Seat Toledo is a car for the times we live in

RECENT figures from the Central Statistics Office confirm that the country is slowly moving out of recession. When the good times do return in a few years’ time, hopefully we won’t make the same mistakes again – like buying second houses or apartments off the plans in Bulgaria.

And when the Tiger does roar again maybe we should all drive an economical car like the Seat Toledo. This is a fine spacious car with a massive boot, but inside it has that frugal, austerity look. Everything is very clean and you never, ever, get any hint of luxury.

I think you could probably describe it as a car for the times we are living in.

However, when you sit behind the steering wheel and look at the controls on the dash you are quickly reminded that you are driving a car with VW components, which is reassuring.

Seat has been around for a long time, providing inexpensive and attractive motors. The company was formed in Spain in 1950 and initially made cars for Fiat. In 1982 they broke away from the Italian giant and built their own Ronda.

The name Toledo is taken from the imperial Spanish city. It was first used in 1991 and after a break in 2009 it’s now back again.

The Toledo is built on the same platform as VW’s best-selling Golf with both cars currently being manufactured in the Czech Republic. The Toledo has also been compared to the VW Bora and the new Skoda Rapid, but when cars come from the same group of companies naturally there are going to be similarities.

Ultimately it comes down to which car you will feel comfortable with and trust. Unlike some thirsty hot hatches I drove recently, you won’t have to make many pit stops in this car. I drove the 1.6 diesel version and it will

‘go forever’ on a full tank of fuel.

There is plenty of room for five adults and the boot is massive. The hatchback door opens very high and underneath all that space there is still room for a full-size spare wheel.

I had only one complaint. There is a useful armrest, which can be very relaxing for the driver’s left arm. But if the armrest is down you cannot properly use the hand brake. To gain proper access to the handbrake you have to completely lift up the armrest, making it useless.

The Toledo comes in two trim levels, Reference and Style. Prices start at

?¬16,890 for the 1.2 petrol version, while the 1.6 diesel starts at

?¬20,590.

Seat is anxious to step out of the shadows of their Volkswagen and Skoda colleagues in the VW group.

It’s a big ask, but the new Toledo, which just hates stopping at filling stations, should help.