40,000-Mile Wrap-Up
Some things need to happen. If you’re an automaker nowadays and you don’t have a three-row SUV in your lineup with seating for more than five people, you’re in a tough spot. That was Subaru’s case not too long ago, and it needed a larger vehicle to keep Subaru intenders who had outgrown their Foresters and Outbacks from having to defect to other brands that already offered more capacious crossovers. That vehicle also would need to be superior to Subaru’s last three-row attempt, the unsightly and not-quite-large-enough Tribeca. The new-for-2019 Ascent addressed those needs effectively.
Pricing for the 2019 Ascent started at an affordable $ 32,970. We wanted the full experience, though, so we procured our long-term example in the fully loaded Touring trim level, complete with Crimson Red Pearl paint and a Java Brown leather interior. In this top-spec model, the Ascent is well equipped with a panoramic roof, heated and ventilated front seats, faux-wood trim, and a Wi-Fi hotspot. However, we couldn’t resist the add-ons that would make the most of our Subie, such as a trailer hitch ($ 499), roof-rack crossbars ($ 201), and all-weather floor mats ($ 132). The as-tested tally: $ 46,743, which is still comfortably below the high end of the segment.
One key point of interest with Subaru’s big crossover is the 260-hp turbocharged 2.4-liter flat-four under its hood. Because it’s a Subaru devoid of any sporting pretentions, torque is routed to all four wheels via a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). Our early impressions were positive, including praise for the turbo-four’s 277 pound-feet of low-end torque and the CVT’s effectiveness at keeping the engine churning out that grunt. But as the miles stacked up, those initial cheers faded. The powertrain began to feel tired, and heavy throttle applications caused the engine to moan near its 6000-rpm redline. Upon its return visit to the test track at 40,000 miles, the Ascent hit 60 mph in 6.7 seconds, which is competitive for its segment but 0.3 second slower than when it was new. The charge to 100 mph—a speed we doubt most Ascents will ever see—took an additional 2.0 seconds.
Subaru may have embraced the CVT, but we can’t help but wonder if it’s time for it to move on, what with the bounty of excellent multi-speed automatics on the market today. Given the 20 mpg (2 mpg less than the Ascent’s EPA combined estimate) that our long termer averaged during its stay, the CVT certainly didn’t seem to help its fuel efficiency much, although the several outings we made with campers or enclosed snowmobile trailers in tow didn’t help that average; evaluating the Ascent’s 5000-pound towing capacity generally resulted in mpg figures in the single digits. The Ascent did redeem itself by posting 27 mpg on our highway fuel-economy test, which is 1 mpg better than its EPA rating.
Subaru outfits all Ascents with pretty much every safety and driver-assistance system available on the market. While the smorgasbord of electronic security blankets worked as intended, the sheer amount of noise they produce was one of our greatest gripes with our long termer. Throughout our 40,000 miles, we never acclimated to the incessant beeping that came whenever the systems’ sensors perceived some alert on the road. Every time the adaptive-cruise-control detects a vehicle in the Ascent’s path, you get a beep. If the vehicle ahead of you moves out of your lane, there’s a beep. And if the object in front of you at a stop light moves and you’re not ready? BEEP. Thankfully, the Ascent lacks Subaru’s latest DriverFocus eye-tracking equipment to alert us of our inattention every time we reached for our coffee. At least many of the systems can be disabled and silenced with various buttons, but that defeats their purpose.
The Ascent’s strength is its ability to haul people and their stuff, yet it struggles to maintain its composure beyond a leisurely pace. Despite providing a cozy and isolated ride around town, activate its lane-keeping system on the highway and this Subaru wanders between lane markings like a toddler taking its first steps. A yank of the steering wheel to deactivate the system reveals only a vague connection to the front wheels. But the steering also feels quicker in action than we’d like in a tall SUV. Combined with little resistance from the helm as you turn off center, every motion becomes an event, and every occupant will be wishing for a dose of Dramamine.
