|
By
ALISTAIR KENNEDY
10 December 2007
Subaru has released the latest version of its Tribeca luxury
SUV with significantly toned-down styling as well as extra power and
torque from the company’s largest engine to date.
Launched here in November 2006 the original Tribeca attracted
quite a bit of criticism, mainly from the media, regarding its
quite radical styling. Which is disappointing because, like them
or hate them, fresh new designs need to be encouraged.
Having said that we weren’t fans of the three-piece grille on
the outgoing Tribeca and find the grille on the new model a lot
more appealing.
We were pleased to see the dramatic curved twin-cockpit styling
retained for the front seat occupants.
A more realistic criticism of the first Tribeca was its lack of
power. In hilly terrain the previous 3.0-litre boxer engine
struggled at times to move what is a reasonably heavy vehicle.
The new engine has a capacity of 3.6 litres and, as with all
Subaru powerplants sold in Australia it is a horizontally-opposed
unit. Maximum power has been increased from 180 kW to 190 kW with
torque up from 297 Nm to 350 Nm although this peak doesn’t come
in until a relatively high 4000 rpm.
Despite the larger engine capacity, the new engine is
marginally lighter than the old one, contributing to a reduction
in fuel consumption from 12.4 litres per 100 kilometres to 11.6
L/100 km. That’s impressive given the greatly increased torque.
The five-speed automatic transmission has been improved with
better shift control for more accurate gear changes and reduced
fuel consumption.
Our initial test of the new Tribeca was done on a 200-kilometre
drive program in the outskirts of Melbourne and, apart from a
token couple of kilometres on good gravel roads, was all on
motorways or sealed country roads.
Typical of its class Tribeca is quite a heavy vehicle with a
relatively high centre of gravity and will typically be driven in
a conservative manner. Driven like that it’s competent in its
handling and even pushing hard doesn’t create any dramas.
Tribeca's cruising ability has been noticeably improved by the
additional power and torque from the larger engine.
As before Tribeca comes with the choice of five or seven seats.
Access to the optional third row seats has been marginally
improved by the addition of new tilt-and-slide controls on both
side of the centre row seats, nevertheless, only the small and
supple will get themselves into the rear row without trouble. Of
course these seats are designed primarily for small children and
there is a reasonable amount of space for them.
Third-row seat passengers will welcome the significantly larger
rear quarter windows although the rising waist line of the car
means that these windows are quite high and still likely to be
above the eye level of smaller children.
With all seven seats in place there is limited luggage space
but Tribeca is hardly alone in this regard. Subaru is anticipating
a 90 per cent take-up of the seven-seat option.
As before the big Subaru comes well-equipped: the entry-level
Tribeca 3.6R’s safety features including ABS brakes with brake
force distribution and brake assist, front, side and curtain
airbags, stability and traction control, xenon headlights and a
reversing camera. These contribute to it gaining a five-star ANCAP
rating for occupant safety.
Also standard in all variants are satellite navigation,
six-disc MP3 compatible CD player, cruise control, dual-zone
climate control air conditioning, power-adjustable front seats,
leather steering wheel and gear lever trim and 18-inch alloy
wheels. The spare wheel is a space-saver which is mounted beneath
the rear of the vehicle.
The Tribeca 3.6R Premium model, also available with either five
or seven seats, adds leather seat trim, power sunroof, rear seat
DVD entertainment system and roof rails.
Despite all its improvements and standard features there has
been no increase in price from that of the outgoing Tribeca.
The complete 2008 Subaru Tribeca range, with prices (excluding
on-road costs) is:
Tribeca 3.6R five-seat: $53,990
Tribeca 3.6R seven-seat: $55,990
Tribeca Premium 3.6R five-seat: $58,990
Tribeca Premium 3.6R seven-seat: $60,990
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
|
