I first drove the Subaru B9 Tribeca in July of 2005, and I wasn't particularly impressed by it. The engine felt over worked, the wind noise at highway speeds was excessive, and the interior design was a bit overstyled (at the cost of ergonmic effectiveness). I just drove another one yesterday...and my initial reactions have weathered the past 17 months remarkably well. At first I thought maybe I'd been too harsh on the Tribeca, as the audio system was quite capable of keeping me entertained during the slog out of West L.A...
The steering felt responsive and the seats were very comfortable. Then traffic opened up on PCH and I started traveling at speeds over 50 mph. Suddenly I'm hearing engine noise and wind noise (I finally resorted to cranking up the XM satellite radio to drown it out). It's too bad because the basic platform of the car feels well executed, but the 3.0-liter boxer engine is obviously over-burdened. In overdrive it's passable, but kick it down a gear when it's time to accelerate and you better hold your ears (or turn up the audio system). Plenty of people have made fun of the car's styling (some more tactfully than others...), but even if the styling works for you the drivetrain's refinement level may not. It doesn't for me.
By sabastian
on November 23, 2006
04:15 PM
It's tough to imagine that styling working for anyone. It looks like an Alfa Romeo that fell out of the ugly tree.
-Sabastian
By ahightower
on November 24, 2006
06:31 AM
Come on now, it's "born from jets", it's supposed to sound like that. Ha ha.
By rsholland
on November 24, 2006
07:57 AM
"Born from Jets" tagline is Saab's, not Subaru.
Karl, I agree. I had a Tribeca for a couple of days after if first appeared, and the tranny wanted to downshift at the very sight of any incline. I was also invited to an SOA "Ride-and-Drive" at Valley Forge. PA. At that event, the car was packed with passengers, and the tiny 3.0L (for a 4,400+ lb. car) was even more evident. I basically kept it in the SportShift mode, and manually shifted wherever I went.
I'm looking forward to the '08 model which will have a much-needed 3.6L engine.
By blueice4589
on November 24, 2006
05:06 PM
I wonder if they will ever develop a Flat-8 engine, Or if they have already...cuz that would be chill.
By ahightower
on November 24, 2006
10:15 PM
Oh yeah. Saab, Subaru, same difference. They're basically both TrailBlazers though, right?
By rsholland
on November 25, 2006
07:18 AM
"They're basically both TrailBlazers though, right?"
Not in any way, shape or form, at least not the Tribeca...
You're thinking of the Saab 9-7x which is is a GMC Envoy is Euro-clothes.
By jerrywimer
on November 27, 2006
11:31 AM
Snicker. A Trailblazer-based Subaru? Subie's have always been car-based to my knowledge. But it still looks like a Cayenne that had a head-on with an Alfa, and nobody bothered taking it to the body shop afterwards. This is one of the few Subaru's that I find offensively ugly. Hopefully the styling gets a big improvement with the rest of the 08 redesign.
By vvk
on November 28, 2006
01:11 PM
Nothing wrong with this one a nice manual gearbox wouldn't fix. I took one out for a 24 hour test drive and really liked it. Hated the automatic tranny, though. Really kills the character of this truck. As far as styling, it's a Subaru thing. It is a bit of an acquired taste. Not for everybody, which is really the point. It ain't no Honda.
By levyrob
on November 28, 2006
03:31 PM
I seldom see any of these on the road, which must mean something. I see plenty of other Subarus, so one would have to conclude that this SUV is a bit of a dud. It seems neither attractive nor worth the asking price versus its competition. Maybe there are more in the Northeast and Northwest than here in Southern California.
It goes to show that even though you have a vehicle in a popular segment, success isn't assured unless the vehicle is attractive to customers.
I think I saw more Pontiac Azteks on the road at this point in its automotive life.
By lemontj13
on December 3, 2006
06:56 AM
I live in Maryland and I have only seen about 5 B9 Tribecas since it came out.