SEAT Toledo
by Tim Barnes-Clay, the man behind the wheel.
Date: 25 November 2013
On the road, the new Toledo is no speed-demon, but it always has enough ‘get up and go’ to prevent accusations of sluggishness. Its 1598cc, 16 valve, four cylinder turbo diesel engine produces 103bhp – and that’s enough to get you from 0-62mph in 10.4 seconds.
Top speed is a more-than-respectable118mph and CO2 emissions are low at only 106g/km. That means the Toledo is not only eco-friendly, the small amount of carbon dioxide it releases into the atmosphere also brings it into cheap annual road tax territory.
Lumps and Bumps
The SEAT embraces corners and soaks up lumps and bumps without difficulty. The switchgear is nicely damped and the steering is direct. The well-weighted wheel also gives you good feedback – thoroughly communicating what the road surface is like beneath the four rubber corners.
Looks-wise, the latest Toledo is peculiar. It has the appearance of a saloon but actually it’s a hatchback. The front looks modern, with aggressively shaped headlights, but the further back you go, SEAT’s designers have lost their way.
The rear-end is the visual equivalent of a song that’s been ‘faded-out’ because the guys in the recording studio didn’t have a clear-cut way to finish the track.
Staggering
My test car, in SE 1.6 TDI Ecomotive 105 PS guise, produced 70.6mpg. That’s pretty staggering. The tank is big too – with a potential range of around 600 miles.
The standard safety package for all SEAT Toledos includes driver and passenger airbags, front side, head and thorax airbags. The car is available from as little as £12,500 on the road, but the flagship form I test drove comes with a price-tag of over five grand more at £17,840.
FAST FACTS
- Max speed: 118 mph
- 0-62 mph: 10.4 secs
- Combined mpg: 70.6
- Engine: 1598 cc 4 cylinder 16 valve turbo diesel
- Max. power (bhp): 103 at 4400 rpm
- Max. torque (lb/ft): 184 at 1500 rpm
- CO2: 106 g/km
- Price: £17,840
