The SEAT Toledo is a
small family car
The C-segment is the 3rd category of the European segments for passenger cars and is described as "medium cars". It is equivalent to the Euro NCAP "small family car" size class, and the compact car category in the United States.
In 2011, the C- ...
produced by the Spanish manufacturer
SEAT
A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense.
Types of seat
The following are examples of different kinds of seat:
* Armchair (furniture), ...
, part of
Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen AG (), known internationally as the Volkswagen Group, is a German multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. The company designs, manufactures and distributes passenger and commercial ...
. The Toledo name was first introduced to the SEAT line up in May 1991 being named after a Spanish city
with the same name, with the fourth generation being introduced at the end of 2012, for the
model year
The model year (sometimes abbreviated "MY") is a method of describing the version of a product which has been produced over multiple years. The model year may or may not be the same as the calendar year in which the product was manufactured.
...
of 2013. Production ended in February 2019, and the nameplate is currently not in use.
__TOC__
First generation (''Typ'' 1L; 1991)
![Interior toledo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Interior_toledo.jpg)
The initial version of the SEAT Toledo (''Typ'' 1L) was launched as a four-door
fastback
A fastback is an automotive styling feature, defined by the rear of the car having a single slope from the roof to the tail. The kammback is a type of fastback style.
Some models, such as the Ford Mustang, have been specifically marketed as ...
saloon, and its sales career lasted from May 1991 to March 1999. Technically it was a five-door
liftback
A liftback is a variation of hatchback with a sloping roofline between 45 and 5 degrees. Traditional hatchback designs usually have a 90 to 46 degree slope on the tailgate or rear door. As such the liftback is essentially a hatchback with a more ...
, as its boot lid opened together with the rear window.
This generation of the Toledo was the first SEAT
automobile
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...
developed entirely under
Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen AG (), known internationally as the Volkswagen Group, is a German multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. The company designs, manufactures and distributes passenger and commercial ...
ownership, and it was built on the
Golf Mk2 Volkswagen Group A2 platform with a 550-litre
boot
A boot is a type of footwear. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle, while some also cover some part of the lower calf. Some boots extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is cle ...
expandable to 1360 litres when folding rear seats, larger in shape and size than the
Volkswagen Jetta/Vento's combined with the advantage of a tailgate.
As
saloon versions of
small family car
The C-segment is the 3rd category of the European segments for passenger cars and is described as "medium cars". It is equivalent to the Euro NCAP "small family car" size class, and the compact car category in the United States.
In 2011, the C- ...
s were rare in Europe, it was sometimes considered a
large family car
The D-segment is the 4th category of the Euro Car Segment, European segments for passenger cars, and is described as "large cars".
It is equivalent to the Euro NCAP "large family car" size class, and the present-day definition of the mid-size ...
due to its overall length and boot size, despite having comparably less rear leg room, and pricing closer to small family cars.
It went on sale in most of Europe in May 1991, though it did not arrive on the British market until October 1991, with the official launch at the
London Motorfair
London Motor Show, formerly the London Motorfair, is a motor show in England. It was held biannually at Earls Court Exhibition Centre, from 1977 to 1999. When the event won the support of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders and P&O Ev ...
.
The Toledo initially featured the then standard range of Volkswagen Group engines for the class, from a base 1.6 L petrol engine up to one ''GT'' version using the 2.0 L engine.
Later, the Toledo would see the addition of more powerful versions, including a 2.0 GTI 16v, and 1.9 TDI which, like many diesel engines built since 1996 by the
Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen AG (), known internationally as the Volkswagen Group, is a German multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. The company designs, manufactures and distributes passenger and commercial ...
, is advertised as capable of running on either mineral diesel or
biodiesel
Biodiesel is a form of diesel fuel derived from plants or animals and consisting of long-chain fatty acid esters. It is typically made by chemically reacting lipids such as animal fat (tallow), soybean oil, or some other vegetable oil with ...
.
