Subaru B9 Tribeca (B9X)

kmartin · August 2005

Also, Chrysler's batteries are known as the only car manufacturer whose batteries only last 2-3 yrs while all other cars batteries last the standard 5 yrs.

Not in the desert southwest...if you get 2 years out of ANY battery, no matter how good or expensive, consider yourself lucky.

-Karen in AZ-

rsholland · August 2005

Why is that Karen? What is it about the desert southwest that is so hard on batteries?

Bob

kmartin · August 2005

David, check the instructions at:

http://members.cox.net/kamartin/seatbelt.html

Item #5 tells you how to do this on a temporary basis. It's a pain, but it does work :-)

-Karen-

kmartin · August 2005

It's the tremendous heat. Some manufacturers label their products as "desert-rated", but any good mechanic will tell you that's bologna...none of them last any longer out here. Even a well-serviced battery won't last much longer.

On the other hand, my parents' Park Avenue gets pampered, parked in the garage most of the day, driven once or twice a day briefly, and their 3-year-old battery just now went dead...that's very usual out here.

-Karen-

ateixeira · August 2005

I use one in my Forester, never gave me a problem. I'm powering up a laptop with it. It does have a built-in cooling fan and the noise bothers me a little, so I place it in the cargo area and run the wires between the back seats. I'll chack the wattage it's rated for, but it was just $40 at Wal Mart.

That leaves the front power outlet for my cell phone, or in the future for my NAV.

Robert: I agree about blocking the view slightly, but I disagree about it being an issue. It does block the upper portion of the view in the rear view mirror, but turn around and you can see under it while backing up. Plus what matters is the lower portion, i.e. the items closer to your vehicle.

I had it deployed basically the entire time and it never bothered me. The kids being peaceful and quiet certainly did help, though. I can see how two screens would seperate the kids and plus they can watch different things.

I am a huge fan of the aftermarket, in fact my Forester has an aftermarket moonroof (so does my wife's Legacy), wind deflector, laptop/DVD, and coming soon - NAV.

I really like yours, by the way, and would get it, but a lot of people don't want to fiddle with something not covered by the manufacturer's warranty, period. And there's no convincing them. Believe me, I've tried!

Battery - be sure to top them off with distilled water every year or so.

-juice

rsholland · August 2005

Aren't most new batteries sealed?

Bob

irishwheat · August 2005

We took the x box in our 7 pass tribeca on a vacation. We used a radio shack converter for a plug in...worked fine and the kids loved it

irishwheat · August 2005

we used the seat belt disabler outlined in this forum earlier..it works great..but it did take 4 times to make it work

foxbat121 · August 2005

From what I can tell, all accessory power outlets are labeled as 12V/120W. Sounds like it should be ok for a stock XBox (100W). Anything more, you may have the risk of overheating the electric wire.

foxbat121 · August 2005

I don't know the difference between 5-seater and 7-seater. But my 7-seat Ltd w/Nav costs me less than my 2003 WRX Wagon in insurance.

ateixeira · August 2005

Not really, mine had a snap-on cover that you popped open to add distilled water.

Of course I forgot so my battery died after about 5 years. I was in CT visiting the in-laws on a particularly cold Thanksgiving Day. Battery was toast.

When we checked the levels on a couple of cells was low - my fault, really.

-juice

foxbat121 · August 2005

still not sure what the red light is for above the shifter area?

From what I can tell, it is for you to easily locate the controls for sunroof in dark nights. My 98 OB has the similar light (not as bright) on driver's door near the power window controls.

bkaiser1 · August 2005

Having grown up in Las Vegas, which experiences summer temps only slightly less oppressive than Karen's AZ heat, I remember ALL of our cars plowing through batteries every 18-24 months (and none of the cars were from Chrysler). The extreme heat outside coupled with the heat under the hood fried batteries in no time at all -- even factory sealed "maintenance free" ones.

