The Toledo does not exactly cement its maker’s new sporty strategy because it’s an MPV-style hatch. It’s the second ‘new era’ Seat – it follows the Altea – and is grandly billed by the Spanish firm as ‘redefining the classical saloon car concept’. In fact, the Toledo is actually a hatchback (like the original 1991 Toledo, and in contrast to its booted predecessor) and flaunts an extended, Renault Vel Satis-style rump. This apart, however, the Toledo is identical to the Altea from the nose right back to the C-pillar, both inside and out. Essentially this is an Altea with an extra 91 litres of boot space. It’s based on the same car as well – the current Golf, with a platform consisting of MacPherson strut front suspension, a fully independent rear axle and electro-hydraulic rack and pinion steering.
The familiar VW Group engines are available, including two petrol units – a 1.6-litre 100bhp four cylinder and a 2.0 FSI with 148bhp – while diesel buyers can choose between the 16-valve 2.0 TDi with 138bhp and 236lb ft, or the familiar 1.9 TDi with 103bhp and 184lb ft. It’s the smaller, cheaper diesel we’ve tested here.
Whatever you think of the result, the Toledo’s styling is very different from that of Toledos past. The bold sweeps and slashes of the Altea are evident, of course, and in conjunction with the gaping grille create an instantly recognisable face. But where the Altea successfully borrows key design themes from the Salsa concept car to emerge as a chunky, sporty MPV crossover, the Toledo’s heavy rear end looks like a stretch too far.
We couldn’t work out a reason for its existence, either, other than its boot which is larger than an Altea’s. At a Ford Mondeo-matching 500 litres this space is undeniably voluminous, and there is also a false floor that pulls across to leave a separate compartment beneath. But apart from this feature – which the Altea also has – there are no major innovations or party tricks in the seating or storage.
