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Comments
http://www.autospies.com/article/index.asp?articleId=3976&cat- egoryId=1
If not I'll probably see one again tomorrow at Philly.
-juice
On my '02 OB and Legacy, I've lined the dash storage units as well as the centre storage with rubber to reduce any noise factor. I think you've done the same thing to your vehicles.
Jon
-juice
Owen
Jon
-juice
Looking forward to the 9-6X cousin in NY.
-juice
They can't give them away!
-juice
How do you think Saab loyalist are receiving the 9-2X? Not too great at all. Saab sold well at one point because of it's Swedish characteristics. There's nothing Swedish in the 9-2X. Also, Saab took too long to adjust to market. Keeping the same style for over 10 years will put anyone in the crapper.
Bill
GM cash starves some subsidiaries so there's no R&D for their meat-and-potatoes product. The 9-3 and 9-5 should get updates soon.
-juice
Time will tell.
With the new 9-7X, is that still the case, or is it just now a "Saabism," with no real meaning behind the location, other than to be Saab-like?
Bob
The Trailblazer platform is not a Subaru and required a lot more surgery to even attempt to sell under a Saab nameplate. E.g. weak crash test scores. Saab thus did more than a styling job on it, partly to improve its crashworthiness. Having a Saab do weakly in crash tests would help destroy whatever credibility they still have left.
With a 9-6X, the B9 is so complete that I doubt if Saab would do much more than graft new sheetmetal forward of the A-pillar. Maybe they'd try to go to xenon, fiddle with some trim, etc.
It'd be decent news for those who prefer less controversial styling. But most buyers will stay away from it, and the resale value will be terrible.
Oh, and about $5000 on top of the MSRP.
Saw it again today at Philly, which only reinforced my positive impression. My wife liked the styling in person, more so than in photos.
Still, she ended up sitting in a Legacy GT Limited sedan and absolutely fell in love! I'm toast. She wants one. Bad.
So now my hopes are to replace my Forester with a Tribeca, and her Legacy L wagon with a GT sedan. Regal Blue Pearl was her specific color choice.
Now we gotta figure out where to come up with $60 grand or so. )
-juice
Just want to back up Juice with my very first impression -- like he said, when I saw the nose in person, it just didn't look as bad as the pictures, period. I really does look smaller than the photos and fits the car quite nicely. The bright lights made the chrome look classy, dare I say. It really was a great looking car all the way around, and everyone I overheard looking at it was making positive statements.
The only thing I can add that I haven't seen in the hundreds of pictures and posts is that I confirmed that the headrests in the 3rd row do in fact slide up so that an adult sitting there would be protected.
Oh, and while some have criticized the sculptured headlights, the bubbled shape on the top makes them visible from the drivers's seat, which gives me a better feel for where the front of the car is. That's my #1 gripe with minivans -- can't see the corners -- and that's why every minivan I see on the road has dents and scratches on every corner!
Bottom line is that, while I am a huge Subaru fan and think the B9 will be a success, I still saw a lot of good competition from the Pilot, MDX, XC90, etc., and the bar keeps getting raised, E.G., the Pilot is getting refreshed for 2006 and will have side curtains, and I would guess some tweaks to the styling.
Oh, and no one has a better looking center console, period. First class all the way.
My $.02
Elliot
Note that of a large group of people that have now seen the Tribeca in person, only two felt their opinion on the styling did not improve. And one is a died-in-the-wool Honda fan.
That says a lot.
-juice
I have read several articles about the origin and engineering of this new vehicle. The latest Car & Driver says its based off of a modified Outback platform. Another website I read said it was based on a new platform that would eventually serve as the platform for the next GM minivans. Yet another website says it is an all new platform that is not shared, nor will not be shared with anything else.
Subaru wants us to buy a new $30k+ vehicle, offer no engineering details, offers 'odd' styling and we already know that there will be a Saab equivalent.
Sounds like the Subaru SVX all over again. However, at least then, they were offering lots of engineering details.
I'm betting on a failure.
