Subaru B9 Tribeca (B9X)

urmez

This might have been discussed before but why is Van Bortel's invoice price (including destination) for a 7 seater with Navigation and DVD approximately $900 more than Edmunds/Cars 101?

I am in the process of ordering a Tribeca and I wanted some clarification on the pricing discrepancy before I start negotiating.

In addition, has anyone seen the Atlantic Blue Pearl with either beige or gray interior in person? If so, any thoughts?

Urmez

mattame

Hello all....i'm de-lurking from the shadows of numerous months time now. Thanks for all of the valuable info! We are heading over to a dealer in MD this eve to get a first peek of the tribeca in person. We have never owned a subie and have always heard excellent things about their capabilities in other than perfect road conditions. My better half works home care and travels all day in all kinds of weather. This seems like one of the safest cars to own for safe travel. I also drive a couple of hours to do gigs on the weekends so i wanted something comfortable and safe too (reaction time at 2 in the morning is a bit slower). Do ya'll think that these 2 criteria, all weather safety and comfort could be met with the tribeca? Our last criteria is to take all 3 boys along need be (when the 2000 MPV finally breaks down). We have 3 in seats, 1 being a booster, and hope we can fit all 3 across the second row to allow for cargo space in the back if we ever need to take this car for travel (and if this car drives like it sounds we may want to take it on longer trips instead of the mpv).
Any input on the car seat situation?
I think we will take along our car seats tonight and test them out (can't wait to see the faces on the salespeople, ha)!

And the Atlantic blue or red both sound wonderful with the
DARK gray/charcoal.

OH>...as an aside...i've seen you all discussing the interior color choices and I believe there are actually 3. When we were at the dealer months ago he pulled out the tribeca book and in the lower end models the gray is just that on the lighter side...i think it is called shale gray...but it is not the charcoal that you see in the leather models. You only get that with the leather and other upgrades. I believe this info is at least worth clarifying and I just wanted to at least bring it to light for you all. I'd hate for you to order the wrong color. With 3 boys the charcoal is the only choice!!!! I have gray leather in my Mpv and it shows marks etc...plus it is just not as snazzy. (there's a word you don't hear everyday!)

Thanks again all!
Amy

ateixeira

I bet it's the same color, only the leather looks darker. I doubt they're called two different colors, but please correct me if I'm wrong.

-juice

tracikay

Well I thought the same thing. But any of the pictures I have found online that claim to have gray interior it is very light. But during my preorder we looked at the book and saw a sample of the darker gray. I ordered gray leather, and then became concerned that I was going to get a different color. Another forum member said they saw the gray and it was a dark gray.

If maybe they have a lighter gray for the 5 seat option, that might clear up confusion. I had thought that maybe the pictures online I have seen were from early production and they changed. Either way, I just hope when mine arrives it is the darker of the two.

ateixeira

They should almost call it charcoal. It is a dark gray. I've seen it in person and in the early brochures.

-juice

mattame

yep...think they should call it charcoal as well...but i think there are 2 different grays. Didn't you see the 7 pass loaded model, juice? That would have the charcoal as it is only in the higher end models, from what i remember. The reason i remember this is because i'm only interested in the dark charcoal and when looking at the dealer spec book grid they had 2 grays and the darker only came with the more expensive models.
Anyhow...i will check into it tonight at the dealer and let you know what i find out, if you'd like

sweet_subie

yes, it is dark gray but short of charcoal. i saw it in RI show

bluesubie

All of this reminds when about the debut of the WRX. Van Bortel in NY and Flemington Subaru in NJ were two of only a handful dealers selling for less than MSRP. Most had considerable mark-ups at the time and MSRP was considered a "good price".

It got pretty crazy with other NJ dealers (juice's favorite mail order dealer) calling Flemington and complaining. They even hassled me and others when we posted Flemington's price on nabisco. Right, bigelm? ;-) Do your homework when purchasing!

-Dennis

ateixeira

Allow me to correct myself - the brochure I have only has beige, there aren't any gray interiors at all!