Brian

cluelesspa · August 2005

but why does it shine directly down instead of lighting up the control button area?

foxbat121 · August 2005

It's just a simple LED. And since it is on the roof, it has no choice but shine downwards

If those two controllers are self illuminated, I'd bet there is no need for this light at all.

tyyeh0 · August 2005

I test drove a Tribeca w/ the grey leather interior, but I was wondering if there is a difference
in comfort between the two colors since the grey leather is perforated.

Someone mentioned that the grey breathes better, but what does this mean in terms of comfort? The beige looks nicer I think w/o perforation.

We are thinking of getting the blue color, what are people's thoughts on the 2 interior colors matching the blue? Only saw the blue exterior at the dealer.

c_hunter · August 2005

It's ambient lighting, a lot of new cars have it. In the dark, it will cast a faint light over the center console. I added a red LED to the map light of my 05 OB XT last fall, and really like it. Casts just enough light that I can see/read CD labels and other stuff in the dark, but it does not hurt general vision while driving. Looks cool too. My wife's TSX has a blue LED that does the same thing.

CRaig

b9driver · August 2005

still not sure what the red light is for above the shifter area? >>

That tiny light actually casts a nice even red light over the center console. It's quite cool!

Robert B
Blue B9
NY

b9driver · August 2005

Someone mentioned that the grey breathes better, but what does this mean in terms of comfort? The beige looks nicer I think w/o perforation. >>>

The grey beathes better for certain. But it also looked cheap to our eyes. The tan with the blue interior is ultra classy, but it's all a matter of taste. The darker leather may get less dirty of course...something to consider!

Robert B
NY

b9driver · August 2005

It's just a simple LED.>>

I disabled the light and now I'm getting 34 MPG in the city.

Robert B
NY

drohrer · August 2005

Does anyone have an idea about when the Tribeca will be crash tested/rollover tested. I can't wait to go out and get one, but my wife insists on 5-star ratings. I don't have a problem with that, in fact it's one reason why we don't own an '05 Murano.

Juice, this is a question for you being from Brazil and your highly evolved knowledge of all things Brazilian and Subaru(ian?).

What affect do ethanol blends have on the H6 engine? It appears to me that ethanol has a much higher octane rating, but less potential energy than conventional gasoline. Don't you guys in Brazil run almost all ethanol/ ethanol blends, and at a higher level than here in the states? My company is involved in selling it here in the mid-west (lots of corn, don't you know) and I'm hoping use it in my new Tribeca when the day comes.

Waiting (patiently at the moment) for the crash test results and hoping for the best.

ateixeira · August 2005

I asked my rep at SoA and she has not gotten back to me yet about that. You could call 800-SUBARU3 but I doubt you'd reach an engineer that would give an answer to satisfy our admittedly complex appetites. :confuse:

Yes, Brazil's fleet, or part of it, runs on Ethanol. At one point it was more than half the cars on the road. There were several pros:

* engines make more power
* octane is higher
* it's a renewable resource
* cost less than gasoline

But also several cons:

* more corrosion in the fuel supply lines
* lower fuel efficiency (offsets the lower price)
* less range
* poor cold weather starting

The addressed that last item with a "choke" that would actually mix in gasoline until the cars warmed up. Pretty funny but they would hold about a gallon of gas as well.

Reminds me of how some converted diesel cars run today, they only switch over to the free stuff once the engine reaches a certain temp.

Any how, it's not ideal for the snow belt, where Subarus are popular, in my opinion. My brothers and my mom owned alcohol cars at some point or another, but today they all run gasoline for the better range and driveability.

-juice

photoguy2 · August 2005

I'm in tears laughing Robert... thanks for the break in my day!

John

njswamplands · August 2005

thingee to add on to my fxt. those are really needed features. the fxt is the darkest interior at nite. one lite way behind to huge sunroof.

dorr · August 2005

Thanks for the reply Karen and Iriswheat...Guess if I would have done a search first I could have answered my question...sorry about that.

