But in 2006, Subaru decided the mid-size SUV neighborhood needed a new resident, and introduced its first big one, also called Tribeca.
Using the name of a New York City neighborhood for a very mainstream vehicle aimed at the suburbs was just one of those idiosyncrasies of a company that used to be known for its niche vehicles. But built on the mid-size Legacy sedan platform, it offered more room (up to seven seats) than any Subie before, plus the ever-present all-wheel-drive, definitely aiming it toward those more used to Chevrolets and Toyotas.
For 2011, the Tribeca remains much the same as it has for the past two years since a mild refreshing of exterior design for 2008. So let’s check out the neighborhood and see how our Tribeca 3.6R Touring stacks up.
· Subaru splendor – When the Tribeca was introduced in 2006, it came with a – shall we say – unique grill. It was kind of like an upside down Alfa Romeo V grill with flanking wing-like inlets under slash headlights, while a gentle beltline accent became the rear fender line that flowed into the taillights. For 2008, that odd grill was replaced with the current mainstream face of Subaru, a 3-bar design under a chrome strip with larger quad headlights that wrap into the fenders, with a slim mid-bumper air intake and a wider lower mouth intake with a faux aluminum brush guard accent and fog lamps at the bottom. A matte body color accent on gentle fender flares frames 18-inch Goodyear Eagle radials on simple 7-spoke alloys. The windshield pillar gets a tiny fake vent window, just enough to lighten the thick look inside and out, plus big body color and black side mirrors with turn signal repeaters. The only jewelry on the flanks are chrome door handles and a body-color strip, as the lower window lines rises slightly toward a junction with the D-pillar, the original tapered rear fender line still evident as it widens to meet the large taillights. A simple semi-step rear bumper with reflectors gets twin chrome-tipped exhausts, while the rear hatch is wide with a wind deflector atop the tinted rear window, twin silver roof bars offering the only other design touch. It’s a simple design, one that no one gave a second look at, but which was clean and quiet on the highway with little wind noise.
· Tribeca transport – As simple as the exterior looks, a Tribeca interior is a pretty upscale and flowing place to be, but doesn’t look all that different from the last one I tested years ago. That’s just fine, because it works. The black over tan design, with silver center bar, flows around the driver and passenger, surging in between them to put the most-used climate and audio controls in easy reach of both. Under a hard (but matte leather-grained) plastic cowl sits two inset analog gauges, a 150-mph speedometer and 8,000-rpm tach, ringed in red at night. White LCD gas and temperature gauges flank the pod, while power mirror, plus HID headlight dip angle controls reside to the lower left of the tilt-adjustable leather-wrapped steering wheel, which has basic stereo and cruise controls. Set back in its own black dash center frame is a decent-size LCD touch screen for the satellite navigation, trip computer and 385-watt AM-FM-XM Satellite-CD harmon-kardon sound system, its center speaker mounted just in front over basic stereo/navigation/computer controls. The silver dash center section centers on a big stereo volume knob flanked by audio function and select buttons. Novel dual-zone temperature controls and a fan speed control frame temperature and fan/mode displays, but felt a bit flimsy. Silver mode and seat heater buttons sit at the dash center’s base forward of the 5-speed automatic gearshifter and two big (hidden) illuminated cup holders and cellphone/MP3 player slots under silver doors. The bucket seats, 8-way power driver and 4-way power passenger, were comfortable and fairly supportive on trips, both getting manual lumbar support. The glove box is big enough, as are the hard plastic door map pockets, while there’s decent storage and twin 12-volt outlet and an MP3 input jack under the padded center armrest. All controls are red lit at night, with an overhead red LED spotlight to illuminate the center dash. Bluetooth cellphone buttons and microphone live overhead, with the sunroof control. The back doors open wide to a leather-clad second-row seat with adjustable recline and a center armrest, plus our tester’s optional rear-seat entertainment system with nine-inch wide-screen format LCD screen and a DVD player with remote inputs for video games and a video camera. There were two wireless headphones and a wireless remote control for the clear video system, plus a rear a/c fan control. All Tribecas now have a 7-seat configuration. To fit in a third row, the second row’s leg room was tight for teens and adults, even though it can slide fore/aft. It’s also a bit tight to get to the third row seats, even though the second row seats fold and slide forward. Once there, legroom/foot room was minimal for anyone over 12, although headroom was fine, and there are fender well-mounted cup holders, A/V inputs and overhead rear a/c vents. Nice touch - molded grab handles on the lower C-pillar are there as you get into the third row seat, while a simple clip holds the second-row seat belts out of the way. Cargo space is usable (8.3-cu.ft.) behind the third-row seats, with some hidden storage under the floor. Dropping the third row and their integral head restraints expands it to 37.6-cu.ft, and dropping the second row doubles that, with four steel tie-down loops. But I found that with the LCD screen down and second- or third-row head restraints up, rearward vision was reduced.
