Putrid horse collar grill. Looks like a Japanese Edsel turned into an SUV. Had a hard time keeping my cat from trying to cover my computer monitor with kitty litter after she took one look at that thang.

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I like the intersecting and layering lines of the dash, and also how it is almost symmetrical (obviously, without the wheel). Unfortunately, It seems to me like Subaru set out to copy the Murano. They got that down in the side and general body shape, made the headlights look almost like a Cayenne, and the back just makes me think of a Touareg. But the front grill....not a damn clue where that came from (and no, I never see Alfa Romeos here in So. Cal, so I really don't know what those look like). Just as long as the WRX doesn't have that rille, I'll be happy

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The headlights look like a cross between the Porsche and the Sienna, more towards the Sienna. From the side, its all Murano. Nose its peugot. Its too bad that the Nav scren isnt touch screen. If it is, it looks way toooooo far from the driver.

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The grille openings look like a C130 coming at you. (Or, I suppose, after it runs you over.)

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Subarus have had their grills upside down for years. It has kind of a funny nose but least it's smiling.

The interior looks very nice.

I was always fond of my old Electrolux (vacuum cleaner). I think I could warm up to this beastie.

After all, you can't see how it looks while you're driving it.

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Hey guys are you all designers! The Tribeca is what it is a distinctive Subaru.

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disclaimer: I am both a designer and a Subie fan/owner; that being said...

I really really like this beasty. Its distinctive, thought-provoking, challenging yet very well finished. The interior makes no excuses for itself. Audis and Renaults feature this level of design quality, and after experiencing the Legacy GT I cant imagine the materials are far behind.

The nose will evolve well on other Subaru products, yet is unique enough that you wont see yourself coming and going like other vehicles in its class.

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I agree with Zeke. I think people are too quick to dismiss this model.

I think Subaru's problem right now is that its entire product line, with the exception perhaps of the STI, blends in with everything else to the point where I doubt most consumers even think of Subaru when car shopping.

Love it or hate it, when the Tribeca passes by, you WILL notice it. And as the nose and styling evolves and gets incorporated across the range, people will begin to recognize Subarus.

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This Subaru looks better than my Touareg V8 in my opinion (and likely will not have the maintenance issues our VW has). Definitely looks like the Murano from the side however.

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I also agree with the last comments, Subarus are cars that you either love or hate; and their problem has been that basically they go unnoticed (with the exception of the STI, of course).
These are cars that normal people don�t think about, just because the desings have not been exotic or attention-drawing; they just think about them as oddly designed dependable cars.
I hope the Tribeca chages that perception; I own a 1997 OUTBACK Limited; and I wanted hat car from the moment I saw the first commercial; and it�s never let me down.
Before even reading these comments I came to the same conclusion but in a subtle and distinctive kind of way: it does have the side look like a Murano, headlights like the Porsche Cayenne,the front of an Alfa Romeo and the butt of a Touareg;
but hey!, the Honda Civic from the 1990�s and the Lexus LS400 were shaped after the Mercedes Benz S-class; the Toyota Land Cruiser and Mitsubishi Montero were designed after the Land Rover SUV�s...

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disclaimer: I am both a designer and an admirer of the Legacy, that being said...

I am sorry, the darn thing is just ugly and the side profile is a rip of the Murano. I must give Subaru kudos for the taking this chance but to be honest the execution of this design is beyond tasteless and this vehicle I guarantee you will find that lonely park bench where the Baja and the Aztec trade stories about always being the last ones of the lot.

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I drank the cool-aid in 1993 when I bought my first SVX.

So I am 5 Scoobies in and, well, she may not be a looker, but she is a goer!

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FWIW, when I mentioned the C130-ishness, it wasn't an insult. Articles on the Saab 9-2X talk about Saab becoming more like Subaru, but it seems like the reverse might be more true. Trendsetting drivetrains, extreme practicality, love-it-or-hate-it design: can the adjective "quirky" be far behind?

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i don't care about the interior with an exterior that ugly! it looks like an anteater.

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Interesting design. I'm on my seventh subie, currently a Outback Ltd sdn, 4 of which were Outbacks. I think they are on to something with the increased dimensions and quality. But you still hear $30,000 for a Subaru! People need to get over it. Subaru is a quality product for decerning buyers. They didn't rip off any designs from other vehicles, the Tribeca is an evolution of a great car into more of a true SUV. Subaru gets credit for going outside the drab box that the rest of the auto world seems to be falling into

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Hi All:
Nobody seems to have addressed the one question I have been asking for years: Why can't Subaru (or another quality Japanese nameplate) make a three-row (6-7 seat) station wagon??!???!!!

