Subaru B9 Tribeca (B9X)

sweet_subie

strictly as a 5-seater, i prefer the outback XT Ltd over tribeca. the visibility, power, dual moonroof etc etc.

rsholland

I sort of think of the rear seat in the Tribeca like that you might find in a small sport coupe. The only difference is that you have an extra "real" seat between it and the front seat.

Bob

grdh20

well put.

ateixeira

The funny thing is the color isn't a maroon at all. I wonder if he saw it in person or just looked in a catalog and his monitor's colors are off (way off).

Bill: who says they won't? Build a minivan spin-off from that platform? Only Sienna offers AWD, Dodge can't package AWD with Sto-n-Go so it doesn't come on those models.

It is truly a 5+2. +2 is big enough for my needs, I don't want a school bus!

Reviews will be good or bad, but honestly, my advice is this - go drive it yourself! Form your own opinion, and feel free to disagree with one opinion from an auto writer, because that's all it is.

We can all agree about one thing the Tribeca is not - BORING. It's not boring outside, it's not boring inside, it's not boring to drive. That is how it stands out to me.

-juice

jeffmc

In his USA Today review, Healy complains that only the passenger side slides fore and aft to allow access to the third row and goes on to say that Subaru told him everyone else's SUV third row is the same way. That's just wrong, isn't it? Both driver & passenger sides of the second row slide fore and aft and tilt forward and recline, correct? 40-20-40 seatbacks, 60-40 seat.

Can someone with more Tribeca experience than me verify this?

WMarton

"...And as far as the 3rd row, who cares. Anyone really wanting a third row is going to get a minivan or something way bigger anyway."

That's my point exactly...Subaru doesn't have a minivan. Honda, Nissan, and Toyota have minivans and can afford a slot in their vehicle lineup bewtween their midsize vehicles and minivans. This is it for Subaru. I don't see how a Tribeca is a big step up from an Outback. Bob himself stated that he thought that the Tribeca is likely to take sales away from high-end Outbacks. The success of the Tribeca will be to a great extent determined by how many NEW Subaru customers it brings into the fold. There is a lot of competition in this market segment.

Part of this is frankly sour grapes...I really like Subaru products, but I think that they do a lousy job of responding to the U.S. market. They are very slow to adapt, partly because I think they are undercapitalized. I had an interesting chat with a person at one of the local dealerships and he expressed a similar frustration, only his gripe was that Subaru was coming to the hybrid game very late. Subaru has been most successful when they added something that the other manufacturers lacked...the Outback, the WRX, and to a lesser extent the Forester. I think that they would have had a big success if they managed to provide a true alternative to the minivan (i.e., a useable third row) with exceptional handling.

Bill

rsholland

Yes, both sides of the middle row seat slide, but you can only access the 3rd row via the curbside middle row seat.

Bob

WMarton

"...Bill: who says they won't? Build a minivan spin-off from that platform? Only Sienna offers AWD, Dodge can't package AWD with Sto-n-Go so it doesn't come on those models.

Adding a minivan would have been nice, but not necessarily a home run for Subaru.
The biggest successes for Subaru have been vehicles that the competitors did not have an answer to (at least initially), e.g., the Outback and WRX. The Tribeca is not revolutionary, not by a stretch. However, if they made the Tribeca a bit more Pilot/MDX sized and actually had a functional thrid row, I think people would have been very interested in the car...a fun to drive minivanesque vehicle.

"...It is truly a 5+2. +2 is big enough for my needs, I don't want a school bus!"

I don't want a school bus either; however, the Tribeca is a 5+2 in name only. You cannot seat five adults comfortably. Heck, you can't even seat three adults plus two fifth grade + kids comfortably. The third row is extremely tight and claustrophobic, and there is relatively little cargo room. I will say one thing though for Subaru: they priced the Tribeca very aggressively. My only worry though would be it taking sales away from LL Bean Outbacks and VDCs.

Bill

rsholland

You cannot seat five adults comfortably.

Not true. Five adults can fit very comfortably in a Tribeca.

Bob

popa_sez

I just received a call from my dealer telling me he has the Seacrest Green seven passenger with NAV and gray interior. I ordered beige interior with DVD as well, so this is unacceptable. He told me he can install a DVD in it with no problem, but the gray interior can not be changed out obviously. Did anyone pre-order the Seacrest Green Seven Seater with gray interior and Nav only wondering where the hell it is? If you have send me a line and I will tell you where it sitting, maybe you can work something out with this dealer.

