2009 Subaru Tribeca Philadelphia

See Our New 2009 Subaru Tribeca Philadelphia, PA

2009 Subaru Tribeca Design

We find the Tribeca a joy to drive, with a roomy, comfortable cabin that has an upscale feel. It's a practical vehicle with lots of nice features. The bigger engine has given the Tribeca the power it needed. Subaru is a leader in all-wheel-drive technology so the Tribeca boasts one of the best such systems in this class, making it a superb choice for foul weather. In short, we list the Tribeca as a buy. It's comparable to the Highlander and Murano, and that's high praise indeed. And we no longer have to offer excuses for the styling

Along the sides, the body panels are mostly vertical, though not slab-like; their expanse is broken by mild fender blisters circling properly proportioned tires and wheels. Beginning at the trailing edge of the front door and even with the door handles, a soft crease grows as it moves rearward, giving the rear portions substance before ending in the wraparound taillights. An understated character line etched into the doors and running between the wheel arches draws attention to the matte-black rocker panels and subtly reminds the observant of the Tribeca's 8.4-inch ground clearance. The steeply raked windshield and A-pillars pull the eye up and over the tall glasshouse to a spoiler laid atop an acutely angled back window.

Handling of the 2009 Subaru Tribeca

The Subaru Tribeca is enjoyable to drive regardless of weather conditions.

It's powered by a 3.6-liter horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine that makes 256 horsepower and 247 pound-feet of torque. Subaru's 3.6-liter six-cylinder delivers competitive performance in a class filled with excellent V6s. We found the 3.6-liter H6 offers responsive power. Only slight pressure on the gas pedal brings up sufficient power for passing.

The transmission is smooth and responsive. Shifts up and down are managed almost seamlessly. Even when shifted manually using the SportShift there is only the slightest interruption in the energy flow. When using the SportShift, the Tribeca will shift up a gear automatically at engine redline (because it assumes the driver forgot it was in manual mode); it will not, however, drop down a gear without the driver tapping the lever forward. We often found it easiest to simply put it in Drive and let it do its own shifting, since it did such a good job on its own.

2009 Subaru Tribeca Lineup

The base Tribeca comes with five-passenger seating, cloth upholstery, an eight-way power adjustable driver's seat and a four-way power passenger's seat, both with manual lumbar adjustment. The second row of seats is almost as flexible as the two front seats, with a 40/20/40-split reclining seatback and a 60/40-split seat bottom adjustable fore and aft. Dual-zone automatic air conditioning is standard, as is a 100-watt, AM/FM/CD/MP3 stereo with six speakers and an auxiliary input jack. Other standard features include cruise control, an interior air filter, fog lights, remote keyless entry, power windows, power heated outside mirrors, and power door locks. The steering wheel, which tilts and has radio controls, and shift knob are covered in leather. And there's an information center displaying audio settings, time, fuel economy and outside temperature. The standard tires are P255/55HR18 Goodyear Eagle LS2 all seasons on alloy wheels. The seven-passenger Tribeca ($30,995) adds a third-row seat split 50/50 and an auxiliary rear air conditioner fan control in the second seating row.

Tribeca SE, or Special Edition, is available with five-passenger or seven-passenger seating; both come with leather upholstery; rear air conditioner fan control; heated front seats; memory driver's seat; and an upgraded nine-speaker, 160-watt sound system with a 6-CD changer.

Tribeca Limited five-passenger and seven-passenger models add a sunroof, a universal garage door opener, and roof rails. Touch-screen navigation is offered only on the Limited model, and it includes a rearview camera and XM satellite radio. A rear-seat DVD system is available on seven-passenger Limited models with navigation.

Interior of the 2009 Subaru Tribeca

We found getting in and out easy. We didn't have to climb up into it or down into it. We simply opened the door and sat down. Once underway, the relatively high seating position allowed us to check traffic several cars ahead. Outward visibility is slightly compromised by the thick A-pillars (on each side of the windshield); thick pillars are the trend as automakers design vehicles to better protect occupants in rollovers. More than once, we overlooked a pedestrian or another car at an intersection because the pillar blocked our vision. With the 2008 restyle, the rear pillars became thinner, making the view out the rear a bit better than it was before.

Once buckled in, we found all the controls easy to locate and operate. The gauges and panels tasked with communicating important information did so quite naturally. We liked the large tachometer and speedometer, which were easy to scan. The fuel and coolant temperature gauges weren't completely intuitive, tucked away in the lower outboard corners of the instrument cluster and utilizing LEDs in lieu of the analog style. Arms and hands rest naturally on nicely textured surfaces with the requisite buttons and levers where they should be. Steering wheel-mounted supplemental controls are styled into the sweep of the wheel's spokes. The shift lever's SportShift slot, which allows the driver to manually select the desired gear, is properly placed to the driver's side of the primary gate.

The rounded center stack extends into the cockpit for easy access to its controls and features. The primary audio control knob is centered within ready reach of the driver and front-seat passenger. The heating and ventilation controls are really cool, with big knobs that feature digital readouts. The front passenger's air conditioning temperature control knob is thoughtfully positioned facing the passenger. The stereo handles MP3 media, and includes an input jack in the center console. An elaborate information screen and (optional) navigation system display are centered in the upper half of the dash with controls that are accessible to both the driver and front passenger.

Conclusion

The 2009 Subaru Tribeca has all the right feel of control and dexterity, plus impressive hauling capacity for people and things. The 3.6-liter H6 engine delivers competitive performance when compared with other SUVs. Careful suspension tuning and a relatively low center of gravity results in responsive handling that makes driving the Tribeca enjoyable. The engine and ride quality are smooth and comfortable. Subaru's all-wheel drive technology is thoroughly proven. The current styling is more attractive than that of the 2006-07 models.