Subaru B9 Tribeca
Nobody asked me but . . .
What you see before you (Use your imagaination!)—forgetting for the moment the Alfa Romeo-like front grille, the cartoonish rear face, and the Tribeca name, a chi-chi area on Manhattan’s lower West Side—is a vehicle Subaru desperately needed. Until the intro of the Tribeca, Subaru’s SUV lineup consisted of one small 5-passenger vehicle, the Impreza-sedan-based Forester, leaving upwardly mobile Subaru owners no place to go but out of the Subaru showroom when their needs required a larger, more roomy (up to seven passengers) SUV.
Thus the arrival of the Legacy-based Tribeca, offered in both five and seven passenger versions, each in base and premium trim levels, ranging in price from $29,995-$33,495, plus $625 destination charges.
The Tribeca is a stylish vehicle inside and out, coming across more like a new-wave Crossover than a “conventional” truck-like SUV, assuming of course that such a thing as a conventional SUV actually exists today. To me, it’s also more crossover in configuration and personality, despite standard all-wheel-drive across the board, something the Tribeca shares with every other Subaru model.
Inside, that “style” I mentioned includes standard leather seating surfaces (vinyl for the third row) in the 7-passenger Limited model I tested, leather on the steering wheel and shift knob, chrome interior door handles and brushed aluminum accents on the steering wheel, instrument panel and center stack and on the center console and doors.
The whole interior, with only a few exceptions, shouts function with a capital F. Practical features are distributed throughout the interior, including a two-level center console, 10 cupholders, HomeLink garage door opener, second-row air conditioner controls plus roof vents for second- and third-row occupants and a second-row seat that is not only split 40/20/40 but also slide eight inches fore and aft.
The exceptions? A rounded center stack that sacrifices ease of use and viewing of some controls to the twin gods of styling and reflected glare. And ingress and egress to the third-row seats that only a 10-year old will appreciate, along with an egregiously
miniscule rear cargo area when those two seats are occupied.
I really like Subaru’s use of “boxer” or flat engines. The 4-cylinder versions are less prone to NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) issues than an inline 4-banger and the flat six (Porsche uses a similar engine in the 911 and Boxster models), which is standard in the Tribeca, is a model of smoothness, refinement and a melodious exhaust note.
The Subaru six pumps out a healthy 245 horses from its three liters of displacement, and it has an impressively high 7000 rpm redline. Under the bonnet of an Outback, this engine kicks butt. But when mated to the nearly 600-pounds heavier Tribeca, this engine is overmatched. Horsepower is not the issue. The Tribeca is competitive with any of his rivals—Mitsubishi Endeavor, Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander and even the more expensive Lexus RX 330 and Acura MDX—in this area. But with only 215 lb-ft of torque at a rather elevated 4200 rpm, the Sube SUV lacks the seamless bottom-end pulling power Americans expect . . . and demand. Rev it high and hard and the Tribeca responds. But don’t expect much oomph below 3500 rpm.
EPA estimated fuel economy figures are 18 mpg city and 23 mpg highway.
Where the Tribeca really shows its Subaru heritage is in traction and handling. The standard Variable Torque Distribution (VTD) system splits the torque 45 percent front/55 percent rear and can vary the torque split to maintain optimum traction. This system is combined with Vehicle Dynamics Control (VTD), a stability and traction control system that provides a great sense of driving security in all adverse driving conditions. And despite its girth, the Tribeca has a nimbleness of steering and handling that most of its competitors can’t match.
The Tribeca also excels in safety with driver and passenger dual-stage airbags, seat mounted front side airbags, side curtain airbags, along with front active head restraints, all standard.
While lacking in relaxed off-the-mark performance, a characteristic of some of Subaru’s turbocharged 4-cylinder models as well, the Tribeca does offer an attractive package of attributes, including a high level of comfort and convenience features, very good quality and a fun-to-drive attitude that is an obvious benefit of Subaru’s long experience with all-wheel drive.
