FAMILIES love medium-sized Sports Utility Vehicles.

They offer excellent space, comfort and flexibility.

Car-like handling allows soccer mums to drive _ and park _ with the minimum of fuss.

Safety and style have also been improved in many models in the segment, but there has always been one bug-bear _ poor fuel economy.

Enter the Diesel Sports variant of the CX-7, brought in recently by Mazda.

It adds the word “frugal’’ to the list of attributes.

CX-7 Diesel Sports comes with a zesty 2.2-litre turbo-diesel engine _ as found in the Mazda6 _ that achieves average consumption figures of 7.6 litres for every 100km covered.

More good news is that being wallet-friendly does not come at the expense of performance.

The soft-roader is surprisingly sharp off the mark and makes light work of slicing through city traffic, or overtaking swiftly and safely on the open road.

It is beautifully balanced and unlike some of its rivals, there’s negligible body roll when cornering.

The lively engine is mated to a six-speed manual and no automatic is available at this stage.

My initial reaction was that this might cost Mazda a few sales, being less palatable for busy mums.

However, my better half absolutely loved the slick-shifting manual and enjoyed putting it through its paces on the school and shopping run.

The only criticism was a compromised rearward view, due to the narrow back window. A reversing camera helps the cause and saved the neighbour’s lazy brown cat’s bacon during our test.

It doesn’t matter which seat you are in, comfort levels are superb all around.

The equipment list is extensive, too, and CX-7 Diesel Sports comes with six airbags, Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), and ABS, climate control air conditioning, 8-way power driver’s seat, heated front seats, heated power mirrors, leather seat trim, and premium sound system with Bose amplifier and 9 speakers.

There’s a 4.1-inch colour multi-function display with temperature gauge, Bluetooth (hands-free compatible), maintenance monitor, and a trip computer with average fuel economy, fuel range and average speed.

Sales of the CX-7 SUV showed a record high in February, up 384% on the corresponding month last year, and it’s no wonder.

With the addition of a Diesel Sports, the stylish and elegant SUV is sure to cement its position as one of the most popular vehicles in the class.