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The Subaru Tribeca - very thirsty and very expensive

Wednesday, 16 July 2008

The recent C02 emissions/motor tax changes brought good news for many diesel models, but bad news for some top of the range petrol models.
Subaru’s new Tribeca is in the latter category. This massive SUV with a 3.6 litre engine, saw its price rise from e69,250 to e75,995 on July 1. At present only a petrol model is available in Ireland.
The Tribeca, which takes its name from an area in the Manhattan district of New York City, was first introduced in 2006. Built on Subaru’s Legacy platform this latest model is a fine comfortable motor. The main changes are to the front and rear styling. But it couldn’t have come to Ireland at a worse time now that we are going green.
In hindsight this motor would probably have sold better when the Celtic Tiger was at its peak. However, we still have thousands of millionaires living in this island of ours and you just never know what way the market will work. But I’m told that rich people also like bargains.
Externally it looks like a regular SUV and has a tidy look to it. But I have never seen such a beautiful internal design. There are no corners in the front section of the car as the dash literally blends into the doors and you get an amazing wrap-around effect. There is plenty of glass and a sunroof which helps to give the car a really bright feeling.
As usual with these massive SUVs you might need a small step ladder to climb on board. But when you get inside the cabin the view of the road and indeed the fields are fantastic. And with the massive power that a 3.6 engine brings, you certainly will feel like a king of the road.
When reversing a rear-view camera is activated and you get colourful guiding lines on the display screen on the dash. A nice idea, one I first experienced in the Nissan Primera.
The Tribeca can seat five adults and at least two small children in a cute little third seat at the back. In reality most buyers will probably leave down the third row and use that space for storage. I don’t think the Irish birth rate is going up, but the extra seat would be ideal for transporting young boys or girls to sports events. Buy two Tribecas and you would have enough space for a soccer team and a few subs.
To try and save petrol you could use the cruise control or to take your mind off the petrol bill, play some relaxing CDs by using the futuristic-looking display on the dash.
The five-gear automatic gear box is a bit lazy, but if you prefer you can also change gears manually. I didn’t get an opportunity to bring the Tribeca off road, but with all-wheel drive it should be able to handle any terrain.
It’s a gorgeous motor and I took it to Cork for the Munster football final. Maybe I should have detoured via Carlow and visited that lucky newsagent where they sell so many winning lottery tickets. That’s the only way I, or most other Irish people, are going to be able to afford to buy a Tribeca.
Under the new C02 emissions rules the Tribeca comes in at the top of the range ‘G’ section, which means a whopping e2,000 road tax per annum. I really enjoyed my time in the Tribeca, but unfortunately it’s very thirsty and very expensive.

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