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 Value - 2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca
  By Ron - March 13 - 11:43 pm

  Subaru has hit a home run with the Tribeca. The build quality is excellent. It has all the features one could ask for in this type of SUV. Good performance. Low interior noise. It has 18" wheels and is very responsive. Since its a brand new model just delivered, I cant rate reliability, but my experience with Subarus has been excellent. Thus far performance and fun-to-drive factors for the Tribeca exceed my expectations.

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  Love it! - 2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca
  By DaveD - March 8 - 1:03 am

  We bought it to replace our Pontiac minivan. We were looking for 4WD/AWD, 7 usable seats and better gas mileage than Sequoias and Tahoes. We were torn between the Tribeca and the Pathfinder. These were the only midsize SUVs in our opinion with usable 3rd row seats other than the Pilot. The Honda Pilots interior seems too plain, like a work car. The Pathfinder drives like a truck. We bought the Tribeca and love it! Weve already been on a 400 mile trip in the Tribeca and the kids had no problem in the 3rd row. Great car! Fun to drive and we have all the room we need. Decent gas mileage for a AWD SUV and it drives more like a car. We just wish it had automatic lights like GM cars.

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  Power Steering gone after 300 miles - 2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca
  By Michele - February 3 - 11:40 am

  Three days after I bought my Tribeca, the power steering went out. I had to have it flat bedded back to the dealer. The fluid reservoir is full, no leaks, the belts are fine. I guess I will find out how good this dealer is in how they treat me through this. I just hope it is not something that will happen again and that they fix it right. I LOVED the car before this happened and will probably love it again when it is fixed and I feel confident it will not happen again.

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  Best Yet! - 2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca
  By Mary J - January 21 - 7:30 pm

  The Tribeca is the fourth Subaru I have owned and it is truly the "best yet"! At 15 years and 250,000 miles, I gave my 1990 Legacy to my mother-in-law and prepared to buy an Outback wagon--until I saw the "coming soon" promotion on the Subaru website. I am not sorry that I waited 4 months for the Tribeca. The styling outside and in is very sleek and eye-catching. The controls for AC/stereo are very convenient. The Tribeca handles very well and is as fun to drive as my Legacy. I have taken several trips to mountainous areas. The Tribeca holds the road in the curves extremely well and I have plenty of power climbing. It handled wet roads perfectly. Comfort, style, performance -- best yet!

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  NIGHTMARE of a Car - 2007 Subaru B9 Tribeca
  By gldylox - January 2 - 11:55 am

  I bought this car with 62K miles which is low for a subaru. Let me preface this saying I have owned 2 subuarus before. I have owned this car less than a year and have the following issues... The car loses power when driving randomly. It stalls, lurches, and loses power. It has been in the dealership for 7 weeks off and on to solve this problem. Well at first they couldnt find anything wrong. Four check engine lights later and 5 visits to the dealership, 2 oxygen sensors, 1 catalytic converter and an oil leak later the car is still not fixed. This really has become a safety issue as the problem happens once the car has been driven over 100 miles. Wont buy a subaru again

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  My 2006 Tribeca - 2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca
  By Stephanie Allen - December 22 - 12:30 pm

  After a month of ownership I have found the Tribecas performance to be excellent. Its ride comfort is excellent with outside road noise at an acceptable level. The acceleration both from a start up condition as well as passing is better than average. Steering response is excellent and breaking is very smooth with minimum fade. Head room and leg room are is generous. MPG is as advertised. The ride is acceptionally smooth and subtle.

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  Awesome SUV from Subaru - 2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca
  By Manoug Beurekjian - December 7 - 8:56 am

  Overall the Subaru B9 Tribeca is a joy to ride and is quite amazing with a number of features standard. My wife was going to trade in her 99 Mercedes E320 and was looking to replace with an SUV. After looking at a number of SUVs, primarily German and Asian, I chose the all new B9 Tribeca because of the number of features that were standard and of higher quality materials than Nissan and other Asian manufactures. Being a loyal Volkswagen fan I was looking for something with a German look and feel without the price tag and problems of German. After the B9 Tribeca came out I was quite impressed with the press pictures and after driving it didnt even think twice, I bought it.

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  Was looking for a Subaru - 2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca
  By Stan - December 1 - 2:26 am

  I was looking for a Subaru because of the reliability, AWD, and performance. I saw the Tribeca in the showroom. I have seen one or two on the road before, but did not fancy the front so it did not come to mind when I was shopping for a car. I did not like the Impreza WRX, because it was a little too small, so I asked the dealer if I could test drive the Tribeca. Once I sat in the car, I fell in love. The console design is amazing. It drives and handles like an expensive luxury car. I was impressed by the safety reviews and the standard list of options that came with this car. So I ended up buying it and its truly a remarkable vehicle.

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  2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca Ltd. - 2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca
  By Paul - November 27 - 12:40 pm

  Good ride, sturdy, comfortable (important for me as I drive 2 hours a day).

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  Boat on wheels - 2007 Subaru B9 Tribeca
  By nina - November 19 - 8:20 pm

  Not as fun to drive as the manual shift Outback. Slow to get going from a stop and noisy engine rev makes it seem like an effort for the car to get going. Compared to my 11 year old Outback which has zippy pick-up with only four cylinders, this six cylinder car has the perfomance of a dinosaur. Nice interior styling though, but everything is electronic, including odometer. Gas hog.