BEING the lucky so-and-so that I am, I drive a lot of cars during the Fleet News road test year - ranging from budget superminis to £90,000 luxury coupes.

Which is all very well and good, but occasionally I wonder what vehicle I would choose if I had to run a company car for three years and 60,000 miles.

Logic would suggest something economical such as a Volkswagen Golf diesel to keep my benefit-in-kind tax bill down. But being a young(ish) keen driver, I want a more involving driving experience and I think I've found the ideal solution.

A few days spent behind the wheel of our long-term SEAT Leon Cupra have convinced me this what I would opt for as my own company car.

For a price tag of £14,995 on-the-road you get the benefit of a practical five-door hatchback with plenty of standard equipment, sporty looks and 180bhp under your right foot.

While the Leon might not be the most rewarding car to drive, suffering as it does from the usual VW group bugbear of vague steering and gearbox feel, there is something rather cool about planting the accelerator, rushing forwards and listening to the whoosh of the turbo wastegate on upshifts.

Naturally, driving in this way will hit fuel economy, but so far our car is returning an average of 30.1mpg - and that includes some hard driving in the hands of two of the road test team.

But it seems the Trade's view of the Leon is not as enthusiastic as mine. CAP has lowered its RV forecast by two percentage points (it now predicts 34%) but that is good news for my friend who, after seeing our long-term model, is looking to buy a used example for himself.