This model later received a mild
facelift
A facelift, technically known as a rhytidectomy (from the Ancient Greek () "wrinkle", and () "excision", the surgical removal of wrinkles), is a type of cosmetic surgery procedure used to give a more youthful facial appearance. There are mul ...
in September 1995, and made its début at the 1995
Frankfurt Motor Show
The International Motor Show Germany or International Mobility Show Germany, in German known as the ''Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung'' (''IAA'' – International Automobile Exhibition), is one of the world's largest mobility shows. It cons ...
. Sales were not strong however, as has been the case for all the generations of the Toledo.
Engine specifications
The following engines were available:
Motorsport
![Seat Toledo Marathon hl TCE](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Seat_Toledo_Marathon_hl_TCE.jpg)
SEAT Toledo Marathon
*(1992 to 1994) (2100 cc 330cv)
*(1997 to 2001) (PVR 3500 cc)
SEAT Toledo Class 2
*(Championship of France superturisme) 1993 to 1994 (195cv)
*(Belgium) 1993 to 1994 (195cv)
*(CET) 1994 (195cv)
*(CET) Meycom 1995 to 1996 (282cv)
*(United Kingdom) 1997 (230cv)
Rebadges
![Chery Windcloud white](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Chery_Windcloud_white.jpg)
This generation of the Toledo has also been produced by the Chinese manufacturer
Chery
Chery Automobile Co. Ltd., trading as Chery and sometimes known by the pinyin transcription of its Chinese name, ''Qirui'' (), is a Chinese state-owned automobile manufacturer headquartered in Wuhu, Anhui, China. Founded in 1997, it is curre ...
, and sold under the names of ''Chery A11'', ''Chery Windcloud'' and ''Chery A15'', ''Chery A168'', ''Chery Amulet'', ''Chery Cowin'', ''Chery Qiyun'', ''Chery Flagcloud''. Chery acquired the chassis of the 1993 Toledo from a Mexican dealership, after authorisation from SEAT.
Chery Cowin, which is based on the SEAT Toledo, already has an authorisation to market it in Europe, along with Russia and South America. Apart from the Chery rebadged models, the first generation Toledo is also currently built by the Russian car maker
TagAZ
TagAZ (russian: ТагАЗ, Таганрогский автомобильный завод, Taganrogskiy Avtomobilnyi Zavod, Taganrog Automobile Factory) was an automotive assembly plant located in Taganrog, Russia. An affiliated enterprise is the ...
, rebranded as the ''Vortex Corda''.
Awards
*'Carro do Ano' award in 1992, in Portugal
[Palmares SEAT http://www.seat.pt/pt/generator/su/pt/SEAT/site/campanhas/DesportivoDoAno/main,lang=pt.html]
Second generation (''Typ'' 1M; 1998)
The second generation Toledo (''Typ'' 1M) was introduced in 1998, and made its début at the 1998
Paris Motor Show
The Paris Motor Show (french: Mondial de l'Automobile) is a biennial auto show in Paris. Held during October, it is one of the most important auto shows, often with many new production automobile and concept car debuts. The show presently take ...
as a four-door
notchback saloon. Sales commenced in October 1998. In Britain, the Toledo (''Typ'' 1M) may not be considered a
notchback saloon. It went on sale there in March 1999.
It was more rounded than the previous first generation shape and had a much more fluid design, although both were products of
Giorgetto Giugiaro
Giorgetto Giugiaro (; born 7 August 1938) is an Italian automotive designer. He has worked on supercars and popular everyday vehicles. He was born in Garessio, Cuneo, Piedmont.
Giugiaro was named Car Designer of the Century in 1999 and inducted ...
's
Italdesign
Italdesign Giugiaro S.p.A. is a design and engineering company and brand based in Moncalieri, Italy, that traces its roots to the 1968 foundation of Studi Italiani Realizzazione Prototipi S.p.A. by Giorgetto Giugiaro and Aldo Mantovani. Best kno ...
studio, with the latest generation being influenced by SEAT's chief of exterior design Steve Lewis.
