Used 2011 Subaru Tribeca Touring Limited SUV Review & Ratings

The Tribeca is Subaru's most recent entry into the crossover SUV niche, geared towards the "middle weight" division. First launched in 2005 by Subaru particularly for the US Market, the Tribeca displays it stateside flamboyance all the way down to its title, derived from the " Triangle below Canal Street" (TriBeCa) neighborhood of lower Manhattan, New York City.

Another Subaru SUV based on their award winning Legacy platform, the Tribeca was originally available only as a five seater. However the current Series Three version is now available only as a seven seater. There was a Series Two Tribeca but its appearance was fairly short lived after the end of an ill-fated collaboration with struggling European car manufacturing giant Saab, and the jointly designed B9X concept car, which earned nothing but highly critical reviews.

The Tribeca Series Two went through a complete face lift in 2007 to become the Series Three. Since then it has rightfully earned itself a niche in the highly competitive medium -sized sector of the crossover SUV market. Credit to the Tribeca is that it has earned its spurs against such hard punching middle weights as the Audi Q5, Toyota Highlander, Ford Edge and Nissan Murano. Some reviews point out that the Series Three Tribeca may have even taken some sales away from the other Subaru SUVs, such as the Forester and Outback crossover station wagons, largely due to the fact that it offers seven seater capacity.

Designed with a distinctively short hood and wildly sloping windshield, driving reviews have been known to state that the Series Three Tribeca has more of a minivan feel to it.

There is certainly nothing to compare the Subaru Tribeca to a minivan when it comes to power with 3.6-liter horizontally opposed six-cylinder 256 horsepower under the sloping hood. All-wheel drive (AWD) and a flexible five speed Subaru Sport Shift automatic with a manual shift-gate are standard on the Series.

The Tribeca offers a smooth and quiet drive in both town and highway conditions, with fuel consumption between sixteen miles per gallon in town and twenty miles per gallon being reported in most reviews.

Off road, the Series Three Tribeca is far from being a slouch, with is AWD holding its own against the toughest conditions, as well as any of the testing winter conditions that it will be liable to come up against.