Ford seems as much in the business of creating sub-segment acronyms as it is in creating cars these days.

Remember the UAV (urban activity vehicle) for the Fiesta-based Fusion? Now there's another, the MFV (modern family vehicle), which is the segment designation for the Focus-based compact MPV, the C-MAX.

Well, it's a car still. And an interesting one not just because it is Ford's long-delayed contender in this segment, but also because it is the first car on the platform for the next-generation Focus, due in the spring.

Which means it should be at real cutting edge in driving dynamics terms. And it is also our first opportunity to see if the company is retaining the high quality interior of the outgoing Focus and the Mondeo, as against the rather uninspiring insides of the Fiesta/Fusion exercise.

It is equally interesting in that it comes soon after the arrival of Renault's second-generation Scenic, which built this compact MPV segment, and VW's new Golf-based Touran which has been getting a lot of good press.

In measurements terms, the C-MAX is 25mm longer and has a 40mm wider track than other Focus models. It has a fairly sleek body, in exterior terms more compact than much of the competition, and a creditable 0.31 wind resistence rating which is designed to contribute both to fuel economy and reduced wind noise.

It comes as a 5-seater, as Ford says its research showed that people don't really want a 7-seater in this segment, despite the fact that Opel's Zafira capitalises on its foldaway rear seats to the extent that it equals the Scenic's market share, and between them they dominate the compact MPV market.

But the C-MAX is going in the direction pioneered by two other Opel products, the Signum and the Meriva, by providing an optional Comfort Seat system that converts the rear 3-configuration into a 2-seater with 100mm more legroom and 60mm more shoulder room for the two rear occupants.

The interior materials are based on a 'soft-touch' ambience with grained finishes to the plastics, while aluminium detailing on the steering wheel and other bits apply a high-tech sense. Wary before I actually saw it in a production car, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality.

Ergonomically, the driving area is very good. The seat position is nice and high and Ford has gone for a gearshift mounted closer to the dashboard and the steering wheel than the low and central position in straight cars.

Some very practical options are available, including an electrically-actuated parking brake that automatically sets when the car key is taken out, and unsets when it is switched on and put into gear.

There are also - as befits an 'MFV' - lots of storage solutions, including a pair of lidded bins underfloor ahead of the rear seats, big enough to hide away a laptop computer, for instance. There are also a pair of lidded storage areas in the luggage space. In total, there are 11 places to put stuff beyond a pretty clever central console/armrest system.

To keep the 'moving cargo' from doing too much shifting around, there are a variety of optional entertainment systems, interactive and audio/visual, to keep them comfortably strapped in their seats. Sony brand radio/CD units are standard in the upper specification cars, and a 6-CD front-loader from that manufacturer is an option.

The underpinnings of the C-MAX are said by Ford to be significantly more heavy-duty than normally in an equivalent car, and they say that they've managed to achieve an equivalent body roll performance to the current ordinary Focus car, despite the fact that the C-MAX is both taller and heavier.

This bodes well for the dynamics of the next Focus car, too.

The power-assist system is electro-hydraulic, contributing some 3 per cent in fuel consumption savings,, and allowing for a fifth less effort involved in parking maneuvres compared to traditional systems.

ABS is standard, while a number of other electronic safety-related driving aids are options. Ford claims best-in-class braking performance from large discs all round.

The engines will be 1.6-litre petrol and diesel (the latter one of the fruits of a major collaborative operation with PSA Peugeot-Citroen), a 1.8-litre petrol that is power-reduced from the Mondeo version, and a new 2-litre 136 hp TDCi diesel that is also a Ford/PSA development.

Claimed fuel consumptions include 39.7mpg for the 1.8-litre, a very convincing 57.6mpg for the 1.6-litre TDCi, and over 50mpg for the 2-litre TDCi.

I drove the 2-litre TDCi and the 1.8-litre petrol versions in varied road conditions (though all of them excellently surfaced) in eastern Austria, and I came away very impressed that Ford has a real contender in this sub-segment.

The 2-litre diesel is particularly good, and though it will be available in Ireland, it will be heavily VRT-penalised and is unlikely to be a significant proportion of the expected 1,200 units of C-MAX to be sold in Ireland next year.

It is a brilliantly smooth engine, and though with different sound and performance characteristics to the other Ford 2-litre TDCi used in the Mondeo, its 320 Nm of torque gives this particular C-MAX a very sporty character.

In a way it spoiled me for the 1.8-litre petrol, which - though not a slouch by any means - did require to be worked more, especially when dealing with 16-degree inclines as was required in parts of the test routes.

Neither of the 1.6-litre engines was available, but Ford Ireland MD Eddie Murphy hinted that there might be less of a price gap between the petrol and diesel units, in a bid to increase the diesel penetration in the compact MPV segment. Currently in Ireland, only 5 per cent of such vehicles are diesels.

I was very impressed with the handling of the C-MAX, and that wider track for the new platform over the current Focus line certainly improves on what is already the best in the business in car terms.

It is not my way to judge fully a new car until I've had a chance to drive it extensively here at home. And I won't do so here. But I'll just say that I don't expect to be disappointed.