SOME motoring pundits, who must be very heavy handed, criticise the Subaru Legacy for having steering that has little feel.

I beg to differ. On a fast night run across country I found the whole car a delight - including the steering, which gave plenty enough feedback for me - and for the majority of other drivers.

I drove the Outback estate, with 2.0-litre diesel power and extra ground clearance for rough field work.

It's no Impreza Turbo out of the blocks but still offers good acceleration with enough urge for swift overtaking.

And of course, the four wheel drive system, which has a limited slip centre differential, sends the power to the wheels with the most grip, making it a marvellous companion in wet, icy or snowy conditions on the road.

Heavyweight 4x4s can do these things but none is so comfortable or easy to live with on the road and none can match its 40mpg economy.

In the top SE Nav spec, it comes with sat nav - as you might expect - plus electric leather seats, cruise, climate, a big, big boot with a roller blind cover and 60/40 split-folding back seats.