Popa_sez

ateixeira

Jeff: both sides slide fore/aft 8", and both sides recline, and flip and fold, that's how you would load the most cargo. I don't see why you couldn't get in on the driver's side. Can someone that has one try that out?

Bill: Subaru is not a full-line manufacturer, may not ever be.

Will it steal Outback sales? So far noone here has traded one in. In fact most sales seem to be conquests from other brands, primarily Toyota/Lexus. We'll see, but not so far.

For me, I'd have 2 adults, 2 child seats on the outer middle row, and the nanny in the middle at times. At other times there would be a 3rd or 4th kid in the 3rd row, but then the nanny would not be with us. So 2+3 or 2+2+2 for us would work, 4 kids in the back with a few book bags.

Pilot, Expedition, Suburban, and LR3 are roomier but they're not fun to drive.

-juice

subienewbie2

Showing someone a photo of the Tribeca is like showing someone a photo of a perfectly cooked steak from Mortons's and asking them if they like the it tastes.

mattame

how does that work with tags...we were searching the inventories and found a couple of becas out of state with the specific colors and add ons we liked....willing to drive but wasn't sure how the tags issue works out. Any insight :confuse:
We like only the gray interior in either, Mahoghany (1st choice), blue or seacreast green, spected out as 7 passenger with nav (which requires lmtd). By the way..a salesperson told me today that the nav talks giving you directions while you are driving...that doesn't sound right :surprise: , is it so :confuse:

Really wondering if travelling an hour for a savings of some bucks was an option depending on the hassle with tags....??
thanks y'all
amy

teamjd

It varies by state I think. I bought in NJ and live in NY. When I paid for the B9, they had me sign a form that states that I'm not required to pay NJ State tax, collected the NY State tax and transfered my existing plates for me for a small doc fee. They gave me a 20 day temp tag and said I would get my NY regi in the mail in about 2 weeks. Off I went. It was the same process for new plates, or you could just sign the form get the temp tag and register the car yourself when you get home.

junior5

http://www.autosite.com/content/shared/articles/templates/index.cfm/article_page_order_int- /1/article_id_int/582

kmartin

The author of the autosite.com article states there is no power front passenger seat...I thought that was standard on all B9 models???

-Karen in AZ-

sduford

Funny how the reviewers who are negative about the B9 are either biased or plain bad reviewers, but those who rave about it are amongst the best in the industry!

subienewbie2

Right on!

They are bad reviewers and worse writers.

In addition this guy from the auto site is apparently on drugs. I do not know what he thought he was reviewing but it wasn't the B9. If he actually drove one he could not had so many errors.

Especially the rollie pollie handling crack - this about the B9 that out handled the BMW X5 in a recent test.

He apparently attended the Dan Rather school of reporting

mayberryguy

All Front Seats power on Tribeca, cloth or leather

Driver 8way
Pass 4way

subyct

You have to watch these "pre-negotiated" prices through your credit union or even the AAA, BJ's or Costco. All of these organizations use a "third party" company that charges dealers for the right to be the listed dealer. There are no criteria's or satisfaction requirements of the dealer. The dealer then sends the organization how much they will sell the car for over invoice. These organizations CAN'T dictate the price to their members, as it is price fixing. You are better off going to the dealer and cutting out these organizations, as they may also collect a fee from the dealer when they sell you a car. You have to imagine that the dealer is not going to absorb that fee! Premier Subaru in Connecticut is selling them at $100.00 under invoice!

ateixeira

People are simply pointing out mistakes in the reviews, whether they are good or bad.

No power driver's seat? Yeah, I wonder if he drove it, too!

Mahogany != Maroon

More than a few people here know a heck of a lot more about the Tribeca than these reviewers do. In fairness they probably write on review a week, and who knows how long they wait after driving it until they write it.

I take notes, and have to refer to them when I write a review.

-juice

rsholland

I was just looking at the spec page in the new Tribeca brochure and the spec page in the '05 Outback brochure and noticed the following differences:

The Outback VDC has an LSD, but the Tribeca doesn't. Instead the Tribeca has incorporated a 4-Wheel Traction Control with the VDC.

Interesting. I wonder if this change will also be made on the '06 Outback VDC? I do remember that the SOA guy giving the Tribeca chassis demo at Valley Forge mentioned that the Tribeca did not have an LSD. I think he said it was because of noise, that the LSD was noisy, or something like that. Juice do you remember him discussing that?

