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Comments
Thanks!
In fact, our family might end up watching DVD on road trips instead of watching them at home.
-juice
If you are refering to the different VTD splits, in general: more rear bias = more sporty handling.
Unfortunately, there really are no cost-effective performance upgrades for the normally aspirated H6 engine. A performance chip will probably do very little to improve power unlike with a turbocharged engine.
Ken
Basically, the 6-8 week clock starts ticking after Subaru takes the dealer's order at the end of the month. It's not until about a month out that a vehicle has been identified to you. Then, it's a few weeks for the vehicle to make it through the distribution process and roll up at your dealer.
I know -- it's agonizing. But it's all part of the new car experience. You lucky dog!
Ken
I just e-mailed him back with the suggestion that he buy one between now and this coming Tuesday, so that when we drive up to the SOA Tribeca "Ride-&-Drive," he'll freak everyone out.
Bob
1. acceleration has got to be as good as my 98 Legacy GT if not better, though I've been spoiled by the WRX recent years
2. it probably corners as well as a regular legacy
3. with sunroof open at highway speed, noise was surprisingly low, though with it tilted up it was a more annoying sort of noise, difficult to describe
4. I was very concerned about visibility out the back, surprisingly good, maybe because side mirrors are bigger than on my Legacy. Trying to reverse and park was a bit difficult, at least with where I had the headrest, but it was probably a little too high than it should be
5. couldn't get the rearview mirror to the exact position I wanted with the seat position I wanted, needed more rotation towards the driver
6. maybe I wasn't using the sportshift properly but seemed like I could accelerate better just stomping on the pedal!!
7. this was a cloth 7 seater, and surprisingly I think I liked the cloth better than the leather I had sat in before (but then I was never a leather sort of guy!) - does anyone know if there is anything else besides the upgraded stereo system and CD etc which the Limited gets besides leather, because if not I could definitely take a cloth one.
8. I am a little concerned about the latches for folding the seats down, they don;t look like they will hold up well to heavy use
all in all I was very pleased with the way it drove, will definitely get one but I may let all you guys be the guinea pigs first and get one later this year or early next!
the only other comparable cars I have driven are the RX300 and XC90 and the Tribeca is clearly in the same league and has more 3rd row room than the XC90.
two questions, with VIP pricing, does the dealer get other incentives beyond the usual ones???
and is a OEM navi better than say a portable one??(besides the fact it fits in a nice cubbyhole!). I tend to keep cars till they die, will the OEM navi die on me before the car does and how good are the car companies at updating their databases and can you even update a Sube OEM one??
The factory nav is expensive but - but I wouldn't want to mess up the of that beautiful interior with an aftermarket add-on. Most factory navs issue upgraded maps periodically - at a price. the Subie system comes with 2 DVDs. East and West. Each however give complete street number mapping for the 48 states and Canada. But you need to use the correct regional disc for points of interest item. With 2 DVDs it has to have a boat load of POI data.
I just wish you could enter data while driving.
Bob
I don't like chrome so I'll pass on that appearance package. Maybe if it were gunmetal or flat black...even then a grand is way too high for just cosmetic upgrades.
OK, I'll do a mini-review in a minute, first I wanted to answer a question about seat height since it was requested in advance.
I took a tape measure to record what I will call the "hip point", i.e. height of the seat base at the back of the seat.
For reference, I measured each car I saw:
Miata: 13" (talk about low)
Legacy 2.5i sedan: 17.5"
Impreza RS sedan: 20" (surprise, much higher than the Legacy)
Outback XT: 22"
Tribeca: 26"
So the Outback's seat is about 4.5" higher up than the regular Legacy, and the Tribeca's is yet another 4" higher than the Outback. More than I thought, actually.
I had placed the seat in a comfortable position for me, so YMMV as they say. But even at the lowest point the Tribeca cleared 25", and you could get it up to past 27" or so if you put the power seat all the way up.
-juice
The tranny that Bob complained about was my favorite feature, even in Drive it really knew what gear to choose, and held the right gear in a turn so you could accelerate out of it. Floor the throttle and you get a lower gear ASAP, quicker than with Sportshift it seemed, oddly enough.
That smart tranny kept the engine in its sweet spot, so it felt plenty quick to me. If you need more power budget for speeding tickets, because you will get them. Acceleration makes my Miata and Forester seem slow, easily under 8 seconds to 60 here.
It's the opposite of the Highlander and Pilot. Those cars seem torquey until you push them, then they kinda run out of steam (is it the weight?). The Tribeca is quiet and smooth, and then you hit the throttle and the engine comes alive and has plenty of steam. The H6 likes high rpms and the tranny does a good job keeping it there when needed.
Tinted windows - darker than I recall, I really liked them. This was a big surprise because I didn't think they'd be this dark. Big thumbs up.
Steering felt a little light to me, though feedback was good. Not as light as Honda/Toyota, but I would prefer about 20% less power steering boost.
Ride was very impressive, in fact that and the quietness impressed me the most. I went over a speed bump at about 35mph and it absorbed it so that you hardly felt it. And let's face it, getting over speed bumps is more important that whatever off road ability it might have. Good job given the 18" rims and low profile tires.
They really did a good job with the seals and you heard tire noise rather than wind noise so the shape is very functional. At low rpms you can't even hear the engine, so check the tach before reaching for the starter.
Doors were heavy, but I'm used to lighter frameless doors. It closes with a thunk but it requires more effort than I'm used to. Of course this pays off in quietness, so there's your trade off.
When I parked it I had to back it up into a tight spot on their lot, and had no problem using the big mirrors. I thought the rear view mirror was small, perhaps the auto dimming one is bigger? I do think my wife would not want to back up into a tight spot like that so the rear view camera would be a welcome addition.
