2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca

[BMWDave]

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2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca
Betting the Tribeca: Subaru finally builds a real SUV?sort of
MAC MORRISON
Published Date: 6/6/05
2006 SUBARU B9 TRIBECA
ON SALE: Now
BASE PRICE: $31,320
POWERTRAIN: 3.0-liter, 250-hp, 219-lb-ft H6; awd, five-speed automatic
CURB WEIGHT: 4155 lbs
0 to 60 MPH: 8.5 seconds (mfr.)
FUEL MILEAGE: 18 mpg city/23 mpg highway (mfr.)

Subaru called its Forester a small SUV for years, but that didn?t do much for buyers in need of a larger sport/ute. Subaru hopes to change that with the launch of the B9 Tribeca SUV. B stands for boxer engine, 9 is its platform designation, while Tribeca stands for Triangle Below Canal streets in New York, the hip urban area populated by designers, artists and art galleries. Subaru apparently thinks this confluence of names may make the Tribeca cool and trendy. Go figure.

As gambles go, Subaru is taking a calculated risk with Tribeca: While the company achieved record U.S. sales in 2003 and 2004, it has not grown at the rate necessary to reach its now-revised goal of selling 285,000 vehicles per year by March 2006.


Still, Subaru hopes to sell about 210,000 cars in 2005, another record for the company. After launching new Forester and Legacy models in 2004, its money rides on this crossover positioned against similar SUVs from Honda, Lexus, Acura and Nissan, among others.

With five-passenger versions starting at $31,320 and seven-seaters reaching $38,320, the Tribeca is the priciest Subaru ever. And the largest: Engineers went to work on the Legacy/Outback platform and increased its size all the way around. The wheelbase grows by 3.1 inches to 108.2 inches, and overall length increases 1.1 inches to 189.8 inches. At 73.9 inches wide and 66.5 inches high, Tribeca is comparable in size to the rest of the crossover world?s inhabitants, give or take an inch or two in most relevant dimensions.

Subaru, like just about every other company, looked to BMW?s X5 to set ride and handling baselines, and demonstrated to assembled journalists the Tribeca?s agility in a video presentation of the dramatic ?moose? avoidance test. The video Tribeca displayed noticeably less yaw and body roll than competing utes, including the BMW, as you might have expected from a PR video. This is due partly to a center of gravity Subaru says is 1.6 inches lower than the X5, as well as a powertrain located lower and further back than most crossovers.


According to Subaru engineers, steel chassis reinforcements increase rigidity 22 percent and bending stiffness 55 percent over the Outback, and increase towing ability. The standard 2000-pound towing capacity grows to 3500 pounds?the highest of any Subaru?with an optional tow package that includes a transmission oil cooler.

The Tribeca delivers the combination of practicality and all-wheel-drive responsiveness that makes Subaru?s other cars such worthy entries in their own segments. A new double-wishbone rear suspension frees space for a third row of seats while improving ride comfort, and the 3.0-liter, 250-hp boxer six lifted from the Outback provides adequate if not sensational power.

With its standard 18-inch wheels, stability control and symmetrical all-wheel-drive system (under normal conditions torque is split 45/55 front to rear), the Tribeca remains composed and fun to drive over sinuous routes.

The interior features soft-touch materials and tightly assembled panels, though some switchgear feels flimsy. Standard equipment on all models includes front, side and side-curtain airbags, an eight-way power adjustable driver?s seat, 10 cupholders and four 12-volt sockets. A nifty touch-screen calculator programmed into the central information display allows you to convert miles to kilometers, gallons to liters, and just about anything else that might come in handy on cross-border trips.

Limited models get leather and a 160-watt stereo with six-disc in-dash CD changer and MP3 compatibility, while a rear-seat DVD system with nine-inch screen is available, as is a touch-screen navigation setup.


Exterior styling may be the Tribeca?s biggest risk. While the look is unique and a departure from Subarus we?ve grown comfortable with, it just ain?t pretty. Perhaps Subaru?s design direction will make more sense when the new corporate face comes to Impreza in August. Or maybe the new ovoid grille, reminiscent of a late-?50s Saab 93B, is the designers? way of getting back at GM for badge-engineering the WRX and yes, a forthcoming ?Swedish? version of the Tribeca.

A crossover SUV makes sense for Subaru, so much so it seems almost bizarre it has taken so long to get one to market. The B9 Tribeca has enough going for it that Subaru?s sales goals of 17,000 vehicles this year and approximately 34,000 in 2006 seem reasonable. If buyers can get past its odd styling and lack of prestigious nameplate, it just might bring home the money.

[giant_mtb]

"while Tribeca stands for Triangle Below Canal streets in New York, the hip urban area populated by designers, artists and art galleries. Subaru apparently thinks this confluence of names may make the Tribeca cool and trendy."


I don't think anybody's going to make that connection unless they are told...so how can they expect that to make ot more hip and trendy?  :blink:  :P  

[BMWDave]

"while Tribeca stands for Triangle Below Canal streets in New York, the hip urban area populated by designers, artists and art galleries. Subaru apparently thinks this confluence of names may make the Tribeca cool and trendy."


I don't think anybody's going to make that connection unless they are told...so how can they expect that to make ot more hip and trendy?  :blink:  :P

Yup, I also dont think anyone will make that connection either.

[TBR]

I personally consider this vehicle to be the best in class, just wish the front was styled a bit differently, it looks like an Alfa Romeo that spent too long under the heat lamps.  

[giant_mtb]

I personally consider this vehicle to be the best in class, just wish the front was styled a bit differently, it looks like an Alfa Romeo that spent too long under the heat lamps.

Great analogy. ^_^