swc7916 Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 Auto reviewer Robert Farago was fired by the San Francisco Chronicle for this review of the Subaru Tribeca: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/content/11236156021648489006/index.php He also has a review of the WRX STI here: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/content/11229894261642707008/index.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorganM Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 While I agree the thing is ugly as sin on the outside; did he really have to say it has a vigina, with wings, on the grill? That's a bit over the top to say the least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swc7916 Posted September 9, 2005 Author Share Posted September 9, 2005 While I agree the thing is ugly as sin on the outside; did he really have to say it has a vigina, with wings, on the grill? That's a bit over the top to say the least. I think that's what got him fired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet82 Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 Prolly shouldn't have described some of that stuff like he did.... But he was being truthful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rweddy Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 Prolly shouldn't have described some of that stuff like he did.... But he was being truthful And pretty damm funny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinckler Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 Farago isn't a Chron employee, according to the info about him, but a correspondent (freelance contributor). How could he get fired? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carfreak85 Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 He was pretty harsh on the design of the STi and it's interior, which in truth is pretty damn good and a lot better than subarus used to be. I don't agree with him on a lot of his statements on both cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subeman90 Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 the refrence to a vigina kinda makes me horney... seriously though....I'll never look at another the same way again..... and maybe even feel a little excited when i do from now on.... ohhhhh yyyyaaaaaaaahhhhhhh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtsmiths Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 He reads like P.J. O'Rourke on supreme unleaded. Funny stuff, too bad SOA can't read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swc7916 Posted September 9, 2005 Author Share Posted September 9, 2005 Farago isn't a Chron employee, according to the info about him, but a correspondent (freelance contributor). How could he get fired? Ok, he didn't get fired; he got an e-mail that said "Effective immediately, The San Francisco Chronicle will no longer be using your automotive columns." He was pretty harsh on the design of the STi and it's interior, which in truth is pretty damn good and a lot better than subarus used to be. I don't agree with him on a lot of his statements on both cars. I understand and agree, but I do love this statement: "And then there’s the small matter of the rump, where some Suba-guru epoxied a park bench to the decklid". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartt Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 Perhaps Subaru is an ad client of the chron. Money talks But the author is right, it's an ugly car. It reminds me of an Edsel from the front. And I've heard that described in very similar terms. Which makes me wonder: since it costs 10s of millions to tool up to make a new car, why are there any ugly cars. It doesn't make sense, all the approvals, red tape, etc. that have to be passed to get to the point where you build a production car. Doesn't someone at a car manufacturer (besides ferrari, posche, lambo.. ) have any sense of asthetics? Most cars on the road today are pitiful, and there is no excuse. It costs the same to make a stylish car as an ugly one. What the h*** are they thinking??? Oh well.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 and for that matter the BMW Z4. There are some timeless shapes out there in auto land, and there are some that could stop a clock. There was a period where it seemed that I liked most Subaru designs. I hope my Forester will hold out until they make something I like again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parsec Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 Honestly, I would dump the guy too if I were the editor. If you can't comment about something without referring to human sexual organs then you are a very poor writer and shouldn't be employed as one. But he is right. The first thing that popped into my head when I first sawt he B9 was "You would think they never heard of a focus group." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMattyD Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 I'm not so sure that the grill resembles a vagina, but looking at the dashboard certainly reminds me of the internal female anatomy.. That is, the fallopian tubes and uterus.. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casm Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 Personally, I could care less how he describes the nose of the car, and no female reproductive anatomy I've ever seen looks a thing like that. If anything, the front and rear both copy current Alfa-Romeo design, which in my eyes isn't necessarily a bad thing. What's a real shame is that there's a great chassis under there that he's not doing justice to in his review. No, you can't chuck it around like a WRX - but think tall Legacy and you're not far off. I liked it; it's just a shame that reviewers (or Subaru) can't figure out that it's not an SUV and it's not a minivan. This is a crossover like the Pacifica, and a damned good one at that. Improve the headlights (throw's too short, even on high), make the software for the transmission more performance-biased, and swap out those red-illuminated buttons for some green or blue ones and we'll be on the right track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuBrat84 Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 ... " “Tribeca”. That's the hipster's sobriquet for the New York City neighborhood in the “TRIangle BElow CAnal street”. It's the 'hood where artists sell “challenging” work for outrageous prices. " .... That about sums up anything I would ever want to say about the B9. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martinjmpr Posted September 10, 2005 Share Posted September 10, 2005 Well, as I've said before, the Tribeca is the answer to the question: "What ever happened to the idiot who designed the Pontiac Aztek after he got fired from GM?" Now we know: The answer is he went to work for Subaru and designed the only vehicle in the world uglier than an Aztek. And yes, I've seen it in person, and it's utterly revolting. It's also overpriced. I can get a Lexus or BMW for the same price as this hideous POS. Why would I buy a Subaru? Oh, and it's ugly. Did I say that already? Or did I mean "Fugly"? I can't believe this was designed by the same company that designed the gorgeous 2005 Outback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjwirth Posted September 10, 2005 Share Posted September 10, 2005 I can get a Lexus or BMW for the same price as this hideous POS. Why would I buy a Subaru? really? a tribeca starts in the low 30's. an rx330 starts around 40k. a loaded tribeca w/ nav and dvd (38k) is still cheaper than a typical X3 3.0 w/o nav and dvd (42k). anyway getting back to the thread, I don't think the writer should have been fired. he wrote it as he saw it. I don't find the word "vagina" offensive. what if he said the front reminded him of a georgia o keeffe painting... would it be any less offensive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Vickaroo Posted September 10, 2005 Share Posted September 10, 2005 So did they fire the Editor as well.... Because it is the editor that has to approve the writtings before they go to print. I for one could care less what this writer thinks about any car, because by his writtings he's not a very "swift" person. Who knows maybe he can wash dishes better then being a writer. I hear they can always use a good dish washer somewhere... Then he can compare the left food to all the "vaginas" he wants. What a moron!!!!! Vicky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted September 10, 2005 Share Posted September 10, 2005 Even the local autowriter here had a mixed opinion about it, http://www.newsday.com/mynews/ny-sstom4416149sep09,0,7638810.column . Everyone seems to agree that the looks is something only a mother can love, barely. "The B9's styling is pleasing, except for the nose, which is, shall we say, controversial at least. Subaru says it's meant to evoke the aircraft that its parent company, Fuji, builds. Anyway, at least it's distinctive, and so is the dashboard, where central controls are arranged semi-elliptically so that the dash seems constantly to be smiling at everyone inside. Controls on the dash and steering column are well marked and easy to locate day or night, and the electroluminescent gauges are as attractive as they are legible" The reveiwer that got fired is really harsh and a pompus rump roast. Sounds like the only thing he would like is a Bentley, and god forbid if his tea isnt the exact temperture while driving the Bentley. I mean lets be real, who names their radar detector. Like i said before, i care more about the inside then i do the outside . Now if they would just fix that damn stero issue. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnuman Posted September 11, 2005 Share Posted September 11, 2005 Well, I would have "fired" him too. If you cannot write a description without numerous anatomical references (particularly ones meant to be unflattering), you really do not have the vocab ulary to be a reviewer. His review on the STi was mixed. He seems to hate any design put out by Subaru these days, and he only appreciates cars with lots of performance. I agree on some points, but would not use the language he used in a public forum (if you are writing for a newspaper, then it is among the most public of forums). Granted the styling on the B9 takes some getting used to, but I have never bought a Subaru for it's styling. I buy them for what is under that skin. He is right that the TCU needs to be reprogrammed for more performance, and the looks of the center console did not offend me at all. My biggest complaint on the console area is that it is designed to only accept Dealer provided stereo options, and those thend to be way too expensive for what you get. Other than that, I find the console area to be very sleek. as for seven pasengers, this car is fine as long as at least two of the passengers are small kids (12 and under) so they can sit in the back seats. That the center seats recline makes this a fairly comfortable car for the first five passengers. . . So do I like the car or not? Yes, I like it, except that there are a few things I would have done differently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbrand Posted September 11, 2005 Share Posted September 11, 2005 Well, who here has ever thought about speaking up against a new idea championed by the bosses? and risk being fired or not considered for thier next promotion while having a family to feed? As bad as many ideas are they get ramrodded by high paid consultants, managers, six-sigma experts and marketing experts and out on to the market place. Regardless of what I think of the Tribeca, I have never been afraid to voice my opinion to my employer(s) but see many smart, educated, experienced people afraid to rock the boat. And the experts can be dead wrong-anyone remember the "New Coke"? Perhaps Subaru is an ad client of the chron. Money talksBut the author is right, it's an ugly car. It reminds me of an Edsel from the front. And I've heard that described in very similar terms. Which makes me wonder: since it costs 10s of millions to tool up to make a new car, why are there any ugly cars. It doesn't make sense, all the approvals, red tape, etc. that have to be passed to get to the point where you build a production car. Doesn't someone at a car manufacturer (besides ferrari, posche, lambo.. ) have any sense of asthetics? Most cars on the road today are pitiful, and there is no excuse. It costs the same to make a stylish car as an ugly one. What the h*** are they thinking??? Oh well.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juan Posted September 12, 2005 Share Posted September 12, 2005 many smart, educated, experienced people afraid to rock the boat. And the experts can be dead wrong-anyone remember the "New Coke"? I'm certain that the fiasco surrounding the introduction of the "new Coke" resulted in marketing morons being fired anyway. I'm betting none of the 'formulists' got canned -no pun intended- and rightly so. One can only hope that marketing morons at Subaru are being replaced. Don't blame the designers. I don't know why they just didn't approve of a 2-1/2 foot rear wing on top of it. Remember the Dodge Daytona? Huh? That was cool. Juan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blitz Posted September 13, 2005 Share Posted September 13, 2005 I'm certain that the fiasco surrounding the introduction of the "new Coke" resulted in marketing morons being fired anyway. I'm betting none of the 'formulists' got canned -no pun intended- and rightly so. I 'spose if it was known at the time by the public-at-large that the whole "New Coke" fiasco was nothing more than a media advertising "gimmick" designed to divert the public's attention away from the replacement of refined sugar in the "Real Coke's" ingredients, with cheaper (and more deadly) high fructose corn syrup, the "marketing morons" probably would've been hanged by the neck for ignorant complicity of public murder by way of the resultant mass-obesity. One can only hope that marketing morons at Subaru are being replaced. Don't blame the designers. Well, replacements ARE being allowed to flood-in over the open Mexican-American border as I write this. They'll gladly do the same job for half the money. I don't know why they just didn't approve of a 2-1/2 foot rear wing on top of it. Remember the Dodge Daytona? Huh? That was cool. How do you know they didn't? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrickjd9 Posted September 13, 2005 Share Posted September 13, 2005 So did they fire the Editor as well.... Because it is the editor that has to approve the writtings before they go to print. You beat me to it. This is the second such case in recent years. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Neil Auto columns are considered advertising matter and sometimes go unedited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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