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With an empty piece of road, we proceeded to test how much difference the SI Drive really makes. In Intelligent mode, we quickly found out how watered down and dulled the responses were. With a programming perhaps more concerned with fuel economy than performance, the Outback was sluggish—perhaps too sluggish to say the entire experience was a let down. During an uphill climb through the mountainous roads around Antipolo revealed a car that was slow from the get go and hunted gears too much, and this was despite jabbing the throttle as hard as we could. Slotting the SI Drive into Sport redeemed the Outback—a simple bleep of the gas pedal will send the car lunging forward—not exactly predator pounding its prey kind of acceleration, but enough to satisfy the average horsepower junkie. The power delivery was smooth and linear, with enough punch at any area of the rev range. The response of the 5-speed automatic is equally suited to the engine, but the paddle shift manual override feels delayed, somewhat diluting the overall experience. Sport Sharp made almost no discernable difference, except perhaps for the car’s tendency to stay in a gear longer and its willingness bounce around the rev limiter. Nice, but it gets old quite easily, so it’s best to keep the Outback in Sport mode then.

Though some credit is due, the SI Drive isn’t what makes the Outback an enthusiast-oriented family car. That is down to the engine underneath the Outback’s aluminum hood. Like all other Subarus, the power comes from a horizontally-opposed ‘Boxer’ engine. Unlike the more famous ones found under the Forester and Impreza , the Outback makes do without a turbocharger. Instead, it uses a larger, 3.0-liter displacement and two additional cylinders (for a total of six). The net effect is a much more relaxed, more refined character, perfect for the Outback’s family comfort oriented buyer.

When push comes to shove though, the Outback can still deliver handling performance that can shame most other cars. Despite being somewhat of a porker (curb weight is 1,575 kilograms), the Outback has the ability to hold its own on unmade roads and light off-road trails. On the road or the highway, the Outback feels equally at home with the longer travel suspension tuned for comfort.

Despite an emphasis geared towards comfort than sportiness, does the Outback still deserve to be marketed as a WRC-bred car for the family? In a word, yes. Though softer and less hardcore than the rest of Subaru’s car line-up, the Outback still shines through with a driver-centered cockpit and some innovative (but unwarranted) performance enhancements. The Subaru Outback is definitely not for the 20-somethings out there, but it is a respectable choice for those who are on the verge of growing out of their Imprezas.