April

After planning this for months in advance, we decided to head to Tahoe despite some nasty looking weather coming our way. Our one concession was to leave the A3 at home and rent a Subaru to avoid the inevitable clean-up and rock chips.

Saturday at Diamond Peak was quite good, as they had had a good dumping of snow just prior. But as the day wore on, the wind kept getting stronger and colder.

Weather moving in over the lake. The wind was almost strong enough to blow us back up hill!


<img src="http://homepage.mac.com/verdegrrl/.Pictures/Tahoe-2007/Crystal-ridge.jpg">

<img src="http://homepage.mac.com/verdegrrl/.Pictures/Tahoe-2007/more-ridge.jpg">

We went back to the condo we were renting with our friends and hung out around the fire playing Battleship.

<img src="http://homepage.mac.com/verdegrrl/.Pictures/Tahoe-2007/fireplace.jpg">

<img src="http://homepage.mac.com/verdegrrl/.Pictures/Tahoe-2007/condo.jpg">

We awoke to a world strangely quiet......

<img src="http://homepage.mac.com/verdegrrl/.Pictures/Tahoe-2007/Sunday-morn.jpg">

So it was time to build snowmen (yes, it does look like a mutant you-know-what)

<img src="http://homepage.mac.com/verdegrrl/.Pictures/Tahoe-2007/mutant-snowmen.jpg">

Go sliding

<img src="http://homepage.mac.com/verdegrrl/.Pictures/Tahoe-2007/snow-saucer.jpg">

Have snowball fights

<img src="http://homepage.mac.com/verdegrrl/.Pictures/Tahoe-2007/snowballs.jpg">

Weather reports said we'd get a break around 10am, then it gradually got moved back to 2pm, and then we decided not to wait any more. So just after lunch we dug out the cars and packed up.

Practicing with walkie-talkies.

<img src="http://homepage.mac.com/verdegrrl/.Pictures/Tahoe-2007/Walkie-talkie.jpg">

<img src="http://homepage.mac.com/verdegrrl/.Pictures/Tahoe-2007/scooby-snow.jpg">

But everybody else decided the same. So after 2.5 hours and only going about 13 miles, we turned around and went back to the condo. Turns out they shut down the highway right about then anyway, and watching the CHP blotter for interstate 80, it's a good thing, because accidents between Tahoe and Auburn averaged 10 to 15 an hour.

<img src="http://homepage.mac.com/verdegrrl/.Pictures/Tahoe-2007/traffic.jpg">

Not what most folks think of when they visit California.

<img src="http://homepage.mac.com/verdegrrl/.Pictures/Tahoe-2007/welcome.jpg">

The only Cayenne we spotted amid a sea of Touaregs and Allroads (lots of B5 and C5 Audis too).

<img src="http://homepage.mac.com/verdegrrl/.Pictures/Tahoe-2007/cayenne.jpg">

Early next morning the family sharing the condo with us left very early.

<img src="http://homepage.mac.com/verdegrrl/.Pictures/Tahoe-2007/icicles.jpg">

We stuck around, cleaned up the place, and then went down the east side of the lake to highway 50.

<img src="http://homepage.mac.com/verdegrrl/.Pictures/Tahoe-2007/lake-waves.jpg">

Going over the pass on 50 was slow, but very pretty.

<img src="http://homepage.mac.com/verdegrrl/.Pictures/Tahoe-2007/conga-line.jpg">


<img src="http://homepage.mac.com/verdegrrl/.Pictures/Tahoe-2007/duh.jpg">

<img src="http://homepage.mac.com/verdegrrl/.Pictures/Tahoe-2007/highway-50.jpg">

<img src="http://homepage.mac.com/verdegrrl/.Pictures/Tahoe-2007/snow-grove.jpg">

It changed to rain just above Placerville. We observed that by the time we hit Sac, drivers sucked and only got worse the closer we got to the Bay area! What a contrast to the rest of the weekend. Gratuitous Alfa spotted in Sac.

<img src="http://homepage.mac.com/verdegrrl/.Pictures/Tahoe-2007/Alfa.jpg">

So although we didn't get much skiing in, we had a good time overall. What an adventure! Sure brings back memories of living in Banff Canada;-)

_________________________

We usually reserve a Subaru Outback for snowy adventures, but this time all they had was a Tribeca or Escape. Since we had tried the Escape before and hated it, we gave the Tribeca a whirl. Ours was a subtle pearl white which does nothing for the lines. It's for good reason that designer Zapatinas has been let go from Subaru.

<img src="http://homepage.mac.com/verdegrrl/.Pictures/Tahoe-2007/dirty-Scub.jpg">

The 7 passenger Limited has leather, power seats, sunroof, 6 disc in-dash CD player, and the usual 3.0 flat 6 cylinder engine mated to a 5 speed automatic. List price is right around $34,500.

The dash looks a bit odd to start, but is actually very functional and all the controls fall to hand as well as feel solid. We never once fumbled or had to do more than glance to figure out a function. Materials are quite good if not to Audi standard. The A pillars are truely massive though, and require ducking your head back and forth to make sure nothing is hiding in the blind spot. In some lighting conditions the beige lower portions of the doors and dash did not match. No rattles or squeaks on our 5000 mile example.

<img src="http://homepage.mac.com/verdegrrl/.Pictures/Tahoe-2007/Scub-dash.jpg">

Seats are acceptable, but woefully lacking in lateral support. 3 stage seat heaters and memory function are standard. The steering wheel does offer manual tilt and telescope which is nice, and it is easy to find a comfortable seating position.

As for cargo, there was plenty of room for our stuff, as well as a generous helping of our friend's ski equipment. The 2nd row seats do not fold down flat though,. Not an issue for us, but minivan folks will be appalled at the poor use of space. The rear bumper is a bit high to use as a seat when changing into and out of ski gear at the hill.