Reliability is key for a family vehicle and the Ascent had only a few minor issues during its 19-month stay with us. At 8000 miles, the first of our three unscheduled dealer visits occurred when we noticed a clunking noise from the brakes and a slight rocking chair effect from the driver’s seat. The dealer deemed the brakes to be “operating as designed.” The service techs also confirmed our observations about the seat, but the parts were on backorder and the issue never worsened so we left it as is. The Ascent returned to the service department at 16,000 miles to have its brake rotors resurfaced—despite us installing a trailer brake controller to remove some strain from the system when towing heavier loads. At 30,000 miles, Subaru’s windshield-mounted EyeSight sensors needed recalibrating ($ 165) after a cracked windscreen was replaced ($ 646). Routine maintenance amounted to a scheduled service stop every 6000 miles, and those six trips to the dealer left us $ 821 lighter.
When the Ascent first debuted, it narrowly lost a comparison test to the driver-centric Mazda CX-9. Since then, the three-row SUV segment has evolved considerably. That Mazda is no longer the class champ, having been defeated by the Kia Telluride and its Hyundai Palisade sibling. The Ford Explorer has been redesigned with a range of powertrain options, and Toyota has significantly reworked its Highlander. Even Volkswagen’s big-box Atlas has already undergone a mild refresh. Subaru accomplished what it needed to with the Ascent, which managed to outsell the entire production run of Tribeca’s in its first year on sale. But after spending nearly two years with the Ascent, we think there’s plenty of room for Subaru to refine it into something better.
Months in Fleet: 19 months Current Mileage: 40,060 miles
Average Fuel Economy: 20 mpg
Fuel Tank Size: 19.3 gal Observed Fuel Range: 380 miles
Service: $ 821 Normal Wear: $ 0 Repair: $ 0
Damage and Destruction: $ 811
30,000-Mile Update
Our long-term 2019 Subaru Ascent is trickling its way to the 40,000-mile finish line. The Ascent doesn’t attract much attention for its driving dynamics, and with more enticing newcomers in our fleet, such as the Ram 1500 and the Kia Telluride, it isn’t our go-to for long hauls. As the miles tick away, though, the big Subie continues doing what it does best, shuffling around people and their stuff.
We previously put the Ascent’s 5000-pound towing capacity to work hauling a girthy enclosed snowmobile trailer. More recently, staff editor Drew Dorian tugged an Airstream Caravel travel trailer to Michigan’s beachy west coast. Though the Subaru towed the luxurious tin can without much drama, pulling the bluff-faced Airstream on the highway worked the Ascent’s turbocharged 2.4-liter flat-four like a pack mule. With the continuously variable transmission unable to employ its higher virtual ratios, the Ascent guzzled premium gasoline to the tune of 9 mpg. Nevertheless, Dorian commended the Subaru’s highway stability with a trailer in tow, but only after disabling the hyperactive lane-keeping assist. When that system is activated, the Ascent has a tendency to stray between the lines, causing the Airstream to wag behind the ute like a dog’s tail. Dorian also complimented the cargo hold’s ample space and its ability to swallow a weekend’s worth of camping supplies.
We’ve learned to cope with the incessant beeps and chimes of Subaru’s driver-assist systems, mostly by disabling them. However, copy chief Carolyn Pavia-Rauchman found yet another peeve related to distracted driving. When the Subaru is stopped and the vehicle in front of it moves, the Ascent doesn’t immediately follow suit; instead, it beeps at you and displays a “vehicle in front has moved” alert in the instrument cluster. Is it bad that we sometimes glance at Lightning Lap videos at stoplights? The Ascent thinks so.
So far, our Ascent has not experienced any major hiccups. Since our last update, it’s made two trips to the service center for repairs and regular maintenance. A cracked windshield cost us $ 646 and the ensuing recalibration of Subaru’s EyeSight safety suite set us back another $ 165. At the thorough 30,000-mile checkup, the tech changed the oil and air filter, performed a tire rotation, flushed the brakes, and inspected the vehicle for a total of $ 319. That puts us $ 701 into the red for scheduled maintenance.
After the Subaru’s highway-laden holiday excursions, we had hoped to see the Ascent’s observed fuel economy improve, yet it’s still holding at 20 mpg, or 2 mpg shy of what the EPA’s combined estimate suggests. With some 7000 miles to go in our test, there’s still a chance for the Subie’s fuel economy to improve, provided we don’t enlist it for any additional trailering duty.
