SPORTY, aggressive and responsive are just a few of the plaudits I could heap on the Seat Leon.
Added to that could easily be good looking, roomy and stylish - in fact apart from some of the controls being a little fiddly and small, it was fairly hard to find fault with the Spanish number.
The nice thing about the Leon is that each day you seem to discover another carefully thought out design feature that are fairly inconspicuous upon first inspection. For example, the windscreen wipers are set in a vertical position and operate in a butterfly-style wipe so not obscuring your view when not in use.
And the Leon enhances its coupe stance by giving the impression there are no rear doors when, in fact, the rear door handles are concealed in the door frames.
Along with a choice of five different engines - three petrol and two diesel, the Leon also offers plenty of opportunity to buyers to personalise their models too. There is even a choice of five different steering wheels with different materials and thumb-tip controls.
Although classed as a sport model - and for once the sport seats were actually very comfy - the Leon boasts some classy specifications more often associated with an executive saloon.
These include a headlamp sensor, rain sensor, a speed-warning which can be pre-programmed to a certain speed, which if exceeded activates audio/visual warnings, and also tyre pressure monitoring, which detects any loss of pressure and warns the driver.
Clever features and elegant lines but what about the drive? This too, is sporty from the throaty sound as the exhaust amplification kicks in to the excellent handling both in and around town and on the open road.
And with a host of safety features including up to eight airbags, anti-lock braking system, electronic stability program, electronic differential lock and emergency brake assistance, the Leon is reassuringly safe for the driver and occupants alike.
SEAT LEON 2.0 TDi SPORT
Price: £16,495
Mechanical: 140bhp, 1,968cc, 4-cyl diesel engine driving front wheels via 6spd manual gearbox
Max speed: 125mph
0-62mph: 9.3secs
Combined mpg: 49.6mpg
Insurance group: 9
CO2 emissions: 154g/km
BiK rating: 19
Warranty: 3 years/60,000 miles; 1yr paint; 12yrs anti-rust