Mark
03 Legacy
04 Quest
Previous:
96 Outback
95 Legacy
91 Legacy
88 GL
84 GL
The nose has grown on me but I'm still trying to get used to the bulbuos headlights. I'm not a fan of that design on any vehicle.
Oh and no scratched bumpers on my mini-van either.
Go Subaru!!!
True
The vehicle is not on sale yet, so cool your jets. In fact, they don't even have EPA gas mileage numbers, and they have not announced trim levels or pricing. This sort of pre-sale lack of information is typical. In this case, being a US-only model, we can't even look to global sales for clues, like we could with other Subarus that went on sale outside the US first. That said, there is a ton of info on the vehicle if you are willing to spend some time researching on the internet. You can certainly ask here (or read the post from the last month) if you want to know something -- we know quite a bit already.
Having seen/sat in the Tribeca at an auto show and researched it, there is no doubt in my mind it will be a success (and how much of a success depends on the pricing). Subaru has managed to come up with a unique vehicle, which means it will be different from the pack in several ways, and that's good. I really see nothing about the vehicle that remotely suggests it will be a failure.
If the 5-pax version stickers for $30-32K as the facts point to, and the usual Subaru discounts apply, it will be a compelling vehicle with a very fair price point.
Craig
BTW, it's an H-6, not a V-6.
Bob
Bob
Bob
2. I think they are merely targetting Subaru customers & entice them to sell their OBs, Minivans & SUVs & buy this. So, the fact that they are NOT known to a lot of people shouldn't be a problem
3. You can see from Reviews on OB/Legacies, that a lot of new folks bought the 2005s & very impressed. So, why wouldn;t Tribeca do that as well ?
4.Its unique styling will raise eyebrows & get people to go see it.
5. I have a feeling, if this is priced right, this vehicle will slow down LUX SUV sales & force them to reduce prices/offer incentives.
Good Move, Subaru !!!
-Dennis
That's odd, I was at the Phila. Show this weekend as well. There were two Tribecas there; one was on a rotating stand and the other in the middle of the show floor, facing outward into the middle of the Convention Center floor.
That fact, combined with the fact that you refer to the Edsel as a "Ford Edsel" when, in fact, Ford Motor Company never did so itself, puts your credence in doubt. In other words, what I'm trying to say nicely is: You're a troll.
So I think it's an odd case where you have to see/experience the whole vehicle in realtime 3D to get an honest feel for the styling.
Myself, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the Tribeca in person -- it was a much smaller overall size than I pictured (not much larger than my Outback) and the nose was no big deal (only about a square foot of grill in the center, which is tiny). Just weeks earlier, I felt it was the ugliest thing since the Aztek!
Craig
The rest of the vehicle was nicer than I expected. It has far and away the nicest interior I've ever seen in a Subaru. Starting with the second-generation Forester and continuing with the new Legacy/Outback and now the Tribeca, the interiors just keep getting better...at least in terms of look, feel, and quality of materials. I did see what could be a possible problem in the the controls on the right side on the center console angled away from the driver. This will pose a problem unless those controls are designed specifically for the front passenger's use only (e.g., dual zone climate control).
I don't have a lot on which to base my comparison except my wife's Pilot, so the following are just opinions: front and second-row seats are more comfortable in the Tribeca; legroom about the same in each; driving position better in the Tribeca; third-row seating room better in the Pilot; cargo capacity better in the Pilot, both with third-row seats up and down. Again mind you I wasn't crawling around in the Tribeca with a tape measure. I'm not sure people will look at the B9 as a serious cargo hauler.
The blind spot created by the D-pillars (technically E-pillars I guess, given the tiny window between the front doors and windshield) gives me pause, as it's not what I expect from Subaru. The Forester and Legacy/Outback wagons have some of the best outward visibility of any cars on the road; this doesn't follow that tradition.
I liked the colors of both the display vehicles - a mahogany red metallic and a light gray-green. I preferred the gray/black interior to the beige one, however.
All in all I'd venture a guess that the B9 will be shopped against the Murano and MDX, maybe even the FX35/45 and XC90, moreso than the Pilot, Highlander, X3/X5 or the domestics. Most of the people I overheard discussing the B9 compared it to the Murano both visually and in terms of content.