What you see before you (Use your imagaination!)—forgetting for the moment the Alfa Romeo-like front grille, the cartoonish rear face, and the Tribeca name, a chi-chi area on Manhattan’s lower West Side—is a vehicle Subaru desperately needed. Until the intro of the Tribeca, Subaru’s SUV lineup consisted of one small 5-passenger vehicle, the Impreza-sedan-based Forester, leaving upwardly mobile Subaru owners no place to go but out of the Subaru showroom when their needs required a larger, more roomy (up to seven passengers) SUV.
Thus the arrival of the Legacy-based Tribeca, offered in both five and seven passenger versions, each in base and premium trim levels, ranging in price from $29,995-$33,495, plus $625 destination charges.
The Tribeca is a stylish vehicle inside and out, coming across more like a new-wave Crossover than a “conventional” truck-like SUV, assuming of course that such a thing as a conventional SUV actually exists today. To me, it’s also more crossover in configuration and personality, despite standard all-wheel-drive across the board, something the Tribeca shares with every other Subaru model.
Inside, that “style” I mentioned includes standard leather seating surfaces (vinyl for the third row) in the 7-passenger Limited model I tested, leather on the steering wheel and shift knob, chrome interior door handles and brushed aluminum accents on the steering wheel, instrument panel and center stack and on the center console and doors.
The whole interior, with only a few exceptions, shouts function with a capital F. Practical features are distributed throughout the interior, including a two-level center console, 10 cupholders, HomeLink garage door opener, second-row air conditioner controls plus roof vents for second- and third-row occupants and a second-row seat that is not only split 40/20/40 but also slide eight inches fore and aft.
The exceptions? A rounded center stack that sacrifices ease of use and viewing of some controls to the twin gods of styling and reflected glare. And ingress and egress to the third-row seats that only a 10-year old will appreciate, along with an egregiously
miniscule rear cargo area when those two seats are occupied.
I really like Subaru’s use of “boxer” or flat engines. The 4-cylinder versions are less prone to NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) issues than an inline 4-banger and the flat six (Porsche uses a similar engine in the 911 and Boxster models), which is standard in the Tribeca, is a model of smoothness, refinement and a melodious exhaust note.
The Subaru six pumps out a healthy 245 horses from its three liters of displacement, and it has an impressively high 7000 rpm redline. Under the bonnet of an Outback, this engine kicks butt. But when mated to the nearly 600-pounds heavier Tribeca, this engine is overmatched. Horsepower is not the issue. The Tribeca is competitive with any of his rivals—Mitsubishi Endeavor, Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander and even the more expensive Lexus RX 330 and Acura MDX—in this area. But with only 215 lb-ft of torque at a rather elevated 4200 rpm, the Sube SUV lacks the seamless bottom-end pulling power Americans expect . . . and demand. Rev it high and hard and the Tribeca responds. But don’t expect much oomph below 3500 rpm.
EPA estimated fuel economy figures are 18 mpg city and 23 mpg highway.
Where the Tribeca really shows its Subaru heritage is in traction and handling. The standard Variable Torque Distribution (VTD) system splits the torque 45 percent front/55 percent rear and can vary the torque split to maintain optimum traction. This system is combined with Vehicle Dynamics Control (VTD), a stability and traction control system that provides a great sense of driving security in all adverse driving conditions. And despite its girth, the Tribeca has a nimbleness of steering and handling that most of its competitors can’t match.
The Tribeca also excels in safety with driver and passenger dual-stage airbags, seat mounted front side airbags, side curtain airbags, along with front active head restraints, all standard.
While lacking in relaxed off-the-mark performance, a characteristic of some of Subaru’s turbocharged 4-cylinder models as well, the Tribeca does offer an attractive package of attributes, including a high level of comfort and convenience features, very good quality and a fun-to-drive attitude that is an obvious benefit of Subaru’s long experience with all-wheel drive.
posted by The Carmudgeon at
3:19 PM
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