Fortunately, the designer who penned the 2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca’s interior had better sensibilities than the stylist responsible for the exterior. The dashboard sweeps elegantly across the cabin, gently bulging in the center like a wave to present stylish climate and audio controls. Subaru overdoes the metallic décor, but the two-tone color scheme is upscale and the places where occupants are likely to touch are softly padded.

Trouble is, the spots where occupants are unlikely to touch feature thin plastic panels that scratch easily and sound hollow when rapped with a fingernail. Plus, the cabin lacks useful storage, with a small glovebox and an average-sized center console bin under the armrest. Door bins are big with bottle holders, but the B9 Tribeca is obviously short on little boxes and trays with rubber liners for smaller items like cell phones. Furthermore, at a tested price of more than $38,000, there’s no telescopic steering wheel, no power front passenger’s seat, no one-touch up control for the driver’s window, and no one-touch down for the front passenger’s window. However, for that price our B9 Tribeca was equipped with dual-zone climate control, a navigation system, a DVD entertainment system, and other goodies that helped justify the price tag.

Front seats are reasonably comfortable, though we thought the perforated leather inserts created too much friction against the clothes we wore. And the B9 Tribeca is relatively quiet inside, except for wind noise around the top of the windshield at speed and the faint groan of the engine around town. But the biggest problem is with the rear seats, which amount to little more than a compromise. The second-row slides fore and aft, but even with the bench as far back as possible, legroom is tight even for shorter occupants. Plus, the seat cushion is low and flat, lacking thigh support, and foot room is just OK. The third-row is habitable by adults for only the shortest trips, and it’s very difficult to climb in and out due to tight clearances and a lack of substantial grab handles.

With the third-row seat dropped, the B9 Tribeca offers 37.6 cubic feet of cargo room. Fold the second-row flat, and you can load this Subaru with 74.4 cubes of stuff, less than many competitors. Loading is easy, thanks to the relatively low load liftover height.