Test Drive The 2006 B9 Tribeca, while not exhibiting sports car abilities, handled a myriad of driving conditions quite well. From the streets of San Francisco, along the freeways and highways out to the Pacific Coast, this Subaru’s competence didn’t surprise us.

Our test drive took us through the streets of San Francisco, ascending and descending the steep hills that give this city its character. This is where the 2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca shows its versatility as well as the advances in technology it holds beneath its skin.

Though offered on few vehicles marketwide, Subaru makes its hill-holder system available on several of its models, including the B9 Tribeca. The hill-holder system continues to apply the brakes for a moment to help make for easy launches on steep hills. Subarus with this hill-holder feature are made for places like San Francisco.

In recent years, Subaru has been able to combine adept handling and ride comfort with little trouble. The 2006 B9 Tribeca, while not exhibiting sports car abilities, handled a myriad of driving conditions quite well. From the streets of San Francisco, along the freeways and highways out to the Pacific Coast, this Subaru’s competence didn’t surprise us. The reason? We expected the B9 Tribeca to be equal to every other Subaru, save for the WRX. After all, in this category you don’t expect nor want the capability of a racecar. You expect a quality ride, versatility and the amenities to make travel less stressful. This Subaru delivers on all counts.

Northern California is also where you can find some of the most demanding roads in the country, and not just fun-to-drive, serpentine, backcountry roads. Try to get around the San Francisco/Oakland Bay area, and you will see that this Subaru can be a pleasant respite in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Because most drivers never experience the rear seats on the vehicles they drive, we make a point of climbing around in the back of all the vehicles we test. It is just as important to get a feel for what the passengers’ view might be as it is the driver’s. The 2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca can easily transport four in comfort, five in a pinch. With the third-row, seating is pretty tight, and is best left to small children. Even with the second-row seat slid forward completely, it was a tight fit for an adult. And with the second-row seat in this position, no one would be able to sit there since it rests against the front seat backs.