SEAT Toledo (2012 – 2018) Review

The Spanish firm has a track record of trying different things with its cars and the SEAT Toledo was a fine example of this. It looked like a compact saloon, which are popular on the continent, yet it was a five-door hatchback with a huge boot that made it a cracking value family car. It’s not as sleek in its design as a Volkswagen Jetta, stablemate the Skoda Rapid or extremely rare Suzuki Kizashi, but worth considering nonetheless. Read on for our full SEAT Toledo review.

After a few years’ absence, the SEAT Toledo returned in 2012. The model survived a midlife crisis when it turned into the ugly cousin of the SEAT Altea, but now it was slimmed down and once again very much its own model.

SEAT went back to a traditional saloon shape – like the popular second–generation model – and the car was all the better for it.

It's no secret the SEAT Toledo is the sister car to the Skoda Rapid, but the two look considerably different, with the former getting its own front and rear styling.

The SEAT Toledo is a neat-looking car, and while it’s not the most exciting of designs, it’s not going to put anyone off buying it as a used model.

Sitting between the SEAT Ibiza and the SEAT Leon in the firm’s range, the SEAT Toledo is based on the same platform as the smaller car, albeit a stretched one, but is much bigger.

In fact, the looks are quite deceptive, because at a smidge under 4.5 metres it’s almost as big as a Skoda Octavia and actually longer than a Ford C-MAX.

It may not look like a conventional hatchback, but the SEAT Toledo offers everything you’d get from a family five-door plus a whole lot more. Okay, so the looks are far from exciting and it’s fairly ordinary to drive, but it still has plenty going for it.

It’s impressively practical and surprisingly spacious given its modest size, while the cabin is well finished even if some of the plastics are a touch on the hard side. It’s also well equipped, cheap to run and refined on the motorway.

Fancy a second opinion? Read heycar’s SEAT Toledo review here.

The SEAT Toledo feels very settled at motorway speeds, and it’s impressively refined with very little wind noise or road noise.

Take it on to more demanding roads, and it’s still very capable, with good steering and positive gearchanges from the five-speed and six-speed boxes.

The ride can be fairly unsettled and bouncy on poor-quality roads, but the handling is reassuringly safe.

The SEAT Toledo engine line-up includes all the company’s familiar units from the period.

The 1.2-litre 16V petrol has 75PS, but the turbocharged 1.2 TSI, with either 86PS or 105PS, is a better bet, and more economical too.

The most desirable petrol is the 1.4 TSI with 122PS, which comes with a seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox as standard.

It’s a real gem of an engine that’s a strong performer in the SEAT Toledo, offering a 0-62mph time of 9.5 seconds.

However, our choice would be the diesel. The 1.6 TDI unit has 105PS with a five-speed manual gearbox and returns a claimed 72.4mpg. That on its own is enough to convince us, yet it’s also a versatile performer.

With 250Nm of torque, the common-rail diesel pulls well in-gear, and at 70mph it’s barely breaking sweat at just over 2000rpm, making for relaxed motorway progress.

Thanks to the light weight of the SEAT Toledo – the diesel is around 1250kg – it never feels underpowered either. Providing you don’t rev it too hard, it’s quiet and unobtrusive, and suits the car perfectly.

The closely related Skoda Rapid was tested by Euro NCAP in 2012 and received the maximum five-star rating for crash safety, which is good news for anyone buying the SEAT Toledo.

ESC stability control is standard on all models along with driver and front-seat passenger airbags. And there are Isofix mounts on the two outer rear seats.

Depending on the exact version of the SEAT Toledo you choose, it can pull an unbraked trailer of up to 630kg.

Attach the car to a braked trailer and the maximum weight you can haul is 1200kg.

From the front, the SEAT Toledo looks very much like a SEAT Ibiza, but inside it’s far more spacious with plenty of shoulder room.

It’s even more impressive in the rear.

With the front seats slid all the way back, there is still enough legroom for those sitting behind, while getting in and out is easy thanks to wide-opening doors. It’s far better than your everyday hatchback.

Tall drivers will find the driving position doesn’t adjust low enough, and some might find the seats are narrow, plus there’s no adjustable lumbar support.

You can at least stretch your left leg out, and there’s even an off-clutch footrest.

Interior quality is good and the simple layout of the cabin means it’s easy to work out what all the buttons do.

The driving position could do with being a touch lower, and some of the plastics on the dash top and doors are hard rather than soft-touch. Aside from that, there is little to quibble with.

It feels well built and hard-wearing, there’s plenty of storage, including a big glovebox, plus there’s good all-round visibility, even with the high boot.

This ensures that parking isn’t a problem.

Basic SEAT Toledo models come with a standard CD stereo, with a black and white display. It is easy to use, and works well.

But it’s worth looking for models with the SEAT Media System, which has navigation, a colour touchscreen, DAB and Bluetooth audio streaming.

This was originally an option but was made standard on SEAT Toledo SE models from 2013. 

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are not available.

Earlier SEAT Toledos can be picked up in decent condition from as little as £3500, with fewer than 90,000 miles on the clock.

However, beware cars that have been driven huge mileages, as it was popular as a minicab.

A better bet is a seven-year-old SEAT Toledo with the 1.2 TSI engine for £6500. This will have around 65,000 miles on the clock, and be in Style trim.

You should also be able to find a diesel-powered car of the same age and mileage for this sum, which will be compliant with low emissions zones.

All of the engine options in the SEAT Toledo are frugal, with the 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre diesels both claiming more than 70mpg officially.

Our Real MPG data shows you should expect a real-world figure around 60mpg.

Among the petrol engines, the 1.0 TSI is the most economical and offers an achievable 49mpg in normal use.

However, we prefer the more eager 1.4 TSI that serves up around 40mpg, while the 1.2 TSI can give a daily figure around 47mpg.

The 1.4 diesel is low enough on carbon dioxide emissions for earlier cars to qualify for free road tax. Even the 1.6 diesel, with its 109g/km, means you’ll only pay £20 for road tax each year.

With the petrol motors, the 1.0 and 1.2 TSI units will also require £20 per year for cars registered up to 1 April 2017.

However, the 1.4 attracts a heftier levy of £190 per annum, and that’s what all models put on the road after 1 April 2017 pay with the flat-rate scheme.

Insurance for the SEAT Toledo starts in a low group 8 and rises as high as group 20, so none will bust your budget when it comes to getting annual cover.

SEAT dealers will not be too pricey for routine maintenance, while a good independent will save you a bit extra.

When it was launched in 2012, the SEAT Toledo E kicked off the range with 15-inch steel wheels, black door handles and wing mirrors, front electric windows and an MP3 CD player with Aux-in, plus four speakers.

The SEAT Toledo S added body-coloured door handles and mirrors, electric heated door mirrors, a rear windscreen wiper and air-conditioning. It also gained Bluetooth with voice control, a USB port, remote audio controls, six speakers and a trip computer.

Add to that standard split-folding rear seats, a height-adjustable driver’s seat, sun visor mirrors, space saver spare wheel, an alarm and remote central locking.

Top spec at launch was the SEAT Toledo SE with 16-inch alloy wheels, front fog lights with cornering, climate control and a refrigerated glovebox.

There was also cruise control, rear electric windows, a leather steering wheel and gear knob, front and rear armrests, hangers and fixing rings in the boot, boot storage compartments and a height-adjustable passenger seat.

Later the trims were changed, with SEAT Toledo Style models introduced and later the SEAT Toledo Xcellence as the top specification.

SEAT Toledo I-Tech models are well equipped, too, with 16-inch alloys, Alcantara and fake leather seats, plus metallic dashboard trim.