Subaru B9 Tribeca (B9X)

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Comments

  • bat1161bat1161 Member Posts: 1,784
    Congratulations! I'm sure you will enjoy it. What accessories did you get?

    Mark
  • subienewbie2subienewbie2 Member Posts: 458
    Has anyone seen any stats as to what percentage of B9s have been purchased by present Subie owners as opposed to first timers like myself.

    For SOAs sake it would be good if the majority of B9s went to newbies.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I agree, that would be interesting to find out.

    -juice
  • subienewbie2subienewbie2 Member Posts: 458
    Juice

    You are the one with SOA connections, anyone you can check with about that?
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I'll ask her, but I'm still waiting for an answer to the last question I asked.

    -juice
  • dean7dean7 Member Posts: 32
    Also just got a new 7 ltd pearl white w/charcoal interior (was going to get the beige but it's more "light yellow" than beige...). Very smooth handling and riding car compared to my previous MDX.
  • jim5154jim5154 Member Posts: 5
    Just picked up a Titanium 7-pass, ltd (no DVD or Nav, already had aftermarket solutions). A couple questions and observations. Love the car and yes I am a first time Subie owner. 1. What is the parking light switch for on top of the steering column? Seems extraneous to me and it doesn't turn off the daytime runners so what good is it? 2. I've heard loud humming noises on cold start-up (fuel pump) coming from the back seat, anyone else? My first couple notes that may be useful to other folks; The Sears X-Cargo 20cuft cargo carrier fits on the factory crossbars perfectly. For $179 it is a good cargo solution and with our sturdy, no-slide crossbars you can safely load it up to the 150lb max. Loading it can be a bear though since it opens from the rear but still an inexpensive, factory bar solution. Also I just ordered the dual reading lamp rear dome lamp for $59 from Subaru. Why this didn't come on a vehicle in this price range is silly but $59 seems reasonable as an add on to give kids light that doesn't blind the driver. Good website and I enjoy exchanging info about a good vehicle that is more than just a car to its owners!
  • jim5154jim5154 Member Posts: 5
    Glad to hear you comment about the MDX. I have been second guessing myself because we didn't even test drive it.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Color of the month? Suddenly we're seeing a lot of these. Congrats.

    parking light switch for on top of the steering column

    That's just it, it's a parking light. It's used more in Europe on very dark roads that are also narrow. It's a way to leave lights on, but dim, so people don't side swipe you.

    loud humming noises on cold start-up (fuel pump)

    Sounds right, try this to verify - turn the ignition to the ON position, but before you start it listen for a "whirr". That's the fuel pump priming the fuel pressure. The sound should be familiar to you, then.

    Sears X-Cargo 20cuft cargo carrier fits on the factory crossbars perfectly

    Sweet. Perfect for when you have 6-7 passengers.

    Welcome to the forums, can I just ask you to use a few paragraphs to make future posts easier to read? Thanks. :)

    -juice
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    When you turn on the running lights and head lights using the turn-stalk switch, they will go on/off with the ignition switch (which is nice, it means you will never leave the lights on accidentally when the car is off). However, since there are cases where you may want the running lights on when you park with the engine off, the switch at the top of the column allows you to override and have them on at any time.

    The fuel pump noises are normal on startup -- almost all modern fuel injected cars do this now.

    Craig
  • css1css1 Member Posts: 247
    Thanks juice, Mark

    I may have spoken to soon - around town today It dropped down to 18MPG - still not bad for the first 100 miles.

    I leased this car so I won't be adding anythying.

    The car does not have Nav or DVD but came with puddle lights, RV mirror, rear bumper cover , mudflaps, shock sensor, roof rails, wheel locks, and the dealer updated me to the 5 pass. cargo mat at N/C.

    Funny thing though - the wheel locks were not on or in the car - (but on the monroney)so I'm taking rubber mats instead.

    My lease is only two years so am already looking forward to an '08 Subaru??.

    When my daughter begins driving later this year we will give her the '01 Forester and my wife will pick up a car - and right now it's another Tribeca!! She loves this car.

    The Tribeca is solid and well planted on the road. I thought I would have problems with rear visibility, but it's not as bad as some people have stated. You have to use the mirrors. The Pacifica is far worse and you couldn't give me that car.

    In 5 months I've only seen 5 Tribecas on the road and only one in my town - I like having a unique vehicle - I'll enjoy that as long as I can.

    Charlie
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I think you'd be the first. :)

    I see them about a couple of times a week, but they're not common, not yet anyway.

