The '08 Tribeca debuted at the 2007 Chicago Auto Show with a fresh new face and outlook in the hopes to please customers who had shied away from its previous pug-shaped nose. Motor Trend magazine gives its first real thoughts about this revamped crossover in the latest July issue.
As per Motor Trend:
Launched as a 2006 model, Subaru's B9 Tribeca had us scratching our collective heads. One name too many. Good looks too few. A 3.0-liter engine in a 3.5- to 4.0-liter world. Sales were tepid at best. Instead of letting this otherwise worthy crossover twist in the wind, the company acknowledged its misstep in record time and bucked up for a substantial round of fixes. The result now puts the Tribeca squarely in the game.
Gone is the "B9" piece of its moniker, so it's just Tribeca now. Gone too is the strange, aero-inspired visage. The nose job resulted in a face some call too generic ("Chrysler? Kia? What is that?"), but it's clean and pleasant-looking. The tushy tuck is an unquestioned improvement. Tribeca's revised D-pillar and rear-window design looks nicer, too, and help aid driving, as do larger, reshaped rearview mirrors.
To read the full review, go to MotorTrend.com