Not quite the Subaru of SUVs

(Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre, Auto123.com)

Most people know what all-wheel-drive means. It means that the owners of vehicles with AWD will not have to shovel their cars out of snow banks this winter. All kidding aside, with winter well on its way, the idea of having four wheels working for you instead of just two sounds really good. I have driven many vehicles from this manufacturer which is synonymous with the term AWD and have always been impressed with their aptitudes. The B9 Tribeca is completely new from Subaru for 2006. It is the first entry from Fuji Heavy Industries in the midsize SUV segment.

AWD is certainly very useful and one of the best known carbuilders for this mode of propulsion is without a doubt Subaru. They are widely recognized as having one of the best systems in the industry and are actually the only car maker to offer it as standard equipment on all of their cars and trucks. With this is mind, we would all assume that Subaru would not miss the opportunity to create a highly capable truck especially when they are this late in the game.

Base price for the 5-seater B9 Tribeca is set at $41,995. The top of the line 7-seater with navigation and DVD player is priced at $

(Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre, Auto123.com)

52,495. I drove a base model for a week.

Styling

The Subaru is yet another crossover vehicle which aspires to be many things rolled into one. Of the most striking elements of the Tribeca is Subaru's new corporate grille which is designed to resemble a landing plane. At first I did not like it, but it has quickly grown on me not because it is beautiful but because it is original and distinctive. The Tribeca's sleek shape resembles more a minivan than an SUV as there are nearly no straight lines on its entire body. This is not to say that that the final product is banal. If anything, the ex-Alfa Romeo designer who penned the B9 used some cues commonly associated with the Italian make, namely the rear taillights. The triangular shaped headlights create an interesting reference point in the coming together of the hood, front fascia and fenders. Paint application is good and panel gaps are even throughout.

The interior design is one of the Tribeca's principal attractions. The dash outline is cockpit/wraparound style that works nicely with the global shape and look of the truck. Although the layout is functional, I found some of the

(Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre, Auto123.com)

controls to be a little out of reach. I also had a hard time finding a comfortable driving position. The dashboard is actually quite low even with the standard power seat in its lowest position. The absence of a telescopic steering column did not help.

The seats are perhaps the most disappointing item in the otherwise purposeful cabin. The seatback of the front buckets is so thinly padded that I could feel parts of the seat's structure on my back. The lower cushion itself is somewhat too soft in the middle but not uncomfortable. The second row split folding bench can slide fore and aft. This motion serves two purposes; to allow for more legroom for passengers and to create easier access to the third row of seats. The 6th and 7th places onboard the Tribeca should be specifically reserved for small children. In essence, the only reason why they are offered in the truck is to compete with other SUVs that make the third row available.