Bob

efinch

Not sure how out of state tags work. However, the navigation system really talks
to you. You can choose male or female voice. spanish, english or french. Really
cool.

I have a the 7 pass. Seacrest Green metallic/beige interior with navigation system.
Love it!!!!

efinch

Having trouble folding the middle seat row down on the driver side. Any guidance?
I pulled the lever on the seatback but it's not budging.

efinch

I'm still waiting. I got my Tribeca on May 20th.

efinch

Love the dark charcoal grey carpet with the beige interior. It won't show dirt plus the combination looks good since the interior is both dark charcoal grey and beige.

newsubu

Ordered a Mahogany Red Tribeca without seeing the "Red" in person. Had seen it pictured on the web, under extreme Auto Show lighting, on the Subaru website, and a swatch. Thought it was unique and a good choice, especially combined with the Slate Grey interior. Been described as "cinnamon," "rust," "root beer," "brown," "caramel," (colors are so hard to define!)

...and now from Healy review in USA Today "maroon," and "ghastly."

This made me very curious, and found several Tribecas today so I could actually see and compare colors for the first time...

Saw it late evening under low, dark clouds. The first word that came to mind describing this color was "plum." More brown and even purple than I had anticipated. Never before seen a car that color. Do not dislike it, but not at all what I had thought it would look like; very different from the images I'd seen prior to ordering. I was thinking "spicier, brighter, more RED!" Original choice was Black, then thought I'd put some color in the driveway for a change, after owning black for years. The silver was also very sharp, though I did not really consider it when ordering. Anyone have this "red" color currently and do you like it? Is it what you anticipated? Will probably stop by Sunday in sunlight for a 2nd look.

BTW, of the 8 or so I saw today, every one was a fully loaded 7 passenger limited.

ms121269

My wife and I finally got to look at a limited 7 seater today. We had been shown the pre-production B9 that was on tour back in May. We both thought the production model had less interior room than the pre-production. Seemed like much less leg room in all three rows. Surely this is not so. However, we still are not sure if it is going to be big enough for us...but we really love the styling just wish they had and an extended version and while they're at it add the options for a higher powered engine esp. more torque, XM, Telescopic steering, Memory Seats and adjustable pedals.

kmartin

This color sounds a lot like the brownish-red that some Outbacks had a few years back. I really didn't care for it :P, but I have seen a few of them over the years. I would say that the hue I remember was very much like root beer. I would personally like to see one of the new B9's in this color in person before I considered it.

-Karen in AZ-

subearu

Winestone Metallic was that color:



It might be similar, but I think the B9's version has a little more brown in it:



if those links don't work, you can get to the pics in my albums:
goto pic 158 and 159 in this one and goto pic 2 and 4 in this one

-Brian

rsholland

It's not the same color Brian. The Winestone red is clearly more "red," or burgundy. The color on the Tribeca is very simply—"brown," a very beautiful brown, I might add. It reminds me of the color of root beer.

Bob

subearu

Agreed: I remember thinking it looked like a root beer color as well when I saw it at the show.

-Brian

njswamplands

my f-xt has 'flakes' of colors in it and it appears different depending on the intensity of the light. at nite pure black, in brite lites i notice greens. maybe the same thing is true of the new trifectas?

sduford

Same goes for my CHampagne Gold Opal OBXT. It can go from to silver to gold depending on the light.

rsholland

The Black (Obsidian Black) on the Tribeca is different from what you have on your Forester (Java Black Pearl). It does not have those green/gold flecks in it.

Bob

Kirstie_H

I'm moving you folks over to the SUVs board in a day or so. Subscribe to this discussion now, or forever use the search function at the left!

new2sub

From today's Chicago Tribune.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/services/newspaper/premium/printedition/Sunday/transportatio- n/chi-0506050173jun05,1,814192.column

mattame

We were thinking the mahoghany would be the way to go but...after seeing it in person 2 times we are now leaning towards the blue or the white. I found the Mah. red (brown) to be more chocolate than anything. The color is fine and unique like the car...but the color is not as sharp looking with the chrome handles and titanium wheels as some other "cool" based colors. Just my spin...I saw 2 of them....one was a limited with nav only and the other had just a few options but no nav or dvd.

amy

kmartin

After having sat a 7-pass Tribeca a week or so ago, I finally got to drive one today! (Silver 7-pass Ltd, loaded). I’ll share some observations, but mostly stuff that’s already been said. My apologies if this is too long and repetitious. Since I drive an ‘05 Outback 2.5i wagon, my comparisons will be somewhat related to it.

