Road Test
Here at Car and Driver, our record for forecasting market trends hasn't put Carnac the Magnificent out of business yet. Back when manufacturers began building a lot more SUVs, we were dubious about the craze for big, clumsy vehicles. We thought it wouldn't last. We were wrong. The SUV boom is still going strong.
Then, when Subaru decided to climb onto the bandwagon by jacking up a wagon and calling it an SUV (the Outback), we thought nobody would fall for that one. Guess again. Subaru has sold far more Outbacks than Legacys. Now Subaru has introduced a real SUV in the B9 Tribeca, and we like it a lot. Let's hope we're not wrong with this one.
Although it is based on Legacy mechanicals and drivetrain, the Tribeca is-according to our scale, a full-size SUV, measuring more than 15.5 feet long and 5.5 feet tall. Moreover, it will be available in five- and seven-passenger forms, with a small but usable third row in the seven-passenger model and a movable center row to facilitate the best distribution of space.
With a full-time all-wheel-drive mechanism lifted from the flat-six Legacy and Outback models, the Tribeca has all the ingredients of a competitive SUV, taking on comparable rivals from Honda, Lexus, BMW, and others at a price that starts at just over 30 grand for the five-passenger model. In seven-passenger Limited form (which adds leather upholstery, heated front seats, and a 160-watt, nine-speaker stereo) and optioned up with navigation and DVD-entertainment equipment, our test Tribeca rang the register to the tune of $38,320. That's similar to the base price of vehicles like the Acura MDX, the Lexus RX330, and the Infiniti FX35, notably cheaper than the starting points of Mercedes and BMWs, but a few grand north of the Honda Pilot and Nissan Pathfinder.
More important, the B9 Tribeca carries a comprehensive list of standard features in its low-ball five-seater version, including anti-lock-brake and vehicle-stability systems; front, side, and curtain airbags; dual-zone automatic climate control; a tinted sunroof; power driver and passenger seats; a leather-wrapped wheel and gear selector; an in-dash CD changer; and HomeLink remote control.
Clearly, Subaru plans to offer compelling value along with the interesting styling that sets this new SUV sharply apart from its rivals. When the car made its debut at the Detroit auto show last January, it created mixed responses. Most criticism was centered on the car's prominent nose.
Having seen it on the road in various environments, we think the car looks just fine. Those of us who have been in Europe lately find the styling strongly reminiscent of current Alfa Romeos, so guess where Subaru's chief designer for the advanced design studio-Andreas Zapatinas-worked before he came to Subaru? Uh-huh. Still, Subaru insists the Tribeca's shape was virtually complete prior to Zapatinas's arrival.