It shared components with its
Volkswagen
Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...
and
Škoda
Škoda means ''pity'' in the Czech and Slovak languages. It may also refer to:
Czech brands and enterprises
* Škoda Auto, automobile and previously bicycle manufacturer in Mladá Boleslav
** Škoda Motorsport, the division of Škoda Auto respons ...
PQ34 platform mates, the
Volkswagen Bora
The Volkswagen Bora is a small family car, the fourth generation of the Volkswagen Jetta, and the successor to the Volkswagen Vento. Production of the car began in July 1999. Carrying on the wind nomenclature from previous generations, the car wa ...
and the
Škoda Octavia
The Škoda Octavia is a small family car produced by the Czech car manufacturer Škoda Auto since the end of 1996. It shares its name with an earlier model produced between 1959 and 1971. Four generations of the modern-era Octavia model have ...
, being positioned as the sportiest of the three. In the interior, the
dashboard For business applications, see Dashboard (business).
A dashboard (also called dash, instrument panel (IP), or fascia) is a control panel set within the central console of a vehicle or small aircraft. Usually located directly ahead of the driver ...
was derived from that of the first generation Audi A3.
It was built on the
Volkswagen Golf Mk4
The Volkswagen Golf Mk4 (or VW ''Type 1J'') is a compact car, the fourth generation of the Volkswagen Golf and the successor to the Volkswagen Golf Mk3. Launched in October 1997 for the 1998 model year, it was the best selling car in Europe in ...
platform, which meant stiff springs to support the load of the large 500 litre boot increased to 830 litres when folding rear seats.
The early models were built at the Volkswagen/Audi plant in Belgium, with improved build quality (compared to the Spanish built previous generation), although the Toledo was still presented as an economic alternative to the lower level of the
D-segment
The D-segment is the 4th category of the European segments for passenger cars, and is described as "large cars".
It is equivalent to the Euro NCAP "large family car" size class, and the present-day definition of the mid-size car category use ...
, and included in the basic price a high level of equipment.
One of the features most associated with the Spanish model, the tailgate was removed in favour of a more traditional four door
saloon boot
A boot is a type of footwear. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle, while some also cover some part of the lower calf. Some boots extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is cle ...
opening. The following year, the Toledo would be used as the base for a proper
hatchback
A hatchback is a car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to a cargo area. Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second row seating, where the interior can be reconfigured to prioritize passenger or cargo volume. ...
, the
SEAT León
The SEAT León (), also spelled Leon in some other languages (named after the city of León, which also means "Lion" in Spanish), is a hatchback compact car built by the Spanish car manufacturer SEAT since October 1999.ETKA
The first two León ...
Mark 1.
Base model was now a
crossflow 1.6 litre petrol engine, followed by a 1.8 litre twenty valve unit, while the top of the line was represented by the 2.3 litre
VR5 engine
The VR5 engines are a family of petroleum fuelled Internal combustion engines developed by the Volkswagen Group and produced from 1997 to 2006. They are derived from the VR6 engine family, also developed by Volkswagen, but with one less cylinder. ...
(V5).
Diesel engined versions used the 1.9
Turbocharged Direct Injection
TDI (Turbocharged Direct Injection) is Volkswagen Group's term for its current common rail direct injection turbodiesel engine range that have an intercooler in addition to the turbo compressor.
TDI engines are used in motor vehicles sold by th ...
(TDI) engine, with a
variable geometry turbocharger
Variable-geometry turbochargers (VGTs), occasionally known as variable-nozzle turbines (VNTs), are a type of turbochargers, usually designed to allow the effective aspect ratio of the turbocharger to be altered as conditions change. This is done ...
, offered initially with power outputs of or . In 2001, the V5 engine was uprated with a 20v head (four valves per cylinder), boosting power to .
Later in the series, the 1.8 litre twenty valve Toledo received a
turbocharger
In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...
, capable of delivering , and a later evolution of the VW TDI engine, produced engines of and .
These three versions all featured a six speed
manual transmission
A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed motor vehicle transmission (mechanics), transmission ...
. The 130 PS TDI also featured white dials instead of the standard black dials on the 110 and 150 PS TDI models. Production of the ''Typ'' 1M Toledo ended in July 2004.