I did see them, though. I swear it!

-juice

grdh20

I get the feeling that some of the dealers are interested mostly in volume orders at this stage and some in my area are even advertisng on the Radio of $1000 off MSRP etc. There are certainly perks for volume dealers in a large metroplitan market regardless on whether it is a new model or not. Sticker gouging doesn't bring you many return customers.

tracikay

I believe you. In the swatches at the dealer it is a dark dark gray. I just havent seen any pictures with the dark gray. Does any one have a picture to share?

Here is where my confusion started
Beige Interior:Image with beige interior

Gray interior?? - (looks like light gray to me)Image with gray interior

Are these images the same color with different lighting? am I going crazy? :P

rsholland

Don't go by the photos for color accuracy. It's a charcoal gray, and very attractive.

Bob

Kirstie_H

Don't forget tonight's member-to-member chat - it's open mic night, so come and discuss whatever's on your mind.

6-7pm PT/9-10pm ET. Drop by for live chat with other members. Hope you can join us!

kirstie_h

mattame

Hey ya'll, you were right on the color. Only dark gray and tan for the interior. So sorry, juice! Went to a local dealer tonight and got to lay eyes on the White b9 with tan interior. And it is much less intrusive in person, and I think, downright striking (but your listening to someone who always liked the design) And as noted by many the interior is sweet too! The 3rd row is really cramped but we could work with it by moving the passenger and second row seats to accomodate a bit.

We checked out and tested the car seats and happily 1 booster and 2 alpha omega monstrous seats just fit in the second row) . While we were asking questions about leasing one, the manager came out and said hello, etc. Then the magic words...."wanna drive it??" :surprise: Well, I didn't hesitate to say yes smile and all My husband and I both got to take a turn and it was VERY nice. I really liked the size of the steering wheel and the viewpoint of the road was better than the Murano, IMHO. Good feel on steering, not to tight but definitely responsive and acceleration was plenty adequate for us (extremely peppy compared to our 2000 MPV!) The head rests in the back are very comfy and i know i could take a sweet little nap if ever given the opportunity in this ride. I agree with someone else's comment about the handy mute button on the steering wheel.. nice feature. I would probably use it to rope in the boys without screaming over everything

Anyhow, most of you gents got to test one, i believe, so this is probably not very exciting news. Just thought i would share a bit from a gals point of view.
All in all...i think a very promising and exciting car!

bigelm

It got pretty crazy with other NJ dealers (juice's favorite mail order dealer) calling Flemington and complaining. They even hassled me and others when we posted Flemington's price on nabisco. Right, bigelm? ;-) Do your homework when purchasing

Oh please... it's pathetic to see how dealers get just to try and make some extra money. That goes to show, which dealers are concerned more about money or keeping a business relationship.

Liberty Subaru is still paying the consequences for the crap they pulled on me years ago. Goes to show how much damage one person can do for manipulating a customer.

I'm sure the B9 will create a similar scenario with dealers fighting because others are offering better deals and of course they're potentially taking away business from those who are not willing to deal.

Who says history never repeats itself? Huh, bluesubie ;-)

gt2b9

Word from Peninsula Subaru sales manager is that there's a dealer meeting in San Fran at weeks end after which B9's will be released to dealers. We have the first on order in the Tacoma market so we're more than a bit anxious to get our hands/feet etc.. into one!

jeffmc

Hey! A fellow Puget Sounder! Nice to see. It gets lonely hangin' out with the East of the Mississippi Gang here all the time... 'specially all those Joisey and Baastun-area folks.

Congrats on your B9 Tribeca! How was your pre-ordering experience? Did you get to test drive one? What are the details on your swanky new ride? 5-pass? 7-pass? color combo? etc.

