Most significant is the fun factor. This truly is an addicting car when the weather is nice. The six-speed manual is golden. It's truly an interactive, enthusiasts' car. Dropping down gears during turns with the top down and enjoying the grip from this tight chassis is an absolute riot. Steering is precise and rigid.
ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR CHERYL BLAHNIK: After being in a wagon for more than a week, I thought this car would feel like a matchbox. To my surprise, it felt extremely roomy. I like the fact that it has four doors to make taking full advantage of the back seat easier. Last night, I picked up some rather large items from the store and when I first opened the back door, I wasn't sure they would fit, but they did and I was pleased.
Then there is the fact that this car is priced at less than $20,000 and comes with AWD. Inside and out, the car felt put together better than all of the previous Suzukis that I've been in. Maybe the quality of cars is now catching up to the motorcycles Suzuki makes. I thought the car looked good. I wouldn't be surprised if we start seeing more and more of these little cars on the road.
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Like any SVT vehicle, the Raptor is capable of mundane tasks such as flying to the grocery store or winging through commuter traffic.
But this SVT truck is at its best when it's swooping down the desert floor at full speed, dodging rocks and sailing over whoop-de-dos.
Based on the F-150 pickup, the Raptor body is widened by seven inches to accommodate honking 35-inch-tall desert tires and extra wheel travel--11.2 inches front and 13.4 inches rear. From the A-pillar forward, it gets all-new SMC body panels that wrap around the stock three-valve, 310-hp, 365-lb-ft, 5.4-liter Triton V8 (320 hp and 390 lb-ft on E85, if they sell it in your part of the Mojave). The black Raptor grille is wider than the stock F-150 grille, and the skid plate angled below the bumper replaces the stock air-dam lower panels.
The Tribeca drives well. It's quiet and it feels much lighter than its 4,250 pounds. That's nearly 1,000 pounds less than General Motors' crossovers and the Subaru is a more fun, more flingable ride as a result.
The power is decent and the transmission is mated well to this engine. For the most part, the interior is good though a few materials could use an upgrade for the price.
That price is quite ambitious, and I'm trying to be nice here. GM's crossovers start at roughly the same price, and the Toyota 4Runner, the Honda Pilot, the Hyundai Veracruz, the Jeep Commander, the Mazda CX-9, and the Toyota Highlander all start at less.
All the same, the car is a fun runner, clipping through the gears and winding up nicely to redline. That combined with the taut Z suspension and precise steering means the car remains a lot of fun, but with a quiet, nicely upholstered side that might almost allow someone to make a phone call while driving. In a Z, that just should not be a consideration, but in this one, it is. Sad.
