The all-new Mazda3 has clinched the top title at the 2019 Scottish Car of the Year awards.
The head-turning newcomer, which debuts the company’s highly efficient and innovative Skyactiv-X petrol powertrain, was a clear winner in its Family car class and then triumphed over the other category champions to take the top title.
Mazda has previously been extremely successful in category wins but this is just the second time in the award’s 22-year history that the brand has scooped the overall honour.
Judged by the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers (ASMW) – which comprises of print, broadcast and online journalists covering the length and breadth of Scotland and beyond – the Mazda’s advanced Spark Controlled Compression Ignition (SCCI) petrol engine was a key factor in the model’s appeal to the judging panel.
Presenting the award at Edinburgh’s Dalmahoy Hotel and Country Club, ASMW President John Murdoch said: “Mazda’s range has consistently appealed to buyers north of the border; the cars are great looking, well built and deliver a driving experience that’s perfectly suited to Scottish roads.”
The 2019 Scottish Car of the Year awards also delivered impressive results for Nissan, BMW, SEAT and Kia, with representatives from each of these brands leaving Scotland’s capital city with two trophies.
Nissan’s Micra and LEAF e+ were runaway winners in the Small and Alternative Fuel categories.
For BMW, it was luxury and technology of its newest X5 and 7 Series models which wowed the jury enough to secure Premium Crossover and Luxury car awards for the Bavarian brand.
SEAT, meanwhile, showed strength in the Crossover segment with its Tarraco, while the thrilling performance-themed Cupra Ateca raised a few eyebrows by edging ahead of the establishment to secure the Sports car title.
The new Kia ProCeed was named best Estate car while the Sportage scooped the Used prize for the second year running.
Across the other categories, it was a Scandinavian win in the Executive class for Volvo’s S60 while the practicality and value of Peugeot’s Rifter put it at the top of the MPV table.
Scotland’s vast network of challenging B roads is perfectly suited to a Hot Hatch and the turbocharged ST-badged version of the current Focus easily powered to class success.