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Comments
Steve, Host
Thus far Subaru has been of no help...and I'm not expecting any at this point. I visited an installer today and we're using the FM Modulator route for now. After speaking to several good shops and my Subaru service dept, the situation seems to be that we have to wait for more info, though the mod seems to be possible. No one wants to mess with the radio without some paperwork on it. My installer even said that there's just a double din radio behind that sculpted panel and it could be swapped out for something better, but integrating it would be a job. though doable. No offense to the folks here, but this is not a tech group, so don't expect much input.
The video system that you skipped is not a great one, trust me. Totally not worth it's cost when you examine what you can have aftermarket. But this has always been the case with audio and video. Subaru certainly dropped the ball on this one. While I love the Tribeca, this small item is really hurting my love for the car. My wife wrote them a letter saying, "it's 2006, so what are you designers thinking?"
As though that might help!
Anyway...I think we'll have our fix for Ipods and Sat radio soon. Until then, go with the FM Modulator, NOT WIRELESS FM which is often pretty terrible. The sound will be pretty good with the wired modulator, typcially better than a good FM radio signal and less compressed from a Sat. Signal. The Ipod's quality is a bit harsh from the get-go, so I'm not sure how it will sound.
Pics of my video installation of the B9 will be posted soon. Be patient and good luck!
Robert B
NY
When the B9 Scrambler with the hybrid powerplant is made ( like that's gonna happen) I'm all over it!
Mark
I'll join you on the waiting list and trade in my del Sol when the Scrambler comes out.
But maybe something like: Dust the competition
Oh well
Not sure if it's a case of NAV v1.0, or newbie NAV operator, or both. Either way it was a disappointing end to an otherwise very nice 2-day Tribeca experience.
Bob
We love our Forester XT, and with the moonroof wide open, its a near-convertible experience
Mark
Either you're still in denial that the vehicle wasn't yours and you're making up the NAV problem story
OR
User error
I've had four cars with nav systems and non are perfect. It understandable given the millions or rather billions of bit of info that comprise the the mapping data.
Every one I have had did wierd things and would occassionally give a totally wrong route.
My last one went through a period when each time I got in and statarted the car - the nav thought it was in San Pedro, Ca. even though it was in Santa Fe, NM or Chicago.
Another time it thought it was in the middle of Lake Michigan.
The Lake Michigan thing was never figured out except that all navs can get lost now and then due a glitch or hic cup in the software and sometimes it just loses a good signal from the sattelites. It requires a signal from at least 3 sattelites inorder to stay on course. Then there is always mapping errors in the disk.
Oh no, I'm not tryin' to cut to the front of the line or anything, especially not in front of such fine Subie forum veterans as yourselves. As long as I'm one of the first ten or so to get a Scrambler, I'll be happy.
Steve, Host
So what's not to like? The looks? Well, people are pretty split on that one, but most people we encounter like it. The most common comment: "It looks so much better in person."
I think so too. This is the best SUV for under 40K on the market, especially if you actually enjoy driving. I expect more power and even better handling to come. It'll always be an SUV of course, but no one's perfect.
Mark: congrats, nice van!
Indeed, Brenda and I called the B9 Scrambler long ago, the first one's ours. The show car is ours if they never make a production model. We're still working on the logistics of sharing a car between Indiana and Maryland, though.
Karl is simply wrong.
When you change any audio controls the bottom part of the NAV screen tells you the volume and what station you're on.
He's just plain wrong about that. I'll hop in the thread and correct him.
-juice
To be fair, I think the engine does struggle a lot during acceleration due to lack of sufficient torque. Torque, not horse power, is more important in initial acceleration.
My other gripe is that gas mileage is poor in stop-n-go traffic here in DC area. My first tank of gas only gave me 15 mpg and second tank was 16 mpg.
• From my house to a location in DC:
It started off by giving me directions counter to what I would have chosen. I ignored the NAV, and proceeded as I would normally have done. The NAV quickly reprogramed itself and there were no problems from that point on. It gave me the route directions exactly as I would have chosen.