    -juice
  • msuvetmsuvet Member Posts: 54
    Sears X-Cargo 20cuft cargo carrier fits on the factory crossbars perfectly

    Sweet. Perfect for when you have 6-7 passengers.

    Or when you have 2 large dogs & a cat and want to go visit your parents over Christmas!

    That's what we do with my OB now, but everyone would be a little more comfortable in a Tribeca. Hopefully next year!

    Christina
  • reuben2reuben2 Member Posts: 11
    Folks,
    For those who have been asking about satellite radio, I purchased an Audiovox plug-n-play unit with the car docking station and the FM modulator. I had a local car audio technician install in my Tribeca.

    I bought the unit from Crutchfield, which was terrific. They provided adapters to the antenna input of the car radio, so my Sirius radio is hard-wired into my radio through the antenna input.

    The only thing I don't like about it is that the Sirius unit needs to be off in order to use the radio, or it gets all kinds of interference. When I was using the FM transmitter option in my old car, I could just switch between station pre-sets on the radio and it worked fine whether the Sirius radio was on or off.

    Hope this helps.
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    Yeah, FM modulators block the antenna line when in use. If you want to pick up regular FM stations, the modulator needs to be switched off. Some modulators have auto-sense and will switch off automatically, but most need to be manually switched.

    Of course, the upside to the modulator is that the signal will be a lot stronger than the transmitter. Still not as good as a direct line in, but the next best alternative.

    Craig
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Are they comfortable up there in the Sears carrier? ;)

    reuben2: why would you want to turn off Sirius, though? Isn't it a whole lot better than FM?

    -juice
  • reuben2reuben2 Member Posts: 11
    Yes, I love Sirius. But there are a couple of good public radio stations in Philly that I also like, and occasionally even listen to local sports radio!
  • no_more_vwno_more_vw Member Posts: 10
    i would like to know if anyone owns a tribeca with nav. if u do does it show the right direction cause i test drove one and when i used the nav it show my house in the wrong place. so i would like to know if anyone has this problem.

    should i buy a tribeca?
  • subienewbie2subienewbie2 Member Posts: 458
    The nav works quite well. This is the 4th car I have had with factory nav and appears to be the best so far. There are better factory systems but they are in much more expensive cars.

    As to weather you should buy one - if you like it sure buy one. They seem to be well built, reliable, handle well - but a lot of car buying is very subjective.

    Good Luck
  • newtosubienewtosubie Member Posts: 39
    Hello No More VW! Welcome to the Tribeca forum. Your user name caught my attention. I have a 99 Passat and hope to make the jump to a Tribeca later in 06. Sorry can't help you on your Nav question, good luck with the decision!

    :)
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    "We are projecting that approximately 30,500 B9 Tribecas will be built at SIA in 2006. This total includes about 5,000 export versions of the B9 Tribeca. We will start building the export version at mid-year 2006. They will be exported to Europe, Australia and Japan."

    B9 Tribeca fuels record sales year for Subaru (journalandcourier.com)

    Steve, Host
  • b9ctb9ct Member Posts: 16
    Thanks for the Sirius info. Where did you place the head unit of the audiovox and did the satellite antenna run through the existing one, or did you have to individually run a new antenna line?
  • tyyeh0tyyeh0 Member Posts: 43
    Does anyone know whether the export version upgrades will become available for US models?

    I read somewhere that they expect Xenon and memory seats to be avail for the Europe models. These are 2 things that I would love to have when I do buy the Tribeca sometime next year....
  • reuben2reuben2 Member Posts: 11
    The unit is to the left of the steering wheel, right below the vent. The installer drilled a small hole in the metal trim piece for the wires. He said this was the best way to avoid large expense in removing it when I sell the car, since the only piece that will need to be replaced is the small metal trim piece.

    He ran a new antenna wire from the dashboard to the back of the car by hiding it behind the trim pieces and up through the tube that holds electrical wires going to the rear door. The antenna itself is on the back left side of the car, right in front of the spoiler.
  • tls8thtls8th Member Posts: 27
    Hello, all just completed 350 mile one-way trip from Williamsburg Va. to Charleston WV. Here's the stats very pleased with them and family loved the ride, they said it felt like we were riding in a luxury train. Vehicle very smooth and comfortable. Kids played video games on the DVD screen and my wife and I were able to talk. :)
    2-adults, 2-children, 1-rooftop cargo, lot's of hills across the appalachains, used cruise control @ 5 to 8 mph over speed limit.
    MPG=21
    B9 did downshift a lot but not too unusual for those hills.
    Unfortanately no snow or rain, have heard complaints about the factory tires in rain or snow has anybody had any problems?
  • pdxbobpdxbob Member Posts: 2
    I bought a Starmate Replay for Sirius radio at Costco for $110 and it came with both the car and home kit. It's not much more expensive at Crutchfield (see link).

    http://www.crutchfield.com/S-jXfdsYVxd6Y/cgi-bin/ProdSearch.asp?search=sirius+st- armate+replay

    It's only about 1 1/4" wide and 4" long. I put two small velcro tabs to the left of the gear shift and ran the power cable into one of the adapters in the cargo compartment. I ran the antenna above the rear hatch with the antenna runnng just under the trim. You can't see any wires and it took me about 10 minutes to do the whole thing.

