A MASSIVE boot. That’s what you bought a Seat for 20 years ago. It didn’t matter if it looked about as exciting as grandad’s beige crimplene “action slacks” or had an interior with all the structural integrity of a plate of wet noodles, the cavernous luggage area was all that really mattered.
The first Toledo had the customary massive boot but it was also so much more than that. Being the first car developed under Volkswagen’s ownership, the Toledo used the Mk 2 Golf platform and VW parts. Suddenly, build quality wasn’t an issue any more and buyers couldn’t get enough.
The Mk 1 Toledo sold an impressive 22,000 units in the UK - twice as many as the next two generations combined.
No wonder Seat has gone back to basics with the latest version.
ON THE ROAD: In Spain the advertising campaign for the new Toledo is build around the theme “the legend returns”. The press pack that came with the test car was keen to point out that the Mk IV “unashamedly” returns to the original formula.
And what was that original formula? A competitively-priced hatchback with room for all the family and a massive boot.
And what a boot it is.
At 550-litres with the rear seats in place it’s bigger than an Audi A6 or a BMW 5-Series. Impressive stuff.
Sadly, that’s the last time anyone will ever mention the Seat Toledo in the same sentence as a BMW 5-Series.
The new Toledo gets a lot right - it’s undoubtedly good value, it has room for the whole family and it’s as practical as Tommy Walsh carrying a cordless drill - but it somehow feels a bit soulless.
Seat reckons the Toledo’s style represents “emotional design” but I think it’s not so much emotional as functional.
The car was a joint project with Skoda and it’s clear the Czech company (known for its virtuous no-nonsense designs) did the lion’s share of the heavy lifting. To my eyes the Toledo looks the better of the two, but it feels more like a re-badged Skoda than, say, the previous generation Leon (which shared its ancestry with the Octavia).
There are three 1.2 petrols (including a low power/low cost 74bhp version) but test car’s 1.6 TDI is the pick of the range. With 103bhp and a hefty slug of torque it powers the Toledo with ease and returns remarkable fuel economy.
On a full tank the fuel gauge didn’t shift for a couple of days. At times it felt as though I were driving a solar-powered car.
The suspension mixed a multi-link front with a semi-rigid rear that gives a reasonable ride over broken surfaces and bumpy roads. It’s not Focus-like comfortable but you won’t need the services of an osteopath after a long trip, either.
Electric power steering, which increases its assistance on demand, plays a major part in reducing the Toledo’s CO2 emissions.
ON THE INSIDE: The Toledo has plenty of room for two adults and three children. It’s wheelbase (the distance between the front and back wheels) is 133mm longer than the Ibiza - and much of that stretch has gone into the rear where there’s a surprisingly generous amount of room for long legs.
Interestingly, the Toledo even has more legroom than the Leon which is 29mm longer so the designers are to be congratulated for their clear thinking.
The instruments are the usual Volkswagen clocks and switchgear (though the Toledo misses out on the latest Golf switchgear and uses the generic VW stuff we’ve seen for the best part of a decade).
The plastics are well-screwed together (I couldn’t hear any creaks or rattles) but you won’t find soft-feel materials. The door caps have a sharp crease that discourages lazy-types who like to rest their elbows.
Access is a cinch thanks to wide opening doors.
WHAT DO YOU GET: Seat expects SE models to be the best-sellers. Upgrades over S specification cars include electric rear windows, 16-inch alloy wheels, cruise control and a leather stitched steering wheel. Strangely, there are no switches for the rear windows in the front. If I forgot to disable the rear windows before setting off I couldn’t override my three-year-old when she decided to give herself some fresh air.
HOW PRACTICAL IS IT?
In the days before MPVs, cars like the Toledo were the bread ‘n butter of the motor trade. The combination of a four door body with a massive hatchback boot was a winner for decades and the Toledo proves there’s many a good tune played on an old fiddle.
The boot can swallow anything a family would throw in it. If you need to carry unusually large loads the split rear seats fold down. In this configuration I loaded six garden sacks full of grass cuttings with room to spare.
RUNNING COSTS: With near 70mpg fuel economy, low insurance and low running costs the Toledo is a car perfectly in tune with the Government’s austerity age.
VERDICT: You can still buy the Mk 1 Toledo - it’s built by the Chinese and Russians for their domestic markets - but why would you when the Mk IV is such a solid family transport.
It’s not a car designed to appeal to journalists, and adjectives didn’t flow easily from my keyboard when I was testing it, but I suspect young families and older drivers will appreciate the sensible mix of looks, equipment and space.
SEAT TOLEDO 1.6 TDI SE.
PRICE: £17,490.
SPEC: Engine: 1.6 four cyl, turbocharged, diesel.
Power: 103 bhp @ 4400rpm.
Torque: 184 lb/ft@1800rpm.
Top speed: 118mph.
0-62mph: 10.3 seconds.
CO2: 104 g/km.
Road tax band: B.
Equipment: Electric windows, power steering, alloy wheels, air conditioning, CD player with MP3 connections, Bluetooth connectivity.
Alternatives:
Skoda Rapid: The Seat’s sister car has all the same attributes.
Chevrolet Cruze: Bigger diesels give sprightly performance but the fuel consumption’s not as good.
Proton Gen 2: Can you still buy these? A car not even the terminally hard-up would wish for.
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