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Comments
Steve, Host
Premium was never required - it was recommended.
If the recommendation has been withdrawn I can not say.
HP & Torque
When I was at the Chicago show a SOA rep said that both the HP & Torque ratings were lowered. But he did not know the reason.
2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca: Reviews & Specs
The '06 "recommended fuel" notation is buried in Suburu.com's pdf file. I hate those. :shades:
Steve, Host
-Brian
The Subaru Press Release back in February doesn't say anything about the fuel, but does talk about the hp.
Steve, Host
From a marketing standpoint, making the H-6 a regular-gas engine (no mention of premium) would be a very smart move. A lot of customers are turned off to using premium gas, and I bet it has cost Subaru more than a few sales having the H-6 use premium gas.
Bob
I'd have to guess the HP diff is due to the lower octane.
-Brian
Based on my 12,000 miles expeience ,nthe operating cost is the same. Premium gets you better MPG but Regular cost less. When I compute the cost per mile it come out almost the same. So I use premium on long trips were it counts and regular in the city.
You can debate this till the cows come home, but the fact is it is costing SOA sales.
If I was calling the shots at FHI, the only engines "required" to use premium would be the turbos, as those customers are clearly performance-oriented, and are far less likely to object to use premium.
Bob
That has me curious too Brian. The B9 is so new, you'd think they'd be using the new SAE ratings out of the box.
Steve, Host
-juice
There definitely is a psychological barrier, and as Colin often mentions it really makes no sense to whine about $150 per year difference when the vehicle costs $38,000. But still, people do.
Here's the thing, Subaru has always been the antidote to luxury cars. People that could afford luxury cars choose Subarus instead. They are sensible shoes, a way that owners can get a nice car but not show off too much.
So that mentality jibes with using regular fuel, i.e. they didn't buy a luxury (premium) car so they don't want to pay a premium for the fuel used.
-juice
The B9 is new but not the engine. They probably just used the specs from previous tested 6 cyl engines. The proof will be if they now rate all other 6cyl engines @ 245 HP for 07.
I agree that SOA should not have said Premium Recommended and that maybe it cost them sales.
In the manual maybe they could mention that under certain conditions (highway driving for example) the use use of higher octane fuels may increase power, performance and MPG.
What I do not understand is when a current owner who knows regular is OK, still gets their panties in a knot. That just seems like silly behavior.
-juice
-Brian
If I could buy premium for just 12 cents more - then it would be cost effective to run premium all the time.
Bingo! Subaru needs to tune the engine for regular. My '96 Legacy GT has a premium requirement and I do notice a significant difference in performance even with mid-grade.
-juice
Getting my 10,500 mi. maintenance tomorrow which is probably mostly just oil change basically but also getting the rear hatch struts finally (now that its warming back up and they wont be as much of an issue though) wondering if I should get my AC "recharged" or "filled" as someone mentioned in a previous post that some 06's needed. I guess not really as I haven't noticed it being weak or a problem really but something to keep in mind i guess when it gets hot if its not enough.
Still wanted to inquire about 3m film or similiar for the fog lights but luckily i haven't had any problem but why wait till its too late.
Prob going to inquire about the 07's at dealer but dont think I want to deal with them about a trade in deal for my 06 in which I will prob lose a lot.
Though I want some of the other features, the main thing at this point is the retractable cargo cover which I hear will not be able to be added to an 06 with the inferior cargo cover.
Will make more sense to wait till 08 and hope for more changes including possibly engine as has been discussed int he forum, but another year with that horrid cargo cover i dunno. By then I may look at the Acura RDX but figure it will ultimately be too small to consider being it is X3 size.
My 20" Toyo Proxes S/T tires and black wheels have been great handling and looking (lots of stares) on my Satin White Pearl beca with front windows tinted to match the back ones, but I still am wondering why tire rack recommends 255/45-20 for 20" tires and at the auto show they had one with 265/50-20's which look a little larger.
The stock 255/55-18's have that second measurement of 55 instead of the /45 of the 20's as well so in that aspect the 20's could look smaller and probably why overall they just dont look that big somehow or much of an upgrade. In fact they look somewhat stock which I guess is a good thing that they blend very well but not when you were going for an upgraded look and feel.
I now wish I had spent the extra on the tirerack recommended 265/35-22 with Pirrelli Scorpion zero assimetrico tires and 22" wheels (which the merchant i got the wheels from had both whereas i had the get the right size 20" tires from local shop). Nobody else dared go that big yet with a tribeca in here but if I am able to sell my 20's (tires and wheels) with my 06 B9 if and when i do trade it in and actually got another beca I would get that size this time but that would have to be private sale as dealer prob wont take or give you credit for the upgraded wheels and tires.
