Overview & Reviews

The Subaru B9 Tribeca was the first midsize SUV from a company that traditionally just made smaller station wagons with elevated ground clearance. Bigger and taller than other Subarus, the B9 was meant to be a viable alternative to established Japanese crossover competitors as well as other more upscale sport-utilities.

Named for New York City's fashionable and affluent TriBeCa neighborhood (the B9 was tacked on seemingly just for fun), it also became Subaru's first U.S. vehicle to feature a new design expression consisting of a stylized triangular grille and rounded bodywork apparently inspired by aircraft. It wasn't well-received, however, which was made all the worse because it was underpowered and not as spacious inside as other three-row SUVs.

In an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to turn the ship around, Subaru adopted more conservative styling for 2008 and ditched "B9" in the process. The rechristened Subaru Tribeca is covered in a separate review.

Most Recent Subaru B9 Tribeca
The Subaru B9 Tribeca was sold for 2006 and 2007, before it dropped the B9 from its name. Attached to its standard all-wheel-drive system and five-speed automatic was a 3.0-liter horizontally opposed (boxer) six-cylinder engine that produced 245 horsepower and 215 pound-feet. This modest output didn't do the relatively heavy B9 any favors, bringing it from zero to 60 mph in a pokey 9.6 seconds.

The B9 came in five- or seven-passenger configurations with either base or Limited trims. The base car included 18-inch alloy wheels, a sunroof, power front seats (eight-way driver, four-way passenger), a tilt-only steering wheel, dual-zone automatic climate control, and a six-speaker sound system with a CD player. An auxiliary audio jack was added for 2007. With its seven-passenger configuration, the base B9 Tribeca gained heated front seats and rear climate controls. The Limited got you leather upholstery and an upgraded sound system with a six-CD changer. Options on the Limited included a navigation system, a rearview camera and a rear seat entertainment system.

The Subaru B9 Tribeca's cabin had a distinct look with a waterfall center stack painted silver. It looked cool, but with its awkwardly arranged buttons, it was definitely a case of form over function. The cabin's abundance of hard plastic was also a turn-off, although we liked the central screen that displayed the climate control and audio information.

Many have found the B9 Tribeca's driving position awkward, which was largely a result of the non-telescoping steering wheel. Legroom was sparse for third-row passengers, and even those in the second row might feel a little cramped -- a rear-facing infant seat barely fits. Fortunately, cargo room with the seats folded was a bit more generous, with up to 74 cubic feet available.

In general, we found the Subaru B9 Tribeca to have too many flaws to be recommended as a used SUV purchase. Power was improved with the subsequent Subaru Tribeca, but it, too, remains an also-ran as more impressive crossovers have arrived on the scene.

User Reviews:

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  Excellent Choice - 2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca
  By Emma - January 25 - 12:23 am

  Amazingly a good value with extra features and good performance. Safety rated and safety features make this an outstanding value. Comfortable interior with the luxury of a car and the space of a midsize SUV...very happy.

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  Lovinit! - 2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca
  By Michelle A. - January 24 - 1:36 am

  I love this car! I traded in an 03 Honda Pilot. I was hoping for better gas mileage, but since I live in the mountains, I was willing to forgo mpg for better dirt road handling in the snow. Tribeca does that very well. I am 61" and have never fit in a Subaru comfortably. The Tribeca is amazingly comfortable, quiet, fun to drive and even fits my 61" and over sons very comfortably in the back seat.

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  Love the car, HATE the headlights! - 2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca
  By Hope Stewart - January 7 - 6:16 am

  This is a great car. Very comfortable, great ease in getting in and out of car. Smooth ride, fun to drive except at night. Low beam headlights are horrible, especially in rural Montana with not streetlights, just a lot of deer. Extremely dangerous! I have to drive with high beams to see, but this is not always possible with oncoming traffic and weather conditions. We have taken it to Subaru shop several times and another mechanic, and nothing can be done. If I had test driven this car at night, I wouldnt have bought it. The lights take away from all of the great things that I love about this car. I am afraid to drive it at in the dark, but I have to in the winter. Car is dangerous at night!

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  My Subaru - 2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca
  By taj - December 14 - 4:03 am

  I leased this SUV in October. The interior is something from a spaceship. All my friends are in awe of my Subaru. When I first drove the car home no one knew what it was and people were honking at me amazed it was a Subaru. Needless to say Ive seen many since that day and I dont blame them. This is a fun car with great handling and control. Snow? What snow? The radio pumps good sound and the touch screen navigation is the easiest Ive ever used. My wife loves the heated seats and my daughter is kept under control with her favorite movies playing from the built in 9 inch screen. And I can listen to my music because of the wireless earphones. Bottom line is I love this car and you would to.

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  Fun to drive, premium gas a problem - 2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca
  By Deep - December 10 - 2:33 pm

  After driving a 1990 Legacy, I switched to 2006 Tribeca. Now that I think of it, I have both Subies in their 1st year of mfg. It is fun to drive. So far driven 6000 miles. Pretty comfortable in long drive. Although not suitable for off-road driving, it is very nice ride on rough roads. Took it on a 500 mile drive recently. Only concern is its use of premium gas and also the pick up of the engine. It takes some time and the engine revs up with a lot of noise. But they are changing it in 08 models with a better engine.

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  Awesome - 2007 Subaru B9 Tribeca
  By Virginia - November 22 - 11:33 pm

  This is my second Subaru. I had a Ltd Legacy, over 100000 on it and traded it for a fuel efficient Honda Civic. My daughter now owns that with its 109,000 miles and many more to go. The Tribeca is my first sport luxury car. I drove 5 cars that day and once I drove the Tribeca, that was it, I couldnt go back to the others. I never want to rush somewhere, I just want to be in the car and mosey along. Do I mind a stoplight? Not at all. Just turn up the awesome speaker system. I sat in the third row... no problem for me, Im 55".

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  Wipers!! - 2007 Subaru B9 Tribeca
  By helpubirth - November 16 - 2:40 am

  Overall a good car. Not very roomy in back. 3rd row for small children only. Handling ability in snow is fantastic! However, I only have 2200 miles on this car, have had it in the dealer twice replacing the wiper blades and then replaced the whole wiper. The wipers DO NOT clear during snow. There is significant build up on the passenger side especially. To me totally defeats the purpose of having an AWD vehicle if you cant see when you drive the darn thing!!

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  Great car - 2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca
  By Chris - November 10 - 3:00 am

  It is a wonderful vehicle which floats down the road. Takes bumps with no apparent shaking or noise. Very quiet. Inside the front seat is like an airplane cockpit. Heated mirrors, side windows and wipers make it perfect for the colder climates.

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  Timing Chains break - No support from Subaru - 2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca
  By ob108 - October 25 - 3:51 pm

  This comment is dated, but I was looking for a recall notice. While your story is not a good one, here is one better. Less than 84000 miles on it when the timing chain fails. That cause the cam gear to fail and the dealer says they dont replace timing chains they replace motrs if they fail Scary I thought. I fix it and $2400 lighter it was running again only to find out that the main bearing was damaged and cannot be fixed. Thats why the replace motors. You would think that Subaru would stand behind one of their most expensive models. Nope I am on my own. To them I thank them for eduacating me that I will never trust them again.

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  Wow...what a Subie - 2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca
  By Don Morris - August 25 - 4:00 pm

  Subaru has done it again. What a class act the B9 Tribeca is. We drove it on a vacation to the OBX of North Carolina and the car performed like champ. The NAV system worked flawlessly. Note: Drivers using SpeedPass should not keep it on your keyring. It interferes with the ignition sequence and causes the engine to lock up for 10 minutes.