<img src="http://homepage.mac.com/verdegrrl/.Pictures/Tahoe-2007/Scub-cargo.jpg">

How is it to drive? Well keep in mind that many of the bits underneath come from the Legacy. That's both good and bad.

There is a momentary thrash as the flat 6 comes to life and then settles into an almost inaudible idle. A bit of gear whine can be heard in the lower gears at times, but the engine itself murmurs at various volumes without ever sounding or feeling harsh. So you aren't going to rev it for the fun of it, but you won't wince. That said, 3.0 liters isn't very much when dealing something that has the aerodynamics of a barn door, an awd system to twist, and 245hp @ 6600rpms - or more importantly 215ft lbs of torque @ 4200rpms which isn't much when you are dealing with over 4200lbs of trucklet.

The tranny defaults to cruising at just over 2000rpms, and often has to downshift not just one, but two cogs to get any meaningful power. There is a sport mode and it helps, along with some excellent engine braking characteristics for slowing without having to use the brakes. It's a smooth transmission when left to it's own devices, but very hard to get smooth shifts when in manumatic mode. It's a good thing the engine isn't bad to listen to, because you are often making full use of it! I can only imagine what it must be like with all 1500lbs of cargo capacity on board.

Although packing multiple diffs, the VDC awd system isn't as transparent as either the Haldex or Torsen Audis. It's hard to define, but the rear of the vehicle waggles a bit under acceleration whether on dry, wet, or snow. You feel the power being shunted around to various wheels just a split second after your inputs. 45/55 power distribution means you can readily hang out the tail if you use the manumatic to hold a gear, but part throttle attempts to regain control are rather ineffective and cause the car to understeer with a vengence despite leaving the stability and traction control switched on. Turn them off and you can have more hooligan fun, but in the nasty stuff like we experienced, I left them on most of the time.

The suspension should be singled out as being one of the nicer SUVs I've driven. Firm but never punishing. You feel and faintly hear bumps, but it never upsets the truck. The standard 18 inch wheels can be felt taxing the suspension with unsprung weight from time to time though. The Tribeca rolls in corners of course, but overall chassis feedback is good and the steering is first rate for something like this. Precise with just a hint of what the front wheels are doing. You can hustle it more like a car than a truck with the exception of the lack of power which means flogging is in order. Road noise is minimal, but wind noise gets intrusive above 70mph. That's another hurrah - framed windows that don't pull away from the seals at higher speeds like they do in other Subarus. While not the antithesis of the Lexus RX330 when it comes to driving pleasure (I consider the Lexus rolling valium), it's not too terrible to live with when the weather is bad.

Some other areas of Tribeca are not so well suited for roughing it. The wipers and defrosters come in for particular criticism. These seem a striking omission, given Subarus are the darling of the ski set.

Snow and ice would build up under the long wiper blades while in use - especially near the ends, and the wiper would no longer make contact with the glass. We had to stop repeatedly to break off chunks.

<img src="http://homepage.mac.com/verdegrrl/.Pictures/Tahoe-2007/crap-wipers.jpg">

The defroster was similarly useless. I'm guessing the HVAC system came directly from the Legacy, because even though we took care to keep snow and moisture from getting into the vehicle and kept interior temps low, the defroster had to be run almost constantly to keep the windows fog free. And it was noisy doing so. There are seperate a/c controls for the rear seats, and if we had carried more people, there is no doubt we'd have needed them running full blast to try and keep the windows clear.

That brings us to two related items - the stereo which was easy to operate, but which had terrible muddy sound and no speed volume control - and the turn signals which were too quiet to hear over the defroster fan. Even when the defroster wasn't running, the stereo sounded flat and muddy no matter the settings. I'm a turn signal ****, so having the indicator light out of sight under the binnacle and the indicator sound too quiet to be heard over the defroster, wind noise, or stereo is a real annoyance.

So would I spend my money on one? No. It's not a bad car for people who haul around 4 adults in graduated sizes and 2 kids. It's nicely trimmed in quality materials. It offers a great ride and good handling. Subaru is already offering incentives to move them. On the other hand, Mercedes offers even larger discounts on some versions of the R-class, and although some materials aren't as nice, it feels more of a piece if not overtly sporty. The Mazda CX-9 is an up and coming contender in this segment, and I hope to get a chance to rent one soon. If you don't need as much people/cargo capacity, you could also get a rip snorting A3 V6, an A4 Avant 2.0T for Tribeca money.

RyanS3

awesome photos and text. thanks for sharing.

/\/\ightar

Big 2nd - I gotta take some time off and take my wife up there...

wnut

not only on conditions and location but with pictures and a review of a subaru tribeca of all things on an audi specific forum.

i just have one question...where in the bay area were you able to rent a subaru?! i looked a few weeks ago and the best i came up with was...that escape you mentioned. my back killed me.

April

once you have selected the dates. Airport locations tend to have extra surcharges, so go for the local version. If you can't find one at the nearest location, just try another location. The only exception is if you want to rent an Audi - they have those at SF airport. A8, A6, and S4 Cab. $$$$ and usually requiring lots of lead time.

As for the Scooby review, some folks might compare the Tribeca to the Q7. It's not even close! ;-)

wnut

thx for the heads up, renting at the airport is always an experience anyways.

SAC-CA-GTI

"some" of the traffic. This is why I avoid Tahoe on the weekends during the winter. Nothing buy nightmares snow storms or not.

Sia Bani

Beautiful, thanks for posting.

Ernesto (ERT)

Thanks for posting- going up there myself in about 7 hrs.

MuRaN0Daddy

You really should be writing for C &amp; D, etc. if you are not already. and although that car dwarfs that person in the pic.....that person looks maavelous. ;-)