Subaru B9 Tribeca (B9X)

paisan · April 2007

Nope the XT was also 4WD or FWD but not AWD, getting warmer.

-mike

ateixeira · April 2007

1990 Legacy?

paisan · April 2007

Nope, but the Legacy did have AWD.

Back a bit further than the Legacy though.

-mike

ateixeira · April 2007

I'm talking to mike, here, so it's gotta be the SVX, then. I just thought that came a lot later.

paisan · April 2007

Not the SVX although that was AWD.

Here is another hint... I have never owned one....

-mike

hypnosis44 · April 2007

Ah yes, the Beautiful Cord!! There are a couple of "replica's" in the area, but I believe they are on (Blasphemy!) rear wheel drive platforms. It's something like having a "velvet art" Monet.

tifighter · April 2007

I'll guess the RX...

paisan · April 2007

Ding Ding Ding. The RX was the first AWD Subaru. It also had a center locking differential and a rear mechanical LSD.

The XT6 followed up with AWD and the MT version also had a locking center diffy as well.

-mike

ateixeira · April 2007

I lose because my next guess was the Justy!

xwesx · April 2007

Justy was 4wd also... at least those that my grandmother had were. She had an old yellow one (not even sure if it was called a Justy then) that was FWD only. My dad wrecked that one in 1984, so she replaced it with a red one ('84 model) (still not sure if it was called a Justy) that had 4wd. Then another red one in 1988 (that one was called Justy). Finally, a silver one in 1991 - again, with 4wd. After that she purchased a... '96? Impreza sedan (AWD, of course!), which turned out to be her last car.

paisan · April 2007

Yeah the Justy had part-time 4wd like the GL and XTs had. Only starting with the RX did they have a full-time AWD system that could be engaged on-road.

-mike

tifighter · April 2007

Do you think 'Subaru' will ever be a category on Jeopardy?

robr2 · April 2007

...AWD, 4WD, asymetrical, et al... It's all the same ain't it??

Runs and ducks again.

paisan · April 2007

AWD = Usable on dry pavement, wet pavement, usually permenantly engaged, although not on all makes is this true, power to both front and rear axles.

4WD = Part time only usable on low traction situations or offroad, sometimes available in high and low range.

-mike

jenniferspence · April 2007

My husband and I are currently vehicle shopping, and the dimensions of the cargo areas are key for us. On the 7 passenger Tribeca, do seats just fold down, or they get hidden? In the 5 passenger, what are hte dimensions of the cargo area, including with the seats folded? We know the total cargo volume, and the dimensions are the big issue for us. Thanks!

rsholland · April 2007

4WD + AWD = marketing nightmare.

What is 4WD and what is AWD is pure marketing hype created by Madison Avenue, and it's created more confusion than anything else. The market is loaded with examples that make no sense, whatsoever. Examples:

 Honda calls their (on-demand) AWD "Real-Time 4WD. Is it really?

 Toyota AWD found on the Rav4 and Highlander is marketed as "4WD." Is it really?

 The "permanent" 4WD found on the Land Cruiser, Land Rovers and Range Rovers is really AWD by most definitions, as it can be used anywhere, anytime.

 Dodge calls their full-time 4WD found on Durangos, Dakotas and Ram 1500s as "AWD." Some would argue with that, I'm sure.

There are many more examples out there, but you can see why there is so much confusion over this topic.

Bob

tifighter · April 2007

Check out the cars101 website:

Click here and scroll about halfway down the page for measurements.

Lots of photos on that site too that show the seats in various configurations.

ateixeira · April 2007

That's it, Rob, you're dead to me.

Just kidding.

ateixeira · April 2007

That site is great, they list everything you'd care to know.

pschreck · April 2007

I thought he went by "Bob".

I'm having a hard enough time with AWD and 4WD. Please don't make my head hurt any more than it already does.

We went through this discussion a few years ago on the Sequoia boards with no real results. :sick:

ateixeira · April 2007

My mistake was intentional.

robr2 · April 2007

That's it, Rob, you're dead to me.

