Tribeca mixes in good company

Although not quite as fancy (or expensive) as some of the other big people-haulers on the road, the 3.6-litre Tribeca has got a lot going for it, not least of all it's strong Subaru personality which separates it from the rest of the clan.

With its permanent all-wheel-drive and punchy 350Nm/190kW engine it is a comfortable five-seater with lots of luggage space - and it can be converted quite easily into a seven- seater via two pop-seats which are built into the floor right at the back.

And not only is it stylishly finished off inside, it also gallops along with a lot of enthusiasm, all the way to 210km/h, in fact. And on the way there it will happily do the 0-100km/h dash in just over 8 seconds, which is impressive for such a big wagon.

OK, so it's not going to frighten a Range Rover Sport or a Jeep Grand Cherokee Hemi in a robot race, but it will outrun a few others in this segment and out perform it when it's time for the twisties.

Like all Subaru's, the Tribeca feels extremely solid in spite of its bulk. It cruises comfortably on the open road and it is docile and easy to handle in the city. But where it really proves itself is on gravel where just a dab of the accelerator is enough to keep it on course through the corners, even at relatively high speeds.

The cabin is well insulated from noise and dust, unlike one or two others in this segment.

The steering is well-weighted, the suspension is comfortably middle-of-road between sporty and floaty, and the brakes are really outstanding.

In many ways, the new Tribeca is quite a step up from the previous B9 Tribeca. The new Tribeca has a larger, more powerful engine, it looks much more attractive from the outside now that the ugly old-fashioned front grille has been re-designed and the curved, gently-sloping roof-line and elegantly shaped small side windows at the back give it a very handsome profile, with none of the long-bummed overhang that many other SUV's suffer from.

But it's inside where the new Tribeca excels with lots of gleaming aluminium trim contrasting attractively with soft cream leather door panels and seats.

The dashboard and instrument panel have just got to be the handsomest combo in the business, with lovely curved lines which mould all the way round to the doors.

The gauges are big and clear and yes, like in all Subaru models, the needles swing all the way round and back to rest every time you switch on the ignition… just to put you in the brm-brm mood.

Not that you want to get into hooligan mood to often with this beast, because even driven conservatively you are looking at a fuel consumption of in the region of 13 litres per 100 kilometres.

The seats are extremely comfortable and the living quarters are further enhanced by good aircon, an excellent sound system and electric windows, mirrors and front seats.

The five-speed automatic box is also one of the highlights of this vehicle and it works so well that it makes more sense than the six and seven speed boxes of the German opposition.

It performs well when left alone in auto mode and if you feel the need to tap-tap through the cogs the swapping happens quickly and smoothly…

Even though I am not a fan of big SUV's (and certainly wouldn't even consider owning one in these days of the gold share prices for fuel) I could live with the Tribeca quite comfortably.

It might not have quite the classy status of some of the other marques, but it looks and goes like good value for money. Owners of the popular Subaru Forester who are looking to upgrade will feel quite at home in the larger Tribeca.

Others to consider in this segment: Toyota Prado 4.0-litre VX, Ford Territory ST 4.0-litre, Land Rover Discovery V6 AT, Jeep Grand Cherokee Hemi, the Range Rover rang (R710,000 - R1.02-million) and the cheapest Mercedes-Benz ML, BMW X5 and Audi Q7.