The second Seat Toledo, almost forgotten but the most beautiful

What was the start-up process like?

You can safely say that the Seat Toledo underwent a rebirth in 1998. The baby looked like a compact, powerful sedan, with a separate trunk. How different it was in the beginning, when Seat set new standards by offering a spacious sedan-like car with a fifth door in 1991 with the new name Toledo. It was very spacious and the 550 liter trunk was especially impressive. The most important thing about the Toledo was that Seat clearly indicated that it had done away with the Fiat past. VW was in control, but allowed the Spanish branch of the group to give the Toledo enough distinctiveness compared to its comparable competitor from Volkswagen itself, which was the Vento. The Seat was slightly different, plus three grand cheaper; that offered perspective. It is clear that the chassis and many other off-the-shelf parts came from VAG, including the engines and dashboards. Something of Seat’s own identity was added everywhere, but the basis was also unmistakably Volkswagen’s while driving. In 1998, the Toledo was thoroughly revised and turned into a real sedan.

How was the second Seat Toledo received?

A serious step forward, a step higher in the market. These were the main conclusions when Seat presented the new Toledo at the Paris Motor Show in the autumn of 1998. It got a smoother bodywork, which made it look a lot more refined. While the original Toledo was a good-natured and practical workhorse, the new one (model code 1M) had the pretensions of a more refined thoroughbred. And everyone saw something of BMW kidneys in the new grille. Giorgetto Giugiaro’s design studio was praised for its contribution, although Steve Lewis, then chief exterior design at Seat, was ultimately responsible for the design. The fact that Seat was serious about the new Toledo was also evident from the range of engines. The 2.3 V5 engine from the in-house competitor, the Volkswagen Bora, was also available in the new Toledo. We went to Spain – Barcelona of course – with that version in early 1999 to do the first on-site comparison test of the new Toledo against a Saab 9-3. A nice story: a Saab from the stables of General Motors against a Seat that was not built in Spain but in Brussels. On the same tire as that Volkswagen Bora. The fact that we compared the new Toledo with a 9-3, which was close to premium at the time, says something about how the Toledo was estimated at the time. A year later they joined forces again, for the Leon. The Seat Golf, but with chili peppers, the marketing department shouted to the world.

How revolutionary was he really?

What does the Toledo add to the history of the Western automotive world? Well, that’s quite relative. The original Toledo, with its fifth door, was distinctive. But the fact remains that the Toledo are part of a large concern in which moves are made on a large chessboard and where nothing happens that the chief boss of that concern does not approve of. That boss is not from Seat. The second generation Toledo was special because the C-segment sedan was already on its way out and the Toledo was a notable exception to the rule ‘sedans are boring and frumpy, get rid of them’. A transversely mounted five-cylinder in a compact sedan was also special. The fact that the dashboard of the Audi A3 was also supplied in the Seat Toledo (and later also in the Leon) was perhaps remarkable, but it was of course not revolutionary.

What were the choices during the market introduction?

The 1998 Toledo was available with many engine variants. No wonder, because mother VAG has quite a bit on the shelves. The entry-level was the 1.6 petrol engine; a four-cylinder with eight valves, nothing wrong, 100 hp. In addition, Seat offered a choice of a 1.6 16V (105 hp, also with automatic), a 1.8 20V (four cylinders, five valves per cylinder, 125 hp, also with automatic) and the 2.3 V5 of 150 hp. There was also plenty of diesel choice at that time, always with a capacity of 1896 cc and yet four TDIs. At first only 90 and 110 hp, later in the pump injector era even 130 and 150 hp! The versions varied from Stella (basic) via Sport, Signum, Signo and Spirit to Executive. In general you can say that the Seats were in good shape compared to Volkswagens at that time. The engines were modified over the years, the 2.3 V5 went from 150 to 170 hp in 2001 and the 1.8 20V had to be retired as a naturally aspirated variant in 2003, but the turbo version, the well-known 1.8 20VT, was replaced. It delivered 180 hp in the Toledo, making it the strongest Toledo of the second generation. Unlike its hatchback brother Leon, the 2.8 V6 power source in combination with four-wheel drive has never been available in the Toledo. Seat did show the promising Toledo Cupra concept in 1999, with a 204 hp engine and thick bumpers in the style of the later Leon Cupra. That Toledo Cupra was never heard from again.

