Subaru turns Tribeca around with makeover

0 Comments | USA TODAY, June, 2007 | by James R. Healey

Crossover SUVs are booming as buyers look for vehicles that have the space, high seating position and available all-wheel drive of the trusty, truck-based SUVs that seem too thirsty in these days of $3 gasoline.

Subaru, long a wielder of exceptional AWD cars, tried to join the crossover party with the 2006 Tribeca two years ago. But the look was too weird. The engine lacked low-speed power needed for U.S. driving conditions. The transmission shifted when you didn't want it to.

So for the 2008 model year, Tribeca gets a makeover. The result is a much better machine that nonetheless might not be the pick o' the litter because the litter's growing so fast with such well-done vehicles.

Crossover SUVs, sometimes called CUVs, tend to be unibody...