QUIETLY getting on with the job is the phrase that best sums up the approach to Subaru motoring - excluding the wild-child hot Imprezas of course.

You can get some if not all of the qualities that Subaru offer from its rivals, but you get the baggage that comes with it too: higher price, badge snobbery and so on.

The secret to the success of models like the Legacy and the Outback is that they are very good at what they do, and for anyone with a sensible hat on, that's all you really need.

That hasn't stopped the endless quest for improvement though. What we have here is the new fourth-generation Outback, emerging late in 2009 with a lot more to offer.

For a start, it's clearly bigger than the outgoing model. The switch to a brand-new platform is good news all round: as well as being taller and longer, the wheelbase is longer too - by a significant 7.5cm - giving that little extra cabin space as well as a boost to the ride quality. That new platform is part of the re-engineered structure, with further benefits to strength and hence crash performance according to Subaru.

In the meantime however, your attention will be grabbed by the exterior design. If you're familiar with Outbacks of old, you'll spot this one as being part of the same family in an instant, but for those who are new to the genre, the Outback successful mates an estate-car shell with the stance and mechanicals of a 4x4.

That means you get the better view out that everyone craves, but you don't have to climb to get there. Nor are you left with an excessively tall car that needs to duck to enter multi-storey car parks.

It's more distinctive than before too, with bolder lights front and rear and a strong grille, but subtlety always was a key Subaru trait, and the new Outback is no different.

The cabin is a big change from the old car too. There's a new dashboard layout, with a large display screen at the top on sat-nav equipped models, with a clean and clear layout below. All versions of the Outback come with a stack of equipment: heated leather seats, climate control, Bluetooth audio and phone connection and self-levelling suspension. Plump for the higher-spec SE model and there's standard DVD sat-nav with a reversing camera - there's precious little you could want to add to the haul of kit.

The increase in dimensions translates to very generous cabin wherever you are sat, and although the Outback does without a seven-seat option, five plus plenty of luggage is usually enough for most. You get the driving position that makes a regular SUV so appealing too: it’s certainly more like a first floor window than the ground floor.

The driving experience may also come as something of a revelation to those who are not used to the Subaru way. In the first few miles, it comes across as typical of the breed: light, accurate controls, a smooth ride and soft suspension. Poor surfaces are soaked up and brows will remain totally unfurrowed. But start to press on, and although the Outback will roll a fair amount (inevitable given the suspension set-up) it clings on gamely, and clearly shares some genes with the hot Imprezas. It’s a lot of fun to be able to hustle such a practical and innocent-looking car with so much haste.

The 2.0-litre diesel unit is a willing partner too. It sticks to the Subaru creed of being a Ôflat’ engine, where the pistons are laid out horizontally, which brings benefits in terms of smoothness and centre of gravity. It’s very keen to rev for a diesel too, and although you need to keep a little head of steam to access the torque, it does a fine job of pulling big loads and sipping the fuel - 44mpg on the combined cycle is possible, as well as usefully low C02 emissions of 167g/km.

The Outback won’t even show up on the radar of some buyers, but they will be missing out. It heads off the beaten track in more ways than one, and in doing so offers a well-rounded package for a very reasonable outlay.

FACTS AT A GLANCE

Model: Subaru Legacy Outback 2.0D SE NavPlus, £26,820
Engine: 2.0-litre diesel unit developing 147bhp and 258lb/ft of torque
Transmission: 6-speed manual transmission as standard, driving all four wheels
Performance: Maximum speed 120mph, 0-62mph 9.7 seconds
Economy: 44.1mpg
CO2 Rating: 167g/km