I REMEMBER being hugely impressed by the SEAT Toledo when it first came out and all those I've driven since have reinforced that view.

It really stood out from the crowd when it was launched and regular updates since have kept it right up with class leaders like the VW Golf and Ford Focus.

Although it looks like a saloon, it's a hatch and has one of the largest boots and most roomy interiors in the class, making it very family friendly.

It's based on the same floor pan as the Golf, Audi A3 and Skoda Rapid and it really can be all things to all men because of its huge range of abilities and because it Is so reasonable secondhand.

I drove a 1.6 TDI diesel with start-stop soon after the launch and in varied driving, it returned a real 49 miles per gallon, which is still excellent even by today's standards.

It was also good fun to drive, with performance well up to the average and, despite a slightly rough sound from the engine at times, it was never too noisy.

This engine is available with 90, 103 or 115bhp and the 103bhp version has a government economy figure of over 70mpg.

The 103 and 115bhp versions also give good performance, with zero to 62 miles an hour acceleration in 10.3 and 9.9 seconds respectively.

Petrol engine options are 1.0, 1.2 and 1.4 and all but a single 1.2 in the entry level E model are turbocharged TSI units.

The 1.2 came first, and the turbo version has either 85, 103 or 110bhp. Best economy is in the 110bhp model, which can do 57mpg officially but the other two are only slightly behind.

The 85bhp version is quite slow, but the 103 covers the 62mph sprint in 10.2 seconds and the 110bhp in 9.8, so performance in these is more than acceptable.

The 1.0 TSI, with a single power output of 108bhp, replaced the 1.2 around 2014 although later cars with the larger engine could have come to market.

The smaller engine gets the Toledo to 62mph in 9.8 seconds and takes economy up to 60mpg. This is a gem of a power unit and makes the car great to drive - just as it does in all the Audis, VWs and Skodas it's fitted to.

The 1.4 TSI turbo comes with 120bhp and is the performance king of the fleet, bringing the 62mph acceleration down to 9.4 seconds. But economy also drops - although down to a still very good 48mpg.

The handling and road-holding in all of them is excellent, with marvellous grip and beautifully informative steering.

The ride is also very good over all surfaces, taking the worst of our potholed roads in its stride in town and smoothing out country roads at speed.

Inside, this car is a tardis. Front and rear legroom are much bigger than those in the Focus and it also has a massive boot that took a secondhand chest of drawers with ease.

Equipment in the mid-range SE includes steering wheel stereo and trip computer controls, very good seat and column adjustment, Bluetooth, climate, alloys and an alarm system.

It also has traction control, parking sensors, cruise, part leather upholstery and sat nav.

Pay about £5,700 for a '14 14-reg 1.2 TSi SE, or £7,750 for a '17 17-reg 1.6 TDI 115bhp Xcellence.