Relative Values

Richard Gooding enjoys the space and pace of the SEAT Toledo SE 1.6 TDI Ecomotive

Spanish car-maker SEAT has traditionally been a’ good value’ brand. Swallowed up by the Volkswagen Group in 1990, the company was founded in 1950, and manufactured Fiats under licence until the German injection of cash and resources. In 1991 the first-generation Toledo was born, underpinned by Volkswagen Golf/Jetta mechanical components. With a fastback‑style body, the car resembled a traditional ‘three-box’ saloon, but the large hatchback concealed a vast boot and cabin space for five people. The second-generation arrived in 1998, based on the five-door Leon (again sharing its chassis with the Golf), while the third-generation model of 2005 ditched the fastback looks for bustle-backed MPV styling. The latest model was launched in 2012, and returns to its fastback roots.

PRICING TRUMP CARD
In common with its predecessors, the latest Toledo shares its undergarments with a Volkswagen, this time the Polo. Built on an extended Polo chassis (which is also shared with the smaller SEAT Ibiza), the latest Toledo is a hard car to pigeon-hole in terms of size – it’s smaller than a Golf, yet larger than a Polo. And like its rebadged Fiat relatives from yesteryear, the latest Toledo also benefits from cosmetic surgery. Jointly developed with Škoda and built in the same Czech Republic factory, it shares its basic body structure and interior with the Škoda Rapid, with just sheetmetal changes front and rear. There are similar comparable spec‑for‑spec models in the companies’ respective ranges, but SEAT has the pricing trump card. A Škoda Rapid Elegance 1.6 TDI GreenTech with a Toledo-equalling 106g/km is £18,100 – £260 more expensive than the Toledo SE 1.6 TDI Ecomotive tested here with the same common‑rail turbodiesel engine. Both cars share the same BIK rate of 16%.

The 2013 Toledo is quietly handsomely proportioned, but otherwise, there’s little visual flair. The basic bodyshell has to serve two manufacturers’ products, and seems to accommodate the corporate Škoda branding a little easier. My Ocean Blue test car looked very smart, though, especially with the upgraded 17-inch ‘Dynamic’ alloy wheels. The fastback styling has other benefits, too: there is 550 litres of luggage space with the seats up, and 1490 when they’re folded. That’s a miracle of packaging; the much-larger Ford Mondeo offers only 528 and 1448 litres respectively. For its £17,840 price, the Toledo SE comes generously equipped with multifunction steering wheel, front cornering fog lamps, cruise control, climate control, and privacy glass from the B-pillar rearwards. Inside, the two-tone dashboard is solidly‑styled, if like the exterior, lacking in visual flair. The plastics are harder than you’d find in a VW, yet everything is ergonomically sound and built well. The car’s larger-than-supermini size means it’s spacious, comfortable and has more rear legroom than cars a class above.

SEAT’s ‘Ecomotive’ badge is essentially the same as Volkswagen’s BlueMotion. Signifying models with the lowest emissions in each range, efficiency-improving technology includes Start/Stop and energy recovery systems, while some versions also feature low rolling-resistance tyres, revised gear ratios, as well as aerodynamic enhancements. In standard trim, the Toledo SE Ecomotive comes with 16-inch ‘Design’ alloy wheels with 215/45 R16 tyres, which may be marginally kinder to the environment that the larger rims fitted to OE62 FPK. There is an even greener Toledo; the S Ecomotive rolls on 15” wheels, emits 104g/km and has a lower BIK rating of 15%. It costs less, too, at £16,640, while very engine in the range is EU5 emissions standard compliant. Both Ecomotive versions of the Toledo are powered by a 1.6‑litre common-rail four-cylinder turbodiesel engine developing 104bhp, which is spritely (184lb ft/250Nm of torque at 1500rpm) but gruff when around town. Take the car out of town however, and the gruffness disappears, with hushed levels of refinement. Only wind and road noise filters through into the cabin.

OPTIMUM ECONOMY
A gear change light in the very clear multifunction instrument display alerts you when to pick another ratio for optimum economy. And that economy is good. For a medium-size car, the highest reading of 59.0mpg is very commendable, while my ‘real-word’ figure of 58.8 over 569 miles shows that the car’s measuring system is very accurate. SEAT quotes a combined cycle figure of 70.6mpg. Scrolling through the multifunction instrument display shows range, fuel consumption, average fuel consumption, as well as various media and sat nav displays when the optional Media System is fitted. The telltale light for the Stop/Start System is shown here, too.

SEAT’s marketing phrase is ‘Enjoyneering’, implying fun-handling cars. The Toledo rides well, with road surface lumps and bumps impressively dealt with, and while the steering is well-weighted, there’s little in the way of feedback. A slick and positive gear change aids the driving experience, though.

All things considered, the SEAT Toledo SE 1.6 TDI Ecomotive is a likeable car. It may be understated rather than flashy, and it may be economical rather than particularly parsimonious, but the modern fourth-generation Toledo is also good old-fashioned honest value, living up to its maker’s heritage. And these days, in an uncertain world, good old-fashioned honest value counts for a great deal.

Details
ENGINE: 1598cc, 4-cyl turbodiesel
CO2: 106g/km
MPG (combined): 70.6
VED: Band B - £0 first-year rate
BIK: 16%
PRICE (OTR): £17,840 (including VAT. £19,070 as tested)