The SEAT Toledo is a small family car produced by the Spanish manufacturer SEAT, part of Volkswagen Group. 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 of 2013. Production ended in February 2019, and the nameplate is currently not in use.
The initial version of the SEAT Toledo (Typ 1L) was launched as a four-door fastbacksaloon, and its sales career lasted from May 1991 to March 1999. Technically it was a five-door liftback, as its boot lid opened together with the rear window.
As saloon versions of small family cars were rare in Europe, it was sometimes considered a large family car 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.
The Toledo initially featured the then standard range of Volkswagen Group engines for the class, from a base 1.6L 75PS (55kW; 74bhp) petrol engine up to one GT version using the 2.0L 115PS (85kW; 113bhp) engine.
Later, the Toledo would see the addition of more powerful versions, including a 150PS (110kW; 148bhp) 2.0 GTI 16v, and 110PS (81kW; 108bhp) 1.9 TDI which, like many diesel engines built since 1996 by the Volkswagen Group, is advertised as capable of running on either mineral diesel or biodiesel.
This model later received a mild facelift in September 1995, and made its début at the 1995 Frankfurt Motor Show. Sales were not strong however, as has been the case for all the generations of the Toledo.
This generation of the Toledo has also been produced by the Chinese manufacturer Chery, 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.[citation needed]
Chery Cowin, which is based on the SEAT Toledo, already has an authorisation to market it in Europe,[citation needed] along with Russia and South America.[4] Apart from the Chery rebadged models, the first generation Toledo is also currently built by the Russian car maker TagAZ, rebranded as the Vortex Corda.[5]
The second generation Toledo (Typ 1M) was introduced in 1998, and made its début at the 1998 Paris Motor Show as a four-door notchbacksaloon. Sales commenced in October 1998. 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's Italdesign studio, with the latest generation being influenced by SEAT's chief of exterior design Steve Lewis.[7]
It was built on the Volkswagen Golf Mk4 platform, which meant stiff springs to support the load of the large 500 litre boot increased to 830 litres when folding rear seats.[9][10][11]
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, 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 saloonboot opening. The following year, the Toledo would be used as the base for a proper hatchback, the SEAT León Mark 1.
Base model was now a crossflow 1.6 litre 100PS (74kW; 99bhp) petrol engine, followed by a 1.8 litre twenty valve 125PS (92kW; 123bhp) unit, while the top of the line was represented by the 2.3 litre 150PS (110kW; 148bhp)VR5 engine (V5).
Diesel engined versions used the 1.9 Turbocharged Direct Injection (TDI) engine, with a variable geometry turbocharger, offered initially with power outputs of 90PS (66kW; 89bhp) or 110PS (81kW; 108bhp). In 2001, the V5 engine was uprated with a 20v head (four valves per cylinder), boosting power to 170PS (125kW; 168bhp).
Later in the series, the 1.8 litre twenty valve Toledo received a turbocharger, capable of delivering 180PS (132kW; 178bhp), and a later evolution of the VW TDI engine, produced engines of 130PS (96kW; 128bhp) and 150PS (110kW; 148bhp).
These three versions all featured a six speed manual transmission. The 130PS TDI also featured white dials instead of the standard black dials on the 110 and 150PS TDI models. Production of the Typ 1M Toledo ended in July 2004.
In 2004 and 2005 SEAT Sport also ran in the British Touring Car Championship with two SEAT Toledo Cupras Mk2 identical to those used in the European Touring Car Championship under the 'SEAT Sport UK' banner. Initially, the SEAT Sport UK cars were campaigned by RML Group although at the end of the year the partnership was dissolved as RML entered the WTCC with Chevrolet and the team was run by Northern South since 2005.
The third generation Toledo (Typ 5P) was introduced in 2004, and as a production car made its début at the 2004 Paris Motor Show. However, a preview of it had already been revealed at the 2004 Madrid Motor Show, with the presentation of the SEAT Toledo Prototipo.[14] 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, although now closer to a compact MPV with the Altea's front section, a high roof, and a rear end inspired by Renault Vel Satis, 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.[15][16] Under the bodywork, the SEAT Toledo uses the same underpinnings as the Volkswagen Golf Mk5.
All engines are identical to other Volkswagen Group units, with petrol engines ranging from 102PS (75kW; 101bhp) to 150PS (110kW; 148bhp) and diesel engines from 105PS (77kW; 104bhp) to 140PS (103kW; 138bhp).
Updates include the arrival of a 170PS (125kW; 168bhp) TDI engine in 2006, as well as a tiptronic gearbox in the 2.0 FSI model. A 1.8L turbocharged version of this engine became available in the middle of 2007.
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, 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.[17][18]
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.[19]
SEAT released an Audi A4 (B7) based large family car called the SEAT Exeo in October 2008, with both four door saloon and five door estatebodystyles. 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.[20]
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,[23] with the all new Toledo sitting in between the smaller Ibizasupermini and the larger Leónsmall family car.
The Toledo received a five star rating in the Euro NCAP.
The Toledo was pulled from UK sales lineup due to poor sales in November 2018.[24] In February 2019, the Toledo ended production although sales in selected markets continued well into 2020.[25]
The SEAT Toledo CONNECT is part of a special edition line presented at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show.[26] This model is equipped with Full Link Technology and a Samsung Galaxy A3 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.
The fourth generation of Toledo received generally negative reviews from critics. In October 2014, Top Gear Magazine placed the Toledo on its list of The Worst Cars You Can Buy Right Now.[28]What Car? awarded it 2 stars out of 5, noting that Toledo is "at odds with the sporty image SEAT likes to portray its cars as having" while also having firm ride. Criticism was targeted towards the hard plastics in its interior as well. On the positive side they've praised Toledo's big boot, rear leg room and frugality.[29]Autocar was slightly more positive, awarding it 3 stars out of 5, calling it a "no-nonsense family car", but criticized its driver appeal and bland design.[30][31]
Sales and production figures
1,019,636 SEAT Toledos have been produced during 4 generations.[32]
The total production per year of SEAT Toledo cars, manufactured in SEAT is shown in the following table.
SEAT S.A. is a Spanish car manufacturer, that sells its vehicles under the SEAT and Cupra brands. Founded on 9 May 1950, it was created as a joint venture between Spain's government-owned Instituto Nacional de Industria (INI), which held a majority stake, Spanish private banks, and Fiat. After being listed as an independent automaker for 36 years, the Spanish government sold SEAT to the Volkswagen Group in 1986, and it remains a fully owned subsidiary of the Group.
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