Seat goes large

Posted by Car Magazine MotorPlay under News, Seat

It’s been quite a while since I saw a decent sedan from Seat, and I must say this one came very much as a surprise. A very pleasant one, too. Exeo is looking like the kind of car that makes the Passat a buying prospect only for retired old men and people upgrading from an older Passat version. Not to mention Skoda Superb.

To be honest, I see Exeo as a competitor for Mitsubishi Lancer, because they both appeal mostly to younger, performance oriented clients, the difference being that those who’re after opulance choose the Lancer and those more secure with themselves will go for the Exeo. And, withiut saying the Lancer is a bad car, what a bloody good choice that would be.

Expect it to hit the market sometime in the first half of the next year. It’ll have most of the VAG engines, so there won’t be any shortage of choices for either petrol or diesel fans. The vehicle on show at Paris had a 2.0 litre TSI engine and a double exhaust pipe to match. Which is nice.

Seat’s Jekyll and Hyde

Posted by Car Magazine MotorPlay under News, Seat

Seat will be displaying two new Ibizas at the Paris Motor Show and to say they’re not very much alike is like saying Piers Morgan and Jeremy Clarkson don’t really enjoy each other’s company. That’s because one of the two Ibizas is the sportiest guy of the family, and the other is the guy that smells flowers and has an ant farm.

It’s the new Cupra, with a 1,4 litre engine and a whooping (for that kind of displacement) 180PS (182bhp). It comes with 17” alloy wheels, Cupra sport seats and aluminium pedals. Also it sports a DSG 7 speed gearbox complete with F1 style padels on the steering wheel.

The other guy also has a 1,4 litre engine, this time diesel, and the only thing he can brag about is the low fuel consumption (74mpg) and the lowest CO2 emissions - 99g/km. Which is a lot, really, if you think about it. It’s not such a boring car either, with its 80PS (~81bhp) power output and sporty looks (except for the 14” wheels, that is), it will carry you around town without ever giving you one reason to complain. The Seat Ibiza Ecomotive is a car for those who hate to see their money go on fuel but still want a car that looks good.

Red for Cupra, white for Ecomotive - you got it, right?