IT seems to me that these days the younger generation are at least a couple of shoe sizes bigger than kids were when I was a lad - so it's just as well Subaru has put the latest Legacy Tourer on steroids.

The fifth version of Subaru's estate is the biggest ever - sporting a cabin that is longer, wider and taller than any of its predecessors.

In practical terms this means more room for driver and passengers, particularly those in the back, and Subaru fit larger seats to further increase comfort.

There's 10-way adjustment on the driver's seat, including lumbar support, and four-way manual adjustment on the passenger seat so a comfortable position is a cinch to achieve.

The width and the height of the luggage bay are increased while the depth of the boot lip is reduced slightly making the car easier to load.

Capacity is increased to 526-litres with the seats up rising to 1,726-litres when they are folded flat.

Even the tailgate is wider and taller and there are larger rear doors again designed to make access easier.

The front seats have concave backrests to provide extra knee space for rear seat occupants while the rear seat features a folding centre armrest with twin cup holders.

Double seals on all doors and windows keep road and wind noise at bay and the Legacy Tourer is generally a pleasant place to wile away the hours spent on long journeys.

As well as space the other thing the Legacy Tourer majors on is equipment as it is loaded with toys.

There are three trims available with even the entry-level S model getting front fog lights, electric folding and heated door mirrors, automatic headlights and wipers, cruise control, dual-zone climate control and a six-CD/radio player.

The SE trim adds larger alloys, aluminium foot pedals, sportier trim and suspension, plus leather upholstery, while the SE NavPlus I drove throws in satellite navigation, an audio system with Dolby Prologic II, a keyless entry/starter system plus a rear-view parking camera.

The instrument cluster in front of the driver now features four dials outlined in natty aluminium rings while the three-spoke steering wheel is leather-wrapped with integrated audio and cruise controls.

On the Lineartronic car I drove, steering column-mounted paddle shifters are fitted for sequential manual control of the gearbox - although the automatic mode provides seamless gearchanges anyway.

There aren't many safer estates on the road either as the Legacy Tourer has reinforcements throughout the bodyshell to enhance collision safety and resistance to impacts.

There is also an enlarged front-end crush zone to protect occupants as well as six airbags and stability control fitted as standard.

This and other measures implemented to protect pedestrians helped the Legacy Tourer achieve a maximum five stars in Euro NCAP crash tests.

Despite being a big car the Legacy is effortless to drive as it floats over the road while the standard four-wheel drive system gives great levels of grip.

The 2.5-litre petrol engine provides all the power you need although it is a tad thirsty compared to some rivals.

There's also a 2.0-litre diesel engine to choose from with both power units featuring the ‘boxer' layout where the cylinders lie flat in two opposing pairs giving the characteristic Subaru growl from beneath the bonnet.

It gives the Legacy Tourer a distinctive voice in a car where space isn't the final frontier.