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The new face of Subaru! The B9 is pretty sharp in person! Photos inside ;)


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you may love it...

you may hate it...

 

but you better get used to it coz it will be here soon

 

went to the Portland Auto show to see the B9 Tribeca first hand

 

I was overall - impressed by the luxury of this car. Subaru has definitely stepped it up - dvd, homelink, touchscreen naviation, mp3 and more

 

Crowd comments were that of admiration....

it's a lot different when you see it in person :)

 

Jamie

 

 

Full stories and more photos here<---

 

subaru_b9_tribeca-026.jpg

 

 

 

subaru_b9_tribeca-038.jpg

 

 

subaru_b9_tribeca-023.jpg

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i was at the portland auto show also, and i was fairly impressed. a hell of a lot better than the pictures i had seen online.

 

though, as sad news to the subaru world, i fell in love with the grey scion tc so i am going to get a loan this week and buy one. i will be selling my 98 obs in the process, so i will be soobless until i can afford a brat.

 

i know, i know, lmao @ me for liking scions.

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Subaru is selling out if you ask me.

 

I will never understand the need for an SUV for 90% of the US population.

 

But since it's such a hot thing right now, Subaru has to jump on the bandwagon and make their own.

 

Most will say that's marketing, I say it's BS. Subaru has never paid much attention to what's hot in the marketplace, they have always catered almost exclusively to their loyalists who appreciate their quirky engineering and unsurpassed reliability. I feel as part of an exclusive group owning Subarus, because they're a different, more focused car than a Toyota, Honda, or Ford or Chevy.

 

But someone must have gotten greedy in SOA, because they're now willing to forget their loyalists and go for the status quo, and Subaru isn't a company who can really afford to lose their loyalists.

 

So, everyone, say goodbye to the tried-and-true FHI tradition we've grown to love over the past 37 years and get ready for the new, less unique and innovative, more bland and everyday, Subaru!

 

It's starting with this dastardly creation, and will spread throughout the rest of the Subaru line, starting with that nauseating grill.

 

I'm seriously considering buying an 06 Legacy GT, because I think that will be the last year that the Legacy has a proper Subaru grill, I think it's going to get the new one for 07. Or maybe that new Forester redesign I saw in the other thread. One of those will probably be the one and only new Subaru I ever buy.

 

I'm very strange for my age to be so stuck in tradition and the old way of doing things, but I take pride in my dedication to Subarus and to see the things I love about them disappear right before my eyes just to stay with the trend is very, very disappointing to me.

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I don't know what I think... we will find out this summer from what I hear. I belive what happend was subaru has employed the vehicle designer for Alfa Romero to try to freshen up the Suby looks, its definatly different. From the looks of it they are trying to keep up with the porsche cayenne's looks and If they go with the B11S's Twin Turbo setup w/ 400hp it will be able to keep up with the power also. The B9 kinda looks like a mix of Porsche Cayenne, Nissan Murano, Infiniti FX45, and an Alfa Romero Kamal <--You tell me??

kamel.jpgIts twin mabe????

Scott Schinsky

05 Legacy 2.5GT

84 Brat

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The designer came from Alfa Romeo, so it's no coincidence. I saw one last week at Harrisburg and was suprised how small it is. more like a stretch outback than an all new vehicle. There is third row seating, but it looks like it's for the preschool set only. Those fixating on the ugly front end haven't seen the back end which is truly ugly. A large number of people on this board will be priced out of owning Subaru's if the company has it's way. The new dramatic styling is part of a move upmarket by the company, closer to 40,000 instead of 25,000. I like the new legacy and outback a lot and they looked great at the show, It will be a few years before they get the new styling with any luck.

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subaru owners bitched when the legacy came out

 

they bitched when the svx came out

 

they bitched when the impreza came out

 

they bitched when the baja came out....

 

this is nothing new :)

 

The B9 is not aimed at the current Subaru owner

it's aimed at a market that Subaru has yet to tap into.

 

A whole new realm of Subaru owners are about to join us.

 

as far as SUV... yep and nope.

this car is not "that big" - it really isnt HUGE SUV OHMIGOD

It is slightly bigger than an outback

 

as far as the grill?

Subaru said they were returning to their roots with some of the design of this car...

 

grill didnt bother me as much once i compared it to the classics i adore :)

 

well???

 

Subaru360-Sambar1965.jpg

 

subaru_b9_tribeca-043.jpg

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Why?!?!?

 

What is it about those rolling milk crates that appeals to people? Are you sure there were no drugs involved?

He's talking about the car, not the box ones. If I didn't have my truck as a second vehicle, I'd entertain getting a tC. It'd be a nice get around town car.

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You want some more proof that the B9X is losing its Subaru-ness?

 

Look at the doors and windows, anything about those framed windows piss you off as much as it does me?

 

It's these two things that perturb me: 1) Subaru is jumping on the SUV bandwagon and 2) Subaru is tossing out its characteristic front end.

 

Subaru has had the same overall front-end design for decades:

 

The 80's cars:

gen4se01.jpg

 

The 90's cars:

subwinner.jpg

 

The current cars:

foresterbig052803.jpg

 

Now all of a sudden, they want to do stuff like this???

b9.jpg

 

I guess they want to lose their loyal customers, because I might be one of them.

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I'll reserve judgement on the looks until I see it next week at the Auto Show, but if this is barely bigger than an Outback with that sticker price, I doubt they will be selling well.

 

As far as the Scion TC, I think it is a hell of a bargain for the price.

