It's right there in the photo: a spacious, tough, thoroughly modern, exceedingly capable sport/utility vehicle. You're forgiven if all you can see is a svelte station wagon. There's magic at work here.

For the first time since any of us can recall, an automaker has claimed the Motor Trend Sport/Utility of the Year title two years in a row. Last fall, deftly balancing efficiency and size, the all-new 2009 Subaru Forester went home with the Golden Calipers trophy. For 2010, fighting off several tough adversaries -- and undoubtedly some unspoken but very real bias among our judges against repeat winners -- Subaru's new, fourth-generation Outback scored a decisive 10-1 victory in the final voting.

Some vehicles arrive at our annual "Of the Year" competitions (car, sport/utility, truck) staking early claims to a win via bulging engine muscle, beguiling gizmos, fashion-runway sheetmetal. The Outback isn't one of those. In fact, it slipped nearly unnoticed through our early walkarounds; the pre-drives chatter seemed to focus elsewhere -- the ZDX's spaceship lines, the Q5's comparison test-winning moves, the Lincoln's mighty yet efficient EcoBoost V-6. But then, one by one, our test drivers took the Outback into the field. And the buzz began to shift. Once again, it seemed, Subaru was successfully reshaping the very definition of "sport/utility vehicle" -- melding the multi-mission prowess of true SUVs with the driving refinement, fuel-frugality, and easy access of wagons and sedans. Once again, our judges began taking extra notes.

In the U.S., the Legacy Outback wagon is now gone (it'll still be sold in Japan and elsewhere), replaced by this bigger, sleeker rig that drops the Legacy name altogether. The 2010 Outback platform is new, 2.8 inches longer in wheelbase, shoulders broader by two inches, front and rear overhangs nipped by two inches each to enhance off-road attacks. Though the overall package is shorter than its predecessor, interior room is up seven percent (thanks in part to a raised roof) -- and rear-seat legroom climbs by a conspicuous four inches. "Roomy back seat -- lots of legroom and headroom," writes senior editor Ron Kiino. "Huge cargo hold too. At 34.3/71.3 cubic feet (back seat up/down), it's got more cargo room than the Terrain and Equinox twins." Maximum cargo capacity, in fact, tops both a "classic SUV" like the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Toyota's big "it's-not-a-crossover-it's-a-car" Venza (see chart on page 4).

Which brings up some of that Subie magic. For instance, when not needed the roof-rack crossbars fold away into the side rails, vastly reducing wind noise -- pure genius. And while most wagons and SUVs offer a roll-up tonneau cover for sheltering gear in back, in the Outback the tonneau hides away completely under the load floor (instead of, in the typical fashion, simply blocking the floor and, when you're trying to load luggage, making you yell exclamations that'll make the five-year-olds within earshot cry and send the nine-year-olds running to tattle).

More magic: With a newfound 8.7 inches of ground clearance, the 2010 Outback actually betters the SUV Grand Cherokee -- yet the Subaru also offers a lower and more carlike step-in height. "A nice answer to the crossover solution of lowering an SUV to human size," notes Detroit editor Todd Lassa. "You feel it's 'car-ness' behind the wheel, with its long, level hood out front -- yet it's nearly 66 inches tall.

While thirsty V-8s have long been the darlings of the traditional-SUV market, the Outback, weighing just 3655 pounds, manages adroitly with four- and six-cylinder offerings. The boxer four is an updated version of last year's 2.5-liter naturally aspirated mill, and now pairs with either a CVT or a new six-speed manual -- a welcome addition for enthusiasts. With the CVT, the Outback wrings out 22/29 city/highway EPA mpg -- a new Outback benchmark. Optional is a new, DOHC 3.6-liter boxer six that -- using regular fuel instead of the premium required on the outgoing 3.0-liter -- delivers 256 horsepower and 247 pound-feet of torque. "Loves to rev and feels smooth and refined all the way to redline," writes Kiino. The six mates to a standard five-speed automatic that now includes paddle shifters with "blipping logic" to match revs when downshifting.

Subaru ships the Outback in three distinct all-wheel-drive flavors. Base, manual-transmission models get a viscous-coupling locking center diff with 50/50 normal torque split and the ability to shift torque away from the slipping axle. Four-cylinder Outbacks with the CVT replace the viscous coupling with an electronically controlled continuously variable clutch. Finally, all six-cylinder editions utilize Subaru's Variable Torque Distribution system, combining a planetary center diff with an electronically managed hydraulic clutch to distribute power as needed (the split in "normal" driving is 45/55 front/rear).

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Despite its wagon profile, Outback delivers SUV-like ground clearance (8.7 inches) and the moxie to perform demanding (though not hard-core) off-roading maneuvers. Rides better than most true SUVs too.