Tribeca owners/others who have driven/worked on them...impressions???

[DrKrazy]

Okay guys and gals my wife and I were blessed with our third child, Julianna on Aug 28th! Thank you, thank you. Though we have now realized we have out grown her legacy wagon and my Outback (+ the lifted sedan and RX too) when we have the whole family together. When we are all together that's my wife, me, my 12 year old daughter, my 3 year old son in a car seat, and the newest daughter in a car seat. Yea that is quite a squeeze in either car and my oldest daughter hates being completely squished between the car seats :-\. So looks like we need to move one of our cars to a larger one. Since I'm a Subaru fanatic I've been thinking of a nice used Tribeca since they are so damn expensive. We hate the looks of any of the years but could get past that if they are truly a Subaru at heart. Going to go test drive a 06' 7 passenger model today to see if wife likes it at all. Big thing is she hates automatics which is a slight problem with the Tribeca.

So please tell me your impressions! Long term owners, mechanics, reliability, etc. Thanks in advance

[shortlid]

I am facing the same issue. let her know it is a 5-speed auto and has Manual-matic option, hop that helps. Old one I have heard NEED premium gas.

[svxpert]

i have a 2008 leather, third row model. works great, granted only 15,000 miles on it. it is great in the snow and sand,mud,dirt here in the nj pine barrons. takes regular fuel too. only issue so far was a HID bulb that went under warranty. first two rows are fine, third row is cramped (good for a teenager and smaller)

[EVOthis]

Personally I don't really fancy the looks of the older (06-07) body style (specifically the headlights) . I love the 08-09 though. There hasn't really been to many recalls we've noticed with them as of yet..a couple of reprograms for throttle response and harsh shifting and a g sensor recall on some of the newer models...However I think overall there a great vehicle. I can say We've also noticed some problems with the original batteries in them, However nothing to major like the plauged HG problems of the 2.5 SOHC engines in the early 2000's. I can also say I love the sound of the engines in them. That distinctive H6 sound. I will say this. Look out when it comes time to replace wiper blades..over $100 we charge for all three. ( the front ones are around $50 a piece) I know I know absolutely ridiculous..So an easy way around it...Just replace the inserts..

[Pontiac6KSTEAWD]

Having just returned the leased 06 model (3 year lease), and test driving a used 08 they had on the lot, I have one thing to say... DON'T GET THE 06-07...

 

The 06 was absolutely gutless when driving up the pass out of golden heading up to Idaho Springs. The transmission is always hunting for gears, and the fuel mileage isn't that great. This applies to both the 06 and 07 (they didn't change anything but interior options for those years).

 

Now test driving the 08 model, bigger engine, more TQ, same HP. Much better programming on the transmission, Fuel mileage is the same, but I was much happier knowing the car now had the power to get out of its own way. Make sure you get the 7 passenger model (I know you need one, but just saying), the 5 passenger doesn't come with rear air, and its not available in the 5 passenger, and the AC can not keep up with what I needed. I assume its better in the 7 passenger with rear air.

 

The 06 also doesn't come with a MP3 hook up in the center console, and cant be added (according to the dealer), however the 07+ do come with it as a standard feature.

 

That being said, the 06 model I had was the most sure footed car I have ever driven in harsh weather. There wasn't enough support in the seat for my back, but it was OK for local driving. Make sure you opt for the upgraded sound system, the base model is completely lacking.

 

The 08+ came with bigger side view mirrors, which are a BIG help on the car. The 08+ headlights are not as powerful as the 06-07, but are very close.

 

Other than that, both the 06-07 and the 08-09 are pretty much the same. The 08+ have a much better look to me.

[DrKrazy]

The 06 was absolutely gutless when driving up the pass out of golden heading up to Idaho Springs. The transmission is always hunting for gears, and the fuel mileage isn't that great. This applies to both the 06 and 07 (they didn't change anything but interior options for those years).

 

We test drove a loaded 7 Passenger 06' yesterday and with much disappointment my wife and I concur. It was very nice with only 22k on it, comfortable but gutless for having an H6. My wife even said "What the hell, move it while trying to get on I-70". I drove it around and wasn't impressed at all. Handled ok, but something just didn't feel right with the transmission. Now both my wife and I are stick people, though my daily driver OBW is an Auto so I do have a decent comparison there. I will however say it still "felt" like a Subaru just different, way different. Wife did like the fact it sat up so much higher and had plenty of room for all of us with not feeling like a Suburban.

I'm not a rich man, single income family with 3 kids and a mortgage so I was looking at the "cheaper" used ones. Maybe I should pony up and go take a look at good 08-09 deals and test drive one with the larger engine in it.

Thanks everyone for your impressions, please keep them coming as I'm taking notes on anything anyone says.

[Pontiac6KSTEAWD]

How much are you looking to spend? Or a better question might be, how much are you looking for on a monthly payment?

 

The reason I ask, to keep the payment down, you could lease a new one, 3 years, get a lower payment, and then finish the buyoff at the end of the lease. Makes things somewhat cheaper in the long run, and if you really decide you dont like it, return the lease. This is what I did.

[subeman90]

The reason I ask, to keep the payment down, you could lease a new one, 3 years, get a lower payment, and then finish the buyoff at the end of the lease. Makes things somewhat cheaper in the long run, and if you really decide you dont like it, return the lease. This is what I did.

 

this is what I was thinking too.

[NV Zeno]

The company I work for has had them from the beginning. I've driven them all, here are my impressions:

 

Decent power..not spectacular, but adequate. The Korean V6 cars and vans have the best power.

 

Sure footed. Far and away better than anything else larger or smaller, equal to Outbacks. Felt a little heavy, but not top-heavy. More like solid.

 

Ran fine on regular 87 gas.

 

IIRC, all the automatics had the manumatic shift gate.

 

Earlier model A/C wasn't all that great until about '07 or '08 (it ain't no Pontiac A/C now, but better than before).

 

Third row is OK for kids, but very tight for adults.

 

When third row is deployed, there's not much room behind it for your stuff.

 

When driving, I felt very cramped. The center console intrudes into the leg wells, kind of reminds me of the "airplane-cockpit-like" driver area of a recent model Thunderbird or Corvette..everything kind of wraps around the driver (I don't like that).

 

I cannot recall any reliability issues whatsoever.

 

Opinion: Tribeca might be useful for a few years, but you can't beat a minivan for your purpose, especially with growing kids. The Korean vans keep getting built better, the Hondas and Toyotas are going backwards in quality. Nissan Quest is the best Japanese van right now.

 

If you must have AWD, the Ford Freestyle/Taurus X is a good alternative: looks like an SUV or station wagon, has AWD and all the space of a minivan, especially behind the 3rd row. Plenty of recent model used ones out there.

 

Please let us know what you decide .

 

Just my 2 (experienced) bucks

Edited September 25, 2009 by NV Zeno
typo/sp

[Pontiac6KSTEAWD]

I have not owned the TaurusX or the FreeStyle, However, I have to agree. The one I test drove was very comfortable, decent power, and the best thing, they can be had CHEAP AS HELL, if you know where to look for them.

 

The local ford dealer had a FreeStyle that was a Premium Touring model, just fully loaded to the gills, still under factory warranty, needed nothing, price. 12k.