Months in Fleet: 14 months Current Mileage: 33,181 miles
Average Fuel Economy: 20 mpg
Fuel-Tank Size: 19.3 gal Observed Fuel Range: 380 miles
Service: $ 701 Normal Wear: $ 0 Repair: $ 0
Damage and Destruction: $ 811
20,000-Mile Update
Ten months, three seasons, and almost 25,000 miles have passed since we took delivery of our long-term Subaru Ascent. Over that time, we’ve acclimated ourselves to the mushy continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) that manages the low-end grunt of the 260-hp turbocharged 2.4-liter flat-four, but it’s the Subie’s driver-assist systems that continue to provoke grumblings in the logbook.
Are drivers really this distracted? Subaru must have some data to think so. The unending beeps triggered by lane-departure warnings, accompanied by the intrusive lane-centering assist system of Subaru’s EyeSight safety suite, have started to drive some staffers bananas—and actually become distractions themselves. “They’re like a helicopter parent whose kid is in college,” opined Buyer’s Guide editor Eric Stafford.
Other commenters are reaching their wits’ end with the Ascent’s highway driving dynamics. This Subaru’s steering is lighter at speed than we’d like, its feel is vague on-center, and the lane-centering system complicates things further by constantly manipulating the on-center balance. Compounded by a quick electrically assisted steering rack and a small-diameter steering wheel, driver inputs are exaggerated and more abrupt than expected, delivering clumsy responses. Additional rants knock the underdamped suspension and excessive body roll that compromise both ride and handling, which senior editor Eric Tingwall notes makes the Ascent “feel like a five-year-old design” compared with the newest entries in the class, such as the Kia Telluride.
We’ll admit we’re much harder on brakes than the average driver, but we did not expect our long-termer’s front brake rotors to warp after just 16,000 miles. The dealer resurfaced the rotors free of charge, and the pulsing brake pedal has yet to return. Otherwise, the Subie has become a poster child for reliability, with routine oil changes, inspections, and tire rotations every 6000 miles and cabin air filter replacements every 12,000. The Ascent has removed $ 382 from our pockets thus far.
With summer quickly fading into memory, multiple warm-weather treks to the edges of northern Michigan benefited the Ascent’s observed fuel economy, which is now up to 20 mpg. Still, the inability to stretch a fill of the 19.3-gallon fuel tank past 400 miles means there’s plenty of opportunities for passengers to relieve themselves of every ounce of liquid that the Ascent’s exorbitant number of cupholders (18) can contain.
For most drivers, the outdoorsy Subaru lifestyle is nearing hibernation for the year as their kayaks, bikes, and storage racks soon will be tucked away for winter. The all-wheel-drive Ascent itself, however, should trudge through the white stuff with little problem once we reinstall its Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 winter tires.
Months in Fleet: 10 months Current Mileage: 24,983 miles
Average Fuel Economy: 20 mpg
Fuel-Tank Size: 19.3 gal Observed Fuel Range: 380 miles
Service: $ 382 Normal Wear: $ 0 Repair: $ 0
Damage and Destruction: $ 0
10,000-Mile Update
After logging nearly 7000 miles in its first two months of service, our long-term Subaru Ascent‘s pace slowed over the winter months as fewer staffers ventured far from home. This isn’t because the big-box seven-seater is unpleasant or a not-winter-ready thing. Our low usage was more a reflection of current market trends, as our fleet is flush with family haulers: Right now, we have seven utility vehicles, two station wagons, two pickups, and a van all vying for the attention of staff members planning a long journey.
Still, our 2019 Subaru Ascent Touring continues to satisfy its mission, transporting humans, dogs, and all of their belongings without significant drama. Since our getting-acquainted period, the frequency of comments in the logbook has trailed off. This can often mean one of two things: The vehicle doesn’t inspire drivers to bestow accolades, or it does nothing badly enough to excite us to put pen to paper to ridicule its flaws. In the Ascent’s case, we think it’s a mixture of both and ultimately a sign that the Ascent isn’t polarizing.
Staffers continue to praise the turbocharged 2.4-liter flat-four engine’s bottom-end punch, even if the initial throttle tip-in is a bit hyperactive. The combination of the Ascent’s standard all-wheel-drive system and the Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 winter tires we installed shrugged off the frigid months, during which our not-so-scientific test drivers found that the ute’s fascia is too close to the ground to climb the snowy parking-lot peaks of Mount Grocery Store without rubbing. Fortunately, no Subarus were harmed during this exercise. There were also some especially chilly mornings when we cursed the Ascent’s lack of remote starting.
