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Home::Trucks SUVS
2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca: Ugly or Not?
Author : Matthew C. Keegan
Okay, Subaru fans...listen up! Do you think that the all new B9
Tribeca is a beautiful vehicle or is it an ugly duckling? As for
me, I have mixed feelings. This particular SUV certainly doesn't
look like any other Subaru, nor does it easily get confused with
any other SUV on the market. Beauty is in the eye of the
beholder; let's take a look at what sets the B9 Tribeca apart
from the pack.
The first time I saw Subaru's new entry up close I first thought
it was Porsche's Cayenne. No, the vehicles don't look alike, but
the B9 Tribeca evoked a similar response for me: like the
Cayenne, it represents a major departure from all other models.
For example, the B9 Tribeca offers the following:
5 or 7 passenger seating. This is the first Subaru built that
will seat more than five adults.
Big prices: The B9's base price starts at about $32K.
Side curtain airbags for front seating passengers and second
seating passengers [except for the person stuck in the middle
seat]
All wheel drive, but you knew that already.
A plush interior. Subaru says that leather trimmed upholstery is
available as are heated seats, rear cabin air conditioning, and
a sliding glass moon roof.
The B9 is built on a stretched Outback platform and at 66.4
inches it is the tallest vehicle made be Subaru. Oddly, it
shares the same 3.0L V6 engine as the Outback, so one can only
wonder how hard it will work with 7 passengers onboard
navigating steep hills and rounding corners?
I searched far and wide for the reason behind the name B9
Tribeca and found nothing definitive. One auto critic contended
that the B9 part of the name came from a previous concept car
that was shown by Subaru at car shows, while two reports say
that the Tribeca part of the name is from the area of New York
City that is the TRIangle BEneath CAnal Street neighborhood of
Manhattan. Other than the vehicle being built in Indiana, there
isn't any relevancy in the name. One may think that the B9
portion of the name will prove to be more of a nuisance to
remember as consumers have a difficult enough time remembering
some two syllable model names, let alone two words.
Personally, I think the idea of building a larger Subaru is
wise, especially since Subaru owners previously had no where to
go beyond the current crop of compact SUVS and cars in their
line up. Beyond that I believe the controversial looks and small
engine will disappoint buyers and it may take new sheet metal
and a beefier engine to stimulate sales.
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