The restyled Outback is not everybody’s idea of pretty, but it’s a helluva practical kind of transport. In 2.5-litre format it’s got quite a bit of get up and go, particularly with the manual, perhaps a bit less so for the easy-riding CVT version. But Subaru went one better. For the ‘R’ version they added a whole lot of displacement to the boxer engine to bring it to 3.6 litres, enough to generate 191kW and 350Nm without any forced induction. So now it sounds more throaty and guttural – not in boy racer league, mind, but enough to dial up an early morning grin on start-up.