You can take the people carrier out of America - in this case the Subaru B9 Tribeca - but you cant take America out of the people carrier.
The US-built B9 Tribeca is aimed squarely at the luxury people carrier sector, and everything about it dovetails with the across-The-Pond penchant for motoring with magnitude: it’s big.
Step inside the wide front doors, and the grand, sweeping curve of the bulky fascia makes a real size statement.
Subaru’s three models come with either five or seven seats, and even the 18-inch wheels exceed the standard MPV fare of 17-inchers.
There has been some modification for UK buyers, but it is lavishly equipped, beautifully built, and easily worth the Subaru asking price of a lead-in £28,995.
It is named after an upmarket district of New York, and has the kind of quality and style to look cool alongside one of actor Robert de Niro’s favourite eating haunts there, the Tribeca Grill.
Then again, it’s tough enough to survive the city’s Bronx, and the 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine has the kind of strength that makes shifting seven passengers a piece of cake.
It services a sophisticated full-time four-wheel drive system through a five-speed automatic gearbox.
Subaru has pulled off a nice balancing act of weight and torque spread, and with a fine burst of speed to tap into, here’s the sportiest ride and drive of any big people carrier.
A lesser 4×4 system would make for cagey cornering, but the B9 Tribeca’s layout is constantly sensing torque needs and putting more power to either front or back wheels when needed, with a dynamics control system backing it up for clamped-to-the-tarmac traction on winding, or slippier, roads.
The Subaru shades the BMW X5 in overall size, but a lower centre of gravity and a more agile chassis makes the latter look downright clumsy when it comes to handling capabilities.
Of all the other MPVs sold in Britain, only the more middle-market Ford S-Max MPV can touch the Tribeca’s on-road skills.
The 3000cc, 241bhp engine is the same unit seen in the Legacy saloon and estate, and it can whip the weighty B9 Tribeca - 4.85 metres long and 1.87 metres wide - to 60mph in 9.3 seconds, going on to top out at 121mph.
Thirst is about right for a 3.0 litre automatic - 23mpg on the combined cycle, and no better than 29.7mpg on country runs. So, for every round trip of 300 or so miles, you’re going to have to fill up the 14-gallon tank.
That shouldn’t faze anyone who can afford the £33,995 outlay for this flagship version, the Tribeca 3.0 SE7, but business users will face the top 35 per cent benefit-in-kind levy.
You can take a supremely comfortable, everything-in, interior for granted, with no less than nine speakers for the six-CD autochanger audio system, a steering-wheel full of remote controls, colour satnav, and excellent air conditioning.
Trim is full leather, and passengers in the rear seats are treated to a DVD system with headphones and remote control.
Rather than list the impressive safety fitments, note that this Subaru holds America’s top five-star rating for front and side crash protection, and four stars in the same the tough anti-roll tests.
Finally, have no fears about this package’s durability - Subarus regularly score highly in reliability, satisfaction, and servicing surveys, and the firm was recently voted the Best Automotive Franchise Opportunity 2007 by the respected Institute of Transport Management.
The latter means more dealerships will be springing up, so if you haven’t yet clapped eyes on a big B9, you soon will…
By Phil Vaughan
One Comment
I must extend my hearty thanks to Subaru for their latest effort.
Yes. They have, at last, produced a semi-luxury SUV with all of the off-road kudos that goes hand in hand with the Subaru name. Yes. I’m sure that will all the rallying pedigree that Subaru has, that this new 4×4 will tackle ‘mac and mud with equal aplomb. And yes, the aversion to the repair man will probably be demonstrated as well with the Tribeca as it has been demonstrated by other cars in Subaru’s range.
What I will not thank them for is releasing yet another fat, ugly SUV which yet again highlights their space and fuel inefficiencies, and that again demonstrates that if you want added space and practicality then get a good estate car (unless, of course, you wear a top hat whilst driving; the extra headroom in a SUV will then make perfect sense).
Like the recent Audi Q7, this is just another string to the bow of the anti-car lobby.