Engine Specifications
Petrol Engines
Diesel Engines
Motorsport
![SEAT Toledo Mk2 touring car](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/SEAT_Toledo_Mk2_touring_car.jpg)
In 2003,
SEAT Sport
Cupra Racing, formerly known as SEAT Sport, is the high-performance motorsport subsidiary of the Spanish automobile manufacturer SEAT, founded in 1985, succeeding the "SEAT Special Vehicles department" which had been formed in 1971 with the mi ...
introduced the SEAT Toledo Cupra Mk2 in the
European Touring Car Championship (ETCC) with drivers
Jordi Gené
Jordi Gené Guerrero (born 5 December 1970) is a racing driver who competed in the World Touring Car Championship between 2005 and 2010. His younger brother, Marc is also a ex-racing driver and is currently a Brand Ambassador for the Scuderia Fe ...
,
Frank Diefenbacher
Frank Diefenbacher (born 19 March 1982 in Pforzheim) is a German auto racing driver.
Career
Diefenbacher won the German Junior Kart Championship in 1996. His first steps out of karting were in Formula Ford in Germany in 1998, where he finished th ...
and former
British Touring Car Championship
The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom, currently organised and administered by TOCA
TOCA, formally trading as BARC (TOCA) Ltd, is an organiser of motorsport events in ...
winner
Rickard Rydell
Rickard Rydell (born 22 September 1967) is a retired Swedish racing driver. He won the 1998 British Touring Car Championship, the 2011 Scandinavian Touring Car Championship, and has also been a frontrunner in the European/World Touring Car Cham ...
, while the 'SEAT Sport Italia' Toledo Cupra Mk2 with
Gianni Morbidelli
Gianni Morbidelli (born 13 January 1968) is an Italian racing driver. He participated in 70 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 11 March 1990. He achieved one podium, and scored a total of 8.5 championship points. He currently competes in the T ...
also participated as an additional team.
As in 2005, the ETCC became the
World Touring Car Championship
The FIA World Touring Car Championship was an international touring car championship promoted by Eurosport Events and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). It has had several different incarnations, including a sin ...
(WTCC), the SEAT Toledo Cupra Mk2 competed in the WTCC from
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
to
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
.
Peter Terting
Peter Terting is a German auto racing driver, born on 19 February 1984 in Kempten. He won the Volkswagen Lupo Cup in 2002, earning him a Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, DTM drive for Abt Sportsline in 2003, although this proved to be too big a step u ...
replaced Diefenbacher, while
Jason Plato
Timothy Jason Plato (born 14 October 1967) is a British racing driver who last competed in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) for BTC Racing. He has twice been BTCC Champion, in 2001 for Vauxhall and 2010 for Silverline Chevrolet. He ...
also joined the team for four rounds and
Marc Carol
Marc Carol Ybarra (born 14 February 1985) is a Spanish auto racing driver.
Career
Carol competed in the Formula BMW Junior Cup Iberia in 2001, where he finished fourth.http://www.driverdb.com/drivers/4249/career/ Career statistics at Driver Databa ...
for one round.
In
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
and
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
SEAT Sport also ran in the
British Touring Car Championship
The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom, currently organised and administered by TOCA
TOCA, formally trading as BARC (TOCA) Ltd, is an organiser of motorsport events in ...
with two SEAT Toledo Cupras Mk2 identical to those used in the
European Touring Car Championship
The European Touring Car Championship was an international touring car racing series organised by the FIA. It had two incarnations, the first one between 1963 and 1988, and the second between 2000 and 2004. In 2005 it was superseded by the World T ...
under the 'SEAT Sport UK' banner. Initially, the SEAT Sport UK cars were campaigned by
RML Group
Ray Mallock Ltd., also known as RML Group, is a motorsports and high performance engineering company, based in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom.
Early history
Ray Mallock began building racing cars, alongside his brother Richar ...
although at the end of the year the partnership was dissolved as RML entered the WTCC with
Chevrolet
Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...
and the team was run by
Northern South since 2005.
