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Subaru B9 Tribeca (B9X)

8368 messages,  Last post on Nov 24, 2012 at 9:27 AM

You are in the Subaru B9 Tribeca Forum.

What is this discussion about? Subaru B9 Tribeca, SUV

Messages Page 417 of 837

#4159 of 8368 Alfa Romeo SUV! by x5killer

Jul 10, 2005 (8:37 pm)

http://car-reviews.automobile.com/Subaru/review/2006-subaru-b9-tribeca-limited-road-test-p- - - art-1/1318/1
 
great article about the B9 someone in here i think posted earlier in the thread. All this talk for awhile about the front end looking like an Alfa Romeo and even my friend who owns a dealership and knows cars and said it screams Alfa .... and even named a certain model maybe the 147 as well not sure. But interestingly enough this article brings to my attention something that I didn't know in additoin to all the front end talk. That supposedly the side view and tail end look very much like the afore mentioned Alfa Romeo 147.
 
"While an argument could be made for it not being Subarus fault entirely, as the man behind the Tribecas exterior design, and also the chief designer for Subaru at Fuji Heavy Industries Tokyo Studio, is none other than Andreas Zapatinas, an ex-Alfa designer who was at least partially responsible for the Fiat-owned Italian brands stylish new duds. Still, someone high up the food chain was willing to sign off on a design that looks a great deal like an Alfa Romeo 147 from the hind end and side profile."
 
I haven't finished the article as I found this very interesting and looked up a few pictures of the Alfa Romeo 147 and sure enough there is striking similiarities. To me more in the tail end which I almost wish the emulated more especially the mesh grill at the bottom though I prefer the dual exhuast of the B9 as opposed to what looks like 2 on one side on the 147. The side i can see what the author means as well but it looks the 147 is some type of raised hatchback car with 2 door and 4 door versions so you dont see the side view looking as similiar to the B9. and the Tribeca looks better from the side especially with the side mirror blinkers , puddles lights etc.
 
Overall I'm not bothered by this discovery at all and actually think its cool that it has similiar looks in front and now side and back (thats the whole vehicle) to an Alfa Romeo. I never was a big fan of the Alfa romeo snub nose/3 part grilles but Its grown on me with the Tribeca and everyone I have ever asked or has seen it loves the whole thing even the "controversial" front end so its funny how much talk there was that it wasnt' that attractive.
 
And again it doesnt' bother me and in fact I personally think its kind of cool that it looks like an Alfa Rome from all sides. Its like having an Alfa Romeo SUV! which coincidentally they dont make one right?
 
now i'm thinking about putting Alfa Romeo lettering on the back where I took off the Subaru lettering adn then you could take it a step further and replace the front and back badges as well, hah.
 
more pictures:
http://www.digitalevacuation.org/Alfa147/
 
even the tripod of gauges looks similiar and steering wheel buttons look similiar but other then that the tribeca has better interior styling.
Subaru should have put the B9 on the left side like alfa put the 147 and the Tribeca on the right where alfa has the selespeed instead of putting subaru lettering (which I already took off) but i guess they had to cus unlike alphas badge subies doesnt' say the name just has the stars.
 
anyone know where i could get an Alpha Badge and/or lettering and how hard it would be to change the Subie badges?
 
cheers.

#4160 of 8368 Alfa Romeo 147 ipod pack by x5killer

Jul 10, 2005 (11:28 pm)

combining my new found interest and discovery of the similarities to the Alfa Romeo 147 in particular I came across this
 
http://www.alfaromeo.com/cgi-bin/pbrand.dll/ALFAROMEO_COM/models/models.jsp?BV_SessionID=@- 1418905622.1121062711&BV_EngineID=cccfaddfdkgljmecefecejgdfiidgio.0&categoryOID=-10- 73792726
 
not that I have an ipod as i prefer a diff mp3 player but that really looks like a nice and integrated system incorporating use of the ipod which is very prevalent. Subaru should have tried to emulate something similiar to this especailly with all the ppl in this forum and probably many other Tribeca owners that dont have the aux inputs of the DVD option but looking to use an ipod in the vehicle.

