Subaru B9 Tribeca Review

The B9 Tribeca is a bit of a departure from the norm for Subaru - but none the worse for it.

If you take into account all the company's AWD know-how, the next logical step from sporty saloons and estates would be an SUV.

The B9 Tribeca is built in the US where it has been on sale for a year. It eventually arrived over here in November having undergone some cosmetic changes and having benefited from a finer-tuned rear suspension, more in keeping with our tastes and roads. In case you were wondering, Tribeca is a fashionable area of New York.

Subaru is pitting this stylish SUV against the likes of the BMW X5 and the Volvo XC90. To be fair, in terms of everyday use, there's little to choose between them, except the fact that the Tribeca is around £6,000 cheaper.

Prices range from £28,995 for the well equipped S5 to £33,995 for the 7-seater SE7, which comes complete with DVD rear entertainment system and separate air-conditioning for the rear occupants. In the middle is the SE5, which was the test car, priced at £31,995.

The S5, base model is anything but basic. Standard features include; dual-zone air-conditioning, 8-way powered front seats, front fog lights, heated electric door mirrors, an integrated 6-CD autochanger with MP3 compatibility plus nine speakers, a leather-bound multi-functional steering wheel and cloth trim.

The SE5 adds full leather interior, the driver's seat gains a memory function, which includes the door mirrors, heated front seats, a tilt'n'slide sunroof and DVD navigation with a full-colour reversing camera.

Rather than the more conservative grey, the test car had the beige leather interior. The cabin is so spacious with seemingly acres of sand-coloured leather and trim, that you half expect to see T.E. Lawrence in the rear-view mirror. Sensibly, the lower part of the doors and the carpets are dark grey and easier to clean.