My dealer hasn't had one available to test drive yet, but will have a Tribeca open house in the next couple weeks. Some certain people will already be driving theirs around by then!

bodble2

So....sounds like 2 thumbs up (4 if you include your husband's )...Well....did you buy?

mattame

Didn't buy yet...though if we do...i believe we will try to get in before the special offers end. Is that tomorrow? We are considering leasing it...but that is uncharted territory for us. Any thoughts on leasing?? We are considering leasing for 3 reasons: we are a bit concerned with a first year model (problems) or the following year models prove better and it would make our payments considerably less. The only other contender for us is a Ford Freestyle, better gas mileage and bigger cargo.

Husband likes the cool look of the B9 better than the simplicity of the freestyle. (plus he has an unsure feeling about GM cars due to his families experience with them) :sick:

bkaiser1

There are pros and cons to leasing -- I've leased a few cars over the years and I've bought a few new cars. Financially, if you're planning on getting rid of that new car after a few years (2-3) you're probably better off leasing it. I've never come out ahead on my purchased cars (financially) because I always end up getting bored with them and selling them after a couple of years. A short term lease (with as little money down as possible, none preferably) will almost always work better for me.

If you're someone who drives your car alot and/or plans to keep it for many years, then leasing does not make sense -- and long-term leases (anything longer than 39 months) also start to make less sense because of the total amount you end up paying for the use of the car. Get a calculator and add up how much the lease will cost you over the term, then do the same with the purchase scenario...if you realistically don't plan on keeping the car more than a few years, it might just make more sense to lease.

Incidentally, you can still negotiate your total vehicle price with a lease, just like with a purchase, so don't get too hung up on the monthly payment part of the equation...focus instead on what the car is costing you. It is very easy for dealers to mask an inflated purchase price on a lease, so beware. There are some really bad lease deals out there, but it is possible to come out ahead on a lease if you look carefully at the numbers.

Brian

grdh20

That's what they told me also. I think a few Dealers will start seeing cars as early as Saturday. Keeping my fingers crossed that mine is in that bunch. I wonder though if the factory is paying any attention to these preorders at all, or is it just whatever comes in will be offered to the preorder list redgardless of color or options?

gt2b9

Haven't test drove yet, we are anxiously awaiting the call, it sounds like this weekend we'll be able to get into one and go for a cruise.

We ordered the 7-pass limited with Nav. and selected the tow package with trans. cooler as our pre-order bonus. Tossed in a front bumper dressing, a rear bumper cover, and a roof rack and we're all set! Color is Titanium with the dark grey leather interior, the limited also has the 6-disc in dash changer, 160W stereo, and a few other pluses over the basic models.

It's a birthday present from my wife!

gt2b9

We've been told that our's will be the first on the lot and won't be offered to others for test drives....oh the humanity!

shane850

Has anyone else received their VIN number from the dealer?

I got mine back on 5/11, but there is no way to see if it really exists, but it did check out and the numbers/letters are right for a VIN number, such as manufacturer, year, etc. The last 3 digits are 710 so this tells me it is #710 to be manufactured.

Hopefully it will be here sometime in the next week.

Shane

bodble2

As bkaiser1 said, if you plan on keeping your car for more than 4 years, buy it. If you lease, 2 main things to look for -- low lease rates, and high residual. If the lease rates comes close to what you're earning at the bank, it's pretty darn good. On a 3-year lease, if the residual is close to 60%, also pretty good. If it is closer to 50%, not so good unless you can negotiate a significant cap cost reduction.

I'm not sure what you meant when you said if the following year models prove better your payments would be less. Once you've signed a lease, your payments are set, no matter what happens in subsequent models.

grdh20

At least in Maryland a couple dealers already have some on the lot to sell today and more coming Friday and Monday. Unfortunately mine won't be in till the 30th.,

grdh20

I just checked around and several dealers just got some within the hour, but none are the premium packages yet. That will be end of May early June they say.

rsholland

at the dealer in Catonsville, MD. It was a distributor model with GA tags. It was loaded and even had the tow hitch, which seemed much better integrated than other Subie tow hitches; still only 3500 towing, though.

The sales guy said they wouldn't be getting their first shipment until the second week of June. They're getting eight cars, of which four are pre-sold.