At the wheel were
Jason Plato
Timothy Jason Plato (born 14 October 1967) is a British racing driver who last competed in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) for BTC Racing. He has twice been BTCC Champion, in 2001 for Vauxhall and 2010 for Silverline Chevrolet. He ...
,
Rob Huff
Robert Peter "Rob" Huff (born 25 December 1979) is a British professional racing driver. He currently competes in the World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) driving for Zengő Motorsport. He was the 2012 World Touring Car Championship champion and the ...
,
James Pickford
James Pickford (born 30 April 1979 in Macclesfield, Cheshire) is a British race car driver. As a child his interest was in motorbikes; his father Keith ran bike racing teams. James started at the beginning in karts in 1994. For a while he was c ...
and
Luke Hines
Luke Hines (born 4 May 1982 in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire) is a British auto racing driver. He is the son of former karting champion and Zip Kart founder/owner Martin Hines.
Career
After a small amount of open wheel racing in Formula Ford, Hi ...
. However, there were also independent teams running with SEAT Toledo Cupras Mk2 till the
2009 British Touring Car Championship season, like the
Motorbase Performance
Motorbase Performance is a British motor racing team, founded in 2004 by former Production Saloon racer David Bartrum. They are best known for competing in the British Touring Car Championship.
Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain
The team starte ...
, the
Team Air Cool/GR Asia, the
BTC Racing
BTC Racing is a British auto racing team based in Brackley, Northamptonshire owned and run by Steve Dudman. The team is best known for competing in the British Touring Car Championship.
British Touring Car Championship
Lexus IS (2006–2007)
T ...
and the
Maxtreme teams.
In popular culture
The SEAT Toledo makes an appearance in the
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
an film of 2007, ''
Just Follow Law
''Just Follow Law'' () is a 2007 Singaporean comedy film directed by Jack Neo.
In the film, a blue-collar technician and the events and promotion department director swap souls after a freak accident at a fictional government agency Work Allocatio ...
'', directed by
Jack Neo
Jack Neo (born 24 January 1960) is a Singaporean actor, television host, comedian and film director. He was prominently a full-time Mediacorp artiste from 1983 to 2003. In the 1990s and early 2000s, he was best known for his cross-dressing roles ...
. In this film, it is used by the character Tanya Chew (
Fann Wong
use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) -->
, death_place =
, death_cause =
, body_discovered =
, resting_place =
, resting_place_coordinat ...
) and was involved in the
rollover collision during a chase in which Lim Teng Zui (
Gurmit Singh
Gurmit Singh Virk Chainchal Singh (born 24 March 1965; pa, ਗੁਰਮੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ, Gurmīt Siṅgh; ) is a Singaporean actor, comedian and television personality. He was prominently a full-time Mediacorp artiste from 1994 to 2014. A f ...
) confronts her about cutting his bonus due to his incompetence and poor work ethics. It has the
vehicle registration plate
A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate (British English), license plate (American English), or licence plate ( Canadian English), is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identificati ...
of ''SGC 1659U'' and painted in
scarlet red
Sudan IV (C24H20N4O) is a lysochrome (fat-soluble dye) diazo dye used for the staining of lipids, triglycerides and lipoproteins on frozen paraffin sections. It has the appearance of reddish brown crystals with melting point 199 °C and ma ...
.
Awards
*'Die besten Autos' 1999 Award, by the German magazine ''
Auto motor und sport
''Auto Motor und Sport'', often stylized as auto motor und sport and abbreviated AMS or AMuS, is a German automobile magazine.
It is published fortnightly by Motor Presse Netzwerk's subsidiary Motor Presse Stuttgart, a specialist magazine publi ...
''
*'Carro do Ano' Award in 2000, in Portugal
Third generation (''Typ'' 5P; 2004)
![Seat-Toledo-Interior](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Seat-Toledo-Interior.jpg)
The third generation Toledo (''Typ'' 5P) was introduced in 2004, and as a production car made its début at the
2004 Paris Motor Show
The 2004 Paris Motor Show (''Mondial de l'Automobile'') took place from 25 September to 10 October 2004 in Paris expo Porte de Versailles. There was an extra exhibition called ''L'Automobile et la bande Dessinée'' ("The Car and the Stripbook") ...