The Seat Toledo 1.8 20VT, only delivered in the last year.

The Seat Toledo Cupra concept. the Leon would make off with the Cupra name and the thick bumpers.

What were the competitors of the second Toledo?

With the Toledo we had to look for competitors, given the demise of the compact sedan that has just been introduced. And although Seat wants to upgrade the 1998 Toledo, it is also pushing into the D-segment with the Vectra, Passat, S40, 406 and Laguna. Strictly speaking, the Toledo belongs one step lower and must therefore compete against the Bora and doubters such as the Mitsubishi Carisma and the Fiat Marea. But it also had to face competition from brand mate Cordoba, the four-door variant of the Ibiza. It was also available as a 2-door coupe and as a Vario, a station wagon. A bit smaller and cheaper than Toledo. The biggest competitor of the second Toledo may come from its own family, because the Volkswagen Bora is of the same cloth, although you could get a Variant from the Bora and no station wagon has appeared from the Toledo.

How was it received by consumers?

In 1998, the Toledo reached 55th place in the rankings with 3,300 cars sold. The following year he equaled that number, which is a really good result for a sedan in the C-segment. In those years, such models simply could not compete with the sales force of the hatchbacks in that class. The lagging popularity of the Toledo compared to the Leon is reflected in the reviews: the Toledo is less popular, perhaps because of the separate trunk. Striking: buyers of used Toledos are happy that you actually buy more car for less money than when purchasing that beloved, smoother-looking Leon. Then we’ll see more often. The sedan as a wallflower in the showroom. More car for less money. But yeah, not that hip either.

Any details during his life?

The second Toledo never underwent a major facelift, did not receive any noticeable changes on the inside and if we search on this site for the news we made at the time, we hardly see the model in the years 1998 to 2004. In 2003 we announce a new entry-level version, which replaces the Stella equipment level. It’s called Spirit and is available for less than 20,000 euros. In the same message the 1.8 turbo engine makes its debut. What is actually the biggest and perhaps the worst news comes at the end of its life cycle. Seat replaces the handsome Toledo with an Altea with a butt! The surprise was great when the curtain went up on the third Toledo at a car show in Madrid in the spring of 2004… An MPV with a butt!

Which version appeals most to the imagination?

The 170 hp V5 is of course quite special, as a derivative of Volkswagen’s famous VR6, but one cylinder shorter. This version fits in nicely with the distinctiveness that the 1998 Toledo should radiate. The 1.8 20V with that characteristic rumble when accelerating is also nice. The turbo version is even nicer, but such Toledos are scarce because they were only supplied for a year. No, we’re going for the 2.3 V5 and preferably a 20-valve, the first one had 10. So a Toledo 2.3 V5 with a nice, lush leather interior. Find another one.

What has been the impact of the Seat Toledo?

The impact of the Toledo primarily means an interesting look behind the scenes of the gigantic car manufacturer Volkswagen, which had to accommodate different brands and largely the same models in a changing market. The Toledo also shows how relative everything is when your name is not Golf, Corolla or Civic. There has been quite a bit of fiddling with the model, with the MPV departure from 2004 as an uncomfortable beginning of the end and the no-nonsense period from 2013 to 2018 as a convulsion. The Toledo has not made it as far in the history books as the place it is named after, that much is certain. But it was nice having him there.

How many are left?

According to Vinacles data, there are currently 1,407 second-generation Toledos with a valid license plate in the Netherlands. These are divided over the years of construction as follows:

1999 169

2000 224

2001 228

2002 301

2003 269

2004 216