2008 Woodie Awards
Something New from Subaru
Rachel Meyer
Issue date: 9/22/05 Section: Arts & Features
On the outside, it's just another full-size SUV. Remove the labels, send it zooming by and your peripheral vision might lead you to guess that any number of vehicles have just passed. From high-end luxury models - like the Porsche Cayenne - to less expensive crossovers - like the Kia Sorrento - the SUV market is still booming. Subaru didn't want to miss out on the fun, so for 2006 the Japanese automaker issued its B9 Tribeca. While Subaru billed its Forester as a small SUV, consumers didn't buy the idea - or the car. Thus far, Subaru has failed to benefit from America's sports-utility craze. Subaru hopes to change its fate with the B9 Tribeca, which is being offered in two trims: Standard or Limited. Each trim is available in a 5-passenger or 7-passenger model.
Though fully-loaded Subarus tend to enter the $30,000+ vicinity, the B9 Tribeca will start in this price range as the most expensive Subaru on the market. The most basic version of the B9 Tribeca starts at $30,695; but with options, Subaru's latest vehicle will come close to $40,000.
Subaru's philosophy has always been one of sensibility; function has generally tended to precede form in the Subaru lineup. While the B9 Tribeca is born out of this tradition (its exterior design reveals its un-hip DNA), the latest Subaru's interior sings a different tune. The man responsible for the interior design, Andreas Zapatinas, hails from Italian automaker Alpha Romeo. Italian sensibility is evident within the confines of the B9 Tribeca's cabin.
Leather interior is available in the Limited model, while the Standard version is offered with cloth interior. A choice of slate gray or desert beige (available in both leather and cloth) makes for an interior that looks smart and refined, at least for the driver and his/her front-seat passenger. While in most vehicles (excepting expensive luxury cars) the driver and front-seat passenger enjoy more accoutrements than the rear-seat passengers, in the Subaru's SUV, the divide seems to be more severe. The front seats receive so much more attention than the back row(s) that the car's cabin is reminiscent of a commercial airplane with a first-class section, coach seating, and (if you opt for the 7-passenger model) a steerage cabin in the optional third row. With cargo space in the third row, eliminating any and all space for packages, third-row passengers are made to feel like cargo.
Though fully-loaded Subarus tend to enter the $30,000+ vicinity, the B9 Tribeca will start in this price range as the most expensive Subaru on the market. The most basic version of the B9 Tribeca starts at $30,695; but with options, Subaru's latest vehicle will come close to $40,000.
Subaru's philosophy has always been one of sensibility; function has generally tended to precede form in the Subaru lineup. While the B9 Tribeca is born out of this tradition (its exterior design reveals its un-hip DNA), the latest Subaru's interior sings a different tune. The man responsible for the interior design, Andreas Zapatinas, hails from Italian automaker Alpha Romeo. Italian sensibility is evident within the confines of the B9 Tribeca's cabin.
Leather interior is available in the Limited model, while the Standard version is offered with cloth interior. A choice of slate gray or desert beige (available in both leather and cloth) makes for an interior that looks smart and refined, at least for the driver and his/her front-seat passenger. While in most vehicles (excepting expensive luxury cars) the driver and front-seat passenger enjoy more accoutrements than the rear-seat passengers, in the Subaru's SUV, the divide seems to be more severe. The front seats receive so much more attention than the back row(s) that the car's cabin is reminiscent of a commercial airplane with a first-class section, coach seating, and (if you opt for the 7-passenger model) a steerage cabin in the optional third row. With cargo space in the third row, eliminating any and all space for packages, third-row passengers are made to feel like cargo.