The judges have spoken – the Volvo V90 has been named 2016 Scottish Car of the Year by the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers.

The new premium estate, which has just gone on sale, won through by winning the Estate Car of the Year section and just pipped Jaguar's SUV section winner, the F-Pace, by the smallest of margins.

Apart from its stunning new look, the judges were impressed by its use of innovative technology, including the ground-breaking Sensus touch screen infotainment system. This operates like a smartphone and allows the driver to control most of the car’s functions using simple swipe or pinch and zoom gestures.

But it's not all about the gizmos as this important launch for Volvo also takes it out of the pipe and slippers image that has been (unfairly) attached to previous versions of the popular saloon and estate. This is a seriously well-engineered car and its focus on advanced technology extends to the D5 diesel engine.

This has the option of PowerPulse, a new Volvo-designed system that uses compressed air to boost responsiveness at low revs. And, having driven it, it certainly does what it says on the tin.

There’s also Pilot Assist, the semi-autonomous drive technology that is fitted as standard to all V90s. This driver aid takes care of the steering, acceleration and braking at up to 80 mph, helping to make long motorway journeys less stressful and tiring – but a bit weird getting used to!.

For those in areas where deer are definitely a road hazard, the V/S90s have Large Animal Detection which helps prevent collisions by scanning the area in front of the car and automatically applying the brakes in an emergency if you fail to react in time.

Another gizmo, Run-off Road Mitigation is designed to stop the car inadvertently leaving the road by applying the steering if the car gets too close to the edge of the carriageway.

Stephen Park, from our sister newspaper, The Herald, and president of the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers, said: “The Volvo V90 is an exceptional car and one which reshapes the estate car marketplace. The judges were impressed by the way it marries traditional Volvo family values with a head-turning sense of style, advanced technology, exceptional build quality, safety, driving dynamics and one of the best cabin environments of any car at any price.

"In short, we reckon it’s the most accomplished new car to be launched this year and one which offers strong appeal in the unique Scottish marketplace.”

And, there's a another Scottish connection. The leather used in the latest Volvos – and for most of the Swedish manufacturers vehicles – is provided by Bridge of Weir Leather, most likely from Scottish cows!

The Swedish marque’s success follows on from last year when the XC90 won the Scottish Car of the Year SUV section, also with BoW Leather and its relationship with Volvo dates back more than 30 years to the mid-1980s. Today the fine Scottish leather is found on the V40, XC40, XC60, XC90, S90, V90, and the V90CC cars. Earlier key Volvo models to have featured Bridge of Weir leather include the 740 from 1983 and the successful 850 from 1991.

Other customers of Bridge of Weir, including Ford, Jaguar and McLaren, also walked away with prizes in their respective categories from the SCOTY awards.

And the section winners were:

The awards delivered impressive results for Audi, Ford, Jaguar and Renault, with all four marques scooping double wins.

The well appointed A4 from Audi was the top Executive car and the V10-engined R8 – the priciest of the winners – was named best Sports car.

Ford’s Focus RS and Mustang were the ASMW’s favoured Hot Hatch and Drop Top.

Meanwhile, success came for Renault in the Family and Crossover car categories with the Megane and Kadjar, respectively, winning a giving a boost to a revitalised offering from the French maker.

Jaguar’s second generation XF and all-new F-PACE – both the result of designs by Dumfries-born design boss, Ian Callum – were clear champions in both the Luxury and SUV categories.

Mazda's new diesel engine for a revised version of a car which has previously scooped the Family car title, the 1.5-litre SKYACTIV won the Diesel title while the MX-5 was named as the best Used Car choice for 2016.

Suzuki’s big value Baleno impressed the judges greatly with its Boosterjet engine delivering frugal real-world economy to win the Small car category, while the innovative drivetrains of Hyundai’s IONIQ were enough to make it the top Eco vehicle.

The award for MPV of the Year went to BMW for its 2 Series Grand Tourer, while McLaren scooped the special Design and Innovation prize for the 570 Sports Series range.