The Tribeca continues its assault on the Market!

[rao]

http://media.subaru.com/index.php?s=43&item=168

 

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/5437/capturewv.jpg

 

Is it just me or are the Impreza, Forester and (GASP) the Legacy losing some momentum

[The B4]

losing momentum eh?

[Gire]

Impreza needs a mid line re-fresh in a big way. Keep things rolling.

 

 

Legacy seems to be doing just fine, Rob. +50 this April over last is pretty dang good.

[Scooter]

May must be off to a better start for the Tribeca: I just saw a brand new one on the road this morning, with a (seemingly) happy new Customer behind the wheel.

 

Before that, I hadn't seen one - new or old - in months.

 

Perhaps we should have a Forum wager on how many they'll sell in May..??

[Gire]

^^^^

 

 

I'll put myself in for 200. Plus or minus 3. That realy is sad considering how big the American market is.

 

What do you guys feel are the best selling SUVs in the US that are driving the business?

 

 

Up here I see at least 20 Acura MDXs daily.

[ineedmorepsi]

I love my pathfinder vq40de motor, beautiful transmission. 7 seater if needed.

 

Personally I like the look and feel of the Tribeca interior but the exterior not so much, it looks like a Hyundai and If I'm going that route I might as well save the $6-10k and have 10yr warranty. Price tag is too high and the 2 closest dealers think their Subarus are like the end all be all of the areas so negotiating is moot or I'd have a 3.6R Legacy already instead of the G. So many better options and deals out there.

 

MDX, RDX, Infiniti FX, 4Runner, Pathfinder, to me even the new Chevy Equinox and Traverse are better.

[ineedmorepsi]

Also put me down for 179 will be sold.

 

Summer, vacationing, other great deals from other manufacturers going on. Bad on gas, 21mpg if even that.

[MikeNH]

^^^^

 

 

I'll put myself in for 200. Plus or minus 3. That realy is sad considering how big the American market is.

 

What do you guys feel are the best selling SUVs in the US that are driving the business?

 

 

Up here I see at least 20 Acura MDXs daily.

http://autos.aol.com/gallery/best-selling-suvs/

 

Probably those.

http://autos.aol.com/gallery/best-selling-suvs/

[rao]

losing momentum eh?

 

I can't confirm that

[BAC5.2]

Wow, I'm shocked at how much the public likes the '10 Outback over the '09!

 

The Tribeca needs a new goal, and a new design. I think it would be a perfect vehicle for a Hybrid application. Blow the Escape/Edge/Torrent right out of the water. As it sits, the Edge is actually a mighty competitor, probably better in a lot of ways.

 

It's tough market for a non-sliding door 5/7 passenger vehicle that isn't of mega-proportions.

 

I wish the market were bigger for performance. It would be relatively simple to build something to compete with the Taurus SHO, the S-line from Audi, the AMG line from Merc., the M-line from BMW and the V-line from caddy, and even the F-line from Lexus. Stick a pair of appropriately sized turbochargers on one of the 3.6L mills, direct inject it, and voila. It takes no great leap of faith to see that you'd have a world class contender in the power competition, and fit/finish is already on par with competitors in that market.

 

Put that same motor in an Impreza chassis, and you have a "poor-mans" GT-R hunter.

[IwannaSportSedan]

Turbos on the siamese-bore, asymmetrical-rod EZ36R is not likely to happen, and keep a factory warranty intact.

 

I have a feeling they could crack 300hp without turbos, if they were simply well tuned, instead of handicapped in order to save the transmissions.

 

But Subaru has never sold an EG or EZ series H6 with a manual gearbox in the US/NorAm, although they do in other countries, or at least they have. They also haven't updated their 5EAT to withstand more torque, and perhaps with a 6th gear tall overdrive.

 

Subaru could stand to even just walk, before they run.

 

Tribeca shouldn't be moved forward as a SUV/CUV, or at least not a traditional one. Why Minivans have gotten the short end of the CUV stick, I don't know.

 

Tribeca should be a sleek road-going people-mover. good aerodynamics, AWD traction and versatility, and smooth, sleek aesthetics. Somewhere between the current Tribeca, and the Hybrid Tourer concept, and the Honda Skydeck concept, and Citroen C-sportlounge concept.

 

But with a lower floor, lower ride-height, and a lower roof height, all better for Cg, and aero drag, would likely kick it out of the CAFE Light truck class, and the gain in efficiency would be met with an increased regulation goal. Take a step forward, and the goal takes a step further, too, essentially.

[GEE-OTTO]

sadly the EZ30R w/ 6spd isn't an American thing even the EG33D did not have a manual option ant that was the largest engine besides the EZ36R Subaru has ever made for a passenger car. If only the flagship Legacy could be a STi EZ36R 6MT

[Gravytime]

Any idea's as to how many miles to a tank the Beca gets. My dad has one and I just filled her up up, drove 220 miles and there is under a 1/4 left. I'm thinking that it'll probably get to 250-270 max, then be plum dry. That was all highway too. Seems pretty chitty to me but curious to know if that is normal for these things.

[lekmedm]

Wow! If you only looked at my region, you would think that Subaru stopped production of the Tribeca all together. My local dealer doesn't even stock them. There doesn't seem to be any demand for them in Jersey.

