Scottish COTY - Best Diesel - SEAT Leon 2.0 TDi

• Coveted Scottish Car of the Year (SCOTY) Diesel Car award for the most powerful diesel SEAT Leon ever produced
• SCOTY judges praise the car’s outstanding performance and economy  
• SEAT Leon SC FR 2.0 TDI 184 PS on sale now, priced at £22,075
• Fourth award for the SEAT Leon during 2013
• SEAT announces availability of DSG gearbox for 184 PS 2.0 TDI engine
• SEAT is swapping chorizo and Rioja for haggis and whisky to celebrate taking the Diesel Car prize at the annual Scottish Car of the Year Awards (SCOTY).

The Leon SC FR 2.0 TDI 184 PS won the coveted award during a glitzy bash at Glasgow’s Thistle Hotel, beating off stiff competition from cars as distinguished as the Audi SQ5, Range Rover TDV6, and BMW 320d Touring.

Presenting the award at the evening ceremony, Association of Scottish Motoring Writers (ASMW) President Alisdair Suttie said that the car’s “smart styling sets it apart from all the alternatives and it’s an engaging car to drive – but costs less to run than some superminis.”

It does indeed. With a combined fuel consumption rating of 67.3 mpg and CO2 emissions of just109 g/km, the Leon SC FR 2.0 TDI 184 PS is the definition of fast and frugal. It gets to 62 mph from zero in just 7.4 seconds and tops out at 142 mph, and with 380 Nm, it’s got more torque than two Caterham Roadsport 175s.

“Everyone who drove the SEAT was impressed by its sheer completeness. Not only does it have the looks, performance and driving dynamics to shame many hot hatches, but the low emissions and exceptional economy figures will strike a chord with Scottish buyers who are canny with their cash," says Stephen Park, ASMW Secretary.

The Leon SC FR 2.0 TDI 184 PS certainly doesn’t have hot hatch running costs, and at £22,255, doesn’t have a hot hatch price tag either. And nor does it scrimp on kit, coming as standard with an FR-specific body kit, 17-inch alloy wheels, LED tail lights, drive-altering SEAT Drive Profile, sports-shaped front seats, SEAT Easy Entry system for comfortable back-end access, dual-zone climate control, dark tinted rear windows and sports suspension.

The car is also eligible for SEAT’s remarkable free Technology Pack offer, which has been extended until at least the end of 2013 for retail customers. It makes the £1,075 pack free-of-charge, meaning buyers can add full-LED headlights, satellite navigation and DAB digital radio to their Leon for the same price as a walk in the Highlands.

Announcing the SEAT Leon FR TDI 184 PS DSG

The SCOTY Diesel Car award presents the perfect opportunity to announce the arrival of a DSG automatic version of the Leon FR 2.0 TDI 184 PS, which begins production at the end of this year, for first deliveries in January 2014.

The quick-shifting DSG retains the manual car’s 7.5-second sprint to 62 mph, while the top speed dips very slightly to 140 mph. Fuel economy is startling, with a 62.8 mpg combined consumption rating and CO2 emissions of just 119 g/km. The price premium over an equivalent manual is £1,250.

SEAT sales and awards success

The SCOTY Best Diesel Car award is the first for the SEAT Leon SC specifically, but the fourth for the Leon model, with the five-door having won awards from What Car? and Auto Express – including the overall Car of the Year prize from the latter.

SEAT UK recently celebrated its best ever month for sales, with the 8,498 new car registrations made in September 2013 the most that the company has enjoyed in a 23-year history; SEAT was established in the UK in September 1985. In fact, the September sales tally capped off SEAT’s best quarter ever, which follows its best half-year ever, between January and June 2013. All told, SEAT is on course for a record-breaking year.