Category: Compact MPV 
Price Range: No data available
Excellent drive, good choice of engines
Little to distinguish between it and Altea, only good for four
The Toledo doesn't mark itself out from the excellent Altea MPV enough, which could confuse potential buyers.
The Toledo's suspension is the same as that found in the Altea, albeit with stiffer spring rates to account for the extra 24kg of weight. McPherson struts are found at the front, with multi-link suspension at rear. The result is a car that, while bigger and heavier than the Altea, drives in a nearly identical fashion.
Understeer and body roll are minimal, and only when you push the Toledo very hard does the standard fit ESP cut in to control dangerous understeer or oversteer slides. The electro-mechanical steering gives good feel and feedback through the wheel - it features variable assists which makes for light steering when performing low-speed manoeuvres. Ride quality is good even with the sports suspension and larger alloy wheels of the top-spec Sport trim level.
The entry-level 1.6-litre petrol and 1.9-litre diesel are fitted with a five-speed manual gearbox, the 2.0-litre FSI petrol and TDI diesel gain an extra ratio. The larger petrol engine is also available with a six-speed tiptronic automatic box and the excellent DSG double-clutch gearbox is optional with the 2.0-litre TDI. All gearboxes are smooth shifting, including the six-speed auto, which you can leave in auto mode or chose to shift sequentially up and down the gears yourself.
Four engines are offered, two each of petrol and diesel. The entry-level petrol is a four-cylinder sixteen-valve 1.6-litre engine that produces 102bhp and 109lb ft of torque at 3,800rpm. The progress isn't scintillating, 62mph coming up in 12.9 seconds. On the road the engine struggles, especially when tackling an incline or overtaking.
The direct-injection 2.0-litre petrol engine produces a rather more sanguine 150bhp and 147lb ft of torque and is the most powerful engine on offer. With the manual gearbox, the 0-62mph sprint takes 9.7 seconds, the auto tacks on about another half-second.
The pick of the diesels is the 140bhp 2.0-litre unit, which has a large 236lb ft of torque starting from a low 1750rpm up to 2500rpm. This torque band may seem narrow giving a 0-62mph time of 10 seconds, but does give a better account of itself in real-world conditions, being over a second quicker than the 2.0-litre petrol when accelerating from 50-75mph. The other diesel is a 105bhp 1.9-litre unit familiar to other VW group cars.