Bob

teamjd

If you decide to lease, Subaru has a special going on now. About $320 mo./ around $2400 down.

teamjd

Only 3500 lbs.? What are you planning to tow? I'm looking at a 21 Ft. boat. weighs 2400 lbs. loaded with gear...3200lbs. Anything bigger and you probably shouldn't be looking at a midsize car anyway...no?

cpp788x

I was driving in Eatontown, NJ today and World Subaru was unloading one - only one - 7 pass Ltd(no nav, or DVD) green w/grey leather. It's not spoken for.
If anyone needs contact info - my E-mail is cpp788x@comcast.net.

Too soon for me.

Noticed the gas mileage on the "mahony" - 18city/23hwy. I'm a little upset with the hwy.

Charlie

tytnsfan1

Dealership in Florence, Kentucky has just received 2 Tribecas and they'll be ready to test drive tomorrow!

Also, I don't think the gas mileage is bad compared to all the other SUVs and XUVs. The only other ones that are better is the Murano (19/24) and Freestyle (19/24) and they have CVTs which from what I've read makes all the difference. Compared to my gas guzzling V8 Explorer which gets about 12.5 with mixed driving I'll be happy to with 18/23!

jay_24

Only 3500 lbs.? What are you planning to tow? I'm looking at a 21 Ft. boat. weighs 2400 lbs. loaded with gear...3200lbs. Anything bigger and you probably shouldn't be looking at a midsize car anyway...no?

However the 3500 rating goes down as you add people and gear to the Tribeca. I'm not sure how is tow rating is figured but most are with only the driver. So add 3 more people plus gear and your subtracting 600 to 800 from the 3500. Plus its nice to have a bit of safety margin. Hard to say if the Tribeca's rating is conservative or generous.

--jay

teamjd

I spoke to Subaru about that in particular. They told me that it doesn't matter how many people are in the vehicle. It is still 3500 lbs towing as long as you have the towing upgrade kit with the extra cooler. I'm sure there's a safety margin in there already. Just like speed limits...they know your going to go over a little anyway.

gt2b9

Received a call about noon today that Peninsula Subaru in Bremerton was unloading their first Tribeca off the truck. Being a little anxious to get behind the wheel I called my wife, asked what she was doing for lunch and headed off to pick her up and then off to the dealership. As we arrived they were just pulling the protective plastic off. It's a beauty. A little larger in person than the pictures would lead you to believe. Clean lines, the oversized tires give it a bit of a tougher stance. Once inside the instruments were easy to navigate. This was a fully loaded 7-passenger limited with DVD and Navigation. We headed out for a quick gas-up then I stepped behind the wheel. First time I hit the gas I told my wife I'd have to get a bit more accustomed to the acceleration, seems to come very quick off the line, slow a bit through the low range (although very acceptable) and then rapid acceleration as it picks up a head of steam. We've already ordered from another dealer who hasn't received their's yet so we didn't even discuss numbers, although the guy was pressing us that we should as it wouldn't last into the evening. Pacific Northwest Market Adjustment was $2990 so they were asking $41000.

bigelm

These B9 spottings and I'm still waiting for ours

My wife's is allocated but we're still waiting for the VIN #. Hopefully I'll know more tomorrow...

I think I'm more desperate than my wife is...

saustin

Hi,
Many thanks to our forum host Kirstie am able to share some pics from our demo drive last Easter.



This was the Blue/grey interior. Our Blue/Beige is due in by the 10th so am looking at these pics and salivating.

The grey interior does have the perforations so although am sure it is superb was concerned about spills from the youngsters and heat in the Summer.

Steve.

saustin

Hi,
Many thanks to our forum host Kirstie am able to share some pics from our demo drive last Easter.

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=2126500491

This was the Blue/grey interior. Our Blue/Beige is due in by the 10th so am looking at these pics and salivating.

The grey interior does have the perforations so although am sure it is superb was concerned about spills from the youngsters and heat in the Summer.

