When I was a young boy growing up in rural Indiana I had two passions: one was getting together with my two buddies Larry Atwell and Freddie Manago to fry ants and spiders with a magnifying glass; and the other was reading. For some reason I was always attracted to the book The Ugly Duckling.

I was recently reminded of this magnificent story when I headed west to “field test” the new 2008 Subaru Tribeca, the company’s crossover SUV. The Tribeca debuted in 2006 as a good, but often-overlooked vehicle. One reason may have been its appearance. The grille, while unarguably different, was … uh … what’s another word for “ugly?” However, through the wonders of rhinoplasty and just plain good designing, the 2008 Tribeca is a really handsome/pretty vehicle (just wanted to be politically correct).

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One might wonder why a car company would want to enter the ever-increasing crowded crossover market. Why buy a bigger box of crayons when an eight-pack would serve you just as well? Variety, my readers, variety. As popular as full-size SUVs were, they still had that inherent herky-jerky, rougher ride associated with a truck – upon whose frame they were attached. Crossovers, on the other hand, are built on car platforms and give a passenger-car ride with an SUV’s versatility.

In developing the second-generation Tribeca, Subaru had a lot going for it already. Every vehicle Subaru sells in the U.S. is designed around the Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive (AWD) architecture. It’s a complete system comprised of a lightweight horizontally opposed (Boxer) engine mounted low in the chassis and full-time AWD. The system combines the Variable Torque Distribution version of Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive with the Vehicle Dynamics Control stability system and four-wheel traction control system. Unless you’re really into automotive design and engineering, you don’t need to understand any of this stuff to know you’re driving something really special.

Speaking of the engine, the 2008 Tribeca is powered by a new 256-horsepower 3.6-liter Boxer engine with 247 pound-feet of torque. The amazing thing is that Subaru engineers were able to raise displacement of the six-cylinder engine by 20 percent and lighten the drivetrain by 9.7 pounds, yet retain the same exterior packaging of the 3.0-liter engine it replaces and it runs on regular-unleaded fuel as opposed to the premium fuel required for the previous engine. Fuel tank capacity is 16.9 gallons and EPA mileage estimates are 18 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway.

Transmission is a substantially-revised five-speed automatic. It provides smoother shifting performance and better slope control but “hunting” between gears is considerably reduced. In other words, where the previous transmission switched between preset shifting maps, the new one responds to the driving situation and adjusts shifting performance accordingly. This is particularly beneficial when driving in hilly country. It cuts down the criticism you’re liable to receive from passengers of your rough driving caused by a constant loss of power from driving on ascending, curving terrain. By the way, the new transmission retains the SPORTSHIFT control for manual gear shifting when desired.

Bold, new styling has given the 2008 Subaru Tribeca a streamlined and powerful look. Replacing the Picassolike front view of its predecessor is a new, wider and taller grille, new front fenders and a new hood design. The grille is now integrated into the front bumper and features a new chrome spread-wing design, with the Subaru star cluster badge as the focal point. The raised hood line visually widens and heightens the Tribeca. This alone would have been all that was needed for Tribeca to go from “geek” to “sleek.” But wait … there’s more! Subtle touches like larger doors, outside mirrors, an indent that allows flush-mounting the license plate, a body-color roof spoiler that helps keep the rear window clear of dirt while finishing the down-sweeping of the roof contour and a small glass window behind the side mirrors that enhance the vehicle’s appearance and contributes to a more open feeling inside.

It’s almost a shame that Tribeca needs a roof, because an aerial view of the dual-cockpit front-seat area is awesome! Its sculptured aluminum-look trim wraps around the driver and passenger sides and center console like the deck of Captain Kirk’s Enterprise. The center stack features the standard dual-zone, three-ring automatic climate control system with air filtration and standard AM/FM stereo system with CD player (including MP3 capability) and six speakers.

The instrument panel is a dream to behold. It has two large, sculpted independent gauges with aluminum-look rings. Electroluminescent gauges with red lighting feature illuminated rings around the speedometer and tachometer displays giving it a 3-D appearance. Warning lamps with icons are located within the main gauge displays and fuel and temperature gauges flanking the main gauge pods use high-tech LCD bar graph displays. As Eric Cartman would say, ”Sweeeett!!!”

Tribeca can be ordered as a five or seven passenger model in either trim – Standard or Limited.

If you go on a long trips with the kiddies, it might not be a bad idea to opt for the Rear-seat DVD entertainment system with 9-inch wide-screen LCD, two sets of wireless headphones and remote control, and auxiliary input for video games, MP3 music players, video cameras, etc. It’s only available on the seven-passenger Limited. It’s a cheap enough investment to keep them entertained while at the same time, keeping them alive.

Safety found a home in the Tribeca. It’s standard with four-channel/four-sensor Anti-lock Brake System with Electronic Brake-force distribution, a maze of airbags that cover practically every exposed part of driver and passenger bodies, a Ring Frame Reinforced body structure with front and rear crumple zones, tire pressure monitoring system, safety brake pedal system and a host of other things to help put your mind at ease.

There are pages of standard equipment and further pages of options – but not pages available to me from my editor. More detailed information is available on Subaru’s website at www.subaru.com.

Now for the good news … beginning price for the 2008 Subaru Tribeca is just a tick more than $30,000 (including destination and delivery charges of $645). MSRP for the Limited 7-passenger with Rear Seat DVD and Navigation (including destination and delivery) is $38,440. In other words … you can have this terrific crossover for your very own at less than $1 per pound. I don’t think I’m worth $1 per pound.

In conclusion, boys and girls, just like the once-ugly duckling eventually became a beautiful swan, so has the 2008 Tribeca emerged as one of the two best-looking entities to leave the state of Indiana (where Tribecas are manufactured). What’s the other one you ask? I’ll give you a hint … I graduated Valparaiso High School in 1962.