There are times when things are done wrong and too late, while other times they are simply done at the most inopportune time. It’s also possible for something to happen that seems to be working well. Of these options we can say that the last two are the ones that happened SEAT with the Exeo, this sedan that deviated from the company’s traditional line and hit the streets in 2009.
He SEAT Exeo It was an underrated model. Introduced in 2008 and launched a year later, 23,108 units were sold in 2010, but only 6,500 were registered when it was removed from the catalog. A notable decline that is undoubtedly due to the rise of SUVs, but also to the fact that commercial life began at the same time as a particularly severe economic crisis that lasted several years and which mainly affected Spanish families. However, there was another reason why the Exeo was removed from the catalog and which was seen on forums and social networks: it was based on the Audi A4 B7 – the Redesign of the B6, although the brand considers it a different generation – with the interior of the Audi A4 Cabrio, but many people saw this move with very bad eyes.
It is a very remarkable situation. While other VAG brands are taking similar steps and everyone welcomes them or at least accepts this approach, in the case of the SEAT Exeo there were many people who harshly criticized it and accused it of being a “simple copy” of the Audi A4. In reality, however, it was not a copy, because although the Exeo was clearly an Audi A4, the Martorell engineers gave it their own specifications and settings.
The SEAT Exeo range has always shown a “premium image” trend, that is, it has abandoned lower-power engines and opted for engines with performance. Although there was a rickety 1.6 naturally aspirated petrol engine with 102 hp and two 120 hp options – petrol and diesel – all others were above the 143 hp of the 2.0 TDI, which was also offered in the Exeo. The most powerful was the 2.0 TSI block with 210 hp, but the most interesting, or at least one of the most balanced, was undoubtedly the SEAT Exeo 1.8 TSI with 160 hp. This engine was introduced in 2010 to replace the legendary 1.8 20vt, which was mounted in the sedan in the 150 hp version.
The price of the SEAT Exeo 1.8 TSI 160 HP started in 2010 at 26,450 euros, a high price but no more than its direct competitors. Furthermore, it wasn’t a slow car, with a top speed of 225 km/h and an acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.6 seconds.