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First off: I am with Subylvr.*

 

Next: "Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it." Who at Subaru forgot the 1950'ies Ford Edsel???

 

Subiegal, who bitched about the Legacy? I don't recall any of that. What I do remember is three Legacy Turbo's shattering various speed records on a 100,000km run prior to worldwide launch. Just to ram home the reliability of Subaru's.

 

SVX did draw attention, but it was a niche car. The Tribeca is mainstream.

 

 

 

*Here in Denmark the most sold brand of cars is VW, with well over 200,000 on the streets. Next up is Toyota at just over 200,000. Dropping down the list we have Opel, Ford, Peugeot, Citroen, Mazda, and Fiat which is the first to get under 100,000 cars on the road.

 

Subaru comes in at 1700, on par with Jaguar. Imagine that, as exclusive as Jaguar!

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I would say there is something to observation that Subaru is trying to upscale itself. The market for luxury Japanese cars has really gotten big, and I say Subaru will soon be moving itself into that bracket nearly exclusively. I would say in 5 years they will have much of the Subaru badged production priced considerably more than the bulk of their offering now.

 

Here's my crystal ball prediction--lay your $50 on the table with me and wait 5 to 10 years to see who's right--but I say that if you want to buy a non-luxurious, decent priced Subaru in the future then you will have to go to the Chevrolet or Pontaic dealership and buy a Sube that has been rebadged as a GM car.

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since we are tossing in our p's

 

has anyone considered that the look of our current passenger car model line is quite generic

 

Lexus, Infinity, et al I have trouble identifying a Subaru

(old schoolers not need apply, in my area they have almost all gone to the crush-0-matic)

 

Could the bean counters at FHI want some market identity?

 

Then people would recognize how many Subarus are on the road and possibly be inclined

to consider one on their next purchase?

 

Run down the road with a sweat suit on - who notices

 

Run down the same road with no pants on - well you get the picture.

 

Doesn't matter what the stock in the soup is,

It's all about the "beans"

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I want to like the B9, and I don't think it can be judged fairly unless seen in person, which I haven't had the chance to do. From the photos, the grill is still too much Edsel to my taste. I didn't decide to buy my Forester from it's looks alone, it took a drive to convince me, and I have come to appreciate that decision more every year. Imho, Subaru has always followed their own path, and if you like it, great! Thanks for the pics Subie-Gal! :)

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  • 3 months later...

My local dealer had a private showing of the Tribeca today, they apparently had a pre-release demo from a Jacksonville dealership that they were allowed to display. Since I've done thousands of dollars of business with this dealer, I found it only fair that I was invited to it.

 

So, now that I've seen it in person:

 

I still don't like it. I still want my Subarus to look like Subarus, not Alfas. Many people said it looks better in person; I don't agree.

000_0149.thumb.jpg000_0150.thumb.jpg

 

It is smaller than I thought it would be, it always looked bigger in pics to me, and that I like. But I still don't like the design, and I'm simply very disappointed that this grill will spread like a cancer all over the Subaru line.

 

The interior is really quality-built I must say, everything felt durable and welcoming to the touch, just like all new Subarus. But the center stack is friggen ugly!

000_0153.thumb.jpg

 

Gauges are the electroluminescent or whatever it is like the other new Subarus:

000_0152.thumb.jpg

 

I think it needs waaay more room inside if it's to be properly called a midsize SUV. First off, the 3rd row (although folded down in this pic) is suitable for kids in a special situation and that's about it. And I think space while the 3rd row is folded down could be much better:

000_0155.thumb.jpg

I also found the passenger front footroom to be less-than-adequate for my 6'3" frame. If I scooted the seat back enough to give myself from room I'd squash the rear passenger's legs.

 

The H6 does appear to have a little more breathing room in this car than the Outback. I can say I wouldn't be all that intimidated by a spark-plug change on this car:

000_0156.thumb.jpg

 

So it's not as big as I thought, and I think the interior, although poorly-laid-out, is quality. And that's about all I like.

 

And of everyone I talked to today, I seem to be the only person who has this opinion.

 

People just can't leave well enough alone can they? :rolleyes:

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The H6 does appear to have a little more breathing room in this car than the Outback. I can say I wouldn't be all that intimidated by a spark-plug change on this car:

000_0156.thumb.jpg

 

Where's the motor go? Maybe it's just me, but i love opening up the hood of my impreza and being able to just go at it, not removing plastic plating, or have to bend around stuff to get in there. I haven't event heard of the thing until tonight, so i'll do some reading, but i'm guessing the power is alright, because most new subi's seem to have some punch to them now... but it looks like a minivan... maybe a subivan?

I don't blame subaru for trying to get a few more bucks in their pocket, that's what it's all about, and if they know what's smart then they won't take their eyes off of the loyal customers like us.

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OK, I have not seen one yet, except in pix. Looks like worth looking into though, in 5 years or so as a used vehicle if it holds up well. Why?

 

Seating is for 2 in front, and 3 in mid row seat-so can haul 5 people and stuff or use all 3 seats to haul 7. (many minivans are only 4 seat without rear seat room) My pet peeve is there are so few 6 passenger cars around with room to haul stuff, I just bought a 99 Buick LeSabre yesterday for that reason. (Don't even mention that F word that offer 6 pass cars)

 

I certainly sacrificed the 4wd the sube would have provided, last decent 4wd minivan was the 1998 mazda MPV but dang hard to find with 4wd and 2+3+3 seating option on market.

 

Will be interesting to see "in the flesh", jsut my opinion

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