Forbidden Fruit: SEAT Exeo

Let’s set up an interesting theoretical scenario. I have about $30,000 in the bank with no foreseeable large expenses coming up. I realize I’d be better off with a new car instead of helping an evil bank. A 2012 Acura TSX 5AT costs $30,695. A similarly equipped 2012 Honda Accord EX-L I4 5AT costs $28,050. I find those prices rather steep, considering a friend bought a new Accord EX-L in 2004 for $22,000. I walk out of the dealers, sad and empty handed, and spend the $30,000 migrating to Canada with a snowmobile.

What if there was a third option? How about if Acura built a car based on the last generation TSX, with updated styling and engines? Acura says it would have the same power and equipment as the new TSX, better ride/handling than the Accord, and would cost $24,550 – 20% off the current TSX. The catch is they won’t recognize it as a Honda or Acura – their marketing department tells them to call it an Aconda. The “what if?” has been answered by Volkswagen in Europe, with a car called the SEAT Exeo.

SEAT (pronounced SAY-acht, like ‘yacht’ without the ‘y’) is a Spanish automaker that came to be fully owned by VW around 1990. In 2009, SEAT introduced the Exeo. A new Audi A4 debuted the same year, so the 2008 model was redesigned for SEAT. The resulting car was fundamentally sound, with distinctive styling. The engines offered are nearly identical to the A4’s – in the UK, both offer a 2.0L turbodiesel with 143PS, coupled to a 6-speed manual. Sure, the SEAT uses slightly more fuel (probably intentionally), but it’s also much cheaper! A base Audi A4 with the 2.0L diesel costs £26,555, while a similarly equipped SEAT Exeo SE is only 80% of the cost, at £21,080. That buys a lot of diesel!

I realize that some people must absolutely have the best and newest. A refreshed car based on an old chassis is a no-go for them, and I understand that. However, for the rest of us, there are a few good reasons to buy old news:

1) Old technology is proven technology

Here, we are not referring to the navigation systems and stability control type of technology. We are talking about the vehicle’s underpinings- suspension, transmissions, frames, etc. This may sound mundane, but sometimes new cars do have new problems. The redesigned 2008 Honda Accord had an issue with a weld that would break, causing incessant rattling. The 1999-2005 BMW 3-series had rear subframes that loved to tear, which caused a safety issue. In the case of the SEAT Exeo, all the potential skeletons have already come out of the closet, thanks to the guinea pigs who bought Audi A4’s from 2005-2008.

2) It’s cheaper!

As previously mentioned the Exeo is 20% off a new Audi A4. However, it is also cheaper than a new VW Passat with the same 2.0L diesel (£22,245) – and the Passat is based on a chassis similar to the Exeo’s. Yes, some readers will point out that you could buy a used A4 cheaper than a new Exeo, with the same features and engines. They’d be right – but they’d still be driving a car that is visibly older, with 60,000 miles compared to my 0 mile, freshly styled Exeo.

3) It’s a sleeper

This can come in handy sometimes. Not everybody is car-savvy, so you have to tread carefully when you’re deciding what car to buy. My neighbor thought that our new-at-the-time 2000 Mercedes ML320 was around $65,000, when in fact we paid the same for it as he did for his Mitsubishi Montero (~$40,000). Yes, I know an Audi A4 2.0T can be had new for ~$30,000 – but does your new boss know that? Does it look good when a 70 year old, Camry-driving boss finds out his 24 year old employee is in an Audi? I would say no – but if I have the money, I don’t want to be stuck driving a crap-box, either. The Exeo fixes that by providing a great car without the pretentious name.

Even if your boss does happen to be car-savvy and knows you got your new Audi on the cheap, you’d still be pissing off the world-famous Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear. He refers to Audi drivers as cocks. Do you want to be known as a cock?

All told, the SEAT Exeo may not be perfect, but it has its advantages. I only wish that a major automaker would try this in the United States, because I would be first in line. Who wouldn’t want a new, previous generation Acura for near Civic prices?