Vehicle: 2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca 5-passenger Limited
Price as tested: CDN$45195
Performance: The Tribeca uses the same flat 6 poweplant as the Outback, which is a 3.0L DOHC 24-valver unit that bumps out 250 horses and 219 lb/ft of torque. The throttle response is plenty while nothing spectacular. Matched with this engine is a 5-speed Sportshift with manumatic variety. The shifts are seamless and crisp without Subaru’s usual gear hunting syndrome. This horizontally placed engine still has that distinctive engine note when pushed. Its also surprisingly refined and flexible after years of Subaru’s experience of tuning this engine. The level of NVH and refinement are probably the best Subaru to date. While its certainly not up to the quietness of a Lexus, it should be judged as the most refined and quietest Subaru ever.
Handling: Since Tribeca is based on a tried-and-true Ouback platform, its chassis stiffness and ridigty are undoubtable. Its solid and completely free of rattles. The road manners are still very much Subaru which means decent steering feedback and response, along with controllable body rolls and safe understeer when pushed. The assymetrical AWD also has a desired effect as its a proactive system. Whenever there is one wheel stuck, you can still keep going thanks to its smart power distribution. On the other hand, Tribeca has a ride quality that is on par with the class standard. It absorbs washboard pavement and expansion joints with ease. Its standard VSC is an effective system for keeping the vehicle on track despite it kicks in a bit too early.
Brakes: The 4-wheel discs with standard ABS provide better than average pedal feel. Unlike some of the previous Subarus I have driven, the pedal feel and modulation are easy to control. You also don’t need to nil the pedal til the last inch before the car comes to a complete stop.
Interior: The interior of the Tribeca is very well layout. Along with clear and analog instrumentation gauges, a logically layout automatic climate control and a stereo that placed high on the dashboard. The interior materials are probably the best from Subaru. Unfortunately, there are still some flimsy plastic pieces that won’t let you forget its a Subaru. Another pet peeve is the multi-function display that shows the temperature and radio informations tended to wash out during sunlight. However, the leather seats are comfortable with plenty of support, despite the leather feels more plastic than many leatherette seating surfaces available on the market.
On the back seat, there are plenty of head and legrooms. You also got a nice center storage slicing out from the armrest.
Subaru has done a very good job of laying out the cargo area. There are plenty of cubbyholes finished underneath the nicely carpeted hatch. You also get a nice 40/20/40 split fold down rear seats for maximum versatility. It really shows Subaru’s experience of building utilitarian wagon.
Conclusion: The Tribeca is indeed a very competent SUV considered its Subaru’s first effort. It got a competent powerplant, decent handling dynamics, comfortable and got one of the best AWD on the market. Here lies the rough. While you can get the same package in a similarly priced H6 Outback VDC, which is also a jacked-up wagon with “off road” image. Does it necessary to pay the same price for a 5-passenger Limited and over 50k for a 7-passenger version? Since H6 Outback’s sales volume already nothing to write home about, its even harder for market to swallow an over 50 grand Subaru.
OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2006 SUBARU B9 TRIBECA LIMITED
===========================================
Performance: 2/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 3/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 3/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 4.5/5
Value-for-money: 2/5
Overall rating: 3/5