Does look really nice though and might show well for private sale though it would have to be a sign in window when I"m driving it because i dont have an extra car really to use to be able to leave the B9 on display somehwere with a lot of traffic, i dunno. You mostly see ppl do that who live on busy streets, these days an ad or online listing is prob best. Doesnt' vehix.com or one of those assist in ad for private sale of vehicle?
If I can get right price on my 06, i'd get an 07. Wont need the 3rd row this time or dvd now that aux input is upfront and without dvd option so could save a little.
Thats what I was told by an SOA rep at the Chicago show. He did not know why the SE was different :confuse: only that it was. I have not tried to confirm it.
Bob
Just make sure they're not too heavy. Adding a lot of unsprung weight can have an adverse effect on ride and handling.
-juice
The main thing is that I waited till I had something else to take it in for to get the rear hatch struts as they got them right after my last service. So I'll get the new rear hatch struts and mine as well have them change the oil and i can ask them about some other stuff i have written down. Also will get my portable xm player antenna installed hopefully by the outfit down the street they use and are doing for free so it will be a worthwhile service trip in general.
I know my last car had an outline of recommended maintenance and at what miles. Does the B9 have anything like this and if so where can I review it.
There are two schedules, though. I believe one is every 7500 miles, the other 3750. So this dealer might be suggesting the shorter schedule.
-juice
-juice
I have been in BMW X-5 and other's
Is there a way after market to get verizon phone through NAV system so you have speaker free phone
through car
thanks
Also anyone have any luck (man I am not technologically adapt)
TO HOOK THOSE REAR SENSOR'S AND REAR CAMERA
THANK YOU :shades:
I got the mini brochure for 07 tribeca and it says that "every B9 is prewired for satellite radio, while he SE provides installed equipment that lets you access xm with touch of a button. pic shows the button under fm/am and to the left of rse/aux button.
dealer told me the mesh grille would be switchable to the 06 but didn't know or think the cargo cover could be which remains the feature I want most.
Unfortunately the shop I used could not figure out how to do it so we used the external speaker that is part of the kit. It is mounted under the dash on the passenger side and can not be seen. It has excellent sound quality.
I was following fast on the heels of a Porsche Cayenne and really never had any problems at all keeping up. Not as fast or glued down as our WRX of course but I think this is a responsive and even fun large car to drive.
We averaged a solid 24 mpg for the 300 miles in mixed freeway and mountainous driving in our still green <5000 miles Tribeca so even if the city mpg is low the car is pretty efficient for trips.
No real point here but happy with our Tribeca.
Go Padres! Opening night was a blast.
Glad to hear you liked the SportShift feature, too, because our next trip/family car will probably have that. I hope they add it to the Forester (not to mention an 5th ratio).
-juice
I appreciate any input and thanks.
i was hoping their might be some Uconnect(TM) Hands-Free Communication-that allows callers to hear us talking
and really makes it a smooth operation while driving
I was also trying to find out about an Electronic Parking Aid
thank you :shades:
I'm in the process of installing Sirius satellite radio. Would be nice if I could pigtail it off the RES from behind the dash. Has anybody had any sucess with that?
$3 per gallon.
Jerry
The in car Motorola unit I have does that,if it uses the external speaker or if tied into the car sound system.
There is a mute button on the small control panel attached to the dash. When on a call, just press mute and it kills the mike. Press it again and the goes active again.
I know enough about SE that I'd want to avoid most parts as well! If you think you heard the Tribeca back-firing, trust me, it was gun fire!
-juice
Likes:
Smooth, comfortable quiet ride
Nice seats
Dislikes:
Underpowered compared to his Murano
"Less responsive transmission"
No way to transport 4 foot wide building material
Less knee room for his oversized person
No rear camera available for tight parking
He bought another Murano, but with a backup camera this time. I rode in his new Murano and found its ride less objectionable than previous ones, but still not nearly as smooth as my VDC wagon...which he agreed.
Must be mostly perception: these vehicles have nearly identical HP-to-weight. Maybe it's the "less responsive transmission" that makes it feel like it has less power? I also wonder if he bothered setting the transmission to Sport Mode?
No way to transport 4 foot wide building material
Roof rack?
No rear camera available...
This one's solved in a month, when the 2007s come out. Rear sonar will also be an option. There's always aftermarket, too.