Somebody asked me what the Leon SC was like to drive… Well, if you are a gentleman of a certain age then you might just remember the Peugeot 205 GTI, circa 1985.

Yesterday I thrashed the SEAT back home across the Cotswolds in a state of some excitement. For me, a powerful car is nothing unless it is beautifully balanced and capable of making an average driver look and feel good.

The Porsche 911 does this beautifully. A Ferrari may be faster and an Aston Martin more brutish but the 911 doesn’t intimidate people when they slip down behind the steering wheel.

And so you can say the same about the Leon. OK, this is a performance diesel of limited grunt but it inspires you to push on through the gears by being uncomplicated and reassuringly easy to drive.

If you want a more meaningful reason to buy one, the SC is returning over 47mpg in all conditions, easily seats five adults and has VW group build quality as standard.

Personally, five miles across the Cotswolds on a clear road should be enough to swing it for you.