Tribeca is DEAD!

Subaru has officially announce the death of the Tribeca. They have cease any R&D into the next generation Tribeca due to lack of sales, all 910 last year.

Took them long enough clinging to hope that the sales trend would reverse

Pity though. I liked the interior and the car overall, but not the engine or fuel economy.

Here is a news link I was able to find

http://www.jconline.com/article/20110511/BUSINESS/105110325/Report-Subaru-will-dump-Lafayette-made-Tribeca?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE

That KIND of sucks. I liked those cars. They were so terribly marketed, and the B9 variant looked terrible that it overshadowed the 08+ model.

 

Maybe they'll release another full-size competitor.

 

I'd actually like to see a Subaru Minivan...

Took them long enough clinging to hope that the sales trend would reverse

Pity though. I liked the interior and the car overall, but not the engine or fuel economy.

 

But the 3.6 can use regular, and they had better mileage!

I actually kinda liked the newer Tribecas. But I agree with the B9... The grille is just atrocious.

That KIND of sucks. I liked those cars. They were so terribly marketed, and the B9 variant looked terrible that it overshadowed the 08+ model.

 

Maybe they'll release another full-size competitor.

 

I'd actually like to see a Subaru Minivan...

 

I'd like that so somebody on here will do a motor swap and make a monster power minivan :lol

But the 3.6 can use regular, and they had better mileage!

16/21 is what my Legacy gets in the winter

The 3.6 look a lot like a Chrysler.

Maybe this is our chance to pick up a used one for cheap.

900 sales in a year? That is just sad. Virtually no marketing states-side that I can think of.

This is news....why !

 

Most of knew it was dead from the get go.

 

Maybe this is our chance to pick up a used one for cheap.

 

Agreed,but their still gonna be pricey,even at deep discounts.

Another(Baja,Tribeca) Subaru stepchild gets the axe due to corperate/marketing ignorance.

To be fair, what did the Tribeca have going for it that was unique in the market or set it apart? It is an honest question. Thanks marketing department, I know next to nothing about it.

I know it came with the same 5EAT the LGT had, had a great looking interior (subjective I guess) and so-so mpg. Hauled 7? Cheaper than a Mazda CX7?

Price vs brand perception in the US coupled with lack of marketing is what killed it. Mid-30s for a Subaru?

 

LE: Ok, so it actually starts at 30K and caps at around 35K. A CX7 starts at about 10 grand less and gets better mpg.

Just playing devil's advocate here.

Originally Posted by BAC5.2

That KIND of sucks. I liked those cars. They were so terribly marketed, and the B9 variant looked terrible that it overshadowed the 08+ model.

 

Maybe they'll release another full-size competitor.

 

I'd actually like to see a Subaru Minivan...

 

you know there is a minivan in Japan called the "Sambar", which looked like a VW bus. Now its replaced by something called the "Dias Wagon." Heres a picture of it:

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Dias_WAGON.JPG/800px-Dias_WAGON.JPG

In my opinion the Tribeca was more odd than the SVX.

Is it bad if you liked the B9 over the newer design?

I liked the Tribeca and I am sad to see it go.

We have an 06 B9, and it's a solid suv FWIW. I enjoy driving it here and there, and we get around 25 mpg with the old 3.0. It's capable, spacious, and decently fun to drive for a 7 passenger suv. Didn't like the new version though, looked too much like a chrysler. Pity.

Didn't like the new version though, looked too much like a chrysler. Pity.

 

Agreed. While I did not like the B9 model either, the new one literally looked like a tall Town and Country from the front...

The '08+ Tribeca grille initally struck me as related to the Forester grille, then I later saw the similarity to the Chryslers.

 

I will definitely miss the Tribeca. A minivan would be a good replacement, though competition in that market is stiff with Toyota and Honda.

To be fair, what did the Tribeca have going for it that was unique in the market or set it apart? It is an honest question. Thanks marketing department, I know next to nothing about it.

I know it came with the same 5EAT the LGT had, had a great looking interior (subjective I guess) and so-so mpg. Hauled 7? Cheaper than a Mazda CX7?

Price vs brand perception in the US coupled with lack of marketing is what killed it. Mid-30s for a Subaru?

 

LE: Ok, so it actually starts at 30K and caps at around 35K. A CX7 starts at about 10 grand less and gets better mpg.

Just playing devil's advocate here.

 

The lack of marketing is definitely what killed it. It coulda been a contender!

When I bought mine, it compared favorably to the Murano in most details.

In the early years it topped out at $35K, but you can find them up to $40K now.

The lack of marketing is definitely what killed it. It coulda been a contender!

When I bought mine, it compared favorably to the Murano in most details.

In the early years it topped out at $35K, but you can find them up to $40K now.

I cross shopped the Murano and Tribecca back last year, bought the Murano, mostly because no-one carried a Touring model, and the Murano killed it in a few key categories like tech, handling, comfort, quality and styling (subjective).

