomMc wrote: »

Another typical move by VAG to more homogeneous cars albeit with a greater share of the market.

What do you mean 'more homogeneous cars '?

Audi is a premium brand that offers unique and bespoke engineering solutions that are substantially different to other VAG products!!!!:mad:

What do you think they do to justify their higher prices?!? - just slap on slightly better dashboard plastics and a 4-ring badge????:D;)

Cookie_Monster

pburns wrote: »

What do you think they do to justify their higher prices?!? - just slap on slightly better dashboard plastics and a 4-ring badge????:D;)

Nowadays, Yes:P

Berty

Fupping backstards. I said it before and I will say it again.

As soon as the dealerships start sh*tting these out I will have to change my Audi A4.

FearDark

Cookie_Monster

Berty wrote: »

Fupping backstards. I said it before and I will say it again.

As soon as the dealerships start sh*tting these out I will have to change my Audi A4.

Why, does brand image mean more to you than the car itself?

Zube

Berty wrote: »

As soon as the dealerships start sh*tting these out I will have to change my Audi A4 an excuse for a new car!

Fixed that for you

L-M

@Feardark, I actually thought that was an Audi Estate... Yup, there is no way I'd buy an A4 over this. I sat into a 06 A4 diesel and it had windy windows in the back. I don't care what anyone says, who ever bought that car, bought it for the badge only.

.Longshanks.

Limerick man wrote: »

@Feardark, I actually thought that was an Audi Estate... Yup, there is no way I'd buy an A4 over this. I sat into a 06 A4 diesel and it had windy windows in the back. I don't care what anyone says, who ever bought that car, bought it for the badge only.

Me too!

Berty

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Why, does brand image mean more to you than the car itself?

Not brand image but the brand is important to me.

tossy

So who will be the first one to buy a diesel one change the front end for A4 parts and badge is as an RS4

or...

Buy a B7 RS4 and change all the panels for seat exeo panels,now that would be fun.

road_high

Great to see SEAT get back to what they do best. Honest to goodness value saloons from the VAG parts bin. They went a bit off the wall there the last few years with that rubbish Toledo MPV thing (that you never see because nobody bought them). This should sell much better.

FearDark

Its crazy how alike that Exeo estate and an A4 are. Always loved estate versions of Audi's, the only other company who make nice estates are BMW and they are something specail.

Do-more

Saw the saloon on the road in Spain two weeks ago and wasn't impressed, looks a lot better in photos.

Entry level TDI lists at €25k in Spain so its never going to happen here....

Spanish price list .pdf

PauloMN

Poor value for money imo given that it's a old model A4 with a nasty front and back tacked on. A 2 or 3 year old real A4 would be a better buy in the long run as the Seat would drop like a stone in value.

The Seat would only make sense 2nd hand, problem is by then the shape will be very old.

HashSlinging

The A4 was always just a boring rep mobile totally faceless I think you get a free A4 with a management job in ALDI, that says it all really.

I'll reserve judgment until I actually see it on the road.

What interests me more is that the new 1.6 CR TDi is going into the Ibiza, should also be a huge seller, and fairly nippy with 250nm of Torque.

HashSlinging

Do-more wrote: »

Saw the saloon on the road in Spain two weeks ago and wasn't impressed, looks a lot better in photos.

Entry level TDI lists at €25k in Spain so its never going to happen here....

[

25k for the 140bhp CR TDi heres a car that retails here for way over 40k with the same engine...that one has the fairy lights also..

Maybe people might get swayed by the fact that the latest and greatest A4 isnt that great and isnt that much of a leap forward over the old one.. oh and that the irish economy is in freefall.

The smart money will be all over the exeo.

L-M

HashSlinging wrote: »

Maybe people might get swayed buy the fact that the latest and greatest A4 isnt that great

Everything aside, the new A4 is a horrible looking car. I wouldn't buy one, not simply for the above reasons, but it actually looks rotten. Wasn't designed well IMO, and I was a big fan of A4's.

PauloMN

HashSlinging wrote: »

25k for the 140bhp CR TDi heres a car that retails here for way over 40k with the same engine...that one has the fairy lights also..

Maybe people might get swayed buy the fact that the latest and greatest A4 isnt that great and isnt that much of a leap forward over the old one.. oh and that the irish economy is in freefall.

The smart money will be all over the exeo.

25k in Spain <> 25k in Ireland

Also I fail to see how you can compare two cars that are not the same. If Seat do well with it, fair play to them - Daewoo did it with old GMs, don't see why another budget marque shouldn't take an old model and dress it up (down) in a similar fashion.

As for smart money - smart money is never on new cars. Smart money is never on cars at all tbh, but you lose less in the long run by buying a decent 2nd hand car, not a new model Seat which is actually an old car.

Zonda999

PauloMN wrote: »

Also I fail to see how you can compare two cars that are not the same. If Seat do well with it, fair play to them - Daewoo did it with old GMs, don't see why another budget marque shouldn't take an old model and dress it up (down) in a similar fashion.

Shudders.....

I really think it all comes down to pricing because despite the Irish mentality of buying cars, i would suspect people would be able to see that a modern passat or a superb would be a far superior car. However, if the Exeo can undercut, i reckon it stands a chance against the major players in the class

HashSlinging

Never said the car was going to be 25k here, just highlighting the fact that a car with the same engine retails here for 45k, maybe not like for like but its the exact same engine..no matter how much its dressed down.

Fleet managers will be fairly impressed, its a bargain for sales reps.

PauloMN

HashSlinging wrote: »

Never said the car was going to be 25k here, just highlighting the fact that a car with the same engine retails here for 45k, maybe not like for like but its the exact same engine..no matter how much its dressed down.

Fleet managers will be fairly impressed, its a bargain for sales reps.

But what's new there?
http://www.carzone.ie/new-cars/Skoda/Octavia/2.0-TDI-AMBIENTE/54895220081201/

Different cars for different markets. Maybe the Seat will do well, I just don't think personally that it would represent good value for a private buyer when compared with a 2 or 3 year old 2.0 TDi B7. The Seat will be probably over €30k after VRT is applied.

HashSlinging

if its 30k then your right they have lost it, I'm not a fan of this car I actually hate what they are doing. reason I liked other models is because they are pushing car design (albeit not to everyone's liking) and they give you more bang for buck.

I hope the brand dosent go the rover route, and VW do something good with SEAT. Sticking the 1.6 TDi in the ibiza is the right route.

Berty

HashSlinging wrote: »

The A4 was always just a boring rep mobile totally faceless I think you get a free A4 with a management job in ALDI, that says it all really.

Ah but the Aldi/Lidl A4 is the horrible estate version.

Then again Im a rep and driving an A4 but in my defence I am driving an S-line and when it came to the B7 model the S-line and the entry level were very different.