Autoblog

When we first saw the new Subaru Impreza and Tribeca at the New York Auto Show, we were a little disappointed with the overall styling direction. It seems as though Subaru wanted to play it safe with two of its most important models, but little did we know, the worst was yet to come. After seeing the two-tone 2008 Outback on the VWvortex forums, we think Subaru just abandoned safe in favor of just plain ugly. Although we can appreciate the dearth of plastic cladding surrounding the Outback, it honestly looks like the plant where this beauty was assembled ran out of paint for the front and rear bumpers, and we're seeing bare plastic. This Subaru may be the worst interpretation of two-tone paint of the 21st century. Congratulations Aztek, you're off the hook. At this point, body cladding would be like a gift from Harley Earl. Click on the 'Read' link below for more pictures of the Impreza Outback.

[Source: VWvortex]

click above image to view a gallery of the Subaru Tribeca stretch limo

Wow... um... just wow. Words don't do this stretch Subaru Tribeca limousine justice. It was reportedly built by Ernie Boch Jr., a powerful Boston area dealer that apparently has a penchant for long limousines. Before this he built a stretch Subaru Forester, which happened to be the catalyst for what you see above.

The story told on the North American Subaru Impreza Owners Club forum goes like this. Ernie was in Japan for a meeting with executives at Fuji Heavy Industries, to whom he showed them his stretched Forester and then pitched his plan for an elongated Tribeca. They loved the idea and got the Tribeca's engineers involved, who then shipped plans for stretching the Trib's chassis to engineers at Subaru's plant in Indiana. The limo was then built right on the same assembly line as normal Tribecas. The interior, however, had to be done by a custom coachbuilder.

Apparently both the Forester limo, which we've heard has been sold to another dealer, and the Tribeca limo, are seen frequently around New England. It's a crying shame the updated 2008 model wasn't available at the time, seeing as its new 3.6L boxer six has more ponies and twist available to pull around the limo's extra metal. Of course, when you're in the back of a Tribeca limo, you want to go slow so everybody sees you, right?

[Source: NASIOC via Carscoop]

We like a good auto-related rumor as much as the next obsessive pistonhead, but when Automotive News starts citing Japan's New Model Magazine X, we can't help but be a little humored.

The mag across the Pacific supposedly has a spy shot of a "Tribeca-like" vehicle undergoing testing, and beneath the camo is a badge that purportedly looks a lot like a Scion emblem. The idea of an "xTribeca" (their term, not ours) seems too far out to be plausible, but with Toyota's 8.6-percent stake in Fuji Heavy Industries, the parent company of Subaru, it's isn't entirely out of the question. The question itself though, is "why?"

Even though the Scion brand is going strong, would a larger SUV based off the Tribeca be a plausible candidate for the Scion lineup? And even if it was, could it be restyled to fit the brand's youthful image? All these questions and more are making the rounds between our ears, with nothing particularly positive coming out of it.

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

The Autoblog crew is being pulled in a million different directions right now, with plenty of OEM-sponsored events and car show to attend. We also got ourselves into a couple of competing crossovers, the Ford Edge and the Subaru Tribeca, and a couple new BMWs were unveiled as well. We fit in some first drives from the folks over at Ford Motor Company, and we attended the world premiere of the Transformers movie.

The last week was packed with information, and four minutes will give you an update on anything you might have missed by clicking on the video above. We've also added links below to some of the more significant galleries from the last seven days. In honor of our vacationing editor in chief, this week we found the only royalty-free music in the world that specifically mentions Cleveland. The one and only George Thorogood and the Destroyers cranked out "Any Town USA" for your enjoyment.

Click the above pic to view a gallery

"It looks like a puppy," my wife said upon first setting eyes on the 2008 Subaru Tribeca. That's an apt description of any Subaru; they usually feel quite eager from behind the wheel, and they're trusty companions. The new front end on the Tribeca is more bland than the outgoing aviation-inspired look, but that hasn't dulled the inherent goodness of this big CUV.

The power unit has also seen upgrades. B9-era Tribecas (the alphanumeric has been dropped for '08) had 3.0 liters of horizontally opposed 6 cylinder to haul 4300 pounds. Power delivery was on the revvy side, so maximum torque didn't arrive until you wound it up a bit. 2008 brings more than a half-liter capacity bump, making the Tribeca feel more sprightly with not only more grunt, but also revised delivery characteristics that better suit most drivers.

The 2008 Subaru Tribeca may have gone from unattractive to almost too inoffensive, but the embattled CUV has at least moved to the head of the class with regards to safety. The Tribeca scored a perfect "five stars" on both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's front and side impact crashes for the driver and front passenger. NHTSA gauges crash-worthiness by determining the probability of serious injury at impact speeds of 38.5 MPH for front impacts and 35 MPH for side impacts. Subaru attributes the perfect score to top-notch structural design, plus "advanced active safety technologies, combined with Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive and Vehicle Dynamics Control (Stability Control)."