Now that's the reaction I wanted!!

morey000 · April 2007

The 3rd row seats fold flat into the floor- as if they were never there. The 2nd row folds down reasonably- but not perfectly flat.

There is no size or storage volume difference between the 5 or 7 passenger 'becas.

ateixeira · April 2007

Well, the 5 passenger models have storage bins beneath the floor, so if you count those is has more space. Only a little, though.

kmartin · April 2007

Just wondering if anyone has had their dealer replace the fog light lenses under warranty. Both of my fog lenses are cracked, with no apparent rock chips or debris. Almost looks as if they cracked from the inside out.

My dealer is not willing to replace them under warranty even though I pointed out the service bulletin to them. I have emailed Subaru (Friday) but have not yet heard back from them.

If anyone has any insight or has had this done under warranty, please let me know, as I am collecting "ammunition" for my service rep.

Thx in advance. -Karen in AZ-

ateixeira · April 2007

Call 800-SUBARU3, Karen. Open a ticket with them. Let them know the community on Edmunds.com is following your case.

jeffmc · April 2007

Didn't "x5killer" have this same issue taken care of under warranty? Seems very familiar.

njjuliano · April 2007

Does your second row seat belts seem a bit backwards? For some reason, I think they should be flipped on the top, as when used, the top part has a twist on it, not as flush (for lack of a better word) as any other rear seat belts I have ever seen.

I actually brought this up to the salesman upon delivery, and he was a bit surprised too. We were both surprised when the tech guy said they were all like that.

x5killer · April 2007

yes i had mine replaced under warranty by dealer. At least one other person reported having the same done before me. I was actually surprised my dealer did it as they were usually unhelpful with taht sort of thing in the past so i went elsewhere and i think they were trying to win me back. Seems like its completely up to the dealer and service manager etc. so its very YMMV though of course getting SOA involved would help.

I think technically they have to have just cracked on their own to be covered under warranty not caused by a rock. So they kind of just looked at it and where like a rock couldn't have done that or something. i guess they were trying to make it happen but another could just as easily say that it looks like a rock caused it and thereofre not covered. seems stupid as if its weak enough for a little peblle to cause crackage where as on other cars it doesnt' , it is practically a recall issue hence prob why they are semi leniant on it.

thing is i dont thin they replace them with stronger ones at all so it could happen again and they said they wouldn't replace them again. so you have to pay to get the 3m or similiar film yourself as the best solution which i still havent' done so am worried about it happening again.

where can one order some 3m or similiar film for the B9's fog lights? please post some links maybe for myself and othes looking.

nspringer · April 2007

Yea, we've been the rounds with this one. It looks like it's twisted kind of, and it is more pronounced when used with a child booster seat. We have showed people at the dealership 3 different times, and they always say it's the way it was made, and it's fine. We also contacted SOA, and they looked into it and said it was fine. The only thing anyone said that sort of made sense was that the lower attachement point of the belt is twisted 90 degrees compared to the front belts, because of the wheel being in the way or something, and so it has to twist some on the way up. I don't know if it's a big deal, but we have given up on doing anything about it. Hope it helps.

njjuliano · April 2007

That's exactly how I noticed it. First my son mentions that his belt was backwards, and then after a quick look, sure enough, I agreed with him.

I tried flipping the top part of the belt that goes through and inside the vehicle, but that was no dice. Then I tried flipping the belt buckle itself, and that didn't work. Looks like the belt buckle is faced inside (as opposed to outside like every other belt, including the FRONT belts) is to be able to insert the buckle on the belt rest thingy, but this is a silly thing to overlook.

megreyhair · April 2007

EBay.... Its the cheapest. Get the thick one which i think is like 20 mil. Get like a piece of 12"x12" and cut it to fit.
you might want to take out the lens for the cut because the lens is oval and not round.

ateixeira · April 2007

Just make a cardboard template.

Or even use something you can mold, like play dough. Take it out, trace it on cardboard. Cut it out and then do a test fit.