#4161 of 8368 Alfa Romeo lettering and Badge by x5killer

Jul 11, 2005 (12:31 am)

www.alpharomeoboutique.com
 
under the vintage section
 
I'd get the Alfa Romeo Logo Badge 1 € 0,93
Alfa Romeo Trade Mark Badge 1 € 11,57
Dispatch charges € 40,00
 
How many U.S. dollars would that be?
 
I don't know about replacing the actual Subaru badge as its wider and more oblong then the round Alfa badge and might be hard to get off. Plus the one on the back is kind of nice carbon fibre blue background with silver stars right? I dont know if i would like all the colors and the gold in the Alfa badge.
 
I would definately put the red lettered/"logo" Alfa Romeo badge in the spot where I took off the Subaru lettering and then maybe just put the round trade mark badge above that to balance out the other side with the B9 above Tribeca if that would be easier then trying to replace the front subaru badge.
 
I'm not big on red but the red lettering of the logo badge would look good on the satin white pearl and match the tail lights.
 
oh and just to add to the Alfa styling points there is also the concept Kamal which would be Alfas first SUV and is based on the 147 hatchback that the Tribeca has rear and side styling cues from. It may be ready as 2007 model coincidentally when Alfa Romeo is coming back to the united states. "Will Alfa Romeo ever sell cars in the United States again?
 
The long-awaited return of Alfa Romeo to the United States market should take place by 2007, with a range of new models."
 
http://car-reviews.automobile.com/Alfa%20Romeo/review/2003-alfa-romeo-kamal-concept/631/
 
It wouldn't be a direct competitor of the Tribeca anyway though as it seems to be more BMW X3 sized while the B9 is X5 sized. Same thing with the Acura RDX, which is why I didn't even contemplate waiting for it. too small. The X3 is useless to me and looks horrible especially with no tinted windows.
 
P.S.
for the post above about the ipod I dont think that link pasted right. just go to alfaromeo.com click modles, 147 5 door and then you will see the link for the ipod pack for that model.

#4162 of 8368 review by c_hunter

Jul 11, 2005 (5:22 am)

Those pictures x5killer dug up (thanks!) show quite a similarity!! Interestingly, Andreas Zapatinas came to Subaru *after* the exterior lines of the Tribeca were frozen, so any exterior Alfa influence came from Subaru's former design staff. He did do the interior however (and he did an awesome job in my opinion), so similarities there are very interesting to see.
 
The father of one of my college friends had (maybe still has) a small Alfa convertible. It was a pretty cool car, but a major piece of junk (we called it the Alfa Repairo since it broke down all the time). At the time of one of his major engine failures, we were taking a mechanics of materials class and analyzed a snapped distributor shaft from the engine. It broke right at a non-beveled oil hole in the shaft, just where you'd expect a stress concentration. Whoever designed that shaft put the hole in the worse possible place, as if they had no mechanical design experience! I think many Americans had similar experiences with Alfa, so the brand would have a tough road re-establishing itself in the US. Subaru will be more successful with the styling for sure!
 
I did not like the writing style of that B9 review, and saw a few errors and overlooked facts. I assume this was a Canadian writer, based on the quoted $52,000 price tag??
 
Craig

#4163 of 8368 Re: Champagne Gold [coaster] by mikejl

Jul 11, 2005 (7:48 am)

Replying to: coaster (Jul 09, 2005 10:55 pm)
I have a Champagne Gold Tribeca. Depending on the light, it sometimes looks silver or light green. In any case, a previously-listed link has some pictures of a gold Tribeca. Go to http://media.subaru.com/ click on the picture of the Tribeca, then look at the eighth and eleventh pictures (going down) on the next page. The underlying picture numbers are 038 and 034. Other pictures on that page are also of a gold model, but these two are the clearest.

#4164 of 8368 Re: seat belt chime [papahawk] by gwilson

Jul 11, 2005 (9:33 am)

Replying to: papahawk (Jul 10, 2005 5:00 pm)
Just went out at lunch and tried the seat belt chime trick on my Tribeca and it seems to have worked. It seems kind of silly as you are doing it but it does work!!!
 