A lot of new products on the market are claiming Five Star crash ratings, but getting all fives for both driver and passenger in front and side impacts is still very impressive. Some of us may not be sold on the looks of Subaru's redesigned crossover, but at least the safety and interior are top notch.

Subaru's press release is posted after the jump.

[Source: Subaru]

UPDATE: Video of live reveal added after jump

click on image above to view high-res shots of the 2008 Subaru Tribeca

The Tribeca has the lowest consumer awareness of any Subaru product. You have to admit, the first edition, which came out in 2005, was rather odd looking. So Subaru has given the Tribeca a facelift and added more horsepower for 2008 model year. The newest version was shown for the first time today at the New York Auto Show.

The new Tribeca has a much less polarizing design than the first edition. Gone is the isolated grille design, in favor of a grille that is integrated into the front bumper. In fact, all of the sheetmetal forward of the A-pillar is new. There's a more prominent hood line, sleeker headlamps and more aggressive front valance. The rear end was also freshened with restyled three-quarter windows, wider taillamps and new rear valance.

A new 3.6-liter engine that runs on unleaded fuel will power the 2008 Tribeca. Horsepower is increased from 245 to 256, and torque jumps from 215 lb-ft to 247 lb-ft. The features highly valued by Tribeca loyalists, such as the graceful interior and the all-wheel-drive system, will carry over. Subaru did improve access to the third-row seat.

Subaru officials say the new Trifecta will go on sale this summer, with a starting price less than $30,000.

Catch the complete Subaru news release following the jump, as well as a high-res photo gallery by clicking below. You can review all of today's debut by visiting the master post of debuts and galleries, as well.

Click image for photo gallery

When Subaru introduced the B9 Tribeca a few years ago, it was not warmly received in the marketplace. Its styling was charitably described as "not as bad as a Pontiac Aztec," a backhanded compliment if there ever was one. Online auto pundit extraordinaire Robert Farago famously described its nose as a certain part of the female anatomy that had taken flight. Subaru has at last responded and "mainstreamed" the front end of the SUV. Based on this and the beak of the newly-revealed 2008 Impreza, it appears that Subaru has decided to make the forward-facing parts of its cars more palatable to the masses. Additionally (and thankfully), the Tribeca loses the inexplicable B9 part of its nomenclature and gains some displacement and horsepower, now up to 3.6L and 256 hp. Said powerplant is now set up to run on regular unleaded gasoline as well (until now, the Tribeca drank premium). Additionally, new mirrors and rear 3/3 windows help increase visibility.

Official press release after the jump.

[Source: Subaru]

One of our favorite marque-specific, indie buff books, SubieSport, let a couple images slip of Subaru's warmed over 2008 B9 Tribeca.

Due to be shown on Wednesday at the New York Auto Show, the reworked SUV gets a new nose that's eerily reminiscent of Chrysler's Pacifica (with a little Touareg thrown in), dispatching the Edsel-like front grille that has caught the ire of several journos and consumers. The rear gets a mild tweaking as well, with a few more angles on the tail lamps and hatch.

As expected, a new 3.6L H6 finds its way underhood, developing 256 HP at 6,000 RPM (up from 250 HP) and 247 lb.-ft. of torque. Apparently, the five-speed autobox has also benefited from some additional engineering, with new programming that should make good use of the extra twist.

SubieSport's got all the technical details here, along with an a few pics.

Top tip, Jeffrey!

[Source: SubieSport]

2007 Subaru B9 Tribeca

The current Subaru B9 Tribeca is a lot like the person with whom your mother wants to set you up. It has a "nice personality," but "good looks" never comes up in conversation. The B9 has been a disappointment to both Subaru fans and company executives who were hoping for much better sales numbers. Help may be on the way, however, with improved power, fuel economy, and looks (we hope).

Subaru is set to unveil part two of the crazy experiment they call the B9 Tribeca at the New York Auto Show. The scribes over at Automobile are reporting that the B9 Tribeca will lose some of its ugly with a more conventional grille and wider, narrower headlights. It'll also sport a new 3.6L V6 engine with 254 hp and 247 lb-ft of torque, which beats the current model's 3.0L by 9 hp and 32 lb-ft. The new V6 will also provide 10% better fuel economy while running on regular gasoline instead of the current model's premium fuel.

We're happy to hear the B9 Tribeca will gain new power and improved fuel economy, but we're not going to commit to a blind date until we see some pictures.

[Source: Automobile]