• Returning from that DC location back to my house:
It started off again by giving me a different route. However this time I decided to follow the NAV. The first mile or so was different, and probably took a route I would never have thought of. It soon put on the route I would have chosen, and there were no problems. In this case, even thought the route selected was not I would have thought of, it actually turned out to be faster and better than my first choice.
• Returning home from a location 25 miles or so from my house:
This is a back road route that I have taken many times, and know firsthand the fastest and best way to travel. Once the destination (my house) was plugged in, it again started me off in a different direction from what I would have chosen. This time I decided to follow the NAV to the "T." It did get me home, but the route was 5 – 7 miles longer than the route I would normally have selected. I was really strange in that it sent me off in a different direction, then essentially had me double back, and eventually put me on the roads I would have selected on my own. This was a disappointment. Yes, it got me home, but not very efficiently.
• Returning the vehicle to my drop-off point in Gaithersburg, MD.
This was a complete disaster. Again I plugged in the info, and again it started me off in a different direction. This time, because I was running a bit late, decided to override the directions, figuring the NAV would reprogram the route based on the way I was traveling. It never happened. It kept telling me to turn around, as it was trying to "correct" me. I stopped every 5 miles or so and reentered the destination address, and the NAV never got it right. This was very, very frustrating!
So was it me? I kept entering the info as I always did. Sometimes it got it right. Other times it was not right. My guess is the software still needs some work.
Bob
I think the last issue you encounted is probably a user error
I checked the town location a number of times to make sure I had programmed it correctly. Actually the DC directions were more accurate than the western Howard County/northern Montgomery County directions, which were the last two that gave me so much trouble.
In any case, a NAV system—any NAV system, needs to be as user-friendly and accurate as possible, otherwise it's useless.
Bob
CRaig
If you are using the NAV to take you someplace you don't know how to get to, you will never know how accurate it is. You were frustrated in that the NAV didn't go the way you would go. Remember, it's a machine and doesn't think. It just works off set parameters in order to guide you.
You have to be careful talking with installers, especially about new vehicles. Some installers are good, but I have yet to find one with true tech savvy. Usually what they know is based on their past experience. You're more likely to find useful/relevant info from an owner who has taken the time to do some exploratory work on his system. That's the way it's been with the last few "new" Subarus. In the process, we've seen some pretty bogus info from installers, and a few people who got their stereo/HVAC botched up by an uneducated installer.
Knowing what we know about the DVD/Nav options and how they integrate into the stereo, I would bet money that the Ltd stereo system has an aux-in on the harness that can be hacked into. Unfortunately, I don't plan on buying a Tribeca anytime soon, so someone else needs to do the grunt work!
Craig
P.S. I agree that Subaru is way behind the times with regards to aux-in and iPod integration. Honestly though, their audio systems have always been a couple years behind the competition.
Bob
I think you made a good choice for the right reasons. The Sienna is really an awesome vehicle. For anyone that truly needs that third seat and drives a family around, a minivan makes a lot more sense than the Tribeca.
Craig
Bob
I would love to see a one of the car magazines (or CR) do a comparison test with various NAV units (both factory installed units and portable units), and test them for accuracy, ease of use, features, and so forth. Now that these units are becoming more popular, I think such a test is a no-brainer. The results could well influence the purchase of a vehicle.
Bob
Bob
I disagree about the power - I had plenty to pass when needed and it never felt lacking.
Bob - all I can think of is that perhaps you took a new road that the map wasn't aware of, so it was trying to send you on older routes. It did not recognize the Rt. 404 bypass that skips Bridgeville, DE, either, but that road is about 2 years old or so.
Plus, remember you can choose the shortest route or the quickest. The former had me taking some short cuts that had speed bumps, for instance, so the latter worked better for me.
Seems like NAV deservers a review all by itself!
FWIW, I do not think the exact route is most critical as long as it gets you there.