-David

ateixeira · August 2005

That's the price you pay for moving to the Dark Side (turbos), young Skywalker.

-juice

x5killer · August 2005

NAV I guess is under the drivers seat and i realized this after the fact, but was confused by some posts saying that the 7 pass shouldn't have anyting under drivers seat which was wrong.

So my question now is, if you did want to get the optional accessory subwoofer in addition to the one in the back included with premium system coudl they just put it under passenge seat?

x5killer · August 2005

what converter from radio shack exactly did you use for xbox? Is it a normal 12v converter to normal socket/plug or the normal power cord that comes with xbox?

Also, you don't have a modded xbox with larger hdd in it do you? If not I worry that you may have just gotten lucky that it gets enough power from that standard converter which prob isn't 150-200 watts that is recommended. and maybe if you play it long enough it could burn out.

And with the mod chip and larger hdd I would worry more about not using the recommended wattage and risk burning out the hdd , mod chip and xbox itself which woudl be a disaster as I dont feel like modding another buying new box and chip getting all those games back (100 or so on hd in the xbox) etc. etc.

Regardless though i'm still interested in an easy power converter source to try it out and at least maybe then just use it for Dreamcast, ps2 (someone else's), or gamecube (if i bother getting one) etc.

plus be nice to have to plug anything else in like vcr etc.

irishwheat · August 2005

really funny!!

x5killer · August 2005

I think the guy just assumed the grey leather breathes better because its perforated. Personally I didn't want it as I came from an suv with grey perforated cloth and it looked too similiar. it is more sporty but less luxury.

also, does anyone know that there was a delay in ordering any satin white tribeca with beige leather making mine a rarity? this is what my dealer told me, some problem with the vender so a delay on ordering any new satin white with desert beige hence me having to locate one in those colors with options i wanted (puddle lights and nav) and hence me ending up with dvd as the closest i could find had that and I end up loving it mostly for the rear aud/vid inputs

irishwheat · August 2005

Ill go home and check out the name but it was actually used all the time for hours at a time too...

x5killer · August 2005

ok thanks yeah i'd be eager to know which it was. if it worked for yours with heavy usage and hours in a row then i'm sure its good. though i'd feel better if you also said you had no problems using it with a modded xbox with larger hdd but i'm assuming not.

c_hunter · August 2005

I saw some waterproof blue/white LED lights at the local boat supply shop that looked very similar to Subaru's puddle lights (they were intended for floor lighting in a power boat). Get a couple of those, install them in the rocker panel, and run the wiring! They were about $15 per unit.

I know what you meant about the dark interior with the huge sunroof -- had the same problem in my OB XT. If you're up for a project, it is possible to connect the front map lights so that they come on with the rear dome light when the doors open. Actually, I started a topic about it on the "other" Legacy GT forum. While I was messing with that, I put the LED in the map light lens and put LEDs in the front footwells. The car is a lot friendlier at night. Part of me thinks Subaru stole all these ideas since they're on the Tribeca now, but it must have already been in final design by then. And European cars have used these lighting cues for years.

Craig

x5killer · August 2005

I brought this up before and gave up on it after stripping one of the screws underneath the mirror to take it off. I got the other mirror off only to find yous till couldn't really get inside it to access the led bulbs (6 orange ones in each mirror).

I wanted to change them to white or blue but someone told me it was illegal. i wouldnt' think it should be as not everyone has signal mirros so its just additional signal lights to the normal ones. ppl change the ones on the side of the car that mostly only euro cars have. speaking of which I wish the tribeca had those in addition but some cars dont have that or signal mirros and otherwise its one or the other (don't know of any cars with both factory) but its same thing with those side markers as signal mirros, its this nice clear/white casing with ugly orange bulb(s) inside. some cars have the glass is orange on side marker like odler bmw, but new ones and even vw like passat have a nice clear side marker signal but then orange bulb inside. Also some gmc and others have ugly orange plastic signal mirrors but becas is white/clear like vw, mercedes, etc. so it would be shame not to change the ugly orange leds.

