Pretty similar concepts, very different outcomes. Chrysler spent all of their energy trying to convince people of what the Pacifica is, and nobody really seemed to understand what the hell it was supposed to be. Minivan? Tall wagon? SUV? All of the above?

If the Pacifica wasn't so damn heavy it'd be a pretty swift tall wagon, but it's just too damn heavy. Interior appointments and fit and finish are pretty probably better than the Tribeca, although, I haven't seen the interior of the Tribeca yet.

The Tribeca on the other hand, well, I think Subaru did a pretty nice job of moving up in scale and in class, but Subaru has somewhat of an uphill battle on their hands convincing people to move up to something larger than an Ouback, since so many people buy Outbacks as an alliterative to larger SUV's. Sure, it has non-conformist looks, and a smooth boxer 6 engine, but it is getting into that "OMG, it's a huge SUV" area that so many Subaru owners have such great disdain for.

It seems to me like they're both pretty nice cars, without a real market.

Child safety seats for older toddlers take up a lot of space. Put two of them in the back seat of a Forester, and there is no room for a third adult in the car. Hence the wider 5-passenger Tribeca, or even the 7-seat version.

The Tribeca is also similar in exterior dimensions to the BMW X5, Porshe Cayanne, the VW SUV, Honda CR-V, etc. Most of these SUV's are doing well in the US market. I'll venture to say that at least for interior room, the Subaru Tribeca is right where it needs to be to remain within radar sight of the family car shopper. The 24 MPG highway rating is not bad either when compared to other SUVs.

I wonder if it'll handle any better than the pudgy Pacifica.

I've seen a few reviews by people who have driven it and say it handles pretty well.

It's not that much wider than a Legacy, though, so I'm not sure you could get 2 toddler seats plus an adult in the middle row. Of course with the 3rd row you don't have to. (I sat in the middle row with 2 other big guys and we were pretty jammed. I'd say its good for 4 adults plus 3 kids)

Im a dodge boy in blood the family has been in dodge for 45 years. But hands down!!!!!

Tribeca!!!

[QUOTE=sir_wagon]Child safety seats for older toddlers take up a lot of space. check out Edmunds.com Town Hall on the Tribeca...great hands on assessment by two families, each with triplets and a spare..

The Tribeca is also similar in exterior dimensions to the BMW X5, Porshe Cayanne, the VW SUV, Honda CR-V... the CR-V is Forester size... the Tribeca is closest to the MDX/XC90...between a Highlander and Pilot.

vs the Outback(which is wider than a Forester and 17" longer than the Forester), the Tribeca is 4" wider, 1" longer overall, 3" longer wheelbase, and 5" taller... considerable improvement.

not that i wish to send others elsewhere(sorry mod's), but some of these specific questions are answered by folks that have been hands on comparing against the X5, RX, MDX, XC90, Pilot, etc... edmunds.com town hall... THEN come back home to NASIOC, and share the info...lots of cool info that i haven't heard of(i'm a dealer...yup...just opened myself up to the 'dealers don't know anything inquisition..)..anywho, here's a few more tidbits of info i learned there:
largest standard wheel/tire combo in class
ONLY in class with rear vented disc brakes
lowest power:weight ratio in class
largest 2nd row legroom
only in class with standard limited slip rear diff

Got a link for the Edmunds Tribeca discussion? I never go there because it's imposible to find anything.

believe it or not, i found the forum easiest via google!!

The Tribeca discussion is at http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.ef3c1fb/0 But there's 145 pages; how do I find the family assessment mentioned?

except unlike the VW and Porshe SUVs i bet the tribeca wont be crap and be far more rugged. but then again SUVs in this class arent marketed to the offroad types like the S10 Blazer was years ago.

url]http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.ef3c1fb/2841[/url][/URL]
#2841 of 2921 Re: Car seat space? [1stsuv] by papahawk May 12, 2005 (1:06 am)
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My wife and I have four children, including a set of triplet boys. Car seat compatibility is obviously a concern of ours, as well. In the dealer's ordering guide there is this information about car seats: "To help ensure a proper fit and ease of use, Subaru engineers purchased numerous popular-brand child-safety seats and practiced fitting them into the second and third row seats of the Subaru B9 Tribeca. One additional benefit from this testing and thoughtful touch: the third row seat can be accessed easily even if there is a child seat fitted in the second row seat."

Subaru seems to have done their homework on this vehicle, but of course, only time behind the wheel will tell. I, however, remain very comfortable with and confident about my order. This is an aggressively styled, feature-laden, and wonderfully priced SUV.

except unlike the VW and Porshe SUVs i bet the tribeca wont be crap and be far more rugged. but then again SUVs in this class arent marketed to the offroad types like the S10 Blazer was years ago.

Actually the V-dub and the FauxPorche are more equipped for off-roading than the Subaru Tribeca is.

They both have dual range transfer cases, heavy duty suspensions etc. They also weigh a lot more than the Tribeca does.

Actually the V-dub and the FauxPorche are more equipped for off-roading than the Subaru Tribeca is.

They both have dual range transfer cases, heavy duty suspensions etc. They also weigh a lot more than the Tribeca does.

exactly right. the tribeca isn't an off road driven attempt, as most SUVs aren't. the benchmark is moreso the X5.