This B9 seems a lot roomier than the identical one I saw the first time. The first one, which I only got to sit in, was inside the showroom, which was not too well lit. Today, the one I drove was sitting outside in bright daylight, and seemed much larger and more impressive. Inside the vehicle, I had much the same feeling as well, and I am certain it was due to the change in lighting.

From what generic measurements I took, the knee room and foot room on the B9’s front pass side is about an inch or so wider than my OB, even though the huge console seemed to take up more room. And, although the leg room in the OB is supposed to be an inch more, I felt it was just the opposite.

The ride was GREAT -- very smooth, although too brief, and on fairly well-paved streets. It was very quiet, even though I was driving on the frontage road right next to a busy and noisy freeway. Handling seemed very pleasant and car-like.

The AT does seem to search a bit for the right gear (both in speeding up and decelerating) but it did so subtly and smoothly, and wasn’t a distraction to me. It does have plenty of get-the-heck-into-oncoming-traffic power. I didn’t get a chance to romp on the gas or tear around a corner (next time, maybe). Besides, I didn’t want to scare the salesman, who rode along with me :-)

I didn’t think I would like the dark gray leather interior (too hot in the AZ desert), but with its perforations, it was pleasantly comfortable. There were some beige/taupe accents on parts of the dash that looked really classy with the gray, I thought. BTW, the brochure shows the leather in beige as well; however, it’s not perforated but rather a more traditional solid leather texture. From looking at the brochure, the beige cloth looks a lot like my OB’s (pretty, but hard to keep clean) and the gray cloth looks like a black-on-charcoal tweed. Not my tastes, but I’m sure some folks will like them.

Speaking of the brochure, kudos to Subaru for the wonderful photos and samples. The layout is superb and quite impressive (I believe others have alluded to this, as well). The infamous Mahogany Red is definitely more brown than the wine-colored OB’s of the past, and not really red at all. They should have called it Mahogany “Brown”, or just simply “Sassafras”, IMHO.

One of the things I was most curious about was the ease of the entry-exit, especially from the 2nd row seats. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the seat heights were quite a bit lower (2-3 inches) than the Highlanders and Pilots I had driven a year ago, and only about three inches higher than the OB. This would make it easier for older folks or folks with physical limitations to climb in and out (namely, my parents and elderly grandma).

The Nav system has some really cool features (most of which have been mentioned in this forum)...I WANT it, but I don’t NEED it :-)

A couple of final thoughts:

1. Did anyone else notice how messy the fingerprints were on the outside chrome door handles? Shows every little mark...I noticed this on the first Tribeca I saw last week, too.

2. Both the brochure and the web site say the turning radius is 35.4, but that’s the same as the OB’s. Where did I get the stat of 37.4? Must have been a typo somewhere...I guess it makes sense ‘cuz it’s the same platform, etc.

3. I drove an ‘05 OB Beaner wagon, too, just for comparison and for fun. It wasn’t nearly as cool nor as fun to drive as I had thought it would be...guess I’m just spoiled now!

-Karen in AZ-

urmez

Can someone please tell me how I can insert a picture to a message.

Urmez
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saustin

Hi,
Picked up the new B9 7limited Thurs night and have 275 miles on it. Had a 20 minute highway drive but the rest has been short jaunts around town. Checked the NAV and was SHOCKED to see the 16.2 mpg reading. What is up with that ?
Any other mileage reports (better) ?

rsholland

Chalk it up to a relatively small engine, working hard, in a heavy vehicle. I'm convinced if the Tribeca had a larger, easier working engine, that the "real-world" gas mileage would be a bit better.

Also, keep mind that that the gas mileage should improve a bit once it gets broken in, and the tranny "adapts" to your style of driving; but I wouldn't expect a dramatic gain.

Bob

gwilson

What type of gas (octane) are you using? Should there be a big difference in mileage when using 87 vs. 89 vs. 93, or just a small difference?

Kirstie_H

First, you need to load your photo to a website like imagestation.com (others may have better options for you). Then, right click on your photo and select "properties" to see the URL, which will look something like http://myurl.com/photo.jpg.

Then, type in here: [img src=http://myurl.com/photo.jpg]. Instead of using the brackets, use the carats (greater than/less than) signs on your computer, and presto! Your photo should appear.

bigelm

We ordered a Mahogany Red w/ Grey interior (still waiting for it's arrival) and I translate the color as 'blood'.