Anyway, is there any hope on chaging the leds in the signal mirrors? what do they do when one goes bad, make you buy a whole new mirror?

any other bulbs worth changing? maybe front signal lights from orange to white or blue (but that would prob be more against some mildly enforced law) or anyone change the headlights to whiter imitation HID/xenon bulbs?

is it easy to access the front headlight bulbs?i know on my former pathfinder it was a squeeze to get your hand in there but back signal lights came off easy and the white rear signals were nice in the white rear tail lights. tribecas are all red so no use changing back there. just mostly want to upgrde the headlight bulbs and change the signal mirror leds.

robotb9 · August 2005

It's highly unlikely that an LED will fail during the lifetime of the vehicle, so I doubt there is any provision for replacing them individually. I wish the Tribeca had LEDs rather than incandescent bulbs in the tail lights. Note that the center brake light is a row of red LEDs in a clear housing.

ateixeira · August 2005

I prefer the beige ones in terms of how they look but I do prefer perforated leather. That would be tough.

-juice

robr2 · August 2005

I'd avoid adding any blue lights to your vehicle - especially ones that flash. Blue is reserved for police use in most states.

rsholland · August 2005

I just got back from the Columbia Mall in Columbia, MD. On display there were two Tribecas, a base 5-seater w/cloth, and the other a loaded 7-seater w/NAV & DVD. In addition, there were two reps from Subaru, and both vehicles were open so that mall shoppers could sit in and explore. I spent about a half hour with the two Subie reps, and they said the response so far has been overwhelming, and very positive. The two reps were taking down comments, which will passed on to SOA marketing folks.

This is very smart marketing on Subaru's part. The two reps said that there were several other malls in the Baltimore/Washington area that were doing this; one in Towson, and I think the others were in the suburban DC area. The cars will be there for a month. It's quite possible Subaru will expand this type of marketing to other malls across the country, if it proves successful with these initial malls.

Bob

cptplt · August 2005

> I don't know the difference between 5-seater and 7-seater. But my 7-seat Ltd w/Nav costs me less than my 2003 WRX Wagon in insurance.

if you look at the IIHS data, the WRX has the highest accident claims rate for its class! it also has about the lowest injuries claims rate too!

cptplt · August 2005

where exactly is the one in front, its not in the dash. is it in the center console?? forgot to check and since I'm wavering on factory NAV vs getting another magellan I'm hoping I don;t have to have the power cord stretching too far.

also, does anyone have a champagne gold?? on the dealership lot its almost impossible to characterize the color, thought it was the silver, except they had a silver also which almost seemed grey next to the gold. it almost looks like the seacrest green though I haven;t seen two side by side yet.

getting ready to pull the trigger on getting one, just can't decide on the NAV and color. too bad you can;t get NAV without leather, I hate leather!!

b9driver · August 2005

The nav looks cool, but it's sure not a 2K worth of cool. I'm a yachtsman, so GPS has been in my life for 10 years +. A unit that can be shared makes more sense, but let me warn you that the power cord will have a LONG run. You'll probably need to set up a dedicated line. I ended up passing on the Nav, made up for it with a better DVD system keeping the "cool" factor for me!
But my advice is, if you plan to really use NAV is to poney up the 2K for it. Or...If you have a boat like me, then get a high end unit and swap it back and forth.

Good Luck,

Robert B
NY

foxbat121 · August 2005

The front power outlets (two of them) are located inside the center console storage bin, i.e. under the armrest.

Champagne Gold can be found in a lot of early SOA press photos about B9. Personally, I think dark colors look better for the styling of the B9.