. However, a preview of it had already been revealed at the 2004 Madrid Motor Show, with the presentation of the SEAT Toledo Prototipo. Production lasted from February 2004 to May 2009.
Its bodywork is completely different from the previous two generations: abandoning the traditional
three box saloon format, the Toledo Mk3 has a five-door hatchback sedan design penned by
Walter de'Silva
Walter Maria de Silva (born 27 February 1951 in Lecco, Italy) is an Italian car designer and former head of Volkswagen Group Design, until 2015. Since beginning his car design career in 1972 as trainee car designer for Fiat's Style Centre. De S ...
, although now closer to a
compact MPV
Compact MPV (an abbreviation for Compact Multi-Purpose Vehicle) is a vehicle size class for the middle size of MPVs. The Compact MPV size class sits between the mini MPV and large MPV (minivan) size classes.
Compact MPVs remain predominantly a ...
with the
Altea's front section, a high roof, and a rear end inspired by
Renault Vel Satis
The Renault Vel Satis is an executive car that was produced by the French manufacturer Renault, launched at the 2001 Geneva Motor Show to replace the already discontinued Safrane. It was previously revealed as a concept car in 1998, at the Paris ...
, paying homage to the original Toledo's hatchback/saloon rear.
All pretense of a sporty identity was thrown out, in favour of a more upscale and alternative image. A large five hundred litre
DIN boot is an interesting feature, while it can be increased to 1440 litres after folding rear seats. Under the bodywork, the SEAT Toledo uses the same underpinnings as the
Volkswagen Golf Mk5
The Volkswagen Golf Mk5 (codenamed ''Typ 1K'') is a compact car/small family car manufactured and marketed by Volkswagen, as the fifth generation of the Golf in three- or five-door hatchback (August 2003–2008) and a five-door station wagon ...
.
All engines are identical to other
Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen AG (), known internationally as the Volkswagen Group, is a German multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. The company designs, manufactures and distributes passenger and commercial ...
units, with petrol engines ranging from to and diesel engines from to .
Updates include the arrival of a TDI engine in 2006, as well as a
tiptronic
The modern usage of the automotive term manumatic denotes an automatic transmission that allows the driver to select a specific gear, typically using paddle-shifters, steering wheel-mounted push-buttons, or "+" and "-" controls on the gear sele ...
gearbox in the 2.0 FSI model. A 1.8 L turbocharged version of this engine became available in the middle of 2007.
Engine specifications
The internal combustion engines used are the same as for many other cars in the
Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen AG (), known internationally as the Volkswagen Group, is a German multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. The company designs, manufactures and distributes passenger and commercial ...
, and are all
inline four cylinder engines.
* only for some export markets
Reliability
Along with other SEATs, the Toledo has been a markedly reliable vehicle – more so than the Audi A3 and Volkswagen Golf, with which it shares platforms. In May 2006,
Warranty Direct
Warranty Direct is a provider of direct consumer warranties based in the United Kingdom. The brand advertises products such as new car warranty, and extended warranty.
History
Extended warranties were the norm in North America, and were grow ...
, a provider based in the United Kingdom of mechanical warranties for used cars, rated the Toledo with a higher reliability index compared to the Golf produced over the same period and the Audi A3.
In 2010, and though currently out of production, the Warranty direct's Reliability index marks that the SEAT Toledo still ranks within the list of the United Kingdom's one hundred most reliable cars of the last decade.
Fourth generation (''Typ'' KG; 2012)
![Interior del Nuevo Toledo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Interior_del_Nuevo_Toledo.jpg)
SEAT released an
Audi A4 (B7) based
large family car
The D-segment is the 4th category of the Euro Car Segment, European segments for passenger cars, and is described as "large cars".
It is equivalent to the Euro NCAP "large family car" size class, and the present-day definition of the mid-size ...
called the
SEAT Exeo
The SEAT Exeo () is a large family car and flagship model, that was built by the Spanish car manufacturer SEAT, subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group.