To summarize -
Likes:
* smart tranny
* smooth engine at high revs
* impressive ride/handling balance
* tint offers good privacy
* quietness
Dislikes:
* steering could be more weighted
* doors seem heavy
* could use bigger interior rear view mirror and/or camera
Bottom line is it drives much better than the Highlander and leagues ahead of the Pilot, which will seem like a truck to you if you've just stepped out of the Tribeca. Pilot has more room, so if you have 3-4 kids you might have to choose a Pilot (or minivan).
But you will want to drive a Tribeca.
-juice
I'm a little confused about your mention of low profile tires.
Every B9 comes with 18" Mud & Snows speced - there is nothing low profile about them.
I am considering getting a set of performance tires and use the mud & snows for winter driving.
Did your test drive have a special tire package?
That's not true. When one says "low-profile" they're referring to the tire side section/width ratio, not the wheel diameter. The Tribeca has a 255/55x18 tire. The "55" refers to the section ratio—which is indeed a low profile.
Bob
Of course the tire itself is wide, and 55 is just the aspect ratio, not the sidewall thickness.
greyhound: right on, I was thinking the same thing. They totally left the door open to do an Outback version of the Tribeca. The tires, plus fender flares, skid plates, a roof rack, and a tow hitch standard, plus a low range and oil cooler. Sound like fun?
-juice
Bob
It that still considered low profile?
John
Hey - I thought our brainstorming session a few weeks ago (for which I have yet to be renumerated for) decided on the Kate Spade edition??!!
When I test drove mine I forgot to check.
Compared to my Miata's 185/60R14 tires, it actually has more sidewall.
Nowadays 5.6" is not exactly low profile, good point.
Kate Spade would be to the Tribeca what LL Bean is to the Outback.
There's still room for an off road package. Kate Spade would be more urban.
I don't think the side mirrors do that. And I did back it up into that spot I mentioned.
-juice
Bob
Just food for thought.
Joe
Bob
I hope to check out some of the new Tribeca arrivals around Phoenix this weekend. Still, it'll be a really hard call for me to give up the OB.
-Karen in AZ-
I did only measure the front seat, if I'd thought about that I'd have measured the back seat as well. Though I don't think it has theatre seating, i.e. the back seat higher than the front.
-juice
Bob
235/70R16 for Pilot
225/70R16 for Highlander
235/65R18 for Murano
225/65R17 for RX330
235/65R17 for MDX
235/65R17 for BMW X5 3.0
HOLY COW!
So I'd say it is *very* low profile for its class, and low profile all things considered, too.
So there. :P
-juice
Bob
Thanks!
What tires currently come the new OB's LL Bean ?
Also, would you advocated forcing a change in tires when the new B9 comes in next week before we take delivery and which ones would you put on in New England ?
Thanks, Steve.
Multifunction screen displaying navigation system information, audio system information, trip computer functions, maintenance intervals, controls for various vehicle settings, calendar, calculator and memo-taking function. Video input from rear-seat DVD entertainment system may also be displayed (if vehicle is in Park).
incredible turning circle: Turning Circle, curb-to-curb 35.4 ft.
Aluminum-alloy hood S
tailgqate not aluminum
Cargo capacity 8.3 cu. ft. with 2nd- and 3rd-row seats raised [LESS THAN LEGACY SEDAN ?]
(when front wipers are on, selecting reverse gear activates rear wiper)
ACCESSORIES: http://www.subaru.com/shop/accessories.jsp?year=2006&model=B9_TRIBECA&trim=LIMITED_7-PASSE- NGER&category=*
http://www.subaru.com
The future is now!
-Karen in AZ-
-Brian
It includes a mesh grille, chrome wheels and a $1K MSRP.
I have mixed feelings. I don't like chrome wheels. The mesh grille is nice, but is a UK-design rip-off (Bentley, Jaguar, etc.). Even Cadillac is offering mesh grilles on their sport models... It seems very "trendy" (as opposed to being Subaru-distinctive) and I certainly wouldn't pay $1K for it.
Bob
My test drive was short and didn't reveal any weaknesses in grip, but I wasn't nearly pushing it.
Krisshna: that's with the use of the 3rd row. Fold the 3rd row and room is pretty good.
Bob: black out that grille and I'll take it. No thanks on the rims. Chrome is heavy and expensive.
-juice
That may have been the problem.
The b9 is in, dealer is just waiting for the front bumper guard to come in hopefully Tuesday so we should be able to pick it up Wed. Wanted to see what a tire upgrade would cost and include it in the deal.
Steve.
When I got to the other dealer, I was exposed to Subaru of Dallas' owner's true colors. I called to let him know that I'd found another vehicle, and he hem-hawed, and essentially backed-out of his buy-bid offer saying he wanted to help me, but not help another dealer. My impression was that he never had any intention of going through with the buy-bid, as long as there was a chance to get me in a Tribeca. When he realized that this was not going to happen, he reneged on his offer.
Not to be deterred, I went back to the dealer of the different brand I was looking at and had them bid on the car. Of course with only two dealerships in the DFW area, he ended up calling Subaru of Dallas, and the manager's assistant, knowing it was me trying to sell my Outback, essentially low-balled his own product $3000 less than Kelly Blue Book value on the car. I tried Carmax later and they did the same thing, this time only $2500 below what the LLBean was worth. I feel that Carmax was higher because at least they knew how much the car is truly worth and could ship it back up north to sell it in Denver or similar location.
BTW, the service department for Subaru of Dallas was superb and always worked hard and was ethical. It's a terrible shame that sales and service are under the same roof.
Steve