MY time with Mazda's medium-sized SUV had an inauspicious beginning which yielded one important fact - the CX-30 has highly efficient child locks on the rear doors.

I am able to vouch for this after locking myself in the back of the car having accessed the rear seats to assess the space available.

Closing the door behind me I forgot to check whether firstly child locks are fitted and secondly if they were engaged. They are and they were.

Tugging on the rear doors produced the dawning realisation that I would have to perform a double-jointed manoeuvre to climb into the front seats if I wanted to escape.

Thankfully smartphone technology came to the rescue - preventing numerous dislocations - and I rang my son who let me out with a suitable amount of abuse for my senior moment.

That said, families up and down the land can rest assured that their ankle-biters will be going nowhere unless let out by an appropriate adult.

Which is important as these parents represent a large part of the lucrative market this motor is being pitched at.

Its success will not hinge on the provision of child locks but rather on the style and substance Mazda hopes will capture the imaginations of young parents who need practicality but desire a well designed family motor that doesn't make them feel old before their time.

And one thing the CX-30 offers in spades are rock-star good looks.

There are more curves than your average grand prix circuit with the cunning use of light and shade giving the exterior a wow factor that ensures you'll never be short of someone to talk to.

The glamorous exterior's premium feel is continued inside the CX-30 - which sits between the CX-3 and the CX-5 in the Japanese brand's SUV line up. I can already hear the question - ‘why isn't it called the CX-4?' - as this would indeed be the logical choice.

But Mazda already has a model with that moniker being sold exclusively in China so CX-30 it is.

Anyway back to the modern cabin with its comfortable seats and driver-friendly design.

The infotainment screen is sunk into the top of the dashboard and is operated via a rotary dial surrounded by buttons that access goodies such as the sat nav and the radio.

The climate controls are situated separately and are similarly simple to see and use.

A decent position behind the multi-function steering wheel is easily achieved as it and the driver's chair boast a good range of adjustment.

The digital displays mimic traditional dials while also giving useful information such as fuel economy figures - apparently I averaged just over 40mpg during my time with the car with emissions rated at 105g/km.

In front of the gearstick - which operates Mazda's typically slick six-speed manual transmission - are two handy cup holders and a cubby hole for your nik-naks. An armrest hiding a deep storage box underneath provides further useful storage space up front.

Two adults can be comfortably accommodated in the rear although the raised centre-tunnel makes fitting in a third a squeeze - particularly on leg room - and the drop-down rear centre armrest containing two natty cup holders is also rendered redundant.

So the advice would be to stick to two rear passengers who get good leg, head and shoulder room - although the small tinted windows included on this Sport Lux model make the space feel smaller than it actually is.

The CX-30 is about four inches longer than the CX-3 which not only allows more room in the rear but also facilitates a good-sized 430-litre boot.

The rear seats split and fold to boost this to 1,406 litres but you will have to take the headrests out first as they catch on the front seats preventing them folding which is a bit of a nuisance.

Power is provided here by a 2.0-litre spark controlled compression ignition SkyActiv-X engine which can be fitted with an automatic transmission for an extra £1,500.

The 180ps manual model races to 62mph from a standing start in 8.5 seconds on its way to a top speed of 127mph.

The front-wheel drive version offers plenty of grip and a supple ride while slick steering ensures it handles well.

Five trim grades are available with Mazda ensuring plenty of kit to play with as all models include a full colour head up display, forward collision avoidance, LED headlamps and radar controlled cruise control. Connectivity is assured as the CX-30 is fully smartphone compatible.

Opt for the mid-range Sport Lux model and Mazda throw in an adaptive lighting system that cleverly avoids dazzling on-coming vehicles while guaranteeing maximum illumination. The exterior benefits from glitzy 18-inch silver metallic alloy wheels and a black gloss finish for the front grille.