-juice
I drove it mostly in Reston/Herndon area, about 40 miles outside DC. I think in our area, driving on suburbs and highways in daily commute is no difference than driving in city :mad: The best I got is a 25-mile pure high way driving after rush hour. It is 25 mpg. But on the way back in rush hour, it bumped me back to 17 mpg :mad: On my old Outback, I usually got around 19 to 20 mpg in commute but I got not much more than 20 in highway long distance travel.
So far the best communte vehicle I had is still my WRX. In bumper to bumper traffic, the 2.0L engine really shines in gas mileage as the turbo never gets a chance to spool on. As a result I get better gas mileage on daily commute (about 23 mpg) than other (fun) driving which usually around or below 20 mpg.
Of course it costs more, plus those are the only two I have experience with.
-juice
Yes, the NAV does deserve a review by itself. Perhaps those with NAV units in their Tribecas could help out here. Remember, I only had the vehicle for 2 days, so I admit that I'm not an expert on using it.
Bob
Bob
I found it pretty accurate, even point out water spots in light blue, so I knew to tell the kids a bridge crossing was up ahead. They love to look for boats and stuff.
-juice
After you set the destination and calculated the route, next to the start button is a button labeled "3 Routes". Hit that button will give you selection of "shortest", "quickest" or "alternate".
Overall I think the NAV is quite easy to use and very helpful when you approching interections and road splits (it reminds you which lane to stay). It is very driver friendly especially on highways. Two of my friends had NAV in MDX and Honda Accord. Both commented the overall NAV interface on Tribeca is better than theirs. Although the NAV on Accord has voice commands (voice activation), its on screen display still sucks.
My companies corporate contract with Hertz makes it pretty easy to nab a car with NeverLost when I travel. I have quite a bit of seat time with this system (Magellin), and usually get to experience at least one good laugh per rental over how screwed up the system can become. Just last week we were in Florida (Serge Country...), and it didn't disappoint. About every second time that we left our hotel (on A1A), it insisted that we take a shortcut thru someone's backyard, swim across a patch of open water, and join up with US1 on the mainland.
Could you imagine the insurance company claims report if we had tried that? "But sir, the computer said to drive off the pier at this spot!".
Steve
I remember reading an article in Automobile a couple of years back. They were testing a Volvo XC70 with NAV in Finland I believe during the winter. The author was going to visit a friend who had a home on an island in the middle of a lake. In the winter, they can drive out there on a plowed road over the frozen ice. He said the NAV was very adamant about turning around when the screen showed the vehicle position in a large blue area.
FWIW, performance was NOT one of my issues with the Tribeca. I found the acceleration to be very appropriate for a 7 passenger SUV and the handling was superb. I get my torque fix in the FXT...the cost for that kind of acceleration in a 4500# SUV would be hard to swallow at $2.65/gallon.
mark
I forget what else they really said negative but it was nothing new and not that great of an article altogether. Like many it mentioned the third row seat which we all have been over and the fact is it is no smaller then the Toyota Highlander or any other similiar size vehicle with a 3rd row.
Also, WSJ's main point may have been that it didn't really bring anything new to the table but I really beg the differ. The bottom line for me was that I was looking for a mid size SUV and nothing out there before the B9 really fit my needs or had the styling cues I was looking for and price etc. etc. So though it may be a niche, it seemed to be just enough different to suit me and have someone like me who values Consumer Reports and was therefore comparing it most directly to the #1 Lexus Rx330, Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, Nissan Murano in that order with the INfiniti FX and Accura MDX furhter down the list but still recommended.
I personally picked the B9 Tribeca over all of these and for a lower price then all of them other then maybe the Pilot which its similiar to in price but I would never pick the Pilot styling over the Tribecas with better handling to boot.
Everyone knows that the talk on the grille is old news and passe'. WSJ were the ones who were in fact "late to the game" in not only dissing the grille but also calling the B9 late to the suv game.