The thing about this color is the lighting as well as shades, gives it a different look all the time. Kind of a pearl for a dark color.

It's different and that's why we like it.

tytnsfan1

I'm not sure about the wording on the Tribeca specs but for the Murano it says premium fuel recommended. I take that to mean to get the best out of the engine you SHOULD use premium not that you HAVE to, but I'm no mechanic. I do find if I put the middle octane in that I get better mileage so it might be worth it anyway.

WMarton

16 mpg...I am not too surprised. My 2001 Subaru Outback VDC with a similar six cylinder engine gets about 18 mpg in mixed, predominantly city, driving. The EPA estimated mileage was 20 city/26 highway. My estimate of 18 mpg is a solid average based on periodic measurements taken over four years in different seasons and circumstances. I don't think the Tribeca will get much better than 16 mpg in heavy city traffic. Why? Because, frankly, the EPA estimates are very unrealistic. Real life driving will probably lead to mpg estimates that are 10% to 15% lower. Check out this link for a summary of the EPA's methodology:

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/info.shtml

Here is a bit of the actual text:

"The test used to determine the city fuel economy estimate simulates an 11-mile, stop-and-go trip with an average speed of 20 miles per hour (mph). The trip takes 31 minutes and has 23 stops. About 18 percent of the time is spent idling, as in waiting at traffic lights or in rush hour traffic. The maximum speed is 56 mph. The engine is initially started after being parked overnight. Vehicles are tested at 68 F to 86 F ambient temperature.

The test to determine the highway fuel economy estimate represents a mixture of "non-city" driving. Segments corresponding to different kinds of rural roads and interstate highways are included. The test simulates a 10-mile trip and averages 48 mph. The maximum speed is 60 mph. The test is run with the engine warmed up and has little idling time and no stops (except at the end of the test).

NOTE: To make the numbers in the Fuel Economy Guide more useful for consumers, EPA adjusts these laboratory test results to account for the difference between controlled laboratory conditions and actual driving on the road. The laboratory fuel economy results are adjusted downward to arrive at the estimates in the Fuel Economy Guide and on the labels seen on new cars, light trucks, and vans. The city estimate is lowered by 10% and the highway estimate by 22% from the laboratory test results. Experience has proven that these adjustments make the mileage estimates in the Fuel Economy Guide correspond more closely to the actual fuel economy realized by the average driver."

There has been a movement underfoot to get EPA to revise its methodology. This push has come from folks who have bought hybrid cars whose mileage has been greatly over-estimated by the EPA methodology. These angry people have complained to their dealerships and Congressmen, and I expect that there will be a revision to the methodology for calculating mileage in the not too distant future. That said, I think that comparisons between vehicles are still relevant, provided of course, that hybrids are not included in the mix.

Bill

mediaguy1

Just traded my V-8 Land Cruiser for a B9 7 passenger limited...Black...Gray. With 180 miles here are a few comments. 1st...much nicer to drive than the Cruiser...tighter suspension. The NVH is less as well. The good...great design,fuel consumption for 1st fill up was 22.5 mpg. in mixed driving, tight handling (not like my Cooper S) but a suprise. I haven't had the VDC kick in yet but will push it to the limit to see what it does. I think it is on par with the 5 series BMW, which I've driven hard numerous times. I hate driving me-too cars and the B9 will never be that. Now for the minuses...not many. The 3rd row seat is a joke. I had to buy this because Black in the 5 can't be ordered with Gray interior. NO sat. radio...what were they thinking. the glove box barely holds the manual. The passanger side wiper swipes the glass at a stragnd angle and doesn't wipe the bottom half of the window. Transmission hunts a little..using the SportShift is the way to go. The Driver seat can't be lowered enough and the wheel doesn't telescope. Daytime running lights can't be defeted. This is a great car to drive and will update every week or so...I have no regrets about this purchase. Payed 500 over invoice as well.

marleybarr

Seriously considering the B9 Tribeca 5-passenger limited (want heated seats) as my next vehicle, replacing an Audi A6 2.7T. Considering Huyndai, and the Nissan Murano. Curious as to why you chose the Subie over other makes such as the Lexus? Also how is the cornering and braking power on the Tribeca, and are you required to use premium gas? Thanks in advance for your recommendations and observations...

grdh20

After the first 230 miles of mixed driving, average mileage = 17.7 mpg. Disappointed.