Begone nasty chime!!

#4165 of 8368 Re: seat belt chime [gwilson] by newsubu

Jul 11, 2005 (3:02 pm)

Replying to: gwilson (Jul 11, 2005 9:33 am)
Amazing...the moons must be aligned! The same thing happened to me after trying this trick about a dozen times with no luck. Tried it this morning as I was leaving, and got BINGed half way down the block. Figured I'd give it another shot about noon, and made it three miles without a sound. Blessed silence again returning to the office It finally seems to have taken!
 
About all I did differently was to click and release just a little more slowly and carefully, still within 30 seconds. Patience and persistence. I'll still wear my seatbelt, of course, but never again while parked watching the submarine races : )

#4166 of 8368 First Time Posting but a Long Time Reader by catfraux

Jul 11, 2005 (3:28 pm)

Hello and thank you to everyone for posting such helpful information. I have been reading this forum from the beginning, but this is my first time posting. We are the happy owners of an Atlantic Blue Tribeca w/charcoal interior and NAV. We ordered her on 4/9/2005 and took delivery on 6/9/2005. It was a long wait but worth every minute. We never thought we'd love a car as much as our 2000 Outback, but we do. We kept our Outback and have also owned a 1993 Legacy Sedan and a 1999 Subaru Outback Sedan, so we are very Subaru loyal. We, too, are just getting the hang of the NAV. We just turned 1100 miles on our Tribeca. For the first few hundred miles we were hitting the audio controls on the steering wheel too, but not anymore. We don't have kids, so I can't say much about the two back seats, but our 3 dogs love the middle seat and rear A/C. One of our dogs even managed to squeeze under the front passenger seat and popped his little Chihuahua head up under our feet. That was a surprise. He hasn't done it again. We only got the third seat to get the NAV, so we probably won't get much use out of it, but it's nice to know it's there. Thanks again for all of the great info.

#4167 of 8368 first time, long time? you have been a member since today by njswamplands

Jul 11, 2005 (3:40 pm)

#4168 of 8368 Just returned from a 2100 mile road trip by subienewbie2

Jul 11, 2005 (4:05 pm)

I took delivery of my Blue Pearl/Grey B9 7 pass LTD - Nav, protection pack, cargo net, compass mirror, shock sensor, cargo net, puddle lights and tow package- on June 30th..
 
I cancelled my preorder because SOA shipped it without the Puddle Lights and they can not be added.
 
This turned out to be a blessing since a dealer right down the street had the exact unit and I got it for 1000 over dealer cost. HINT – Dealer deal better on the last day of the month. That’s almost 600 less than I agreed to with the other dealer. SOA agreed to kick in the tow package since they blew my last order.
 
I took it on a 36 month lease - 469.00 per month zero down.
 
Now for the trip;
 
Keep in mind I am coming out of an Infiniti Q45 - 340 HP - Luxo Sedan.
 
There were times I missed my V8 - but the Boxer performed well in almost all situations. I found that going through the rolling hills of Southern Illinois, Tenn, Ark and Miss went much more smoothly when I put in it sport mode.
 
In sport mode she down shifted very smoothly and when needed without any noticeable delay.
 
She rode very well. Smooth and reasonably quite. I took it up to 105 for a short bit and she felt solid at that speed.
 
Seats could be a little softer, and more sculpted for better support.
 
Telescoping wheel would be nice, as would another 25 or so HP. Also rear parking sensors (which I will get installed after market) and tilt down mirrors are almost a necessity. This is not the easiest vehicle to parallel park.
 
Running down the interstate I averaged a speed of between 75 & 85. At those speeds I averaged 19.1 MPG on regular and 21.3 with Premium. I am sure milage would be better with more HP. The engine just has work too hard at those speeds. It does the job but at a cost – FUEL.
 
Despite some short comings – I am a very happy buyer. When I compare what I got with my 35K Tribeca vs. my 60K Q45 – it’s a no brainer – Subaru wins.

Messages Page 417 of 837

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