 

.... then I traded it in 6 months later because the residuals sucked big time and the AWD system was utterly useless, BUT, I bought the Outback because it could deliver everything the Tribecca could (comfortable seating for 5) for a lot less.

The Tribeca will still top the Outback in towing capability. The Outback, being newer, definitely caught up to many of the capabilities of the Tribeca, and the Tribeca's next version would have widened the gap again, but now it looks like it may not happen,... unless Toyota's doing all the work on the next Highlander/Tribeca.

 

I could definitely see Subaru saying that they're ceasing R&D on the Tribeca, and that SIA will no longer produce them (which leads everyone to think the Tribeca's dead), but then it becomes a Toyota-developed vehicle - designed by Toyota R&D, and built in Toyota's Highlander factory in Princeton, Indiana.

 

Subaru's building the FT-86 for Toyota, so why not have Toyota build the next Tribeca for Subaru? (as long as they keep the necessary Subaru components - boxer engine & symmetrical AWD).

 

It could still happen.

I really liked our old tribecca...slow as hell, required premium gas and had crappy gas mileage.....but rode and handled very well for a mid sized SUV IMO.

I saw this coming. We had an 07 Tribe and it served its purpose for us, but the 3.0 labored when asked for mire power and the trans wasn't able to downshift fast enough. It was always gear hunting.

 

We traded it in last month.

 

I predict the Outback will get a little bigger to take the Tribeca's spot.

Any mention of the Exiga yet?

 

http://www.thetorquereport.com/2009_subaru_exiga_4.jpg

I usually run mine in Sport mode -it downshifts quicker and I probably use less gas, because in normal mode I have to mash the gas pedal to get it to downshift. I sometimes use manual mode when in rush-hour traffic - prevents all the up- and down-shifting. I sometimes wish I had the 3.6, then I start thinking about a turbo, or supercharger, then realize I don't have the money for those mods just yet.

To be fair, what did the Tribeca have going for it that was unique in the market or set it apart? It is an honest question. Thanks marketing department, I know next to nothing about it.

I know it came with the same 5EAT the LGT had, had a great looking interior (subjective I guess) and so-so mpg. Hauled 7? Cheaper than a Mazda CX7?

Price vs brand perception in the US coupled with lack of marketing is what killed it. Mid-30s for a Subaru?

 

LE: Ok, so it actually starts at 30K and caps at around 35K. A CX7 starts at about 10 grand less and gets better mpg.

Just playing devil's advocate here.

 

The CX-9 hauls 7, the CX-7 hauls 5. It is not really unique if you think in terms of an SUV, heck I looked at the Ford Edge (only seats 5) but if you think in terms of an SUV with Subaru AWD, and need REAL AWD, such as in the snowy mountains, it starts to stand apart. I have linked a youtube video that was on the SB9T web site [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gO8844BaHI]YouTube - Car Test SUBARU B9 TRIBECA[/ame]

that shows Subaru's AWD against some competitors.

 

The closest competitor feature wise was an Acura MDX, which has an MSRP about 10K greater (47K vs 37K) for a 3 row, seven seater, with a rear entertainment system and navigation. I used to own an RDX and would have loved the MDX, but I couldn't get past the 10K difference. I also wouldn't have gotten the full Kelly Blue Book on my spec B trade in that I got, so I made out both ways. It's true you can't fit two large adults in the third row, but that's where my kids sit.

 

It does tow much better than the spec B, but I miss the gas mileage (24 vs 18) and the fun factor, as there is no comparison in handling. I pretty much refer to the tribeca as my truck. I made the switch out of necessity due to an expanding family, but have no regrets. Now that it's going to be discontinued, I'm starting to feel spec B special again, in that I basically have a limited run model and won't be seeing everyone else driving one. As far as SUV vs SUV handling, the tribeca does stand out, again due to the lower center of gravity from the boxer engine. It also has excellent outward visibility.

 

For those that may be on the fence about snapping up the leftover supply, test drive, cross shop and compare. It drives better than it looks, and from the rear, looks better than most. Best of all, you don't have to leave the Suby family. After eleven years and three Legacys (2000 limited, 2005 GT limited, 2008 spec B), I have moved on to the tribeca world. Two other things it has, that I wished for in my spec B, are an excellent backup camera (awesome for backing up to your trailer) and built in bluetooth. Combine that with a better than average sound system, XM radio, a quiet smooth running engine, and a pretty smooth overall ride, it turns out it was a diamond in the rough. For my needs, seven passenger (to accommodate three child seats), towing capacity (3500 lbs), and dependable all wheel drive, it has no competition. Who knows what would have happened if it had a decent nose on the original version.

 

My two cents. See you on the for sale forums when I clean out my garage and sell the last of my legacy stuff!