    So far the radio works great. I notice that it sounded a little tinny with the FM modulator (kind of AM radio-like) but sounds great if you adjust the bass and treble just a little. The Replay allows you to broadcast to any FM station so you can always find a clear channel. So far, though, I haven't had to change settings. It only takes a second to unplug the radio if I want to use it in the house.

    It doesn't cut out any FM signals so all I have to do to listen to local radio is switch stations. The truth is that I'm listening to local radio only 10% of the time, mainly for local road conditions and news.
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    Which route did you take -- any mountain driving? I live in Williamsburg at make a lot of trips to Snowshoe WV to ski. We cross numerous mountain ranges on that route, and it's a really awesome trip. Seems like 90% of the time, we're making the trek in the middle of a snowstorm which makes life real exciting!

    Craig
  • kmartinkmartin Member Posts: 427
    I live in a hyper-growth area where many new subdivisions do not yet show up in this version of the software. I can sometimes plug in an address and it will guestimate where the location is. Sometimes it's even close...other times, not. If your house was built in the last year or so, it may not register until the next software update (sometime in '06, I have been told). Still, the Nav has been a blessing and more than a toy to me.

    As for whether you should buy a Tribeca, well, you are reading probably the best source of info in this forum. Once you've read the wealth of info here (and other places) in the back logs, then drive one, and drive other similar vehicles. Your gut feeling will tell you what to do :-)

    -Karen in AZ-
  • tls8thtls8th Member Posts: 27
    I-64W/295 around Richmond then 64W/81S back to 64W. Seems like all mountains especially at Sandston mtn elev 2700Ft.
    Have read on Tirerack where others with the Goodyear LS2 have had terrible traction in rain and snow anyone experience this with there B9's?
  • cluelesspacluelesspa Member Posts: 648
    the factory tires are OK in most conditions but rain and snow its good only in light conditions. the tires are hard and I notice on the rain you can feel it starting to fight keeping traction very very slightly when you push them. so you it doesn't just give up traction, but its less then other all-seasons I have driven like the Dualer Bridgestones.

    with better tires on during the summer the B9 is a different beast. handles well.

    as far as the NAV question. I am disappointed in the NAV. just last night it wanted me to turn left then go about 1 mile turn right 2 miles then turn right 1 mile BACK to the road I was currently on.

    last month it wanted me to go one block up to the smaller back road behind a small town instead of staying on the 2 wide lane main street! kept saying to detour up to this tiny back alley road... an i saw the route was parrallel to my current larger road until this small alley merged back INTO the same main road I was currently on.

    I have not had any of my previous 2 NAVs do that. (last one was Chrysler which is an ALPINE unit) and before that was Acura (not sure who they use).
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Just curious, are those time-restricted roads? i.e. Wrong-way during certain hours?

    I think if they make options for Europe, they're very likely to appear on the US models as well.

    -juice
  • kmartinkmartin Member Posts: 427
    Or perhaps it was a road under major construction or non-existent at the time of the last software update? I encountered some of that on my trip from AZ to MT this summer a couple of times.

    -Karen-
  • cluelesspacluelesspa Member Posts: 648
    nope they are just normal roads. I think that the roads for Pittsburgh, PA might not have the database for road size correct. as it thinks that small alleys are faster... its definitely not shorter. plus I almost 100% pick fastest route option.
  • njswamplandsnjswamplands Member Posts: 1,760
    friend of mine down the road got a fully loaded b9 a couple of weeks ago. she loves it. now i know we have debated the merits of the 3rd row but she had 4 adults in the first 2 rows and 4 ( four ) children in the last row for about a 2 mile trip. youngest is about 7, oldest about 12. looked like sardines for sure.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    She needs a bus. :surprise:

    There aren't 8 seat belts, so that's not the best idea.

