Tribeca Fails to Stand Out From the Crowd

2009 Subaru Tribeca Limited

model as tested $36,081

Test Drove 2/12/09 – 2/18/09
reviewed by Sara Lacey

With its 2008 redesign, I had hope for the 2009 Subaru Tribeca. On the outside, it’s a fairly vanilla-looking crossover, but the interior is another story, with its funky center stack. On paper, I thought it’d be a fun car to drive, and I was excited to check it out. In reality, the Tribeca is a lot to handle. It tried to be innovative and clever in an attempt to make me like it, but it was just over the top.

With a price tag on my test car of $36,081, the Tribeca left me feeling like I should get more for the money. It didn’t have a power tailgate, and it only had a single power sunroof and miniscule door storage. This made me wonder why I should consider the Tribeca over its family-mobile competitors.

The all-wheel-drive Tribeca feels a little stiffer on the road than your average crossover, and it seemed more in tune with the road than most crossovers I’ve driven. The six-cylinder engine accelerated just fine, and it never lacked for power. I had no problems merging onto the highway. My friend, however, thought it felt like we were riding in an old truck and didn’t enjoy the ride.

There was a lot of wind and engine noise — more than I expected — in the Tribeca. This wasn’t too bad when I was alone, but when the kids were in the Tribeca, it meant everyone had to whine a lot louder to be heard. My test car seated five, but the Tribeca is available with an optional third row. It costs more, but you’ll be able to seat seven in the crossover.

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