Toledo occupants sit high within a darkly furnished cabin. There’s good leg- and headroom both front and back, and the sense of space this creates is in welcome contrast to the more segregated feeling – front to rear – of a traditional family car. A typically adjustable VW Group driving position is a plus, and Seat has festooned the dashboard with red graphics and lighting: sporty, if a little incongruous given that the Toledo is an MPV. But the quality of materials used and the detail finish of the interior is poor in places, particularly on the door pulls, at the base of the A-pillar and the textures of the dashboard. VW, and more crucially Skoda, provide far better cabin quality, as do most of the Toledo’s rivals.
The 1.9 TDi is frugal (with a combined fuel economy figure of 52.3mpg) but since it isn’t Euro4 emissions compliant it attracts a three per cent surcharge on its 149g/km CO2 output, producing a monthly tax bill of £51. But it is good value. Our mid-spec Stylance model costs £15,550 and includes six airbags (like all Toledos) anti-lock brakes, ESP, climate control and a CD player. By comparison, a 2.0 TDCi Ford Mondeo Ghia is £18,870.