Previously codenamed ''Bolero'', (though not to be confused with SEAT's earlier concept car bea ...
in October 2008, with both four door
saloon and five door
estate bodystyles. The Exeo was not intended as a direct replacement for the Toledo according to the company, although production of the Toledo was ended in May 2009, due to low sales.
A
concept car
A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle, show vehicle or prototype) is a car made to showcase new styling and/or new technology. They are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or ...
based on the Toledo Mk4 production model was presented at the
2012 Geneva Motor Show. This vehicle is closely related to the
Škoda Rapid as a five-door
liftback
A liftback is a variation of hatchback with a sloping roofline between 45 and 5 degrees. Traditional hatchback designs usually have a 90 to 46 degree slope on the tailgate or rear door. As such the liftback is essentially a hatchback with a more ...
, both are based on an adaptation of the
A05+ (PQ25) platform and are assembled in the same
Škoda
Škoda means ''pity'' in the Czech and Slovak languages. It may also refer to:
Czech brands and enterprises
* Škoda Auto, automobile and previously bicycle manufacturer in Mladá Boleslav
** Škoda Motorsport, the division of Škoda Auto respons ...
factory in
Mladá Boleslav
Mladá Boleslav (; german: Jungbunzlau) is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 42,000 inhabitants.
Mladá Boleslav is the second most populated city in the region and a major centre of the Czech automotive in ...
.
The Toledo commenced sales in Spain and Portugal towards the end of 2012, and the rest of Europe and Mexico in the beginning of 2013, with the all new Toledo sitting in between the smaller
Ibiza
Ibiza (natively and officially in ca, Eivissa, ) is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, in Spain. Its l ...
supermini and the larger
León small family car
The C-segment is the 3rd category of the European segments for passenger cars and is described as "medium cars". It is equivalent to the Euro NCAP "small family car" size class, and the compact car category in the United States.
In 2011, the C- ...
.
The Toledo received a five star rating in the
Euro NCAP
The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) is a European voluntary car safety performance assessment programme (i.e. a New Car Assessment Program) based in Leuven (Belgium) formed in 1996, with the first results released in February ...
.
The Toledo was pulled from UK sales lineup due to poor sales in November 2018. In February 2019, the Toledo ended production although sales in selected markets continued well into 2020.
Special Editions
Toledo CONNECT
![SEAT Toledo CONNECT](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/SEAT_Toledo_CONNECT.JPG)
The SEAT Toledo CONNECT is part of a special edition line presented at the
2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. This model is equipped with Full Link Technology and a
Samsung Galaxy A3 Samsung Galaxy A3 refers to three Samsung Galaxy Android smart phones released in the 2010s.
These are:
* Samsung Galaxy A3 (2014); Android smartphone unveiled in October 2014, released in December 2014.
* Samsung Galaxy A3 (2015); Android smartph ...
smartphone. This allows the user to connect to the car and access connectivity features of the SEAT ConnectApp right on the dashboard.
The SEAT Toledo CONNECT is available in a range of exterior body colours that also allow the mirrors and wheels to be customised. Interior details, including stitching are in blue.
Engine specifications
Reception
In October 2014, ''
Top Gear Magazine
''Top Gear'' is a British automobile magazine, owned by BBC Worldwide, and published under contract by Immediate Media Company. It is named after the BBC's ''Top Gear'' television show. It was first published in October 1993 and is published m ...
'' placed the Toledo on its list of ''The Worst Cars You Can Buy Right Now''.
Sales and production figures
1,019,636 SEAT Toledo have been produced during 4 generations.
The total production per year of SEAT Toledo cars, manufactured in SEAT is shown in the following table.
References
External links
SEAT.com- official SEAT website
{{Authority control
Cars introduced in 1991
Compact cars
Sedans
Hatchbacks
Police vehicles
2000s cars
2010s cars
Toledo
Front-wheel-drive vehicles
Cars powered by VR engines
Touring cars
Cars of Spain