The Seat Exeo marks the return of the Spanish carmaker into the saloon segment – the third biggest arena in the European car market.

Its designers promise us it will attract new customers to the Seat brand, and give current Seat owners a premium car to upgrade into.

Have they succeeded in producing a must-have model in a highly competitive class? We drove it at its International launch to find out.

The Seat Exeo is based on the previous generation Audi A4, and goes into competition with saloon stalwarts including the Ford Mondeo and Volkswagen Passat.

It should appeal mainly to fleet customers, but Seat is hoping its value for money and quality will also attract private sales.

Seat makeover

The big Seat front grille with its bold logo is present and correct, as are the sharp lines and sporty wheels which denote this section of the Volkswagen Group as the young and dynamic one.

Unlike the Audi A4, the door mirrors are now attached to the door skins, which is a subtle but noticeable design improvement.

The rear number plate sits lower (moulded into the bumper), giving the rear boot a cleaner appearance too.

Its name (pronounced ‘Ex-ay-o’) is derived from the Latin exire, meaning ‘to go beyond’, is unique among current Seat models in that it is not shared with a Spanish town or city.

Hop inside and the cabin is comfortable and of a premium quality. It has been taken from the Audi A4 Cabriolet and given some minor trim and styling alterations.

High quality

All of the switches and vents have a satisfying feel and give the impression they were built to last for many, many miles.

The UK market has been spared from the minefield of trim levels which will be offered abroad. Here you can choose from S, SE, Sport and SE Lux.

Each car has a logical increase in standard equipment, and the Sport is aimed at the younger buyers and driving enthusiasts.

A thorough recalibration of the suspension settings has given the Seat Exeo a different feel to the car it’s based on. Fitted with Comfort suspension the ride is supple and cornering grip is very high, and it’s a little more lively than the Audi.

Impressively, the Exeo we drove with Sport suspension and big 18-inch alloy wheels coped just as well as the Comfort when driven over broken asphalt.

Cornering was even more stable and the Exeo felt better tied down over poor surfaces at motorway speeds. It’s springs and dampers are roughly 30 per cent stiffer than in the Comfort model.

Latest generation engines

Three engines will be available at the April launch.

The 143bhp and 170bhp common rail diesel engines are members of the latest generation family of Volkswagen Group engines and never appeared in the Audi A4 the Exeo is based on.

If you want a petrol Exeo, you will find yourself behind the wheel of the 200bhp 2-litre TSI – as seen in the Volkswagen Scirocco.

All models are fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox until a multitronic automatic gearbox arrives for the petrol model later this year.

Out on the road the 143bhp 2-litre diesel is a very competent engine, and Seat unsurprisingly expects it to be by far the biggest seller in the UK.

Its claimed 0-62mph acceleration time of 9.2 seconds is competitive, and this is a much smoother motor than the older Pump Duse design.

You will know it’s a diesel - and it can still be loud under heavy acceleration – but most of the time the engine noise fades away into the background.

Combined fuel economy figures of 51.4mpg and emissions of 143g/km are both excellent.

The 170bhp 2-litre diesel is just as smooth, but it’s noticeably more eager, with a 0-62mph time of 8.4 seconds.

While it’s quicker, there is only a small penalty at the pumps with an average of 49.7mpg and emissions of 153g/km.

Seat doesn’t expect to sell many 2-litre petrol models, but we think it’s worth a test drive before you settle on using the black pumps.

The TSI engine is a gem, which will cruise in near silence and return decent economy (36.7mpg and 179g/km) one moment and then display a surprising turn of speed the next.

It can take this 1,400kg saloon from 0-62mph in 7.2 seconds and on to 149mph. In any gear it is capable of punchy and strong acceleration.

Highly equipped

Equipment levels are high in the Exeo, the S model including 16-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control, electric windows, electric door mirrors, cruise control, MP3 compatible CD player, Bluetooth, steering wheel mounted controls, USB and a trip computer.

SE trim adds 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic wipers, acoustic windscreen, automatic lights, folding door mirrors, dimming rear view mirror, rear parking sensors, tyre pressure monitors, speaker upgrade, ambient lighting, leather steering wheel and gear knob and exterior chrome trim.

Sport deletes ambient lighting and adds 18-inch alloy wheels, sports seats, sports suspension (standard on 2-litre TSI and a no cost option on 170bhp 2-litre TDI), sports skirts, tinted rear windows and interior trim upgrade.

SE Lux adds 18-inch alloy wheels to the SE trim as well as black leather upholstery, bi-xenon headlights, Adaptive Front-lighting system, headlight washer system, daytime running lights and dark tinted rear windows.

The Seat Exeo is fitted with six airbags as standard, and a maximum of nine can be specified. It doesn’t have a Euro NCAP crash test rating, but we would expect it to obtain at least the four-star score of the Audi A4 it’s based on.

Is the Seat Exeo worth its salt?

While some may criticise the Seat Exeo for being a rehash, we take the opinion it’s an excellent entry for Seat into the saloon car segment.

Times are tough for manufacturers and platform sharing is certainly the most cost effective way of bringing new products to market.

The Exeo is a very well built car which offers Seat customers the luxury of an Audi (albeit a previous generation one) at a lower price, with Seat looks and sportiness thrown in for good measure.