SEAT Exeo ST

Expert Rating:

What is it?

SEAT is carving out a good reputation as VW Group's 'youth brand' by cannily borrowing from its parent company's catalogue of quality cars and transforming them into something uniquely sporty and visually arresting - taking the Mk V Golf and making it the Leon, for example. Well, the Spanish maker decided it needed a model to mix it up in a fleet market dominated by contenders as varied as the Ford Mondeo, Vauxhall Insignia, Mazda6, BMW 3 Series and Lexus IS - all very good cars, but each with a very different appeal and price.

So SEAT decided to be all things to all people - but it needed to do so on a tight budget. The solution was to take a proven high quality car and essentially re-badge it, tweaking it only very slightly, but crucially selling it at a bargain price. So, the Exeo ST is basically a last-generation Audi A4 Avant, priced massively lower and given a dynamic massage to make it feel more Spanish. It's got to be good then, right?

Is it any good?

It is indeed. It's very easy to criticise the Spanish maker for not making more of the re-work from A4 to Exeo, but, really, there's very little wrong with the donor car, and SEAT simply couldn't justify the massive costs involved in a full-scale redesign.

What it has done, however, is tinkered with the suspension so it drives with a little more flair, thrown in a few extra pieces of kit and dropped the price - which makes it a very tempting prospect indeed. Of course, none of that will really matter if it drives like a pig, but thankfully assigning another cook to this particular car hasn't spoiled the broth: SEAT has arguably improved the donor car.

The Exeo ST is more a 'lifestyle estate' than a big old load-lugger, with cargo space notably smaller than rivals like the Mondeo Estate and the new Insignia Sport Tourer - but that means it has a compact, non-bulky shape that lends itself to a feeling of sportiness. It's still fairly practical with a flat loading area and wide boot aperture, as well as a decent amount of cubbyhole space in the cabin - but it's not the car for someone who makes a living hauling fridge-freezers about the place, shall we say. Legroom in the back is tight, too.

Its strength lies in its mix of quality and driver appeal. The cabin is honed using plastics of the very highest grade, and all the switchgear has a positive, properly damped, 'last forever' feel that you just wouldn't find in something similarly priced from Japan. It also has a suspension setup that strikes a very nice balance between being comfortable (be it cracked B-roads or dual carriageways) and transmitting enough feel for the car to be entertaining should you fancy a bit of quick cornering. It's not the last word in sporty dynamism, of course, but it steers with precision and doesn't disappoint when pressed.

Should I call the bank manager?

Why not, because if your bank manager knows a thing or two about motors he'll be impressed when you tell him how much kit and quality you've bought for the money. The range kicks off at £19,240, which will bag you an S model with a strong 141bhp 2.0-litre TDI diesel engine and an equipment roster including 16-inch alloys, Bluetooth, an auxiliary socket for your iPod and, usefully, dual-zone climate control. Even a top of the range SE Lux will cost under £23k, resplendent with leather and electric everything; a German estate similarly equipped would cost many thousands more.

Running costs will be reasonable too. We don't expect you'll have any issues with reliability given its proven underpinnings, and the two diesels on offer - 141bhp and 168bhp versions of the VW Group 2.0-litre TDI unit - are punchy, refined and relatively frugal. The former will be the most popular, and offers 49.6mpg economy and 149g/km CO₂ emissions. There is, as with the saloon, a flagship 2.0-litre TSI running 197bhp, but you're probably best ignoring that one, as tempting as its performance may be. There's an even cheaper 118bhp 2.0-litre TDI on the way later this year too.

Summary

The Exeo ST is a very worthy player in a competitive segment boasting some hugely impressive cars. You'll have to decide if you can live with its familiar looks, as well as the sacrifices it makes in the outright practicality stakes, but if you can, there's so much kit and quality for the money it's difficult not to be impressed. And what it lacks in the visual flair department - both inside and out - it makes up for by being cheap to run, comfortable and dynamically sound. Basically, there's very little wrong with it, so if you like your estates solid and stress free, this could be for you.

Mark Nichol