The grille has grown on everyone to the point where it is now a pro that it is unique different and sporty not a con that the early articles mentioned it to be. Plus the fact that I and many other owners since having it have not had a single friend, family , or stranger say they didn't like the grille so it must be that the pictures dont do it justice and seeing in person is the true test.
So while i value WSJ I think they were off especially on their description of the grille looking like an upside down horse shoe on a barn door which doesn't really make sense nor look like that at all. In fact again it seemed like they were copying the other articles and putting down the grille while trying to come up with some new analogy that was just really plain off.
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kirstie_h
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2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
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I had those installed and my review is they are not as big as I though they were going to be but they do integrate nice into the bottom bumper and they seem to have worked as well reducing mud splash up. So, overall I am happy wiht them as they look cool, and integrate nicely.
I also, got the moonroof wind deflector which is pretty standard for those but seems to be pretty low keeping with the aerodynanics so it doesnt' stick up a lot which is good.
The hood protector is nicely shaped to the unique shape of the B9's hood and while I dont usually like these on most cars, I really like what it adds to the look of the Tribeca especially on the white. I have tinted windows so everything is all Satin White Pearl with black accents including the windows and now the hood protector and even the Subaru lettering is small and matches the satin white pearl though it might be a littler silvery too. I had taken off the Subaru lettering on the back but didnt mind the small subaru lettering on the hood protector as it added to the look and again matched my paint color. Plus by now everyone knows its a subaru from the ads, but I ended up covering some of the letters up to spell a nickname I have so its still the mystery car on the road and i've only seen one other which was parked up at State College. Which btw went up their on a nice weekend trip and Beca was great on the highway and I drove of course but also got to ride in the back and watch a DVD movie. Driving with a music DVD is great because passengers can watch and listen while front seat can listen. Rear DVD blocks the view a little but not so much that it is any real problem and I think this is the same for any car with that option. 4 passengers was roomy and great with plenty of room behind 2nd row for cargo. Cruise control, nav, AC everything inside was great for a longer road trip with 4 ppl in car.
Back to options I also got the front bumper underguard which not only looks cool (silver) but protects the front bumper from getting scraped as it is kind of low. Speaking of which that is one of the reasons i added hte hood protector, because while the sloping sporty car like front end of the B9 is cool its almost a little low for an SUV especially at front of the hood on top where it slopes down not to mention the front bumper say compared to a Murano even whose hood and front bumper are higher up (RX as well) While I like this as it seems to have the best similiarties to the Infiniti FX and other less car like suvs I felt like the hood protector also beefed up the front a little and gave it a more substantial look while not taking away any of the sportiness.
I also got the Rear bumper cover which is good to have and pretty standard for this type of option though the guys seemed to have mounted a little off center.
The minor complaints like rear visibility when backing up and others which ppl have mentioned aren't that big of a deal and you get used to.
All in all I'm still loving Beca more and more even after a long road trip and now with all the options.
Oh, so that's where they were. I stumbled on them from time to time, but could not locate them on my own. That could have been the difference. Now I'm really frustrated, as I no longer have a car in which to try it on!
Bob
-juice
Bob
Actually that not necessarily true. They are machines, but many of them use fuzzy logic that is something like thinking.
It took me a while to realize why my Q45's nav was directing me a certain way when I thought my way was better. I finally realized the nav was actually smarter than me. Here in Chicago (I only noticed this as you said because I know the routes) my nav would tell me to make a series of quick turns. It was like it had me doubling back. But what it was doing was taking me on a route that caused not to have to make left turns on normally highly congested roads. Many major streets in Chicago have no left turn lanes and even fewer left turn arrows. So trying to make a left on one these could take forever. So the nav was actually looking at the big picture and automatically saying a straight line is not the best way.
Also, you will notice with the B9 nav when you enter a destination and it presents 3 routes, the QUICK route is not necessarily the shortest because it considers things other than distance.
It is very complex and sophisticated software, so it will never be perfect.