ONLY a fool fails to pay attention when Ford releases a new model.

And when that model is a Ford the likes of which has never been seen before, everyone should take notice.

Enter the B-MAX - the little car with sliding doors which will be taking on everything from the likes of the Nissan Note to the latest compacts from Mercedes.

The B-MAX is a remarkable car, not only for its ease of use - which mums will love - but also for its high tech safety and communications systems.

It is the first car of its kind not to have a centre door pillar, a feature which creates a side opening 1.5 metres wide.

It is also the first compact MPV to be fitted with a collision avoidance system, the first in Europe to have Ford's SYNC voice control and emergency SOS set up and has an engine claimed to average more than 70 to the gallon.

With its sliding doors getting in, getting out and strapping youngsters into child seats has never been so easy.

The widest a door opens on a conventional cars is usually between 70 and 80 centimetres - half that of the B-MAX.

Designed very much with the family in mind the B-MAX has front doors which open in conventional fashion but the rear one slide backwards, anchoring in a special groove at the back of the car.

To retain rigidity Ford's engineers have devised a clever latching system which locks the doors together and clamps them in place.

High strength steel and special ‘crash catches' mean that in an impact the car is as robust as any other and Ford is confident the B-MAX will be awarded five star status in the Euro NCAP safety tests.

Opening the rear doors on the flat is straightforward, even though they are not power operated. Nevertheless they do feel weighty and on a slope a degree of force is needed.

The B-MAX is based on the Ford Fiesta platform but inside it is surprisingly roomy.

It will seat five at a pinch yet with four adults on board there is an exceptional amount of space in the back.

Leg room is boosted by sculpted out front seats backs and the seating position all round is relatively high.

To the side of the rear seats are bottle holders as well as expandable mesh pockets while coat hooks are also set on the front seat backs.

Cubby provision throughout is above average and the boot includes a movable floor allowing luggage capacity to range from 304 litres to 1,372 litres - and that's with a spare wheel - making it a very practical compact MPV.

The rear seats have quick release fold flat mechanisms and the front passenger seat can also be folded down to give a maximum load length of 2.3 metres - longer than most three seater settees.

Another family friendly touch is a wide view mirror enabling those in front to keep an eye on youngsters in the back while the front seatbelts are anchored into the sides of the seats and stow away neatly.

It is all very well thought out and accommodating and the B-MAX has a genuinely spacious and comfortable feel.

The B-MAX also marks the European debut of Ford's SYNC system developed in conjunction with Microsoft.

It allows Bluetooth phone connections, music streaming and advanced voice operated facilities which can even read out text messages on the move.

On the safety front, SYNC can connect the car to the emergency services automatically sending out location details and other information in the event of an accident.

The B-MAX is priced from £12,995 to £18,815 and the three trim line up includes Ford's award winning one-litre three cylinder EcoBoost engine and a new 1.5-litre diesel.

Most economical is the range topping 1.6-litre diesel Titanium version which Ford claims can average 70.6mpg with emissions of 104g/km, although on our drive we averaged only 55 to the gallon.

We also tried the higher powered 120ps EcoBoost model - again available only in Titanium trim and priced from £18,195 - which is fitted with stop/start as a further eco measure.

Officially it is rated at 57.7mpg with CO2 of 114g/km and we saw an average of 48mpg, creditable given it is the quickest of the range with a 0 to 60 time of 11.2 seconds and top speed of 117mph.

As with any Ford the B-MAX has first class road manners, its handling aided by torque vectoring control which delivers plenty of grip - a system first introduced on the latest Focus.

The body feels nice and taut when cornering and the lack of centre pillars has done nothing to interfere with composure.

All engines are mated to five speed manual gearboxes with the exception of a 1.6-litre petrol version which comes with a six speed auto and is priced from £17,255.

In every way the B-MAX is a groundbreaking car that challenges the norm in the compact MPV market and follows the trend Ford has established with its existing multi-activity models - the C-MAX and the S-MAX.

Niggles with the B-MAX are few but there is no illumination for the vanity mirrors, a factory fitted sat nav system will not be available when the first wave arrives in the UK in September and air con is a £700 extra on the entry level Studio models.

Those are unlikely to be significant stumbling blocks for a car which fits the bill in so many ways - and one which is guaranteed to get the neighbours talking.