2008 Subaru Tribeca

The first generation of the Subaru Tribeca was a huge disappointment for Subaru fans. Instead of a worthy Subaru SUV, what we got was something more like a cheap minivan – only not so cheap! The 3.0-Liter EZ30 engine was underpowered to move the car and that combined with its minivan lines just made the original Tribeca fall flat on its face.

So I’m thrilled to report that the 2008 Tribeca is a completely different experience. Most importantly, Subaru has upgraded the car to a 3.6-Liter engine – still a 6-cylinder horizontally-opposed “boxer” design, with 256 HP and 247 lb-ft of torque. Also new is the 5-speed automatic transmission with sport-shift capability. Now, I generally don’t like a two-pedal box in a performance car, but in a CUV it’s generally an improvement provided that the engine has enough gumption to afford the power losses of the slushbox. The Tribeca performs nicely with the new automatic and the effect is quite pleasant.

The ride in the Tribeca is solid, and the handling is predictable – it’s not a small car, but neither is it a wallowing pig. The seats are comfortable for driving and the interior is quite spacious.

One feature of the Tribeca I have to single out for praise is the interior design. Generally, when a design tries to be as space-age and postmodern as the Tribeca the normal human usability suffers, but the Tribeca is a joy to work with. Everything from the gauges to the cup holders is well-designed and functional as well as stylish.

As usual, the Tribeca they’re passing around to the journalists is loaded with features – everything from leather seats to a back-seat DVD player and third row seating. But here’s the cool thing – you can load one of these babies out for about $10,000. The base price is $30,640 delivered. With the third row seating, Navigation, DVD, heated front seats, premium 9-speaker 6-disc stereo with MP3 and Satellite, cruise control, power everything, and even an auxiliary air conditioner for the back seats, you still get the Tribeca out the door for $39,678. Which is a deal in the upper end of the CUV segment. You can pay a lot more and get a lot less from other “premium” manufacturers.

Since the Tribeca is primarily a family car, the crash test ratings are likely to be something you’ll want to know if you’re shopping this segment. The Tribeca gets 5 stars for everything except rollover, where it earns four stars. So you can load the family up with as much confidence as any other car in this class. Fuel economy is 16/21, and our real world testing found this to be a reasonable claim provided you’re reasonable on the gas pedal.

The area where I think the Tribeca really outshines its competition will be in the AWD system – Subaru has more experience with their symmetric AWD system than any other manufacturer because every Subaru for the past 10 years at least has been an AWD car. This is not an add-on, but rather what this company is built upon. With the variable torque distribution system used on their automatics, Subaru ensures that as long as you’ve got some traction somewhere, the Tribeca can keep moving, which makes it an excellent and sure-footed choice if you live anywhere with winter weather.

The bottom line on the 2008 Subaru Tribeca is that if you looked at the previous model, you need to look again. They’ve fixed what was wrong. And if you liked the old Tribeca, you’re going to love the new one.

Written by Jeff Zurschmeide See more reviews from northwestautoreview.com.