Test-driving the SEAT Toledo

The latest version of the Spanish saloon is really no such thing - it's a hatchback with a kink in the boot, or, as SEAT prefers to say, a "notchback".

No amount of head-scratching, pointing and explaining that when you open the boot, the rear window moves as well, will convince SEAT that this is a modified hatch.

At a glance, the Toledo does seem to carry a stubby little saloon-style boot, but it's little more than a clever optical illusion. It may not look like a hatch, but it drives like a hatch, carries loads and passengers like a hatch, and will sell like a hatch - presumably to people who want to believe they are driving around in a saloon.

While to British eyes the Toledo (pictured) is a stark-naked hatchback, such heresy isn't terribly important as far as SEAT is concer-ned. The UK fell out of love with saloons long ago as family cars, with most of us ditching them to shack up with more practical hatch-backs and MPVs.

Other European markets - particularly SEAT's Spanish homeland - are more loyal lovers of the saloon. But even there the sal-oon market is shrinking as buyers are won over by curvy hatchbacks.

And probably the curviest of all is the Toledo's sister car, the Altea.

It could be argued that the Toledo offers SEAT a clever way to sell hatchbacks into the saloon market.

It would be more accurate to call the Altea the Toledo's twin. There's not just a passing resemblance between the two - in many resp-ects they are identical. Everything forward of the visually hindering rear pillars is ident-ical, as is the entire interior and chassis.

A few panels right at the back have been dented in order to produce the notch, as a result of which the Toledo occupies 18cm more roadspace.

The identikit design approach means that all of the Altea's virtues remain intact.

This is still a striking car with a bold design, fine petrol - and particularly diesel - engines courtesy of the Volkswagen group's involvement.

Because the interior is the same as the Altea's, it stands to reason that it's just as good, with a classy, well-finished feel and high-quality materials.

Technologically, the Toledo is impressive, too.

There's Bluetooth and MP3 integration, plenty of electronic safety features and a sophisticated on-board computer.

Twelve-year anti-corrosion cover should banish any lingering memories of rattly SEATs from the 1980s and early 1990s.

There is little point comparing the new Tol-edo with the last car to carry the name, other than to note that it completely lacks the old car's aggression and involving handling, which is surprising from a company keen to call itself a "young and sporty brand".

Now it feels mature and comfy. MPV-ish height and a fairly long wheelbase prevent sharp cornering or, indeed, any behaviour likely to quicken the pulse aside from the nifty gear changes that come courtesy of the excellent sequential automatic gearbox.

The Toledo performs best sitting on a motor-way, reeling off the miles at a steady and constant speed.

Prices will be confirmed closer to the car's January 2005 on-sale date. They are likely to be a few hundred pounds more expensive than the Altea - further limiting the Toledo's UK appeal.