Subaru Tribeca 2007 review: road test

The market asked for a bigger engine, so it has now a gutsier 3.6-litre rather than the previous 3.0-litre. Customers asked for a better looking nose and tail – they’ve got it. They’ve even got a few things they didn’t ask for, like a bit of extra equipment and a price freeze.

The changes had an effect even before the mid-sized SUV went on sale this week.

When the updated Tribeca appeared at Sydney Motor Show in October, there was a marked spike in the level of interest. That’s bright news for Subaru, which hoped to sell 150 Tribecas per month, but has notched up about 130 per month on average.

Explore the 2007 Subaru Tribeca range

• Subaru Tribeca 2007 review: road test
• Subaru Tribeca 2007 review
• Subaru Tribeca 2007 review: snapshot

However it’s been a success in terms of conquest sales, with close to 80 per cent of buyers trading in from other brands.

But some of those might have been former Subaru owners forced to look elsewhere when they wanted to move to a SUV.

“Even our most loyal customers had no choice but to walk away if they needed the features a SUV offers, like more than five seats,” spokesman David Rowley says.

The first Tribeca didn’t exactly bring them back in droves, but the new one has a better chance.

For a start, it’s lost the controversial nose and tail in favour of a much more cohesive look, with a streamlined grille, restyled bumpers, bonnet and light clusters and larger three-quarter windows that update the profile – and improve visibility.

Access to the third row in seven-seat versions has been made easier, but otherwise there’s little change in the cabin. And really, nothing was needed; with the flowing dash, storage nooks everywhere and quality materials making the previous model a pleasant place to be – until you actually wanted to go somewhere.

But that’s been solved with the new engine –Subaru’s biggest ever – and its better outputs.

A new 3.6-litre develops five per cent more power, with its 190kW peaking 600rpm earlier when the needle hits 6000. And dual valve timing helps improve the torque by a robust 18 per cent, now hitting 350Nm at 4000rpm. That’s put to the constant all-wheel drive by a new five-speed automatic with sports and simulated manual modes.

Despite being larger, the engine is lighter, and fuel consumption is posted at 11.6 litres/100km – an improvement of 0.8L over the outgoing model. But all those figures are calculated on 95RON petrol, so if you use 91RON Subaru admits there will be a loss of between three and six per cent in low-speed torque and probably about two per cent in fuel efficiency.

The prices are unchanged from the previous model, which should help the new one towards the 200 per month sales mark tipped for it, with only two per cent expected to be the $53,990 five-seat base model and eight per cent for the $2000 seven-seat option.

At that level you get a great fit-out with all the usual suspects plus MP3-compatible audio, dual zone climate control air-conditioning, eight-way power adjusted front seats, touches of leather on the steering wheel and gear shifter, touch-screen sat nav and reversing camera.

And the standard safety list is five-star comprehensive, including dual front, side and curtain airbags, rollover sensor, xenon headlights, traction control and ant-skid brakes with assisting systems for hard and panic braking.

But it’s the Premium trim Subaru thinks buyers will largely head for, tipping 25 per cent for the $58,990 five seat but the largest portion — 65 per cent — handing over the extra cash for the seven-seater. This spec gets memory on the driver’s seat and heating to both front ones, leather upholstery, electric sunroof, roof rails and rear seat DVD with wireless headphones and remote control.

ON THE ROAD
The changes to the Tribeca are noticeable from the turn of the key. Where the outgoing model was lacklustre to the point of insolence, the new arrival is full of zip and eager to please.

Tap your foot and the engine responds happily, press it harder and you even get an enjoyable burble from under the bonnet. Launch feel is great and even when we had the car loaded up with luggage there was no sign of it faltering on slopes.

Nor did the new transmission hunt up and down through the gears in hilly country. It stepped down smoothly to an appropriate slot and stayed there until the terrain changed. Flicking it over to the Sport mode allowed the shift level to rise from 5000rpm to about 6500rpm, giving an even better reaction, while the simulated manual mode was swift fun.

The previous Tribeca was at least reasonably well-composed on the road – although that may have been because it didn’t have enough grunt to get into trouble – but this one’s revised suspension has even improved that area.

It always feels confident, insulates the cabin from bumps and can be surprisingly agile in cornering.

Even hauling has been improved with the 2000kg braked capacity download increasing from 100kg to 160kg.

Only the steering really lets it down with a lack of feedback that leaves you feeling no connection at all to what’s happening on the road. Minor issues are the lack of bolstering on the seats, and – while there are generous doorbins and what seems to be a crowd of cupholders – the glovebox is next to useless.

But overall, this is now an enjoyable drive, rather than a tedious one. Subaru finally has the SUV it needed.