The SEAT Toledo was launched in 1991,and will probably be replaced by the SEAT Bolero,launched in 2008.The Toledo is named after one of Spain’s UNESCO World Heritage Cities.The city was first mentioned in historical documents in 192 BC.when it was captured by a Roman army under the command of Marcus Fulvius.It has a rich history and was,at one time the capital of Spain.It became a World Heritage City in 1986.
The Toledo was marketed as a relatively cheap family saloon,but its reviewers were quick to point out that it looked almost the same as the SEAT Altea,and although advertised as a ‘saloon’,the Toledo is,in fact,a hatchback.SEAT itself calls the rear end a ‘notchback’.
The Toledo is more expensive than the Altea,so there seemed to be few incentives to purchase one.It does,however have more space for luggage in the boot than the Altea and is a little larger and heavier.It has tall doors,too,which makes it easy to get in and out of,and this is also facilitated by its “raised drive” position,which puts it on a par with a medium-sized people carrier.
The first generation Toledo remained in production until 1999 when it was replaced by the second generation car,and the third generation Toledo was launched in 2004.This is a compact MPV with a high roof and back end.It did not live up to the expectations of its producers,and some people have claimed that this is because of the design which has both hatchback and saloon aspects.
The sports version of the Toledo has a powerful V5 engine and has been favourably compared to the VW Bora,which is more expensive.
Both market researchers and SEAT agree that there have been few problems reported in association with the Toledo,and owners have commended it upon its reliabilty.
The advice of British reviewers when the first Toledo was launched was to buy the Altea,but they were far more positive about the sportier version.One reviewer for carpages.com said”If a car is a mirror of its driver’s personality,then the Toledo Sport owner is most definitely a free-thinker who wants to be different,but not brash.”
The Toledo had a degree of success in Spain,as it was used as a police car in Martorell,Barcelona,where the company is based.SEAT want there vehicles to have a high profile in places where they run their operations,so they were gratified by this.
Whether or not the Toledo will continue to be produced,though cannot be answered at the moment.