Subaru B9 Tribeca 3.0 (2006) CAR review

Is this the ugliest car on sale?

I like a man who gets straight to the point. The Tribeca’s certainly an acquired taste - it’s difficult to look at either end without wanting to vomit. But at least it’s distinctive, and viewed in profile it’s actually fairly handsome. But yes, this does look like a car that’s got some chromosomal abnormalities going on.

So apart from being the world’s ugliest car on sale, what’s the Tribeca hoping to achieve?

It’s hoping to steer you away from established premium SUVs like BMW’s X3 and into the hands of your Subaru dealer. The press material even mentions the X5 as a rival and in fact the Tribeca is longer then the outgoing X5. But the B9’s lack of badge and polish make it difficult to believe that anyone would opt out of the BMW, and that’s before you’ve turned a wheel.