· Tribeca traveling – Power for our mid-size SUV comes from a 3.6-liter, 256-hp Boxer Six (think classic Porsche 911-like horizontally-opposed design). It offered a lot of low- and mid-range punch, and launched our 4,256-lb. SUV to 60-mph in a decent 7.8-seconds when the 5-speed automatic was in Sport mode. Fuel mileage on regular was about 19-mpg. With 4-wheel independent suspension and all-wheel-drive, the Tribeca was a secure driver in dry or rainy weather, only betrayed by a slightly soft suspension tune and some body roll in turns. Push into a turn, and the 20-year tradition of all-wheel-drive in Subies is appreciated as Variable Torque Distribution from the planetary gear-type center differential and electronically controlled hydraulic transfer clutch control power distribution between the front and rear wheels. Normally, the torque split is 45/55, with a rearward bias. But push harder, and we detected some front wheel action that did neutralize the understeer a bit. That said, it’s sure-footed if not as sporty as some other mid-size crossovers we could name. We didn’t go off road, but it can probably handle most soccer dad grassy fields and beaches. The power steering had a nice feel, and the all-wheel disc brakes stopped us fine with minimal nose dive and only a slight hint of fade after some repeated hard use. Add an accessory towing package, and the Tribeca handles up to 3,500 pounds of trailer.
· Subaru salary - The base Tribeca starts at $30,495, with Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive, dual-zone automatic climate control and 3-stage heated front seats. Our Tribeca 3.6R Touring, the range-topper as of 2010, starts at $35,620, with a well-applied Azurite Blue Pearl paint, leather seats, a 10-speaker Harman kardon audio system, rear a/c, 2-position driver's seat memory, power tilt/sliding-glass moonroof, rear-vision camera and 7-spoke alloy wheels. Standard Bluetooth hands-free phone is also standard, as is XM satellite radio, while a navigation and entertainment package with DVD video player and wide-screen LCD monitor added $4,000. Final price - $40,520. Competition like the Chevrolet Traverse (288-hp) and Hyundai Santa Fe (276-hp) have more power, slightly better fuel mileage, and better second row leg room. The Traverse is longer and roomier overall, the Santa Fe less expensive and lighter. And a Toyota Highlander, with 270-hp and a base price of about $33,000, is lighter, slightly shorter and also offers more second row leg room as well. These are just a few of the many mid-size SUV options out there. For safety, dual-stage driver and passenger airbags, front seat-mounted side impact air bags and standard curtain side air bags front and second rows.
· Bottom line - Built at the Subaru plant in Lafayette, Indiana, the Tribeca is a solid, handsome, sure-footed family vehicle with good value, power, road-holding and OK fuel mileage. It was well built to boot. But it isn’t as roomy as it could be if maybe those third row seats had been ditched and the second row moved aft a bit. And it isn’t a sporty driver, although it is very capable in all the weather we drove it through. Just like a Subaru, it is a sensible choice, but it needs a bit of updating.
2011 Subaru Tribeca Touring
Vehicle type - 7-passenger crossover SUV
Base price - $35,620 ($40,520 as tested)
Engine type – Horizontally-opposed DOHC, 24-valve aluminum block 6-cylinder
Displacement – 3.6 liters
Horsepower (net) – 256 @ 6,000 rpm
Torque (lb-ft) – 247 @ 4,400 rpm
Transmission – 5-speed automatic with manual shifting and Sport setting
Wheelbase – 108.2 inches
Overall length – 191.5 inches
Overall width – 88.8 inches w/mirrors
Height – 66.7 inches
Front headroom – 38.9 inches
Front legroom – 42.3 inches
Second row headroom – 38.2 inches
Second row legroom – 34.3 inches
Rear headroom – 36.2 inches
Rear legroom – 30.9 inches
Cargo capacity – 8.3 cu. ft./37.6 w/2nd row folded/ 74.4 w/2nd and 3rd row folded
Towing - up to 3,500 lbs.
Curb weight – 4,256 lbs.
Fuel capacity – 16.9 gallons
Mileage rating - 16 mpg city/21 mpg highway
Last word – Solid, comfortable - a sure-footed Subaru
