Subaru Tribeca (2007-’13)
They may not have captured our hearts when new, but with the unpleasantries of depreciation behind them these underrated cars now warrant a closer look
There must’ve been more than just a twinge of concern at Subaru when the firm launched its largest SUV back in 2006. The B9 Tribeca had already undergone a rocky start. Its original posting as a model to be co-developed with Saab as the 9-6X had been cancelled and its six-cylinder, seven-seater format was niché enough in the American market from which it originated, so it wasn’t expecting the warmest of receptions when it finally rolled onto our shores a year later.
Its modest 3,0-litre flat-six engine and oddball looks aside, we were quite taken with our homologation test unit in 2007. With the firm’s symmetrical AWD system and 215 mm of ground clearance, it proved capable on all but the roughest off-road conditions. This SUV capability was tempered with some MPV versatility in a cabin featuring three rows of seats (the centre row of seats is split 80:20 and each section can slide forwards or rearwards. The backrest angles can also be adjusted) and luggage space ranging from 120 litres with all seven seats occupied to 384 litres in the five-seater configuration and 1 336 litres with everything folded flat.
However, with strong rivals such as BMW’S X6 and the Audi Q7 commanding just a slight premium over the Tribeca, the quirky Subaru began to struggle.
A 2008-‘09 facelift smoothed out that gawky-looking nose, im‐ proved standard specification and ushered in a more powerful 3,6litre boxer engine with 190 kw and 350 N.m on tap. It was a wel‐ come development but did little to improve the Tribeca’s standing. Since its departure from our mar‐ ket at the end of 2013, prices have plummeted and it’s now a fant‐ astic proposition for those after a lot of all-wheel-drive, seven-seater SUV for little outlay.
WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR
Like most Subarus, the Tribeca was a mechanically robust
product and most of the problems you’ll encounter will likely be ageor wear-related. The 3,0-litre EZ30 engine in the pre-facelift car sometimes fell foul of overheating issues traced back to corrosion of the standard-fitment steel radiator or a blown head gasket. The latter can arise from air finding its way into the cooling system via the water pump or thermostat, while aluminium replacement radiators can be sourced with a little bit of online digging. These issues are fortunately rare; units that have been regularly serviced and fed good-quality oil (Mobil 1 SAE 5W-30 synthetic motor oil is recommended by the manufacturer) will stretch engine life to well beyond the 300 000 km mark without too much hassle. The 3,6-litre EZ36 motor is more reliable than the 3,0-litre unit but engineering commonalities mean it’s worth taking note of the EZ30’S potential issues when inspecting a later model.
Although the larger EZ36 was marginally more efficient than the 3,0-litre unit, neither was particularly light on fuel it must be said – the latter regularly gulping more than 12,00 L/100 km on the combined cycle – but the low asking prices do go some way to offset such expenditures.
Rarely, gremlins have been known to affect climate control systems on older cars. Intrusive moisture in the unit can cause surface corrosion to the circuit connectors resulting in unforseen shorts. Cleaning the ribbon cable connectors will fix this problem, potentially circumventing the purchase of an expensive replacement climate control unit.
AVAILABILITY
Owing to a low-volume run, the classifieds aren’t brimming with these unusual SUVS. Pre-facelift models are more common than the 3,6, although the latter is worth seeking out because of its more powerful engine and improved standard specification (sat-nav, reverse camera among the extras). Prices are low for such a large, well-equipped vehicle; even late-model examples seldom top the R100 000 mark.