On the road: The SEAT X-Perience features permanent four-wheel drive and comes well equipped for all-road adventures. Outwardly at least it’s an ST on steroids. But under the skin there’s plenty of gizmos and gadgetry to ensure it’s capable of coping with the worst of what Britain can throw at it.
Our 2.0 litre diesel, allied to a six-speed DSG-auto box, certainly delivered power when we needed it. With a top speed of 139mph and a nought to 62mph time of 7.1 seconds, the X-Perience was no slouch.
With a relatively firm ride and responsive steering the SEAT is also fun to drive for an estate car.
On the inside: It is billed as a premium model in SEAT’s range and as such it comes with a revamped interior befitting of its status.
Our car featured contrasting cloth and leather seating, orange stitching and X-Perience logos on the door sills.
The dash is nicely laid out and there’s a lovely symmetry to it. Sitting slightly higher than the standard ST, vision all round is good.
What do you get: ABOVE and beyond the equipment that you might expect of a car with a starting price near to £30,000, the X-Perience gets custom made bumpers, 18ins alloys, full LED headlights, front sports seats in alcantara and leather bolsters, SEAT Drive Profile with four modes, DSG steering wheel paddles, rain-sensing wipers and satellite navigation with 3D map display. In addition, there are rear parking sensors, electronic stability control, electronic brake assist and hill hold control.
How practical is it: GIVEN that we are almost in high summer, the X-Perience’s 4x4 credentials were never put to the test. However, on a day to day level, the it scores highly.
There’s acres of space in the cabin and the boot has a 587-litre load capacity. That increases to 1,470 if you drop the rear seats.
Running costs: The X-Perience is not cheap, but SEAT reckons you can get around 57mpg on the combined cycle. CO2 emissions come in at 129g/km, while it is in the D tax band. Build quality appears high and it certainly stood up to the punishment my three kids threw at it.
Verdict: IF you want something a little different in an estate car, then the X-Perience might be what you are looking for.
Alternatives: Audi Allroad, Skoda Octavia Scout
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