Road test: SEAT Toledo 1.6 TDI Ecomotive

THE cliché of not judging a book by its cover never applied to any car as much as the new SEAT Toledo.

Externally there is nothing fussy, fancy or flash about the car, and even less to write home inside. But don’t be fooled by first impressions.

Combine this apparently plain Jane with the right engine and you have a family car of truly impressive proportions.

The fourth-generation Toledo combines saloon looks with the flexibility of a five-door hatchback, and with prices starting at about £12,500, the emphasis is firmly on value.

No frills and definitely no thrills, the major plus point of the Toledo is space — lots of it.

Built on an extended version of the Ibiza platform, the car has a longer wheelbase than the previous model to give plenty of room for passengers and a truly whopping boot, accessed from a wide-opening tailgate.

Comfortably seating five adults, the amount of space is matched by a range of five engines that deliver impressive fuel economy, with a choice of five- and six-speed manual gearboxes and a seven-speed DSG twin-clutch automatic.

Choose the Ecomotive version and economy rockets from the merely impressive to astonishing. The 105 horsepower engine fitted to the Ecomotive, the most efficient car in the range, is clearly tuned for maximum efficiency, with a leisurely 0-62mph acceleration time of 10.6 seconds.

Aside from its 104 g/km CO2 emissions rating, which gives it a free tax disc during the first year of ownership and just £20 per year thereafter, the Toledo Ecomotive delivers staggering fuel economy for a car with so much space.

SEAT claims the test model’s 1.6-litre turbo-diesel, with stop-start technology, can give day-to-day fuel consumption of 70mpg, giving a theoretical range of more than 800 miles on a full tank. My mix of rush-hour crawling and motorway cruising couldn’t match that, but still gave a full-tank range of well over 700 miles.

Built alongside the Skoda Rapid in the Volkswagen Group’s Mlada Boleslav factory in the Czech Republic, the Toledo’s interior is plain and fuss-free. The cabin includes a lot of hard plastic surfaces and while it looks business-like, it has all been well screwed together and is happily rattle-free.

The car is clearly built for buyers on a budget, but it is available with a full range of comfort, convenience, luxury and safety equipment.

Equipment levels are high with entry-level models fitted with front electric windows, an MP3-compatible stereo with AUX-in input, central locking, a height- and reach-adjustable steering wheel, electronic stability control and six airbags. Rear vision is hindered by the steeply rising tailgate, so the optional parking sensors would be a worthwhile investment.

Move up the range and along comes air conditioning, Bluetooth with voice control, remote audio controls, split-folding rear bench, front electric windows and electronic stability control.

At the top of the range, equipment ranges from 16-inch alloy wheels, front fog lights with cornering and climate control, to a cooled glove box, cruise control, rear electric windows and a leather-trimmed steering wheel and gearknob.

Shell out another £700 and you can have the SEAT media system, which includes satellite navigation, iPod connection with Bluetooth audio streaming and a DAB digital radio, all controlled by a five-inch, high resolution colour touchscreen.

Anyone taking a short test drive in the new Toledo might understandably come away unimpressed. Live with it for a while and you quickly start to understand just what a superbly capable family car this can be.

 

Auto facts SEAT Toledo 1.6 TDI Ecomotive

  • Price: £17,840
  • Top speed: 118mph
  • Insurance group: 15E (1-50)
  • Fuel consumption (Combined): 70.6mpg
  • Length: 448.2cm/176.4in
  • Width: 176.6cm/69.5in
  • Luggage capacity: 19.4 cu ft
  • Fuel tank capacity: 12.1 gallons/55 litres
  • CO2 emissions: 104g/km
  • Warranty: 3 years/60,000 miles