Times Chronicle & Public Spirit
Filling the gap
The 2019 Ascent brings big to the Subaru brand
To fill a hole in their lineup, Subaru is introducing their biggest vehicle ever, a three-row crossover ute hoping to keep parents with the brand when existing Subaru models see too small.
The sales records show clearly that there is a dip in Subaru sales and it occurs among childrearing years. There are plenty of customers who have a Subaru before parenthood or when their children are young and buy them again after the kids are gone. So Subaru needs to sell the Ascent to Millennials, as well as the younger edge of GenX and GenY parents.
Subaru says the anticipated buyer to be an average of 44 years old, 56 percent female, 79 percent married, 59 percent parents with a household income of $198,000. Most will be college graduates. So this is pretty similar to existing Subaru buyers. But this Subaru is clearly designed for Americans.
The design is conventional, as Subaru designers say, it is strong, but not too. So it is an attractive, if somewhat predictable, crossover. But it is clearly recognizable as a Subaru. It sits on a 113.8-in. version of the Subaru Global Platform, which is eventually going to be the underpinning of almost all Subaru vehicles.
In the front you will recognize the crossover’s family hexagonal grille and C-shaped headlights. On the side the wheel arches are prominent, and the cladding on the arches and lower sides should remind people it’s tough, strong and safe. Up top is a truly big panoramic sunroof and, being a Subaru, roof rails.
So Subaru says the appeal of the Ascent is its room, comfort, safety and drivability. The interior is very open, with good visibility all around. The instrument panel and interior features are well done, and craftsmanship is high. The seats are both supportive as well as comfortable. It is very quiet inside, which while normally not noticed, is a major factor in an interior seeming luxurious.
In the second row you can get heated bench or captain’s chairs on the higher models. There is ventilation and reading lights for all three rows. In back there’s underfloor storage and as many as eight USB ports.
The third row is comfortable enough, and if you’re back there it is clear that this is a vehicle which was designed to have three rows of seating. It is even comfortable enough for adults to sit back there. The Ascent has a total of 19 cupholders. You could probably start a coffee shop in here.
There is also an optional smart-view video mirror which shows the rear-facing video image. I found this very distracting, because unlike a reflective mirror, which has a single spot – the mirror itself – on which your eyes must focus. But with the video image you eye can’t easily decide upon what to focus.
Actually it is very specifically a car for kids. It has built-in Wi-Fi, which is certainly appealing for banishing boredom in the back seats. Subaru says the third row isn’t supposed to be a penalty box, so there’s cupholders and USB outlets there.
No matter how anti-social the kinder may be, there’s plenty of entertainment available to them. Notwithstanding the Wi-Fi, the audio system is good, with a premium system coming from harmon kardon.
The system includes ApplePlay and features its entertainment being pumped through 14 speakers by 12 channels using 792-watts of output power. With the navigation you also get three years of free map upgrades. If that’s not enough Subaru is offering a special deal of two sets of Bluetooth headphones and 32gig iPads for $500.
Safety is an intrinsic part of the personality of a Subaru. It has thoroughly up-to-date safety features starting with a seriously strong structure surrounding occupants. And it will do such things as use the telematics to have the monitoring system call the car if the airbags deploy and if there’s no answer they notify emergency services.
More importantly, all models of the Ascent will come standard with Subaru’s award-winning EyeSight active safety system. The system uses a number of driver assist technologies including automatic pre-collision braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure and sway warning, pre-collision throttle management, and a new heads-up display of the EyeSight system warnings and status. Blind-spot detection, lane-change assist and rear cross-traffic alert are also available options.
Independent research has shown that EyeSight has reduced pedestrian accidents. It works well and demonstrates where the industry as a whole is going. Within a couple of model years all new cars will come with whatever their manufacturers call their version of this system.
But for most people who are already fans of Subaru, one thing that will make them happy is the presence of the well-loved “boxer” layout engine. This 2.4-liter turbocharged engine develops 260hp. and 277 lb.-ft. of peak torque. Using regular gasoline this three-rower has an EPA fuel efficiency rating of 21 mpg in city driving and 27 mpg on the highway.
All trim levels use a continuously variable transmission which has a clever eight-speed manual mode which makes you swear you are driving a conventional geared transmission. The Ascent has a 5000-lb towing rating – when properly equipped.
So it has plenty of power for the driving done by these vehicles, and the all-wheel drive is perhaps the best on-road system. It will also do a decent job off-road, but rock climbing isn’t a high priority for families buying three-row crossovers.
I found this to be easy to drive. It doesn’t feel as big as it is from behind the wheel. The steering is quick and precise. In several areas of twisting roads the Ascent was perfectly happy to be pushed harder than most folks will ever push a three-row crossover.
It will be competing with the likes of the Toyota Highlander, Ford Explorer, Honda Pilot, Nissan Pathfinder, Hyundai Santa Fe, Volkswagen Atlas and the Dodge Durango. It is assembled in Indiana, so is officially and American car.
There are four trim levels, and the base Ascent has an MSRP of $31,995. The next model up is the Premium, and it starts at $34,195 MSRP. the Limited opens at $38,995 and the top-of-the-line Touring begins at $44,695.