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SEAT Altea / Toledo
Debut: 2004
Maker: SEAT
Predecessor: Toledo |
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Altea
 Other
car makers call this kind of products as "MAV", or Multi-Activity
Vehicles.
Seat doesn’t. It prefers to call the Altea as "MSV" - Multi-Sports
Vehicle.
It occurs silly to me. What multi-sports? football, basket and tennis?
it seems that every car can take its driver to play multi-sports, not
just
MSV the Altea ! what a silly name.
Anyway,
ex-Alfa Romeo, ex-Seat and now Audi group design boss Walter de Silva
gave
the Altea a wonderful shape. It is the first Seat penned under the full
influence of Silva, and it shows how adventurous and emotional a new
age
Seat can be. So striking, so sporty, it looks almost like a concept
car.
Looking from the front it seems like a pump-up sports car. New-style
grille
will be a beautiful signature to all other Seats in the future. The
rear
end is less distinctive because of the need to compromise with
functions
- tailgate must be wide and deep to aid luggage access, coupe-like roof
must be sacrificed for larger interior volume. That said, the Altea is
still the most beautiful MAV - or MSV - I have ever seen.
 Open
the doors, the interior styling is very simple, almost spartan. Plastic
quality is pretty good, but the ambience is no where as inviting as
Renault
Scenic. This environment is honest. It does not pretend to be high-tech
or luxurious. Just some simple dials and controls. It seems like
persuading
the driver to concentrate on the road rather than the cockpit.
When
you look for accommodation, Altea will let you down. I can’t think of
any
MAV - yes, yes, I know it is called MSV - offer so little space. It is
capable to sit 4 six-footers in comfort, but 5 will be a squeeze, let
alone
6 or 7 that most other MAVs offer. The Altea is based on the Golf
platform,
but unlike Touran (Volkswagen’s own MAV) it does not boost any longer
wheelbase
than the Golf. At 2578mm, this is the shortest in the class. So,
despite
of a tall roof, the cabin of Altea is easily the smallest.
 When
you shift your attention to flexibility, Altea will once again
disappoint
you. Short wheelbase means independently sliding rear seats can only be
a dream to Altea. Instead, it employs a 60/40-split rear bench just
like
any family hatches. There is no fold tables, no parcel shelf.... the
rear
seatbacks do not fold flat onto the floor... the only things
distinguish
it from regular family hatches is the higher roof and more storage
cubbies.
However,
when it comes to driving, Altea finally shines. The Golf V platform it
used is renowned for handling and refinement, with sophisticated rear
multi-link
suspensions and a better than usual electric power steering. Being a
Seat,
Altea is tuned sportier than other MAVs. Further aided by the compact
dimensions,
handling is agile and fun.
Like
other family members of Golf platform, Altea is offered with 5 engines:
102hp 1.6 8V, 115hp 1.6 16V FSI, 150hp 2.0 16V FSI, 105hp 1.9 8V TDI
and
140hp 2.0 16V TDI. To exploit the capability of its chassis, the
largest
petrol and diesel engines with 6-speed gearbox is recommended.
However,
if what you want is driving excitement, why don’t you buy a high-spec
family
hatch instead? the only reason is probably its beautiful styling.
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| The
above report was last updated on 10 Jul
2004. All Rights Reserved. |
Toledo
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  The
new Toledo is actually an Altea MPV with a different tail. From the
nose
to the C-pillar they are identical. After that, it has a tiny boot and
a wrap-around rear window very much in the style of Renault Vel Satis.
Like the Renault, it is actually a hatchback, so what's the difference
with Altea? not much. The longer boot contributes to more luggage space
- 500 litres versus 409 litres, but then Skoda Octavia (another
derivative
of the Golf V platform) beats it at 560 litres. Moreover, access to the
Toledo's boot is more difficult than Altea because of its higher load
sill.
 Sadly,
apart from the boot, nothing differs Toledo from Altea. They share the
same engines, transmissions and suspension setting, in other words, 70%
components. They have the same sporty driving character. The same cabin
features the same dashboard, materials, seats… inevitably, we have to
question
the purpose of building this car alongside Altea. Seat fails to give us
a satisfying answer. It even refuses to classify this car - it is
neither
a family hatch (too big) nor a sedan (doesn't look like), nor a MPV (no
versatile interior and not roomy enough). Call it a crossover and it
offers
nothing new.
Obviously,
the
car needs
to have a clearer defined identity and more differentiation from its
sister.
Otherwise they will just steal sales from each other rather than
bringing
new customers. |
| The
above report was last updated on 21 Oct
2004. All Rights Reserved. |
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