The Forester - or the 'car for all reasons' as my friends from Subaru like to call it - has always been one of my favourite cars. Be that as it may, Forester has also kind of bothered me in terms of ultimate sophistication and finish - or should I call it the lack of those two values.

Until last Monday. That's when Subaru SA dropped off a brand new Forester XT for us to play with. And that's when my perception of it changed from an ever so slightly flawed version of ideal to a flawless one.

See, Subaru hasn't done all that much to this new facelifted Forester, but what it's done, albeit slight, is supremely significant. OK that nose job is immediately apparent. And quite momentous, too. Just look at it - has Subaru let Chris Bangle into Zapatinas' lair? (Andre Zapatinas is Subaru's styling guru, by the way) Either way, those BMW-esque headlamps seem to suit the boxy Subaru far better than they do the car they seem to have been cribbed off. And in the flesh, I have to say that I'm impressed with its new look. It's lost that China-eyed eighties Datsun feel in the process and picked up a kind of a Geisha doll-stern look about it now.

That revised grille's given it a stern six-Dan expression - as if when you bugger up it's going to smack you so hard your sister in Hokkaido is going to feel it. And it can, but more on that anon...

The rest of the car is just as good looking and handsome as it always was, although our black XT's new 17" wheel and tyre combo give it even more of that cartoon-like power-Subaru look. But it's when I opened the door to get in and drive away that I really started to be impressed.

Subaru has - with the exception of the latest Legacy - well, missed the boat when it comes to cabin sophistication. That's where the '80s Datsun really shone through. To be fair, Forester moved significantly forward last time, but I still wasn't convinced - the finish and feel of it still gave me that same creepy feeling my old Impreza GT's dash used to when I looked at it.

No, nothing much has changed in there at all, but once again a small effort in the absolutely right direction has resulted in a quantum leap. OK, there's new stuff like a revised armrest sitting atop a cubby with a power point in it, a bit of new facia and enough cup holders all over the place to keep a club rugby scrum full of Castle, but that isn't where it's really scored.

The biggest change was to go for a better finish. Not only are the chairs leather, but they're a toffee golden colour that's matched by the carpets and all the rest of the trim. And what that's done, is make you want to go in and get it, just like you do when you walk past a sweet shop that's pouring the same colour fudge. This Subaru says welcome - rather unlike many of its cruder ancestors did. And only then do we get to the real reason we like a Subaru. To drive it.

Turn the key and all seems the same until you blip the throttle. It seems immediately smoother - the car's tone is a bit more conventional than that rasping noise I'm used to from a Subaru. Drive away and it's punchier, stronger. And turn it, attack a speed bump or just brake or accelerate and you're greeted with the kind of drive only a Subaru can give you - only this time, it's all that better in a Forester...

There's good reason for my far more positive sentiment toward a car I have always held in high stead, as I discovered when I finally got round to reading all the bumf they'd sent with the car in a neat black folder: For starters, I discovered that South Africa once again gets the 'KA' version of the 2006 Forester, which appropriately enough have been fine-tuned for markets like Australia and our own. And in addition to cosmetic changes, the new range has benefited a raft of mechanical revisions to boost its overall ability.

The turbocharged Forester 2.5 XT enjoys a significant power boost from an already impressive 155 to 169kW, while optimal torque output remains an impressive 320Nm. These enhancements come courtesy of revised inlet and exhaust manifold changes - both now boasting equal length runners rather than the previous lopsided set-up.

Aah! So that's why this thing is so much smoother and responsive and it sounds more like Petter Solberg's WRC winner, rather than one of those rough-and-tumbly Scoobies that wake you up when they race about late at night...

Subaru tuners always managed to eke out huge performance advantages through aftermarket equal-length manifolds and the factory has finally woken up and built that advantage into all its Foresters, improving overall engine efficiency and rewarding Forester with a far more refined exhaust note.

Not only that, but Forester's power delivery characteristics, as I noticed the moment I drove off in it, are more user-friendly, the car is quicker, more responsive, and it uses less fuel, too...

Besides those manifolds, Subaru has also as always been busy inside the engine. Revised piston and cylinder head designs along with a compression ratio increased from 8.2 to 8.4-to-one and a number of lightened internal and external components add to Forester's newfound refinement.

But that's not all - quite a few enhancements have seen to it that the normally aspirated Foresters also enjoy a power hop-up - similar manifold changes combined with an up-rated engine management system result in Subaru's base spec 2.5-litre Horizontally Opposed Boxer mill now producing a healthy 121kW. That's a significant 9kW up on its predecessor to go along with an even flatter torque curve boasting a significantly improved bottom end and 3Nm hike to a 225Nm peak.

Not only is Subaru's smooth, compact, lightweight and highly efficient horizontally-opposed 'boxer' engine boasting a superior lower centre of gravity its trump card, but it's connected to Subaru's superior symmetrical all-wheel drive and suspension system, too.

Making the most of all that, Forester's latest Direct Control automatic 'boxes boast finer, adaptive gearshifting, which means that changes are less intrusive and the transmission will learn a specific driver's behaviour and work with him or her. Perhaps the biggest Forester autobox advantage though, is the XT's new SportshiftT feature - a genuine sequential gearchange that will not change up unless the driver intervenes. That's an attribute we really appreciate - it puts the driver back in control when he wants to be, rather than the car always being in charge like most other autos...

Normally aspirated manual Foresters continue to offer low range with shift-on-the-fly for a 21% gear ratio reduction, while double syncro rings on first and third make for better shift quality. A shorter-throw gearlever (another trick tuners have done for many years) provides a more direct and sporty gearchanging experience for the driver, while a carry over is the convenient hill holder, which prevents the car rolling when standing still.

Certain changes to Forester's symmetrical all-wheel drive system refine it even further, while subtle suspension geometry enhancements improve pitching resistance and the tendency to nose-dive under hard braking. Revised spring and damper rates also make for a plusher but still more honed ride, handling and road holding package.

In all, the six-model Subaru Forester range, which comprises the basic X model, the higher-spec XS and the XT turbo in either manual or automatic, remains one of the best kept secrets on the South African new car market.

In its most basic form, Forester X provides a pretty capable all-wheel driven car with a low range and road manners that the likes of M and AMG would kill for. The XS adds a whole lot of frills, spec and cred to those wanting it and the XT featured here, well that's another story.

Look at the flagship Subaru Forster like this: For the price of a really top of the line junior executive - and by that, I mean a 330i or an A4 3.2 - you get a bigger and far more spacious wagon with the performance not only to humble any of those 'sporting saloons' but to give the bloke in the bar-and-a-half Cayenne Turbo who's come off the exact dirt track you have the fright of his life.

And the Forester matches the Cayenne in far more than just in a straight line. OK, it's a Subaru and that's a Porsche. But it is almost as quick as the Porsche and will give the Audi and BMW a hiding - on the Reef especially.

But take a look at the price - Forester gives you a Cayenne Turbo chasing sport-SUV for quite a lot less than one of those sport saloons will cost you. And it comes with all that Subaru WRC cred and as we noted on top, they've brought it right into line in a style and sophistication sense too, so there's your pedigree And you thought you'd never get an SUV with the go of a 330 and the spirit of a Cayenne Turbo to meet the exacting demands of a family car in this awesome country? Better you take another look at the Subaru Forester, then - in our opinion, if you're a true South African, this has to be the perfect car for you - it's got more than everything you'll ever need and then some - whatever you're into...