Three of a Kind

I'm still playing catch up from my blogging hiatus and something else that happened during that period was that we added my third Subaru to our stable.  Sadly Subaru #3 is not the Satin White Pearl BRZ Limited that I wanted, it's a 2013 Ice Silver Metallic Tribeca Limited.  With little one number three on the way the BRZ was never going to cut it.  Honestly, the Tribeca was not our first choice in the crowded crossover field.  We considered the Pilot, Highlander, Pathfinder, Explorer, and Tribeca.  the Highlander and Explorer were quickly dismissed; with a new Highlander on the way buying the old model didn't make sense and the Explorer just felt bad (the highlight of our test drive was the black headliner, that's not a good sign).  We wanted to like the Pilot and all of its practical boxiness, but the price for an EX-L 4WD was a little too steep.  We had decided that the new Mallfinder errr Pathfinder was the best choice, it has easy access to the third row seats for oldest child and another passenger while also providing a nice level of wife approved amenities.  However, when it came time to close the deal the dealership we were working with decide to play games, if any dealer does this I strongly advise anyone to walk away and that was what we did. We had test driven the Tribeca earlier and even had a decent offer, after a little searching we found an even better deal and that's how Subaru's little known and often unloved crossover found a space in our garage next to my Legacy GT.

Despite what the automotive press says about the Tribeca (I'm looking at you Edmunds), it is not horribly vehicle.  It definitely isn't perfect but what car is.  I find the time I've spent with our Tribeca to be a relatively pleasant experience.  Subaru's 3.6L flat six (EZ36D) produces enough power and torque to allow the Tribeca to get out of its own way with relative ease, with a surprisingly pleasant exhaust note.  I also find the handling to be better than all of the other crossovers we tried as well, likely due more to the 255 wide tires than lower center of gravity a boxer engine provides.  The Tribeca falls short in two glaring areas, mileage and third row space.  Even though it burns regular the Tribeca only gets about 20mpg on the highway and also has a smallish tank for its class.  In regards to the third row, it's really only fit for small children and people you don't like.  Though our little likes it back there and my 5'3" sister-in-law (that I like mind you) completed a 4+ hour road trip without issue or complaint sitting back there.  Our Tribeca is certainly a comfortable and capable family carrier and highway cruiser.  However, as an enthusiast I really want to do something to our new Subaru, but support for the slow selling Tribeca is slim to none.  That hasn't stopped me from looking though, I've already found a shop willing to tackle a custom axle or cat-back exhaust and 3.6 powered Subarus are tunable via Ecutek (though I really just want better mileage, but a little more power can't hurt).  The suspension is a lot trickier to tackle and honestly lighter wheels and stickier rubber may just be the way to go.

All of this is up in the air though, I already have a closest full of Legacy parts and an Impreza refresh project to tackle.  Also, with Subaru pulling the plug on the Tribeca after MY14 (and announcing an eventual return to the 7-seater market) it may be best to just leave the family truckster alone and replace it with what should be a more spacious and fuel efficient successor once it becomes available.  In the meanwhile though I'll just enjoy the time I spend with our new Subaru.