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By
EWAN KENNEDY
11 February 2008
Launched in Australia late in 2006 the original Subaru Tribeca SUV
drew quite a bit of criticism regarding its radical body shape.
Though it was great to see the designers having a bold stab at
something out of the ordinary, sales were relatively slow so the
Japanese company bit the bullet and came up with a major facelift
and introduced that car here in December 2007.
What hasn’t been changed is the radical interior styling. The
dramatically curved twin-cockpit still looks as futuristic and
exciting as ever. The front seating area is divided by a sweeping
centre console to the extent that it almost becomes two separate
cockpits rather than a single area. We really like this design
and, despite first appearances, there's still plenty of room for a
pair of wider than average people. The interior is finished to a
high standard that matches the best of the much more expensive
German prestige marques.
Though it can be argued that the body shape of the original
Tribeca was flawed, a more realistic criticism was its lack of
engine power. It wasn’t too bad on the flat, but in hilly
terrain the 3.0-litre boxer engine struggled at times,
particularly if a lot of people and/or luggage were carried in
what is a reasonably heavy car.
Now the engine has jumped all the way up to 3.6 litres in size,
a full 20 per cent improvement. Maximum power has been increased
from 180 kW to 190 kW with torque up from 297 Nm to 350 Nm. This
torque peak doesn’t come in until a relatively high 4000 rpm,
but there's good pulling power from about 2000 rpm upwards.
Cleverly, the new Subaru’s more powerful six-cylinder engine
is marginally lighter than the old one.
As the engine isn’t working as hard it often uses less fuel
(unless, of course, the driver becomes a revhead and makes full
use of all that extra grunt). Driven normally, the engine can use
as little as 10 litres per hundred kilometres in freeway and easy
country driving. This will rise to about 11 to 13 litres per
hundred in suburban commuting.
The five-speed automatic transmission was improved at the same
time as the engine, chiefly to give faster, more accurate gear
changes, but the modified auto also contributes its bit towards
the reduced fuel consumption.
Tribeca's cruising ability has been noticeably improved by the
additional power and torque from the larger engine and it really
lopes along serenely.
Tribeca comes with the choice of five or seven seats. Access to
the optional third row seats has been improved in the facelifted
model by the addition of new tilt-and-slide controls on both sides
of the centre-row seats. Nonetheless, only the small and supple
will get themselves into the rear row without a hassle.
Third-row 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. Take the kids along on your test
drive to get their opinion on this important matter. Important for
the sanity of the parents as well as the pleasure of the junior
travellers.
With all seven seats in place there is limited luggage space
but the Tribeca is hardly alone in this comprise. Folding flat all
the seats behind the front buckets gives a huge load area, and
doing so is a beautifully simple operation. The Tribeca offers no
fewer than 64 luggage/passenger combinations.
Ride comfort is very good on smooth roads and there's a real
feeling of refinement. Rough roads are coped with moderately well
and provided you don’t rush at them over much.
Road grip is high for a vehicle in this class, which obviously
means it’s not as good as in a passenger car, so you have to
drive accordingly. Handling is predictable, but this is a heavy
vehicle with a relatively high centre of gravity so you couldn’t
really describe it as nimble. But as a people mover it’s more
than adequate in the way it performs in bends.
Subaru Tribeca isn’t intended to be a heavy-duty, off-road
vehicle, rather it’s an on-road SUV that provides good traction
on dirt and muddy roads. But the 215 mm ground clearance is better
than that of many in this class so you can take the family on some
reasonably adventurous trails to get full value from your SUV.
Subaru is a longtime expert in all-wheel-drive systems and
there are electronic stability devices to assist on slippery
surfaces and/or when the driver makes a mistake.
Subaru is to be complemented on the speed in which it reacted
to criticism of the original Tribeca. The latest version is a
delight to drive and seems sure of sales success.
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
Tribeca 3.6R 3.6-litre petrol five-seat five-door wagon - $53,990
Tribeca 3.6R 3.6-litre petrol seven-seat five-door wagon - $55,990
Tribeca 3.6R Premium 3.6-litre petrol five-seat five-door wagon -
$58,990
Tribeca 3.6R Premium 3.6-litre petrol seven-seat five-door wagon -
$60,990
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard in all models
Air Conditioning: Standard in all models
Automatic Transmission: Standard in all models
CD Player: Standard in all models
Central Locking: Standard in all models
Cruise Control: Standard in all models
Dual Front Airbags: Standard in all models
Front Side Airbags: Standard in all models
Stability Control: Standard in all models
Traction Control: Standard in all models
SPECIFICATIONS (Subaru Tribeca 3.6R 3.6-litre petrol
five-seat five-door wagon)
ENGINE:
Capacity: 3.630 litres
Configuration: Six cylinders horizontally opposed
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 10.5:1
Bore/Stroke: 92.0 x 91.0 mm
Maximum Power: 190 kW @ 6000 rpm
Maximum Torque: 350 Nm @ 4000 rpm
DRIVELINE:
4WD Type: Full-time
Manual Transmission: Not offered
Automatic Transmission: Five-speed
Final Drive Ratio: 3.583:1
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4865 mm
Wheelbase: 2750 mm
Width: 1880 mm
Height: 1685 mm
Turning Circle: 11.4 metres
Kerb Mass: 1888 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 64 litres
Towing Ability: 750 kg (2000 kg with braked trailer)
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: Independent, MacPherson struts, lower L-Arms
Rear Suspension: Independent, multi-link, double wishbone
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Ventilated disc
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 8.9 seconds
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Type: Petrol 95RON
Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 11.6 L/100km
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Three years/unlimited km
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Marque Publishing Company
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