Pearl white, sitting pretty with a full Terzo cargo pod already mounted and ready, this 2019 Subaru Forester SK9 looks less like a car for sale and more like a car mid road trip that just happened to stop here first. Chrome grille catching the light, roof rails loaded and waiting, it's giving "we're leaving at 5am" energy before you've even opened the door.

Climb in and the cabin tells a different story than the adventure-ready exterior suggests, this is comfort first. Grey cloth and leather-accented seats, a Panasonic touchscreen with sat-nav already glowing, and a steering wheel dense with controls that put climate, audio, and trip info one thumb-flick away. The digital cluster between the dials keeps you fed with live fuel economy and range numbers, the kind of detail that turns a long drive into a game instead of a chore.

Here's where Subaru quietly wins the argument every single time: symmetrical all-wheel drive, standard, not an option box you had to tick and pay extra for. The 2.5L boxer engine under the hood is famous for exactly one thing, refusing to quit, decade after decade, gravel road after gravel road. At just over 103,000km, this one's barely getting warmed up, and that rooftop cargo box already tells you it's built for more than school runs.

Buy this Forester and you're not just buying a school-run SUV that grew up. You're buying the car that says yes to the weekend trip nobody else wants to plan. Roof box included, adventure very much optional but clearly encouraged. Come take it for a spin, we dare you to bring it back early.