"How's the new Forester?" 

That was the single most common question tossed my way last week. Followed immediately by a look of utter, glass-eyed confusion when I explained that no, actually, this is the new Subaru Outback.

It's hard to remember now - when Subaru is as synonymous with the SUV as it is the retiree - but the Outback wasn't born out of some grand design statement. In the mid-1990s, Subaru desperately wanted an SUV, but had the combined development funds of a lawn-mower repair shop.

So, they took the standard Legacy/Liberty wagon, jacked the suspension up, and slapped on some aggressive plastic cladding, and called it a day. It turns out they invented a whole new genre in the process, treading the tight-rope between wagon and full-blown SUV.

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Holden later got in the act, with the Adventra, and Volkswagen with the Alltrack versions of the Golf and Passat wagons, and Skoda with the Scout.

But with each generation, the Outback has been pigging out on the black plastic to the point it's reached in 2026, when it's fallen entirely headlong into the SUV ravine. In 1994, it stood a svelte 1.6 metres tall. Today? It's 1.7 metres high - putting it eyeball-to-eyeball with a Forester, and not far off a Ford Everest.

Apart from the boxier silhouette - and arguably busier, uglier styling - not much else has changed though. Which is either wonderful news, or a massive shame.

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What is it?

While the headline act for the latest Forester was its new hybrid setup, the Outback resolutely sticks to the same ol' options of a naturally-aspirated 2.5-litre boxer 4, or a 2.4-litre turbocharged boxer-4, both petrol, CVT, and all-wheel drive.

The Premium and Touring models also remain, but there's now a Wilderness and Wilderness Apex at the top of the range, starting from $65,730 and boasting the turbo engine, extra ground clearance (240 mm), extra towing capacity (2100 kg), and copper-coloured accents that subtly crow, "I own a high-end camping stove".

I tested the 2.5-litre Premium (from $59,220), and while all is black and dreary and plasticky inside, it's decently equipped with a power sunroof, heated seats and steering wheel, 360-degree parking camera and a Harman Kardon sound system.

There's also a new large touchscreen running the show, but thankfully Subaru hasn't over complicated it - it's there for your camera and Bluetooth and that's about it. Just the way Garry and Barbara like it.

That extra height does come in handy when it comes to interior space - the Outback has to among the roomiest five-seat SUVs.

What's it like to live with?

Besides correcting every passer-by who mistakes it for a Forester, your main point of contention will be the engine.

Two and a half litres of displacement is plenty for many things, and this very engine has proven itself powering Subarus since about the dawn of time. But pushing all this new extra metal around? It's not what could be called punchy. Nor efficient - I averaged 9L/100km across a mix of driving.

The good news? Despite putting on the pounds, the Outback is probably as car-like as ever to drive. Comfortable and stable - as every Subaru buyer expects from their footwear as much as their cars - but also confident enough through fast corners to not feel like it's about to turn over onto its block-shaped roof rails.

But I was most impressed off-road.

I pointed it up possibly inappropriate dirt tracks and through a sandy creek bed, but even without the more advanced X-Mode system found in the Wilderness grades, it pulled through. It might have taken five attempts on one particular hill, but on the whole, the AWD system did a good job of metering out power to whatever wheels were touching the ground - even if, at one point for me, that was only two.

Is this like bragging about the fact your golden retriever could take on a bear if he wanted to? Probably, in that it'll never happen. But it's still nice to know it legitimately can.

The verdict

I do get the appeal of Subaru.

Australia's best-selling large SUV is hands-down the Ford Everest. But how many Everest owners actually employ their heavy-duty ladder frame, rear locking diffs, and low-range transfer case? Not many. In which case, the Outback exists. 

And now, it's even the same size. It's just a pity you have to pay $66K for the one engine that can actually move this new heft with anything resembling urgency.