Steve.

ateixeira

Yeah, that CarsDirect interior photo is waaaaay off the mark.

Bob will recall I nearly passed out when we went to test drive a 3 row SUV and the mileage said 13/17. So 18/23 ain't bad. These are SUVs, not exactly known for fuel economy.

The RX400H only gets 26 mpg highway, so $18 grand extra nets you a whopping 3mpg on trips. :confuse:

Murano is smaller, and Freestyle has a lot less HP. And besides those, Tribeca beats the rest I believe.

An early rumor of 20/26 was just unrealistic I guess. Maybe if the next generation gets Direct Injection or something.

-juice

ateixeira

Hey, that blue looks great! Better than I expected. Nice...

Look at those pics, and then compare to CarsDirect. The latter seems to have a lower portion that is beige, but in fact it is gray.

I really think that photo was a chop, i.e. they took a beige car and made it gray. Because it's two-tone, and the gray cars are monotone (all gray).

It's just inaccurate.

-juice

saustin

Not bad considering it was a cold damp rainy day. Pictures are really quite accurate due to my better half's skill.

robr2

The RX400H only gets 26 mpg highway, so $18 grand extra nets you a whopping 3mpg on trips

Aw c'mon juice. You know that the RX400H isn't about economy - it's about increased performance.

saustin

Shane,
With many of the dealers and the people the dealers buy from at the West coast meeting it may take another week for us to get our VIN's. Have heard of a few cars arriving today in New England.
Steve.

dbarnes727

I have been in contact with some dealers in New England and two of them have 2 and 3 Tribecas in stock, another is expecting two by Saturday.

Of the five dealers I requested quotes from, three would not budge from MSRP. One offered 31,324 out the door + towing package at cost. The other offered 31,306 out the door including the towing package.

I'm just not 100% sure I want the Subaru over the Jeep Grand Cherokee Rocky Mountain Edition or the Toyota 4Runner Sport. I'm very indecisive, it'll probably be another month before I actually decide.

bodble2

I sort of asked this question earlier, but where did they hide the parking brake? The spec sheet says leather-covered parking brake, but I don't see no lever anyway. :confuse:

ylab

Papahawk,

I believe Hankook's Ventus ST, a 'luxury' SUV tire, comes in that size. I had Eagles on my Envoy and that thing would just break loose without warning on a cold wet or snowy road. (Couldn't wait to replace them and they had over 7/32nds left on them...horrible tire). Put on the Hankooks and they just dig down, grab and don't want to let go. - This was in a slightly larger 275/45/20 size which would be more prone to floating, so in the smaller size they should stick like glue in bad weather.

mattame

Bodble2...that didn't come across right. What i meant was monthly payments will I believe be around $450 leasing and $650 purchase. Yep...i know the payments are set. Thanks for the info on residual. I don't think the dealers even have much of a clue as to the leasing info. I called 2 today and asked them to get back to me today with the details on leasing and got no response from either. Can't believe Subabru is advertising a leasing special (which is to end? tomorrow?) and didn't let the dealers know the delails???!?

Seems kinds odd, eh?
:confuse:

tracikay

The parking brake is a foot brake. I noticed it when I saw it at the dealer. I guess the spec sheet is incorrect.

papahawk

Thank you, Ylab.

Just did some research on the Hankooks, and they seem like an exceptional SUV tire. They do, in fact, come in the 255/55HR 18 size, and I think I will put them on as soon as I take delivery of my B9. What outstanding reviews! Thanks!

Randy

shane850

I was driving by that area tonight so did a drive by and just had to stop when I saw one in the parking lot. This was the first time I was up close and got to touch and feel but it was late so I did not get to take it for a drive. I will say very impressive looking and the seating is quite comfortable. I am sure I will be happy with mine when it comes into my Seattle dealer....hopefully soon!!! I did check the VIN numbers and I am really hopeful as the production numbers of the 2 I looked at are higher than mine..:o) Well unless there is different numbering for the 7-seater. :confuse: