The all-new Land Rover Freelander 2 received the majority vote from the ASMW members in this category, fighting off competition from the new Honda CR-V, the Nissan X-TRAIL, Subaru Tribeca, Citroën C-Crosser, Peugeot 4007 and the Mitsubishi Outlander.

Presenting the award, ASMW President Stephen Park said: “Numerous new SUVs have been launched during the past 12 months. Some offer unrivalled off-road ability, others refined on-road manners, some dwarf everything else on the road while others are smaller than some family hatchbacks. But ultimately, one 4x4 impressed the judges more than all the rest. Winning by a bigger margin than any other category winner, our choice looks good, feels good and has real pedigree breeding.”

Land Rover UK’s managing director, John Edwards, said: “We are absolutely delighted to win this award for Freelander 2 from the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers. It is yet another testament to its dynamic design, all round capability and its smart and spacious interior package.”

“Scotland is an important area for Land Rover’s UK business, with sales up 21 per cent so far this year. The geography of the region means that an SUV is a practical choice for many customers.”

It has already sold over 15,000 units in the UK this year. The best selling model is still the TD4 manual.