[IwannaSportSedan]

Their production has slowed to pretty much a halt.

 

They are building Legacys and Outbacks instead, with as many 3.6 engines as they can make.

 

Tribeca stocks have been at record low inventory for some time... hence they aren't in inventory, and they don't sell.

 

It seems possible, and plausible that it will be cancelled, and lack of sales, after being starved for inventory, will likely be the cited reason.

 

It's Subaru's M-O.

[SubieDriver]

Any idea's as to how many miles to a tank the Beca gets. My dad has one and I just filled her up up, drove 220 miles and there is under a 1/4 left. I'm thinking that it'll probably get to 250-270 max, then be plum dry. That was all highway too. Seems pretty chitty to me but curious to know if that is normal for these things.

 

270 sounds about right. I usually get 270 per tankful around town, and over 300 on the highway. Best tankful was about 375 miles, but I was driving slowly.

[IwannaSportSedan]

Tall vehicles almost always have less of a highway MPG advantage. Weight plays a big roll in stop-and-go, but on the highway, the inertia can somewhat help. Aerodynamics and drag plays a bigger role on the highway than at lower speeds in-town.

 

Imagine if the Tribeca was a people hauler that was lower to the ground, (not an off-roader, which it really isn't now...) and a bit lower in roof-height as well.

 

Bigger than a wagon, lower than a minivan, longer than a 5-passenger CUV.

 

And SLEEK, like a low-height boxer engine allows, with all-season AWD capability and stability. Maybe even 4WS agility for a long and moderately wide vehicle.

 

The tie of a people-mover to a tall vehicle format seems un-necessary, and merely a tradition, and a side effect of the CAFE double-standard.

 

It really is too bad that the Mercedes R-class botched it so badly. Format-wise, they may have been on to something, if they had executed it better.

 

Where are the production variants of stuff like this:

http://www.widenhuge.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/honda-skydeck-concept_49wkb_5965.jpg

http://www.carbodydesign.com/concept-cars/2005-08-10-citroen-c-sportlounge/Citroen%20C-Sportlounge%20Concept%201.jpg

[MikeNH]

Both of those got way too much happening to be appealing. To me at least. There's not much in the land of 3 rows of seating that really appeals to me. I figure if you have that many damn kids you're probably better off taking 2 vehicles because a few of them are bound to not get along with each other, so they may as well be separated.

[IwannaSportSedan]

Ok...

 

If those are too complex... there is always a Ford Econoline Van. As many rows as you could need, short of a school bus.

http://kcautosource.com/AUTOBUZZ/2003_Ford_15_Van/Ford_15_Van_640.jpg

 

And two drivers with two cars is a bit much... if the kids don't get along, they had better be quiet about it. That is what discipline is for.

[MikeNH]

Ok...

 

If those are too complex... there is always a Ford Econoline Van. As many rows as you could need, short of a school bus.

 

 

And two drivers with two cars is a bit much... if the kids don't get along, they had better be quiet about it. That is what discipline is for.

Honestly I doubt the vehicle you described earlier in any form would ever be really appealing to me. If I ever find myself requiring a vehicle with 3 rows of seating I'd just assume get a truck-based SUV so it could double as a tow rig. Fuel mileage has never really been a consideration for me when choosing vehicles, the fact that this car does pretty good is just a perk. Though even if I got started today it would be several years before I'd have enough kids to require 3 rows, so by then gas may be awful enough to actually make me care. Who knows. It's not something I foresee myself being in the market for anytime soon so I guess my opinions on what's out there (or isn't out there) don't really matter.

[IwannaSportSedan]

I can understand.

 

I don't need a people-hauler, either. But nobody seems eager to build me a manual gearbox AWD GT Coupe with a fastback hatchback.

 

As an academic excercise, though, it is interesting to talk about other body-styles.

 

Most people don't tow much, and if they do, it doesn't really weigh much that a passenger car rated trailer hitch wouldn't handle.

 

For those who need Class 3 or more, I hope they do have SUVs and pickup trucks available to them, and I am not big on vilifying SUVs for that purpose.

 

But most people drive around in CUVs that don't have towing capabilities anyway, and are basically just huge, very tall cars... and then the government and greenies belly-ache about fuel mileage all the time, and create double standards AGAINST cars, toward less fuel efficient trucks, making CUVs attractive to build.

 

The answer for people who buy CUVs, but then claim to want fuel mileage, is something lower, longer, sleeker, with no necessity for off-roading, and usually not towing, at least not much.

 

The very thing that CAFE has crippled. The station wagon, and the possibility of a low-roof, sleek mini-van/MPV type vehicle. Most vans and minivans have inches or feet of un-used head-room. That equates to frontal area that induces drag. Why can't a 7 passenger vehicle that only is needed to carry passengers, not also employ aerodynamics?

 

There is no need for a vehicle to ride 8-12 inches off the ground, just to carry 5-7 people. Really.

 

Not that people should be denied SUVs if they want or need them... but the sleek highway shuttle type vehicle is not even really available.

 

There are sports cars for 2. There are sport coupes for the occaisional 3rd or 4th passenger. There are sport sedans for 4 or 5. Where is the extension of that principle for 5-7 people?

 

Why not have the 2nd Generation of Tribeca be that sort of vehicle?