Then use that as a template for the film. :shades:

Question - is this still affecting 2007 models? Or early production 2006s only?

kmartin · April 2007

After a couple of emails to Subaru, I finally got a response. They contacted my dealer and the "brand new" service rep remembered me from another dealership where he had worked, and said, "sure, we'll fix those for her for free". Hmmm....I'm beginning to wonder if you have to know someone, or if this fix applies to all Tribeca owners...

My advice is the same that others gave me: email or call Subaru and have them pursue it. There IS a service bulletin out on these, and it should apply to everyone. Good luck!

-Karen in AZ-

ateixeira · April 2007

Glad to hear they're going to take care of it.

Get some film on the new one, maybe order it so you have it ready when you get it installed.

newsubu · April 2007

True Story...When visiting dealership for an oil change I mentioned both of my broken fog light lenses needed replacing, and owner stepped into conversation I was having with the SM, telling me about "road debris", & they would "see what they could do. Have to check on ordering parts and price."
I took a quick walk out to view their Tribeca inventory, and found TWO B9's with 0 miles & broken lenses. Told owner & SM it is obviously a design flaw, not rocks, causing the cracks. They agreed and fixed, free, pronto. Turned out they had "a few replacements in the back" after all.

jeffmc · April 2007

Wow. Good story. Time to find a new dealer. :surprise:

cluelesspa · April 2007

had mine replaced as well but it was almost right after my purchase. I had the Expel film installed heavy for the foglights and thinner for the headlights. the film is pretty pitted now :mad: but at least no broken fog lights since then :shades:

deocamdata · May 2007

I am from Europa and I bought a few days ago a Tribeca from USA.
In my country we use CELSIUS for temperature and km/h for speed instead F and MPG.
Please tell me if you know there is any possibilities to change F and MPG in Celsius and km/h.
Thank you very much!

rsholland · May 2007

I would check the owners manual. There might be a way to change the preferences, but I don't know for sure.

Bob

morey000 · May 2007

There may not be a way. I just scanned through the manual and while it does show F and C, it has "canadian spec'ed vehicles" listed under all the figures that have metric displays and US Spec'ed vehicles for all the imperial displays. I didn't see any way to change it on the fly.

that will be annoying. Perhaps a dealer can help?

cluelesspa · May 2007

you will have to see if Subaru has a way for their computers to be programmed for country code. I would guess there is a country code.

Chrysler had a country code I had on my previous Pacifica I had the dealer code it as Canadian so I could have the daytime driving lights on. since it law in Canada, once it thought it was Canadian the daytime lights were on.

bman33 · May 2007

The RS4 Cosworth 2.7T was a really long time ago - 2000 to be exact. According to Car and Driver, the wholesale engine mods were made BECAUSE of the larger turbo chargers, not because of a lack of faith in stock engine components.

Plus, we are talking about a 52% increase in horsepower for the 2000 RS4 vs. a stock 2.7T. Every engine builder or car manufacturer uses a Spintron cell to stress engines to destruction and obviously increasing power to that degree requires beefing up engine components.

As for the Cobb supercharged Tribeca, it only increased horsepower a reported 28%, and that was wit a 10% larger displacement engine. That's hardly the stress increase exhibited by the Cosworth 2.7T.

I realize you don't have any specific numbers regarding 2.7T engine warranty claims - just anecdotal generalizations formed from hearsay. My 2003 A6 has 36,000 miles on it and is a joy to drive. The front brake pads wore out (which I had heard was an issue and Audi replaced for free) and I had a sticking turn signal, but otherwise it has been trouble-free for the 9 months I've owned it.

It bugs me when people make false statements with no supporting evidence. Juice, did you work for the Bush Administration in 2002 working on finding WMD's in Iraq? You sure seem to have Dick Cheney's fact-checking ability.

ateixeira · May 2007

That's not exactly a lot of miles, but I hope it continues to be good to you.

just anecdotal generalizations formed from hearsay

False.

