THE FARMERS’ favourite SUV, the Land Rover Discovery is Scotland’s best car, according to Scotland’s motoring journalists.

It’s the fourth generation Disco and the award came just a few days short of its 20th birthday.

The Discovery 4, that iconic off-roader, won the SUV category by a country mile, before going on to win the Scottish Car of the Year title – against 60 other vehicles driven by Scottish journalists this year.

It was up against tough competition from the impressive all-new Volkswagen Polo, placed as the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers’ choice as the best small car and the all-action Ford Focus RS, which was the best ‘sporting’ choice.

BMW took top honours in the drop-top sector with their Z4, while its German rival, Audi, triumphed in the luxury segment with the new A4 Allroad. The remarkable Jaguar XF – fitted with the same engine as the most popular Disco 4 – took the plaudits in the diesel category with its awesome new 3.0-litre twin turbo powertain. Mazda maintained its impressive record, winning the best family car sector, while the Citroen C3 Picasso was also named as the ASMW’S best MPV.

For the first time there was a new sector to recognise the growing demand for eco-friendly vehicles. The award was shared by Honda for the affordable Insight hybrid and BMW for its EfficientDynamics technologies.

But there was no doubt the Disco 4 was head and shoulders above the competition in more ways than one. Its operating system is as high tech as they come, with computer processors monitoring just about every action that this big car makes.

Innovative design features such as two assist, surround camera system and gradient release control, takwes a lot of the guess-work out of driving what is a fairly large SUV and makes working with it a pleasure.

It all adds up to the most complete SUV package around today and one which has shown that technology can help manufacturers achieve a better driving experience, with added performance, but with lower fuel use and toxic emissions.

2009 WINNERS AT A GLANCE

Small Volkswagen Polo

Family Mazda3

Luxury Audi A4 Allroad

SUV Land Rover Discovery 4

MPV Citroen C3 Picasso

Drop top BMW Z4

Sporting Ford Focus RS

Diesel Jaguar XF 3.0 diesel S

Eco BMW and Honda (jointly)