Home with the range

Loading and unloading the toddler into and out of a variety of cars, from a $19,990 scoot-about coupe to a $250,000 laze-about limo, teaches a lot about design and comfort and even window tinting and aircon outlets. These little things become just as important as ride comfort and cornering grip when you're trying not to unsettle a youngster who has just started dozing for the first time in the day. One jerky downshift, or a rocking-rolling response to the brakes, can easily undo all the good work.

I can now see why so many mums want a compact SUV in the driveway, as the latest Subaru Outback ticks almost all the family boxes. The Japanese company's first diesel engine is never going to rival a Volkswagen, and is lacklustre at low revs, but the rest of the package is ideal when you have prams and change bags and swimming gear and more to lug about - as well as a back-seat entertainment package that runs from a custom carseat to hanging toys, mirrors, books, soft toys and more.

My Eli testing over the past fortnight also reveals that a Mercedes S-Class is not as big as I think once the youngster and all his gear is on board, and that it is just about impossible to get a chunky chappie into a carseat in the back of a Kia Koup without a few tears and tangles. The Benz is nice, but the Outback is better for family use and I would actually prefer the latest Jaguar XJ if I was buying a car for my garage. But that's another story.

The break also allowed me some driving time with my own car, and personal motoring touchstone. It's a 1980s Subaru Brumby ute which has seen better days and is slowly falling to the creeping touch of car cancer. The rust is not critical yet, but I have to make a decision soon before the faithful workhorse becomes critical. For people who don't know, or cannot remember, the Brumby is a baby ute that was a hero for Subaru in the days before the Impreza WRX became a worldwide icon and the company transformed into an SUV powerhouse with the Forester and Outback. The Forester is slow, basic and huge fun. It has a four-speed gearbox, a wheezy 1.8-litre engine, so-so brakes and - despite some Pedders tweaking - suspension which will never even rival today's Hyundai Getz.

So why do I love it? Because it needs to be driven, and it reminds me of all the good things in modern cars. Any quick-start 2010 car is a dream compared to an ancient Subaru that usually needs a jump-start assist after sitting for a couple of months, as well as plenty of warming before it tackles any hillls. The Brumby is nothing special to drive and that's what makes it special. It reminds me every time of the days when I began driving and also serves as a brilliant benchmark of the progress over the past 25 years.

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