2008 Subaru Tribeca Limited + Rear Seat DVD + Navigation

No longer B9

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When an SUV gets a redesign and name change within two years of its introduction, you know something's up. The 2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca raised some eyebrows with its progressive styling and odd name. For 2008, Subaru has toned down the styling and trimmed the name to simply "Tribeca," as in "2008 Subaru Tribeca." The 2008 Subaru Tribeca Limited carries a base price of $32,595 to $37,795 ($39,791 as tested), along with a 3 year/36,000 mile basic warranty, a 5 year/60,000 mile powertrain warranty and EPA fuel economy estimates of 16 mpg city/21 mpg highway. Let's drive.

Larger Exterior Photos: Front Rear

The first and most important trim Subaru made to Tribeca was to snip the "B9" from its name -- good choice. Nothing in particular wrong with "B9," in fact it's a rather "benign" name on its own. Combined with "Tribeca," though, it made no sense to anyone beyond the Subaru assembly line in Lafayette, Indiana. This change alone makes the new Tribeca better than the old one.

I was a fan of the B9 Tribeca, though I recognized its exterior design quirks as shortcomings. Subaru has ditched the controversial corporate grille shape for a much more conventional look. The smiling mouth with three horizontal chrome bars topped by a thicker chrome upper lip would be right at home on a Chrysler, on a Toyota, or on a Ford. A character line defines the bumper area in the front, a feature that is carried around the vehicle to define the rocker panels and the rear bumper, elevating the look of the Tribeca even higher than its generous 8.4" of ground clearance. High wheel arches spotlight the standard 18" aluminum alloy wheels. The back of Tribeca is essentially unchanged since B9 days -- detailed and plump, more minivan than SUV.

My test vehicle was equipped with cool optional ($229) luxury feature -- puddle lights. These little blue LED lights were mounted in the lower rocker panels beneath each of the four doors, and came on to light my way when the doors opened at night. I loved them -- they made the Tribeca look like a UFO hovering in front of my house.

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Larger Interior Photo

Tribeca's dashboard and interior retain the high-tech look and function of the B9. I was a big Star Trek fan as a kid, and the wrap-around dash design reminds me of nothing less than the bridge of the Enterprise. I felt like Sulu at the controls, with a bank of buttons in the center stack, a navigation screen in the middle of the dash and sleek brushed aluminum textures all around. This is definitely a "love-it-or-hate-it" design, and I'm officially a "love-it."

Tribeca's driver's seat supports all of your vital parts in comfort, and offers the kind of adjustability that you expect to find in a luxury vehicle. Subaru has created seven trim levels for Tribeca, from the base 5-passenger ($29,995) to the Limited 7-passenger ($33,595), all the way to the fully loaded Limited 7-Passenger + Rear Seat DVD + Navigation ($37,795) that I drove. My test vehicle was equipped with standard equipment galore and more. Beyond the level of equipment, Tribeca is infused with a real sense of quality construction, solid build and great material choices. A vehicle that costs nearly $40,000 should be solid and well-built -- Tribeca delivers luxury feel and function on a level with vehicles costing $10,000 or even $20,000 more.

Tribeca's second row continues the comfort theme, with a deeply-cushioned 40/20/40 split bench seat. The third row is for small children and garden gnomes only. There's little leg and foot room. A full-sized adult will become very familiar with their own knees in the third row, and will not be happy about it.

I was very happy in Tribeca's driver's seat, regardless of the mood of my third row passengers (or as I refer to them, "baggage"). I attribute part of that happiness to Tribeca's new, more powerful engine, a 3.6 liter horizontally opposed "Boxer" engine that produces 256 hp and 247 lb-ft of torque hooked up to a five-speed automatic transmission. That's an increase of 6 hp and 28 lb-ft of torque over the B9's 3.0 liter powerplant. Even though Tribeca tips the scales at over 4100 lbs, the Subaru Boxer engine gives a nice kick in the pants on acceleration.

When the roads turn twisty, Tribeca really shows its stuff. Four-wheel independent suspension (struts in front, double-wishbone rear with dual stabilizer bars) and all-wheel drive keep the SUV flat in the turns, and swallow up road imperfections without floating or drifting. Subaru knows a thing or two about communicating road feel to the driver, and Tribeca's steering wheel is an excellent medium of communication.

Accident avoidance is Tribeca's biggest asset, with four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes with electronic brake force distribution, vehicle dynamic control and traction control standard. In an accident, you've got five-star front and side crash ratings for front and rear seats, and a four-star rating for rollover from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

I wish there was more luggage space behind Tribeca's third row -- 8.3 cubic feet just isn't enough. At least folding down the seats creates enough space for 74.4 cubic feet of cargo.

No matter how you slice it, when you get into the upper $30,000's for an SUV, I start looking for ways to cut the pricetag. With Tribeca, you can save some money by choosing a base model, but you'll miss out on the high-tech experience to go with Tribeca's high-tech interior. I would go for the 5-passenger Limited + Navigation ($34,995), especially since Tribeca's third row is useless. I would also check out the competition. A base-model Acura RDX is competitively priced to Tribeca, and offers a nice ride and luxury appointments. For more luxury, a little less fun, try the Lexus RX350 for a few dollars more, but still in the same general price range. In the domestics, check out the Ford Edge/Lincoln MKX, the Saturn Outlook/GMC Acadia/Buick Enclave and the Dodge Journey. Hyundai's Veracruz is also worth a drive, as is the Mazda CX-9.

If you slide into Tribeca's driver's seat and your first thought is "Fire photon torpedoes!" instead of "How do you work this thing?," you might be a Tribeca driver. Either that, or you might be late for that Star Trek convention -- don't forget your Spock ears. Oh, and say hi to Sulu for me.