THE Subaru Outback has ingrained itself into the Australian culture and is acknowledged as having an unwritten affinity with the country and a leisure lifestyle. Now there’s a new model.

Its design lends itself more to purpose and for better or worse, that’s historic, as if Subaru has spent the past 30 years stumbling through various design studios looking for itself.

But it’s an improvement on the heavy lines and slab sides of its predecessor. For 2015 the shape is better balanced, attractive in a way that implies strength and more functional than ever.

To become more useable, it has grown up. Now over 4.8m long, it’s an expanding wagon in a shrinking world and its growth spurt affects how it sits in traffic and how it fits in city car bays.

With wagon-based rivals in the Skoda Octavia Scout, Volkswagen Passat Alltrack and Audi A4 Allroad, does the Outback still suit the Australian lifestyle?

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