A Hip Subaru?

The dimly lit lobby bar of the ultra-hip W Hotel in San Francisco is filled with scenesters, including members of the NBA's Phoenix Suns, who are bouncing to the electronic beats of the house DJ and lounging on plush couches.

As the party-goers trickle out into the drizzling Pacific night, valets fetch BMWs, Land Rovers and Cadillacs. Nobody's leaving in a Subaru, a brand long known for its boxy wagons and owners on their way to the next campsite or a Phish concert.

In short, Subarus generally are not popular sleds for metropolitan sophisticates.

But that could change with the arrival of the '06 B9 Tribeca, a cross/utility vehicle that introduces radical exterior styling and 7-passenger seating capability as Subaru sets its sights on the pavement-orientated BMW X5 and Lexus RX 330.

Subaru's attempt to leap from its semi-upscale granola niche to true luxury turf is a jump that perhaps only motorcycle daredevil Robbie Knievel would attempt.

Like Knievel, even if Subaru successfully lands, it is bound to have a few bumps and bruises that will teach it to better execute a similar stunt in the future.

Subaru definitely will take some lumps for the CUV's name. B9 Tribeca sounds like a bus stop in New York City, and Subaru has no other alphanumeric nameplate in its U.S. lineup.

Admittedly, consumers went gaga over the Ford Probe, Led Zeppelin has sold millions of records and Spam is an American food icon. So terrible names don't guarantee failure.

We'll keep an open mind and assume adopting the nifty acronym for a trendy Big Apple neighborhood as part of its name will help the B9 Tribeca establish itself with a new group of consumers.

Like its name, the CUV's exterior design is so startlingly different from current Subarus that it's tough to imagine this vehicle coming from the same brand. The front resembles Alfa Romeo, the side is reminiscent of the X5 and the rear suggests the Infiniti FX CUV.

Call it Subaru's Aztek or stylish, but don't call it dull.

The B9 Tribeca's nose is so prominent, a rhinoplasty might be in order. Headlights are set high on the front-end corners. Along the side, the B9 Tribeca's roofline crescendos quickly from the A-pillar to its peak at the B-pillar, and descends slightly on its way to the rear of the vehicle.

With an overall length of 189.9 ins. (482 cm), the B9 Tribeca is longer than any of its primary competitors: the X5, FX, RX 330 and Acura MDX.

The B9 Tribeca's interior design is equally fashion forward, but it exchanges edges for curves. The wave-shaped instrument panel crests with the center stack and recedes in an intriguing bow-shape to the side doors. The design is imaginative and one of the most fascinating on the market. Gone are the puny buttons found in other Subarus, replaced by four thickset dials that control temperature and audio.

Soft light illuminates the speedometer, tachometer, engine temperature and fuel gauges — the latter two bookend the cluster and are angled inward. Even the cupholders are bathed in soft lighting after dark.

The dashboard material appears to be soft-touch, but actually is disappointingly hard plastic. The optional third-row seat is too flat, and legroom is cramped for adults — third-seat problems not atypical of the breed. Cargo room is 74.4 cu.-ft. (2.1 cu.-m) with the second- and third-row seats folded forward.

During a day-long drive along the northern California coast and Sonoma Valley, it's clear the B9 Tribeca won't win any races with its pancake-designed, horizontally opposed 3L DOHC 6-cyl.

Nonetheless, its 250-hp rating is smack dab in the middle of its four competitors (ditto for its curb weight), and the thrummy engine sound typically associated with Subaru's opposed-cylinder engines is adequately disguised. Ultimately, the B9 Tribeca moves passengers and cargo along quite nicely.

A 5-speed automatic, featuring short gearing, is the engine's only available transmission.

The B9 Tribeca's wheelbase is 3.1-ins. (7.9-cm) longer than the Legacy, from which its platform is derived. All-wheel drive is standard.

With its appropriately tuned steering, relatively low-slung vehicle height (66.5 ins./169 cm) and 4-wheel disc brakes, the B9 Tribeca is refreshingly flat through curves that tightly hug California's golden hills.

Consider Subaru's jump into a new market a successful first attempt. Pricing begins at $30,695 for the 5-passenger model (not including delivery fees) and $32,395 for the 7-passenger variant. Pricing for the top-tier model, featuring DVD entertainment and navigation systems, is $37,695.

Sales for the B9 Tribeca began in May. W Hotel appearances soon may follow.

'06 Subaru B9 Tribeca Limited (7-passenger)

Vehicle type: Front-engine, all-wheel drive, 5- or 7-passenger 5-door cross/utility vehicle

Engine: 3L (2,999 cc) DOHC H-6, aluminum block/aluminum heads Power (SAE net): 250 hp @ 6,600 rpm

Torque: 219 lb.-ft. (297 Nm) @ 4,200 rpm

Compression ratio: 10.7:1

Bore × stroke (mm): 89.2 × 80

Transmission: 5-speed automatic

Wheelbase: 108.2 ins. (290 cm)

Overall length: 189.8 ins. (489 cm)

Overall width: 73.9 ins. (180 cm)

Overall height: 66.5 ins. (151 cm)

Curb weight: 4,225 lbs. (1,917 kg)

EPA fuel economy, city/highway (mpg): 18/23

Market competition: Acura MDX; BMW X3; Cadillac SRX; Infiniti FX35; Lexus RX330; Volvo XC90