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Subaru dubbed its 2006 crossover the Tribeca for a section in the Big Apple where actor Robert DeNiro hangs his hat and which has become the neighborhood du jour of budding designers as well as the “hip” and “cool” and wannabes.

Why name a new vehicle Tribeca when some will end up calling it Trifecta?

So folks who slip behind the wheel of one will consider it a hip and cool crossover, Subaru says.

Subaru calls Tribeca “progressively designed,” which must be the way the hip and cool describe “odd.”

Despite the logo in the grille, this machine doesn’t look like a Subaru, but rather a crossover with a large sloping nose with a huge chrome grille and sharply curved sheet metal.

Several stopped to ask what it was and nearly all expressed surprise when told a Subaru. It leads us to believe that if folks can’t tell what it is, Subaru should have used its marketing research dollars more wisely.

Inside, the dash top is large for the feeling of plenty of space between you and anything upfront in the event of an impact. But unless you’re taller than 6 feet, you probably won’t see the hood over that large dash when parking.

Subaru added a new flagship model because when loyalists need more room for passengers or cargo, they shop sport-utility vehicles and minivans from its rivals.

Tribeca is meant to stop the exodus and ensure Subaru rings up 30,000 sales it otherwise would have lost each year.

Tribeca (actually, the name is even worse, it’s the B9 Tribeca, with B standing for the 6-cylinder Boxer engine and 9 standing for the model series), is derived from a stretch of the platform used to produce the Outback.

Tribeca is built on a 3-inch longer wheelbase and is about 1-inch longer, 3-inches wider and 7-inches higher than Outback.

It comes in regular and Limited editions. The latter has leather seats in a choice of five-passenger capacity in two rows or, for the first time at Subaru, seven passengers in three.

Regardless of the number of seats, all Tribecas have full-time all-wheel-drive, long noted as the common DNA among Subarus.

We tested the seven-passenger Limited. The nice thing about the seats is that the second-row slides forward or back by up to 8 inches to give occupants even more legroom.

The problem, however, is that even with the second seat being moved, third-row occupants are hard-pressed to find space for legs and/or feet. Third row is the designated home for kids and looks as if it was shoehorned into the cabin. Rather than stretching the Outback platform by only 1 inch, Subaru should have kept extending it to allow ample room for a third row.

Another problem is getting into the third row. The second-row seat behind the passenger has a lever to pull so the seat back folds and the seat bottom slides forward. But even when it does, there’s precious little aisle space. And it’s even worse trying to get out.

A great party game would be to have an adult guest get into and out of the third row without help in less than, say, an hour.

When third-row seats are vacant, the backs fold flat to expand cargo space. Second-row seat backs fold flat as well to create a spacious cargo hold. Second- and third-row seat backs split so you can lower only one side if you want. When the third-row seats are full, however, you have very little room behind to slip anything other than a couple small duffel bags.

The test vehicle came with optional DVD player, fold-down screen and headphones to serve second and third rows.

Nice touches include a pair of power plugs in the center console and a pair of cell-phone holders directly in front of those plugs alongside a pair of cupholders. There’s also a power plug along the side wall for third-seat occupants, perhaps so they can call for help when their legs fall asleep from being scrunched.

When you lift the floor cover in the cargo hold, there are a few holders to keep odds and ends hidden.

The neatest feature is the navigation screen, not for its maps, but for its bonus goodies. One is a calculator you can call up on the screen to add, subtract, multiply or divide–whether in raw numbers or in inches, feet, acres, gallons or pounds. Strike another button and a calendar pops up. How often would you need a calculator or calendar? Probably more often than you would a map to show you the way home 50 weeks a year.

Tribeca is powered by a 3-liter, 250-horsepower 6-cylinder engine with 5-speed automatic transmission that provides ample off-the-line power, though with a slight growl. The mileage rating is only 18 m.p.g. city/23 m.p.g. highway, the result, in part, of full-time all-wheel-drive.

While the 6-cylinder growled a bit, Tribeca had an unusually smooth and quiet ride. Imperfections in the road didn’t give it the jitters.

When it comes to handling, however, expect the body to lean a little in sharp corners and turns. But the standard stability/traction control systems along with AWD provide a sense of security for all-season and all-reason motoring.

While some motorists opt for all-wheel-drive just to have it, Subaru says its customers favor AWD because their lifestyles require it to get to the ski lodge or cabin. There is no AWD low, however, so you have to get to the cabin via the paved road rather than by climbing the boulders off the beaten path.

The five-passenger Tribeca starts at $30,695, the seven passenger at $32,395. The five-passenger Limited starts at $32,295, the seven-passenger Limited we tested at $33,895. Limited models add leather seats and an audio upgrade with CD players.

Only options on the Limited are the DVD entertainment and the navigation systems.

Standard equipment includes anti-lock brakes; front/side air bags and side-curtain air bags; AM/FM stereo with CD player; air conditioning; power front seats; power heated mirrors; 18-inch, all-season, radial tires; tilt steering; and cruise control.

Tribeca is built at Subaru’s plant in Lafayette, Ind. Saab will get a version later this year or early next, as a companion to its new 9-7X sport-utility vehicle. General Motors owns Saab and a 20 percent equity interest in Fuji Heavy Industries, parent of Subaru, and sharing derivatives is an inexpensive way for the lower-volume GM affiliates to expand limited lineups.

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TEST DRIVE

2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca AWD

Wheelbase: 108.2 inches

Length: 189.8 inches

Engine: 3-liter, 250-h.p. 6-cylinder

Transmission: 5-speed automatic with manual mode

Fuel economy: 18 m.p.g. city/23 m.p.g. highway

Base price: $33,895

Price as tested: $37,695. Includes $1,800 for DVD entertainment system and $2,000 for navigation system. Add $625 for freight.

Pluses: Bigger Subaru derived from Outback. It offers seating for seven, full-time all-wheel-drive, quiet ride, decent storage and a calculator/calendar in navi screen.

Minuses: Getting into or out of third-row seat and minuscule third-row legroom. What’s left of cargo hold when the third-row seat is being used is small. A $34,000 Subaru?

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Read Jim Mateja Sunday in Transportation and Wednesday and Friday in Business. Hear him on WBBM Newsradio 780 at 6:22 p.m. Wednesdays and 11:22 a.m. Sundays.

jmateja@tribune.com