    -juice
  • megreyhairmegreyhair Member Posts: 154
    LOL
    At least they all fit.
  • tls8thtls8th Member Posts: 27
    On our 5 hour trip over the holidays we had 2 adults up front, one 9 yr old in left second row, and one 12 yr old in right third row. My 12 yr old likes to sit in the third row right side with the seatback of right second row folded down, she stretches her legs completely out while 9 yr old sits comfortably reclined in left second row.
    They watch TV or play video games. :)
    Tim
  • tls8thtls8th Member Posts: 27
    Has anyone changed their OE tires for another brand?
    Was it worth it, any positive/negative changes?
    What did you do with the OE tires if still had good tread remaining?
    signed:debating new tires
    Tim
  • reuben2reuben2 Member Posts: 11
    I have a Tribeca Limited without DVD or Nav. The dash has two buttons above the volume control. One marked "Info" and the other marked "Audio."

    The Info button cycles between trip computer displays. However, I cannot for the life of me figure out what the Audio button does. Can anyone provide any insight? I could not find it in the owner's manual either.

    Also -- has anyone measured real MPG to see how it compares to what the trip computer says? How accurate is the trip computer's measurement?

    Thanks!
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    Don't know about the B9, but in most cars, the audio button allows you to control bass, treble, balance, fader, etc...

    Craig
  • brianpilonbrianpilon Member Posts: 23
    the audio button is used for the nav system basically- in mine if you are in the navigation screen and you hit the audio button it will switch back to the radio or cd player, it basically takes you out of the navigation screen. thats it.
  • brianpilonbrianpilon Member Posts: 23
    more update on the nav/audio system. finally found a shop to work on it. so far i have had the speakers replaced and new ones placed in. Let me tell you as long as i have seen speakers these stock ones are the worse. made of plastic and cardboard. they ar sad. but i had new speakers placed in- 4 6 1/2 and 4 tweeters with custom built box in the back with a 5 channel amp and a 10" subwoofer. the sound is night and day. very good job. once i figure out how to post pictures on here ill post them. the b9 is back in the shop today getting the 9.5 flip down tv/dvd placed in with alarm system- auto start and 4 window control system. they also claim they will be able to hook the dvd to front so it can be watched while driving. they also are hooking up the satelite radio direct to stereo. so we will see when it comes back in a few hours. ill post all pictures as soon as i figure it out. also keep you in formed on how it all works.
  • reuben2reuben2 Member Posts: 11
    Thanks for the info... it is hard to figure out why they would put the Audio button in the car that doesn't even have the nav system!
  • cptpltcptplt Member Posts: 1,075
    I put Nokian WRs on as I wanted real snow rated tires for winter and didn't want the hassle of seperate rims and/or dealing with the TPMS monitor. The ride seems the same though I only had several hundred miles on the stock tires. They have done extremely well in the snow.
    The stock tires are wasting space in my garage right now.
  • jeffmcjeffmc Member Posts: 1,742
    I would've guessed it'd toggle the display to show audio info, but switching from the trip computer (+ calendar, calculator, etc.) info displayed instead of from navigation info. No?
  • averyderaveryder Member Posts: 1
    what is the monthly service charge on that???
  • vger105vger105 Member Posts: 57
    Having had our Tribeca for three months now, I find my biggest disappointment lies with the audio system. The bass in particular seems very shallow. I'm comparing it to our previous car which had a wonderful sound system.
    Don't we have subwoofers in our cars? Has anyone tried the optional Subaru subwoofer?
  • charlestcharlest Member Posts: 7
    The audio button really doesnt come into play unless you have the limited version with the MP3-player capability. By default, the information screen should split between the travel computer at the bottom third and audio in the top 2/3rds. The audio should show you what radio station you are listening to and the cd track number and time elapsed if you are playing a CD. If you have the MP3 capability, it will show you what CD folder you are in, track number and elapsed time and the track name (if you set up your MP3's that way.) To move between the audio screens, you have to HOLD the audio button for maybe 2 seconds for it to change. Hope this helps.

    -Charles
  • vger105vger105 Member Posts: 57
    I thought others might find this site interesting:

    http://www.cars101.com/subaru/tribeca/tribeca2006.html
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Any audiophile will ditch the OE stuff pretty quick on a Subaru. Besides the MacIntosh units, the rest aren't anything to write home about.

    I replaced the speakers on my '98 Forester with the "premium sound" package speakers, and I'd rate them "poor" and merely "fair". The fronts were 2-ways but the rear speakers were cheap dual-cone paper speakers even for the premium!

    I asked my dealer buddy about this, he says most owners care more about AM reception and weather band than they do about highs and lows.

    That's different for the Tribeca and for the STI and Legacy GT, I suggested. He agreed. Subaru needs to improve on this.

    -juice
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