« Superstar Pontiac Solstice Presenter |
Main
| Ford Fusion on Sale in the Fall »
March 27, 2005
Subaru's SUV Exceeds Expectations
Elegant. That's the word that kept popping into my head and onto my tongue when I was interviewing Subaru execs at the NY Auto Show.
The B9 Tribeca SUV, Subaru's newest product entry is more than a new vehicle for consumers. It's a bold innovation for the company that has long had a loyal customer base and is looking for a way to break into the larger market.
The Tribeca is polished. The satin white pearl finish adorning the show vehicle is aptly named -- it has a lustre and depth to it that suggests the car is solidly built through and through.
Expected to sell for under $40,000, the Tribeca is a three-row, seven-seater SUV, which is pretty much de rigeur for company's who hope to sell big uprights to consumers who have grown edgy over gas consumption. In other words, if it doesn't have the extra seating, people are thinking of buying wagons.
The car's exterior styling is part of a "new design language" that will eventually find its way into other Subaru models, said Bill Cyphers, Subaru's VP of Sales.
The car's elegant nose, grill and hood lines are meant to evoke Subaru's heritage as an aircraft company, Cyphers said. Indeed, the vehicle's front profile has an aerodynamic visage that speaks of speed and ability. The design element continues along the side of the vehicle's "J-line," in a sculpted ridge that flares out toward the tail.
The Tribeca's interior may be even more impressive.
It incorporates the exterior's aerodynamic sweep in a front dash that wraps around the more than 180-degree horizon, and transmits a feeling of being ensconced in a customized space.
Rick Crosson, Subaru's VP of Marketing, said the interior provides the room expected of an SUV, "but it wraps around you instead of making you feel like you're floating."
Crosson said consumer reaction to the Tribeca has exceeded the company's projections. "We've gotten a lot of fantastic comments on the B9 Tribeca," he said, including over 100,000 hand-raisers who have signed up for updates at the Tribeca website.
The Tribeca will come equipped with a V6 Subaru Boxer engine as well as the company's symmetrical all-wheel drive. Mileage figures have not been announced for the vehicle, which will go on sale later this year. Eighteen-inch wheels are standard, as are safety features such as anti-lock brakes, dual-stage front airbags, side-impact front airbags and curtain air bags.
Posted by Frank at March 27, 2005 1:59 PM | Filed under Auto News
| Subaru