I actually sat in a B9 Tuesday even though I wasn't supposed to as it was in the dealers back lot and all the doors save the left rear were locked - go figure. But I must say there is a great deal of more room for the driver then in the Forester, and there is a ton more leg room in the back (2nd row) seat. Initial impressions of the interior are very high, the interior looks MUCH better than my dad 04 Navigator, I love the arched dashboard and how it seems to flow/spill out onto the doors. The finish of the materials is excellent no cheap finish anywhere to be found.

As to the exterior, the front looks MUCH MUCH better in person than in the photos, it seems to flow quite nicely. Now the back is a different story, I do like how the liftgate is opened with a simple press of the soft button - no pulling on handles that brake nails (my wife’s complaint), but I don not like the love handle. That bulge in the back of the car reminds me of a love handle - perhaps that was Subaru’s attempt at making the B9 cute.

In all I must say that I am very impressed with the appearance of the B9 both in and out (to a somewhat lesser extent). As the how it drives - sadly the dealer did not leave the keys in the car :rolleyes: BUT I am going over there tomorrow to pester them into letting me drive it - wish me luck.

I only read the title but I gotta go Pacifica. I mean, American cars last such a long time, the build quality is A+, and the Chrysler name...chicks dig it!


Anyone wanna trade their SRT-4 for my STI?

[QUOTE=sir_wagon]lowest power:weight ratio in class


I think you meand highest power:weight ratio, as in, there is more power per unit weight than any other vehicle in its class.

No, he meant lowest power to weight ratio. For an SUV, you really want to be comparing torque, and there the Tribeca compares unfavorably to a broad range of competitors. A quick comparison to the usual suspects shows the B9 lugging around 19.4 lbs per lb-ft of torque, while most of the competitors only need to pull around 16-17. And even the Murano betters the B9 in the lb/HP category with most others right behind.

Also, the B9 has the shortest published Rear Leg Room at 34.3" and the shortest combined Front+Rear Leg Room at 76.6" while most of the competitors are 78-79 inches. It also has one of the smallest Max. Cargo capacities and the smallest 3rd row cargo capacity.

It also has by far the smallest gas tank at only 16.9 gals. which gives it the shortest combined range of the listed competitors.

Here is a quick summary from Edmunds (sorry for the lack of formating);

2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca 7-Pass. 4dr SUV AWD w/Gray Int. (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
2005 Ford Explorer XLT Sport 4WD 4dr SUV (4.6L 8cyl 5A)
2005 Honda Pilot EX AWD 4dr SUV w/Leather and Navigation System (3.5L 6cyl 5A)
2005 Lexus RX 330 4dr AWD SUV (3.3L 6cyl 5A)
2005 Nissan Murano SE AWD 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl CVT)

Pricing B9 Tribeca Explorer Pilot RX 330 Murano
MSRP $32,395 $34,430 $34,320 $37,425 $31,200
Invoice $29,905 $30,894 $30,871 $33,120 $28,692
Horsepower 250 hp @ 6600 rpm 239 hp @ 4000 rpm 255 hp @ 5600 rpm 230 hp @ 5600 rpm 245 hp @ 5800 rpm
Torque 219 ft-lbs. @ 4200 rpm 282 ft-lbs. @ 4000 rpm 250 ft-lbs. @ 4500 rpm 242 ft-lbs. @ 3600 rpm 246 ft-lbs. @ 4400 rpm
Max. Cargo Capacity 74 cu. ft. 86 cu. ft. 90 cu. ft. 85 cu. ft. 82 cu. ft.
EPA Mileage Estimates B9 Tribeca Explorer Pilot RX 330 Murano
City 18 mpg. 14 mpg. 17 mpg. 18 mpg. 20 mpg.
Highway 24 mpg. 18 mpg. 22 mpg. 24 mpg. 24 mpg.
Fuel Tank Capacity 16.9 gal. 22.5 gal. 20.4 gal. 19.2 gal. 21.7 gal.
Range in Miles B9 Tribeca Explorer Pilot RX 330 Murano
City 304 mi. 315 mi. 347 mi. 346 mi. 434 mi.
Highway 406 mi. 405 mi. 449 mi. 461 mi. 521 mi.
Weight 4245 lbs. 4469 lbs. 4431 lbs. 4065 lbs. 3981 lbs.
Front Leg Room 42.3 in. 42.4 in. 41.4 in. 42.5 in. 43.4 in.
Rear Leg Room 34.3 in. 35.9 in. 37.4 in. 36.4 in. 36.1 in.
Combined Leg Room 76.6 78.3 78.8 78.9 79.5
Lb/HP 16.98 18.69 17.37 17.67 16.24
Lb/TQ 19.38 15.85 17.72 16.79 16.18

Check out the July Motor Trend for a review on Becky (yeah, I already named it.) I'll need a (at l)east) 7-seater come October, but I think I am going towards the Odyssey route. I have only two concerns about Becky: 1. Don't know how much room is behind the 3rd row when the seats are up. 2. Although right where it needs to be (even low) relative to the competition in the market, it is still pricey for me.

I'll still go and check it out at the dealer though to, at least, have my first concern addressed in person.

- :alien:

1. Don't know how much room is behind the 3rd row when the seats are up.


The specs list the space at 8.3 cu. ft., but it is often the shape of the space that dictates usefullness. I suggest that you bring whatever you plan on stashing there (stroller, babybag, etc.) to see if it will fit.

The room behind the rear seat isn't large, but definitely enough for some cargo. Certainly not enough if you are going to road trip with 6 or 7 people.... But few things on this planet are that big.

tbert: I doubt you'd get a normal stroller back there. Both of your issues are why I would likely go for the Odyssey instead if I needed a bigger vehicle.