While some of my sources are anecdotal, others aren't. Consumer Reports lists the S4 under their "Used cars to avoid", p. 194 of their 2007 Buying Guide. The Allroad is on there, too.

Too bad those models aren't broken down in the detailed reliability section, where other Audis get lots of black dots under the "Engine" category.

Meanwhile, every Subaru sold with the H6 is listed at a "Best Bet" for used cars.

bugs me when people make false statements with no supporting evidence

Where's your source to contradict that? :P

Pot, meet kettle.

bman33 · May 2007

I'm not making a generalization - I am only talking from personal experience. I currently own an A6 and a Tribeca, so I'll tell you what my experience has been with those and other cars I've owned in the past.

I also have qualms with Consumer Reports ratings because of the sampling size. The number of CR respondents for some models as a percentage of cars on the road is quite low. So the standard deviation on those results can often be unacceptably high.

The only way a consumer would know for sure what the warranty claim rate is on a particular model would be if the manufacturer divulged this information - and none do.

My personal experience with the Tribeca has been outstanding and mirrors CR's rating. I almost can't believe that the Tribeca was assembled at the same plant as the piece of crap 1999 Isuzu Rodeo we owned for 3 years.

Speaking of the Tribeca, I think we are going to trade it in for an Acura RDX (very CR approved). But we might test drive an '08 Tribeca before making the switch. Anyone have an onsale date for the redesigned Tribeca?

paisan · May 2007

My personal experience with the Tribeca has been outstanding and mirrors CR's rating. I almost can't believe that the Tribeca was assembled at the same plant as the piece of crap 1999 Isuzu Rodeo we owned for 3 years.

And amazingly I owned a 1997 Isuzu Rodeo, from the same plant, drove it 120k miles, did 10-15k mile oil changes, no other fluid or otherwise changes done to it. 2 sets of brake pads, 2 sets of tires. Beat the crap out of it and still got good money on it when I traded it in....

So this goes to prove how useful individual responses are

-mike

hypnosis44 · May 2007

All CR ratings are based on a minimum of 100 owner survey responses per year of ratings. Also, the surveys go on year after year mitigating against so called "standard deviation" problems. If those existed at all you would see drastic swings of ratings from year to year, but you don't.

Additionally, a look at the full range of VW/Audi vehicles will show a similar pattern of weaknesses throughout the line over the years - a so, so record at best.

Similarly for Subaru, you will see a similar pattern of strengths throughout the line over the years - a very good record.

With that said, I love the way the Audi drives, rides and handles, and "feels".

ateixeira · May 2007

I don't understand - you consider your personal experience (sample size = 1) as important, yet you claim CR's sample size of 100 is quite low and the statistical variation unacceptably high? :confuse:

I'm a huge fan of Quattro (the Torsen models, at least), but let's face it, the company has a history of reliability issues, both from owners I've heard from and from Consumer Reports data, and consistently so. Don't forget, a lot of S4 owners traded them in for a WRX after tiring of problems, including a friend here at work.

That particular engine seems to be the target of much of that criticism, and the data I've seen (from owners and from the press) confirms those beliefs.

You (half jokingly) accuse me of bias, fine, but I listed sources and I stand by my opinion - which is that the 2.7T engine does not meet my reliability standards.

It's also my opinion that tuning it certainly won't help, in fact in most cases tuning does more harm than good.

Cheers.

hypnosis44 · May 2007

Yes. It is a near classic case of "Fooled By Randomness" at work I think. I once owned a leaking Ford Pinto wagon which I bought used with 70K on it. I repaired the leak, did some minor mods. to the C4 automatic trans, and drove it to over 100K on the original engine and trans. I had no other problems except a loose starter cable, which I fixed by "accident". I sold it in near perfect condition for more than I paid for it.

That is my one random experience with Pinto's weighed against thousands of others who reported to CR that the Pinto was essentially junk - my vote is with the group experience.

jeffmc · May 2007

Bman - '08 Tribeca should be available at dealers early-to-mid June.

Subaru B9 Tribeca (B9X)

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