Driving the B9 will be the proof in the pudding.
Ed
But anyway... for whatever reason, I found that the pics posted on the internet look exactly like what I saw at the auto show.
No surprises here. Same odd nose. Same odd hood lines. Same love handles. Same poorly-proportioned taillights.
On the other hand, I also saw the same spacious cabin, same stylish dash, and same sensible ergonomics. And, yes, the same clever details in the exterior styling. I just wish they added up to something more cohesive.
I have no doubt the Tribeca will be a success on the Subaru scale. And the important information (stuff the specs don't reveal) are the deciding factors. But I believe this vehicle will have to offer far superior subjectives than the competition if it is to be considered a success by the larger market.
They do have a dark interior - dark gray. I prefer the two-tone gray and beige, though, as Bob mentioned.
Same odd nose. Same odd hood lines. Same love handles. Same poorly-proportioned taillights.
Are we talking about the Ridgeline, or what? LOL
I mean, c'mon, seriously, the ugly car that everyone is talking about is the Ridgeline, not the Tribeca.
Yes, it's utility and function will likely win over tons of buyers, but if you ask around the buzz about the Ugly Car of the Year is all about the Honda.
And yes, it'll outsell the Tribeca, easily. Lower price and plenty of utility and clever functionality.
Just focus on its personality.
-juice
This is a very likeable vehicle. I personally dont share the view that the grille is less of an issue in person- its still noticeably ugly (there's something about the way the headlights seem to just sit there on the edge of the hood), but it seems to integrate well with the rest of the vehicle, which makes it tolerable. I do very much like the fairly odd tail treatment, though. This Subaru (like all) has personality- but unlike other Subarus- in the styling department. Overall- I agree with the comment 'No WOW factor. But its not Aztek like, as I think once many of us feared.
The burgundy vehicle I spent time examining was pointed toward the wall of the room, and the side profile that show attendees viewed upon entrance is arguably the vehicles best (which I think was already noted).
I was struck by the Tribeca's size- its not very large at all, but Subaru seems to have managed to create a very spacious and liveable interior. And DAMN!!! That's one hell of an interior! One of my favorites by far! Did anyone else note the similarity to the BMW Z4 in presentation of the tach/speedo in chromed barrels? Very slick. Quality materials abound. I begged and pleaded to get in, as I was one of the first in the Subaru display at 12, but I was rebuked. (I also tried to ask about reactions to the vehicle, and brought up Edmunds.com, but the rep misunderstood and started talking about 'Edmonton' and wintry weather, so I changed the subject, lol).
When I built my Tribeca per the marketing email survey, I included NAV, leather and 7 passenger seating. If Subaru offers that, I think its a great combo- not having leather in a vehicle like this would hurt resalability and why not have the 7 pass seating flexibility if its available.
I'm not really looking for a near-lux sporting SUV, but I still cant wait to take the Tribeca on a test drive when we have our Legacy in for servicing!
Did I ever mention that Im really glad they're not calling it the Benign-ex?
Overall, very nice.
-Joe
And I just have to throw it in, since I'm part of the demographic- the biggest disappointment I saw was the VW Jetta. A seeming waste of a redesign, if you ask me. Bleh. The Honda Ridgeline definitely takes the cake as the most insanely ugly vehicle, but that sentiment hasnt stopped them from selling a good number of the equally heinous Element. Go figure.
Maybe so, but I think the Ridgeline is the most significant new model launch of the Detroit show, and quite possibly the most important new model of the entire 2005 model year. This vehicle will have auto executives from Detroit and Tokyo losing many hours of sleep, wondering why they didn't think of such a clever vehicle. This will be one example of a vehicle being a HUGE success—in spite of it's styling.
Bob
Craig
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/07/automobiles/07CARS.html
Mark
If so, then I owe someone an open apology - but not about the Edsel.
As for the fifth-gen Jetta: yes, very underwhelming. I saw many fifth-gen Golfs already on the roads when I was in Germany last October so it came as no surprise though.
Ed