Great Cars... Fabulous Places!
|
Great Cars... Fabulous Places! |
|
|
2008 Subaru Tribeca By Rick Trawick
The new Tribeca presents a fresh face to the world. Gone is the old “corporate grill” design that Subaru tried for a few years. If the horse collar look turned you off to an otherwise nice car, then it is time to look again. The new look is more generic and inoffensive but certainly less distinctive. The new 3.6-liter “boxer” flat six is smooth and pulls
strongly through the 5-speed automatic transmission. With 256 horsepower on tap
it is up 11 horsepower from last year.
Subaru’s “Symmetrical All-Wheel-Drive” system competently puts the power to the pavement. We sampled the Tribeca during a rather rainy fall week in the Mid-Atlantic and the Tribeca never lost its composure on our curvy, rainy and leaf covered roadways. The symmetrical nomenclature describes the automatic torque distribution Subaru uses to direct power to the wheels that have the most traction in slippery situations. Electronic controls are added to help the driver maintain control when thing get really out of hand.
|
.
|
Even
with more displacement for 2008 fuel efficiency is improved with variable valve
timing on both the intake and exhaust valves. Subaru calls the system Active
Valve Control System (AVCS). AVCS allows the engine’s computer to set the valve
timing on the fly, to provide power when needed and fuel efficiency when lightly
loaded. 
Moving
inside, the Tribeca retains its wrap-around look to the instrument panel and
front seats. The dash curves around both the driver and passenger to create a
spacious, futuristic looking environment. Several of my passengers commented how
large and comfortable the interior feels upon first entering the seats. The test
vehicle was set up as a 5-passenger version, Subaru also offers the Tribeca in a
7-seat layout. The rear seat has plenty of legroom and width for 3 adult-sized
people but the cushions are a little firm long rides. The front seats are the
place to be for longer trips. On the plus side, the firm cushions in the rear
make it easier to get a car seat properly installed for your little ones. The
5-passenger setup also offers a generous cargo compartment, 37.6 cubic feet.
With the rear seat folded, there is 74.4 cubic feet available. The nine-speaker,
six-disc CD changer, XM satellite ready sound system was integrated with the
optional navigation system. The nav system worked well, it was easy to
understand and program using its touch screen display. Safety features include
front airbags, front seat-side airbags and full-length side curtain airbags.
Subaru
has made several improvements to the Tribeca along with taming the styling. It
may be less “distinctive” but looks more at home with the other crossovers at
the mall. The Subaru still has a little way to go to equal the leaders in this
segment. The Mazda CX-7 still leads the way in overall driving pleasure but the
Tribeca is certainly worth a look. The EPA economy numbers are 16 city and 21
highway. We saw a little over 18 during the course of our testing. The price of
our well equipped, Tribeca Limited was $36,758 including destination charges.
The corporate website may be found at