2002 Seat Toledo 1M2 1.9 TDi 66kW from Finland

Summary:

Maintenance free car - I love it

Faults:

Both seat heaters died at 250000km.

Poor plastic parts in the front grille.

Trunk hatch absorbers dead.

Trunk hatch electric wire lines cut and broken.

Front wheel bearings.

General Comments:

This car has been extremely reliable.

It has run 300 000 km with routine maintenance; even the original shock absorbers lasted that long.

The body of this car is fully galvanized, there is no rust at all.

Seats are a bit uncomfortable.

Very nice car to drive.

The car is still going strong.

The motor should last 500 000 km.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 6th May, 2013

2002 Seat Toledo TDI 1.9 turbo diesel 66kW from Finland

Summary:

Very dependable!

Faults:

Both seat heaters have stopped working.

The plastic shield at the bottom of the motor is very weak. I replaced it with an aluminium one.

Wires going to the trunk cover don't last, because they bend too much while opening/closing the trunk.

General Comments:

I bought this car 2006, and have driven 100 000 km with it.

It has been a great and very reliable car - basically only standard service has been done. What more can you expect from a car that now has 300 000 km?

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th August, 2012

2002 Seat Toledo V5 2.3 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Good performance with lots of toys

Faults:

Although not this particular vehicle, the demo car I had started to make a knocking sound from the front when turning.

This vehicle has a knocking when reversing using right-lock. Dealer to investigate.

On delivery, found 2 plastic 'caps' just floating around in the engine compartment.

General Comments:

Owing to its 170BHP, very quick off the mark.

Looks sporty, but not overdone.

Would recommend getting a boot-spoiler fitted. Makes the car look even better.

Better fuel economy made if cruise control used.

SEAT should consider making the boot compartment a few inches shorter to allow for a bit more legroom in the rear.

Latest UK model seems to have dropped the Electronic Memory function for the seats.

Cruise Control function stalk can be a bit difficult to play with.

Fold-down arm rest could be a bit shorter in length. You can only really make use of this on longer journeys.

As the CD Changer is in the glove compartment, remaining space is very limited.

As the manuals are so think etc, the area to store them is not big enough.

Lots of gadgets as Standard (Sat Nav, 6 CD Changer, Auto-Dim Rear View Mirror, Folding Wing Mirrors, Climate Control, Cruise Control, Rain Sensor Wipers, Spring Loaded Cup-Holder)

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 22nd June, 2002

1st Aug 2002, 07:03

I agree with pretty much everything commented here. The V5 does have some shortcomings (I would say the slight lack of rear legroom, lack of useful storage space and iffy dealers) but it's a underestimated car, packed with toys, that I'm very much enjoying!

24th Jan 2003, 10:47

I agree with the shortcomings mentioned above, but they are all really quite minor and very soon forgotten when you realise you are having almost as much fun as you would in an Alfa 156, and paying a small fortune less to buy the car in the first place, in comparison with the car's VW stable mate, the Bora.

The engine is superb, it's one of the main reasons I bought the car. It's also fantastic value for money, coming with a MUCH higher level of equipment than a Golf, Bora or Passat for much less cash. The interior is exceptionally comfortable over long journeys; a friend and I felt good after driving mine almost non-stop to northern Italy from the UK, stopping only to re-fuel and swap places.

The biggest problem I faced was dealer related. Because Seat has a small market share in the UK, the dealerships often seem to be an afterthought, tagged on to the end of a bigger franchise. Try www.seatcupra.net; the good dealers are often praised and easily hunted down.