Subaru was one of the first brands to launch an estate-SUV crossover, and today’s Outback continues to fight in what’s these days a growing sector: the Audi A6 Allroad, Mercedes E-Class All-Terrain and Volvo V90 Cross Country all blend estate car bodies with jacked-up off-road styling.

While most rivals offer plentiful choice to buyers, Subaru prefers to keep things simple. There’s just the one trim, SE Premium, and only two engines, a 2.0-litre diesel or 2.5-litre petrol. Both are all-wheel drive and both offer an automatic – only the diesel has a manual alternative.

Wisely, most buyers go for diesel. It’s not particularly fast, but is strong at low revs, and usually more responsive than the petrol. Apart from some vibration through the steering wheel, it’s refined as well, except at high revs – something the characteristics of the CVT gearbox accentuates. We’d stick with manual, although if you want ultimate refinement, the petrol is still better.

Subaru is known for its great-handling cars, and even this Outback is infused with character. It does roll a bit, but grips is strong and the confidence from the all-wheel drive system’s traction is reassuring. Pity the ride is so harsh at lower speeds – it never truly settles, even at speed.

Compared to fancy models such as the Audi A6 Allroad, the Subaru’s cabin lacks flair. There are too many cheap-looking materials and although a 7.0in touchscreen is standard, the system isn’t very intuitive or easy to use.

Build quality, however, is excellent, and the driver’s seat is very comfortable. All-round visibility is good and the dashboard is logically laid out. The Outback is extremely roomy as well, both for two tall adults in the front and two lanky teenagers in the back. Subaru includes lots of oddments slots as well, such as large door bins and a big cubby at the base of the dash.

Further back, the boot is very impressive – it’s as big on paper as larger cars such as the Volvo V90 Cross Country. It’s cleanly shaped, with no awkward intrusions, and the wide boot opening isn’t too high off the ground, making loading heavy items easier. The rear seats split 60/40 and, pleasingly, they lie completely flat when folded.

Euro NCAP gave the Outback a full five-star crash safety score, and security experts class its break-in resistance as excellent. There’s a huge amount of equipment as standard too: sat nav, leather seats, LED headlights, rear-view camera, keyless entry, sunroof, climate and cruise control, you name it. Then again, you do pay the price: it looks OK value alongside a Volvo V90 Cross Country, but seems very expensive when compared to cars such as a Skoda Octavia Scout. Fuel economy isn’t great either, and CO2 emissions are high.

This ultimately hampers the Outback. It’s spacious, well-built and generously equipped, but it’s flawed in areas such as ride comfort, economy and interior ambience. It’s a worthy car, but lacking the overall breadth of talents to take on some very formidable rivals.