What better than some sunny Mediterranean flair to brighten up these dull, winter days.

And that's precisely what SEAT supplies in abundance with its current range of cars -- the cuddly Arosa, the zappy Ibiza, the lively Leon and the terrific Toledo.

Thanks to an injection of Volkswagen car-making management expertise and engineering, SEAT's present line-up is pretty awesome, to say the least. Its cars -- built upon VW platforms -- share quality parts from a gene pool that also feeds Audi and Skoda.

German influence has filtered through into various car parts, particularly the instrument panels and internal features.

Incidentally, the Toledo takes its name from Spain's home of steel production -- not the Triumph of the 1970s. SEAT has a policy of naming all cars after Spanish towns, such as Arosa, Cordoba and Alhambra.

The Toledo is head-to-head against some pretty tough opposition.

When it comes to sales figures, the big-hitting fleet champions obviously take pole positions -- but the fleets are overlooking the SEAT models at their peril, because they are a real force to be reckoned with.

In the Toledo, SEAT has created a car that has enough driving and design flair to make it a new class leader.