THERE was a game I played when I was young. You drew the front part of something, usually an animal, folded the piece of paper over so your friend couldn't see it and they drew the back end.

When the paper was opened up what you got, in most cases, was some ridiculous cross-breed of a beast. Something so fantastic, so ludicrous, it could never exist.

Clearly, the designers at Subaru were playing this game when they were given the task of coming up with the company's premium SUV.

The only difference between our game and theirs is that their beast exists.

With a face only a mother could love and a rear in definite need of some lypo, the B9 Tribeca is certainly no looker.

And when you consider Subaru is promoting the US-built model as a rival for BMW's X5 and Volvo's XC90 it is already on the back foot before the key's been turned in the ignition.

But looks, as they say, aren't everything; beauty is only skin deep, etc etc.

So could the Tribeca begin to worm its way into my affections?

Well, there is no diesel option, so that was not a good start. A 3.0 litre petrol engine returning low to mid-20s miles to the gallon?

You'd have to quite literally have money to burn for that not to be a concern.

It's hard to understand why, when there are so many options on the market that do come with a diesel variant, Subaru believe they can do without offering one.

Maybe they aren't banking on selling too many, and without one they probably won't.

Borrowed from the Legacy, the boxer' engine is certainly responsive, a top speed of 121mph and 0-60mph in 9.3 seconds attest to that, but it is allied to such a frustrating gearbox that you can never really appreciate it.

Any amount of depression of the accelerator appears to push some kind of mental button in the five-speed box, which makes it suddenly drop gears and give you a thoroughly undeserved punch in the back, not unlike when sitting on a horse which decides to bolt without warning.

For those who want to utilise it, there is the option of sport' shift, which allows you to move up and down the gears.

I used it perhaps more often than I should have done, simply to avoid the bucking bronco alternative.

On the motorway, the car is an able cruiser, with road and wind noise kept to a minimum.

However, take it out in the country, or even on some of our less well maintained urban roads, and the ride becomes incredibly lumpy and bumpy.

On the safety front, the Tribeca is certainly up there with the best. It was something that certainly appealed to my wife, who regularly carries our two youngsters around.

All Tribeca's have stability control, twin front, side and curtain airbags and ISOFIX child seat mounting points.

Cornering feels safe and although its height means there is a degree of leaning when negotiating bends, it is far from a concern.

My wife is used to driving a people-carrier and the king of the road' stance, coupled with the ability to electrically increase the height of the driver's seat, certainly appealed to her.

There was also no doubting the comfort the leather seats provided, however the light brown colour the test car came with wasn't quite to my taste.

There's plenty of room on board for five, with headroom and leg room generous. Boot space is also ample.

But just when you begin to think, actually, it's not so bad', something else lets it down.

And this is where we arrive at the dash. It took me a while to think what it reminded me of and then it hit me - it was just like those cheap stereos you can buy for about £20 from your local supermarket, all shiny silver plastic, with knobs that with even the slightest degree of force would come off in your hand.

It was the same with the door handles, the steering column controls, the heating and even the gear stick.

And then there was the satellite navigation system that looked like my three-year-old had designed with a couple of coloured pencils. OK, it served its purpose, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting in a car costing close to £30,000.

Yes, I know Subaru have undercut their opponents with this car, base X5s and XC90s cost more, and that comes at a price, but in this day and age there must be better quality or, at worst, better looking materials around.

And therein, lies the problem really. Subaru has tried to make a premium car on a budget, relatively speaking.

And, as has been proved so many times in the past, it is a hugely difficult thing to achieve.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, they haven't here.

The fact that I didn't see one other Tribeca on the road in the week that I had it may suggest I am not the only one to think so.

SPECIFICATION

Engine: 3.O petrol
Max power: 241.4bhp
Max torque: 297Nm
Max speed: 121mph
0-60: 9.3secs
Average fuel consumption: Urban 16.6, Extra Urban 29.7, Combined 23.0
Equipment: Dual air zone air conditioning; eight-way powered front seats; front, side and curtain airbags, six-disc CD autochanger with nine speakers, heated leather seats and leather steering wheel; satellite navigation; alloy wheels; sunroof.