considerable 1.8-ton bulk. This engine is mated to a five-speed manual gearbox, with the option of four-wheel drive. Steering is precise and does not make the Fortuner feel like a truck. In fact, every time I turn the steering wheel, I feel certain I am drawing a line through physics. Even with its girth and height, there are no maneuvering issues. There's no denying it, the Fortuner is a bully car. It's imposing and sits high off the ground on 17-inch wheels, so it's a bit of a climb--but worth the view.

Happy with his introduction to the SUV (which included a short drive), the deal is sealed: Toyota is to receive another excited customer, and I have directions to my destination.

A short 80-minute drive on Route 62 west of Cape Town (in other words, the opposite direction we had been traveling) delivers us to the elegant Rijk's Country House in Tulbagh, the heart of South Africa's wine lands. A graceful five-star establishment encased in Iceberg roses, Rijk's offers an incomparable experience with remarkable attention to detail and service levels to match.

Surrounded by some of the world's best wine estates, Rijk's looks the part. Snow-white Cape Dutch architecture in what look like rows of converted farm buildings are, in fact, 15 individual suites with sumptuous interiors in muted shades of cream and white and African accents. Each has a private terrace overlooking a river and vineyard. There are also three family villas on the opposite bank (rates are ZAR1,400, or about $172, per person, including breakfast).

Hunched over by the Witzenberg Mountains and lined with gnarled old oaks and a wealth of Cape Dutch-style buildings, the rustic and rural village of Tulbagh is home to eccentric artists and historians who spend their lives observing village life from beneath their wide eaves. With craft and art browsing, a world-renowned wine-route tour, wine estate "night harvest" dinners, and a privately owned Big Five game reserve, Tulbagh offers something for everyone.

I push at the protesting door of an interesting-looking antique shop. It is stuffed with owls--their eyes gold-ringed and their wings forever spread. The only light emanates from an old-fashioned green-enamel coolie hat cowering in the corner. Its glow of