Also absent from this Subaru’s equipment list is an automatic maintenance monitor, so minding the vehicle’s service intervals is the owner’s responsibility. In the midst of our holiday shenanigans, we overshot the 6000-mile dealer visit by 900 miles. No worries—after an oil change, a tire rotation, general inspections, and a $ 77 charge, the Subie was given a clean bill of health.
Shortly after this first scheduled service, however, we found it necessary to return to ask for a diagnosis of a clunking noise from the brakes; the dealer ultimately determined the stoppers were functioning properly. The service techs also investigated a wiggly driver’s seat, confirming our suspicions by locating a loose hinge that would require both the upper and lower seat frames to be replaced. The parts for the repair were, at the time, on back order. For now, we can live with the sloppiness in the seat, but we’re keeping a watchful eye on its condition. Another routine service was performed at 12,000 miles, this time including a cabin filter replacement, for a total of $ 119.
Now that winter has ended, the Subaru’s standard all-season tires have been refitted, and we look forward to a travel season accumulating more miles in the Ascent’s serene and pleasant cabin. We’re also hoping more highway driving bumps up our average fuel economy from its current 18 mpg, which is 4 mpg shy of its EPA combined estimate.
Months in Fleet: 5 months Current Mileage: 13,068 miles
Average Fuel Economy: 18 mpg
Fuel-Tank Size: 19.3 gal Observed Fuel Range: 340 miles
Service: $ 197 Normal Wear: $ 0 Repair: $ 0
Damage and Destruction: $ 0
Introduction
The 2019 Subaru Ascent is slowly helping us to purge the brand’s ungainly Tribeca SUV (2006–2014) from our memories. Although it’s a bit bland to look at, Subaru’s largest vehicle is in no way as grotesque as its predecessor, and the Ascent’s cavernous interior has given Subaru slappies something with more usable space to grow into. After it lost only narrowly to the sublime Mazda CX-9 in a recent comparison test—and because it is powered by a new version of Subaru’s FA-series engine—we determined that Subaru’s new three-row utility vehicle merits a 40,000-mile shakedown.
The engine in question is a 260-hp turbocharged 2.4-liter flat-four, which in all Ascents pairs with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) and standard all-wheel drive. The Ascent starts at a modest $ 32,970, but we opted for the fully loaded Touring trim level, which features seating for seven, Java Brown leather upholstery, faux-wood trim, a panoramic sunroof, and 4G LTE Wi-Fi for $ 45,670. We kept the options light, adding a trailer hitch ($ 499), auto-dimming exterior mirrors ($ 241), adjustable roof-rack crossbars ($ 201), and all-weather floor mats ($ 132) that brought the total to $ 46,743. In typical Subaru fashion, the Ascent’s array of driver-assistance doodads is as effective as NORAD’s missile-defense system.
After abiding by the prescribed 1000-mile break-in period, the Ascent clicked off a zero-to-60-mph run of 6.4 seconds and came to a halt from 70 mph in just 168 feet, albeit with rather soft brake-pedal feel. With winter in full force upon its arrival, we fitted a set of Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 winter tires in the OE size of 245/50R-20. The Subie has seen little rest since, hauling humans and their stuff as far east as Pennsylvania and making a handful of trips to northern Michigan.
A Good First Impression
Early comments praise the continuously variable transmission’s simulated gear ratios and its ability to keep the engine within the meat of its torque curve, which helps prevent the powerplant from straining against its redline under moderate acceleration. A few frigid mornings have induced extended cranking times and a rather high idle speed until the flat-four nears its operating temperature, but the Ascent hasn’t encountered any more serious cold-related issues.
Following the painless installation of a Tekonsha Prodigy P3 trailer-brake controller ($ 123) tapped into the under-dash port, the closest we’ve come to probing the limits of the Ascent’s 5000-pound towing capacity was when we tugged a 3500-pound enclosed snowmobile trailer to northern Michigan. It managed that moderate load without much drama aside from being pushed around by the wake of full-size pickups, but our fuel economy during the excursion plummeted to 7 mpg. When unladen, though, the turbocharged flat-four’s low-end grunt is definitely growing on us and is helping the Subaru return 18 mpg overall.
Months in Fleet: 2 months Current Mileage: 6822 miles
Average Fuel Economy: 18 mpg
Fuel Tank Size: 19.3 gal Observed Fuel Range: 340 miles
Service: $ 0 Normal Wear: $ 0 Repair: $ 0
Damage and Destruction: $ 0
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