FROM the time we were tiny we are taught - with varying degrees of success - to compromise. It continues, intensifies even, as we get older.

One thing, for sure...compromising never gets any easier.

Most chaps - and ladies, for that matter - yearn for a sports car. But what do they go out and buy? An estate or an MPV...because they have had to make a ‘compromise'.

One of the few cars around, no matter what the price, that demands little compromise is the new Mazda CX-5, a mid-size SUV that manages to be big enough for the whole family, mean enough on fuel and delivers the sort of handling and performance that wouldn't shame a warm hatch.

Attractively styled with sporty lines, flowing curves and bulging wheel arches, the Mazda strikes right balance between svelte and machismo.

Just revamped with a touch of anti-wrinkle cream rather than a full-on facelift, it is now more appealing than ever.

A revised grille, new headlights, black wheels and a classier facia set it up nicely for the next few years.

Beneath the icing lies a scrumptious centre. I drove the 2.2 diesel Nav Sport which possesses one of the sweetest sounding and quickest responding oil burner engines on the market.

You scarcely know it's a diesel even at start up. The big give-away is that instant hunk of power that presents itself at a small dab of the accelerator. With 173bhp on tap, it's hardly surprising that the CX polishes of 62mph in 8.8 seconds.

Despite the lusty performance the four-wheel-drive version emits emissions of just 136g/km which corresponds with 54.3mpg.

OK, you might not achieve such dizzy heights in real-life driving but most of us will clock up 40mpg-plus. My own average over 530-miles was 42mpg - pretty good for a hard-driven five-seater all-paw.

The manual six-speed gearbox is light and swift and handling is much sharper with faster reactions than most rivals, barring the more expensive Evoque.

When it comes to the practical side of things, the CX-5 fares well boasting up to 1,620 litres of luggage space with rear seats folded down.

Even when they are in place there's 503 litres of room which puts it towards to top its sector.

The tailgate is light enough not to require power assistance which means shutting it is a much quicker process - good news in the rain.

There's no shortage of cabin stowage space with cubbies, water-bottle holders and the like sprinkled around liberally.

The cabin, though more stylish with a more premium feel, remains a little on the sombre and dark side...a splash of colour wouldn't go amiss.

A seven-inch touch screen dominates the dash and includes sat-nav.

Standard kit on the Sport Nav includes leather seat trim, power front seats, Bose sound and a reversing camera. Quality, soft-touch plastics improve the general aura of the cabin and extra space has been gained by switching to an electronic handbrake.