NAV, if you do a lof of travel and you want a integrated system that has nothing hanging out or can mute your music when voice intrstruction is playing, it is worth to get one. However, most of my friends who bought Nav with their cars rarely use it anymore after first a few months of excitement.

spfotey · August 2005

I'd like to hear/read what you guys think of the vehicle -- and how you compared it to other vehicles. thx.

photoguy2 · August 2005

Huh? You're kidding right? Have you spent any amount of time reading past posts? I don't mean to be rude but there is a LOT of worthwhile reading if you are truely interested. Lot's of personal commentary about owners impressions and comparisons as well.

jeffmc · August 2005

They had two at a mall near me, too (Alderwood, upscale mall north of Seattle). Silver/gray 5-pass Ltd and a black/beige 7-pass w/DVD & NAV. There were folks crawling all over them and reaction seemed very good. Gosh it looks sharp in black! Unfortunately, I heard several people wondering aloud if it comes with all-wheel drive. The Subaru rep there seemed reasonably knowledgeable but was not proactive in showing the cars' features. That would've been extremely beneficial for those trying to figure out the 2nd & 3rd rows.

No a soul was interested in the Saturn vans at the other end of the mall. You want an ugly nose, look at those! At least the Tribeca's looks European instead of just snout-like.

tyyeh0 · August 2005

Same here. Waiting for the safety tests since that's one main reason we are getting this car and selling a small compact sedan that my wife drives.

Anyone?

tidester · August 2005

Huh?

A simple "Welcome aboard!" and invitation to read previous messages would have sufficed!

tidester, host

cluelesspa · August 2005

I have had NAV first in an Acura 3.2 TL and loved it. used almost once per week. and perfect for when I was using the car for work. then got a Toyota Highlander with no NAV. wow withdrawal was tough

then a Pacifica with NAV and now the B9 with NAV. If you know how to max out the information and use it does become a great tool. I use it to estimate my time to destination even if I know where I am going. it will tell me how much time is left to get there. or searching for directions to a place I am meeting friends such as a restaruant.

ateixeira · August 2005

Good idea, Bob. I always check out cars and rarely is someone there to open them up. Usually local dealers just display a car, period. I'm impressed that they had two models, also.

foxbat: I prefer the darker colors as well.

NAV is good for people that go to different/new addresses frequently, i.e. jobs like a traveling salesman or someone that visits different clients all the time. I'm fairly confident my wife will use ours - should arrive any day now....

-juice

b9driver · August 2005

I had the chance to compare my 5 passenger B9 to my father's new Forester Turbo on his estate roads at blistering speeds (That means it was legal folks).
The B9 has no where near the FXT's lunging speed, though she pulls very strongly in 3rd gear above 65 MPH. In four, searching for tripple digit speeds, 110 and 120 MPH take some time. The FXT gets there much sooner.
Where the B9 impressed was in it's civility and driveability at such speeds. You could literally drive the Tribeca at 100 MPH all day long. The chassis is very capable and feedback, thought light, is more than ample. At 125 MPH the wind and steering make for more constant corrections and I don't think 135 would smooth out.
The FXT was loud, rough and quite jittery at those same speeds. I felt that to achieve anything close to the B9's performance/Comfort ratio, the FXT was best at 85 MPH. Above 95 the FXT started to feel unglued. Perhaps this would have been less apparent if the Tribeca wasn't so sure footed at higher speeds.
I came away finally certain that the B9 chassis is VERY capable. A bit more HP and a bit less body roll and this would be a class leader. At present I'd say the B9 is very competative, but doesn't blow away an X5 or Murano. It's FAR better than a Pilot or MDX. Perhaps the B9's most obvious battle mate is the Lexus RX330.
While these types of test drives may seem unimportant to some, understand that cars show plenty of flaws at their limits. Once discovered, they are often a factor if day to day driving.
I remain very impressed with the B9. My impression of the 2006 FXT is that it's far too rough for it's price point. I'm much prefer the Outback XT if I wanted a small around town runner with some speed and comfort.

Robert B
See my Blue Beauty!
http://members.aol.com/bobsprit/images/cc2.jpg

Subaru B9 Tribeca (B9X)

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