The Tribeca, an SUV (ugh), is built on the Outback, a Legacy saddled with useless (for on-road driving) added ride height and weight (bad for perfomance and handling - safety too), so obviously it can be done. With that being said, I need somebody to explain to me how it comes to pass that Subaru made an SUV instead of a premium three-row wagon? Isn't it obvious that unless one drives off-road (and so few do), an SUV is just a bad choice when considering matters of performance, safety, handling, braking, insrance, maintenance, ad infinitum? Plus, I can hardly believe that anyone would say they feel the Tribeca looks better than a Legacy GT wagon. Come on!

I like the fact that the Tribeca is Subaru with a third row option, but all that excess weight and higher center of gravity makes me think that the Tribeca is all about being on the mindless SUV bandwagon, and not making smart vehicles for smart people. Perhaps seeing it and test-driving it in the flesh might make a difference.

By the way, I own neither a Legacy or any other Subaru. I own a 96 Maxima-SE nd am looking at a New Avalon Touring or a Maxima-SE as a next car. I have two kids and both of these cars are spacious, powerful, and safe by any measure, but they lack all-wheel-drive (oh well, I guess nothing's perfect).

I would love to buy a Legacy GT wagon, but the Legacy is a little too narrow. I'm only 5'9" and find my arms and legs "smushed" up against the doors in the driver and front passenger seats (not good in a side-impact accident), and find that my feet can't even get under the front seats when I sit in the rear - it's just too small, despite the otherwise goodness that is the Legacy GT.

I would love to hear anyone's comments about any of the above.
Dean

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I honestly don't think it looks all that bad, unless you look at it head-on. The grille just seems too overwhelming, as are the headlights.

I think the interior looks good, however. It appears to be quality built with good materials.

I hope that if Subaru puts this new "face" on it's future models that it will look better proportioned with the headlights, or change the shape of the lights to work better with the contours the hood and grille present. The grille seems to take over the front end of the Tribeca, almost like a Dodge Ram or a semi.

Overall, though, I feel this is a good effort for Subaru's first "larger" SUV. Just need to work on that front end.

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Well, the thing is, it really is difficult to build a three-row station wagon.

Do have a third row of seats (or any row of seats, for that matter), requires three things. Head room, the seat, and leg room.

In order to provide the necessary head room, passengers sit very low in cars. That means that the leg room must be low as well, in order to fit the passengers.

So why can't there be a third row in a station wagon and yet there can be in an SUV? At that back end of vehicles, third row seats invariably find themselves sitting right next to the rear wheels. To sit behind them is a) too dangers to read-end accidents; b) too far behind to yield respectable handling dynamics; and c) too far from 2nd-row passengers to feel like you're still part of the family. Sitting in front of the rear-wheels is impossible - there simply isn't room, at least with the configurations that auto manufacturers have been going with these days.

So you must sit between the rear-wheels. Well, in station wagons, if you sat there, your legs would be where the gears are. SUVs have passengers sit much higher - not just higher from the ground than passengers in stations wagons (and sedans) sit, but also from the bottom of the vehicle (i.e. the bottom edge of the car body).

So you've got the seats high above the gears to allow leg room, and well, you'd have no head room if you put seats this high in a station wagon. SUVs are tall, and so there lies the head room.

I wish station wagons had three rows (although I'm 17, I don't exactly need that, but Subaru would make a killing, wouldn't they?), and maybe there have been a few attempts in the past. I don't recall any of great importance/success, however.

So there lies the problem. To have leg room AND head room, third rows, when situated between the two rear-wheels, can only exist in SUVs.
The last picture on this page is a good example of what I mean.

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And as for the vehicle itself - I like it, but I'm probably biased. My dad used an '84 Subaru right up until 2001. Needed SOME repairs, sure, but a dependable car nonetheless.

Anyway, it's pretty, but pretty is subjective. I agree that different parts of it look like different vehicles. But none of them have this combination of parts. Besides, someday, assuming we don't get to flying cars too soon, every (feasible) design will have been made, and it'll be a matter of choosing designs that already exist somewhere. It's creative in its own way.

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I had been looking at this car since March 05. I preordered one and got it the first week of June 05. This car is a class act, you can feel the quality. It handles just as well as my Legacy GT did. Plus you can shift manually as well as go in automatic. The interior is high quality and well thought out- even has an aux jack to plug the kids video games. Not much room for storage when you use the third row of seats. Also the radio needs a boost, 9 speakers ought to sound better than they do. Over all the quality, safety, and performance give a real sense of luxury. The grill is my favorite part!!! Not too carzy about the rear end view, but it is growing on me. This is a good quality car with a lot of potential, and if it follows the reliablity of the other Subarus then we have a winner here. The dealership says they can't keep them (or the accessories) in stock, people are loving them.

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