Enjoyneering? Not my favourite made-up word, I must confess, but it does sum up SEAT’s attitude to life.

The Spanish brand, part of the Volkswagen empire, specialises in adding Latin flair to Teutonic attention to detail. The result? SEAT remains a small part of the VW group, but its sales are on an upward trajectory.

In difficult markets, especially in Southern Europe, SEAT is weathering the storm but in the UK it’s growing sharply. For five years in a row SEAT sales have risen. It went from 29,000 sales a year in 2009 to 38,000 in 2012 and this year is on course for well over 40,000.

And that’s without a crossover model in sight! There may be one in a couple of years and that would add a few more thousand to the sales if the success of Touran, Q3 and Yeti at VW, Audi and Skoda are anything to go by.

But for now SEAT is successfully selling mainstream models like city cars, saloons and hatches with aplomb, not to mention a fair few Alhambra people-carriers.

It’s Leon, launched this year, which is really in demand, though. It has always been a five-door model and it accounts for a third of all SEAT sales.

Now Leon is about to go on sale as a three-door which is expected to appeal to a lot more younger drivers. It’s amazing that they haven’t produced a three-door version until now.

So how does the three-door Leon, dubbed Leon SC, shape up? Quite nicely! It’s priced and equipped to challenge a number of stylish models such as Vauxhall Astra GTC, Hyundai i30, Renault Megane and the new Kia Proceed.

It comes with a raft of engines, 1.2, 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8 petrols and 1.6 and 2.0 litre diesels. I must say the 1.2 litre petrol is a sparkling little unit which feels refreshingly powerful and flexible, but it’s the 1.6 litre TDI tested here which will sell in the biggest numbers.

It offers a blend of power (0 to 60mph in under 11 seconds) and economy (80.7mpg on a run) that make expensive hybrid models less and less appealing. Add to that emissions of 99g/km, space, flexibility and a very powerful almost Audi-esque look and you can see why SEAT executives are quite excited.

It’s a very well designed car with few real faults. The fascia, traditionally Germanic, is solid, dependable and easy to live with but it perhaps lacks the flair the exterior suggests. That said, it’s exceptionally functional.

It’s designed to build on the success of the very well-received five-door Leon which is an all-new car launched earlier this year. It can claim to be the most dynamic C-segment car on the road Under the skin it uses a modular chassis that offers SEAT and the other Volkswagen companies that use it flexibility of construction. It’s also lighter, and as part of a package of weight-saving measures it helps Leon drop around 90kg against predecessors. The quality upgrade is remarkable, and there’s also a great deal more cohesion in the cabin.

SEAT say the Leon SC is the most beautiful car it has ever made, and that is hard to argue with. The addition of daytime running lights, the rakish rear and the sporty ‘crease’ give it a more elegant and powerful look. Top marks to the designers.

The three-door is slightly shorter than the five-door Leon, but you’d be hard-pressed to notice inside where there is impressive space both front and rear.

The boot, which you might imagine would be compromised in such a design, is actually pretty big with 380 litres of space, the same as the five-door model and much bigger than the Leon MkII. The fact is that Leon has always been a sporty choice, with 28 per cent of models sold in FR or Cupra format, so the addition of the sporty SC format should prove attractive to those markets.

Whichever version of the Leon you would ultimately buy, from the no-frills but high-quality S to the fruity and stylish FR, the new package is light years ahead of where the old model left off and the arrival of a three-door version just adds to the appeal.

It’s user-friendly, better for passengers and engaging to drive, so as an all-rounder it’s right up there with the best.

l If Leon SC isn’t your cup of tea, never mind. There is a Leon SW (sports wagon, or estate) and a Leon Cupra (sports model) on the way soon. Also coming soon is a 1.4 litre Leon SC with ‘active cylinder technology’ which automatically shuts off two of the four cylinders when they are not required. It reduces emissions and improves economy.

SEAT Leon SC SE 1.6 TDI 105 ps PRICE: £18,190. Leon SC starts at £15,330 ENGINE: a 1,598cc, four-cylinder unit generating 105ps via front wheel drive PERFORMANCE: Top speed 119mph, 0 to 60mph in 10.7 seconds COSTS: town 61.4mpg; country 80.7mpg; combined 72.4mpg INSURANCE: Group 13 EMISSIONS: 99g/km WARRANTY: Three years, 60,000 miles