MANILA, Philippines - I don’t know if it’s just me, but ever since Toyota bought 18% of Subaru, the cars seem to have gotten 18% better looking. I don’t mean any offense, of course, but any Subaru owner will know what I’m talking about – it wasn’t exactly the kind of car you used to buy for its looks. There’s no doubt that they would drive well and last forever, but you always felt you needed to apologize for it. Sort of like that girl your mother always tried to set you up with that she would always say “has a nice personality”.
Well not the new Tribeca. Here’s a crossover SUV that you don’t need to park outside your neighbor’s house. It is a good-looking, very functional vehicle fused with the same core values that has turned the Subaru brand name into an almost disturbing cult. It features the 3.6 liter H6 boxer engine, which in pedestrian terms means that the pistons are horizontally opposed, giving it a lower center of gravity and less vibration, plus the famed symmetrical all-wheel drive system that is at the heart of every Subaru.
This was my first time to drive the Tribeca, and considering its bloodline, I had very, very high expectations. And at 2.7 million, I think it is quite fair to say that it doesn’t just compete with other crossover vehicles, but small apartments as well.
My test unit was finished in a spectacular Harvest Gold paint with a House-of-Representative’s-specification black tint and personalized plates. The 18-inch multi spoke rims filled up the mildly flared wheel arches, while the rear spoiler just completed its toned, athletic stance. There are piercing HID projector headlamps up front and a large gaping grille that looks like it wants to eat the car in front of it. It was, in a couple of words, elegantly intimidating.
On the inside, however, it starts to soften up with plenty of curved lines and soft edges, which gives it a more welcoming atmosphere than it implies from outside. Everything “swoops” and it gives you the feeling of being completely fluid with no starting points or abrupt endings. All the creature comforts are present, including steering wheel mounted audio controls, illuminated front cup holders, 3 stage front seat heaters (which really come in handy for practical jokes on your friends), rear air con vents, and a premium 9 speaker audio system with an auxiliary jack.
The new Tribeca now includes Subaru’s new electronically controlled 5-speed automatic transmission, which has been lightened even further to provide even more exceptional handling than you had already been spoilt with in previous generations of the brand. Shifting is exceptionally smooth and easily overridden by the manual mode, or SPORTSHIFT, as Subaru’s marketing people prefer to call it.
On a quick drive up and down some smooth twisty mountain roads, the Tribeca betrayed its heft by providing outstanding control through the corners with its trademarked symmetrical all wheel drive system that works brilliantly with the transmission’s variable torque distribution system that supplies 45% of torque to the front wheels and the rest to the rear.
I was able to load it up with passengers and luggage, and not once did the Tribeca break a sweat. With 258ps on tap, and an equal amount of pound foot of torque, the Subaru tackled whatever the road could throw its way and seemed hungry for more.
It really is very difficult to fault this car. I had just come from driving the similarly priced Nissan Murano, and the outstanding Mazda CX9, yet still, I was left terribly impressed. The power and handling were, to me, a given – it is a Subaru after all – but it was the unprecedented comfort and practicality on top of that that really left an impression. Something that handles this well has no business being so comfortable.
2.7 million may be a lot of money, but hey, this here is a lot of car.