[MNsubie]

@mtmra70 No word on the start stop technology. So that means most likely it will NOT be on the 2021.

@javidmajid The infotainment is staying the 8" Gen 3.1 unit and not going to the 11.6" Gen 4.0 until the remodel in 2023, but I cannot be 100% on that. The 2 LED headlights is basically making the Base and Premium the same as the Limited and Touring.

I don’t mean to beat a dead horse but are you saying 2 LED headlights per side or just LED headlights?? Feel free to include any pictures you might have ?

 

[James B]

I don’t mean to beat a dead horse but are you saying 2 LED headlights per side or just LED headlights?? Feel free to include any pictures you might have ?

I believe what the OP means is that all trims will now get high beam assist and be steering responsive.
Aren't the current lower Ascent trims LED headlights not available with those features?

 

[James B]

Power folding side mirrors would be a nice touch.
Top of the line 2020 Outback has them.

 

[Robert.Mauro]

Power folding side mirrors would be a nice touch.
Top of the line 2020 Outback has them.

Comes on the 2020 Ascent Touring as well.

 

[James B]

Comes on the 2020 Ascent Touring as well.

I had a 2019 Ascent Touring. Didn't have them. So I figured 2020 didn't either.

 

[fg7321]

I’d love this too, but it’ll never happen.

Too bad Tesla is always updating OTA with new capabilities

 

[BroDoze]

^^ Yep, they built their whole platform around that. Not so with the other manufacturers. Most we get OTA is maps n bug fixes for the headunits. I wish we got ECU flashes/recalls/TCM reflashes etc OTA. We discussed all that in a thread a while back.

 

[edabbot]

I, also, would like to see a software/firmware change to provide lane centering in the 2019's

 

[BroDoze]

Aren't the current lower Ascent trims LED headlights not available with those features?

Currently the only trims that have LED headlights are Touring and Limited. They both are fully-featured. No difference in headlight functionality between the two trims.

 

[BroDoze]

I, also, would like to see a software/firmware change to provide lane centering in the 2019's

Me too. It’ll never happen.
Us MY19 & MY20 owners are stuck with LKA. I knew this before I bought my MY20 that the MY21s would be getting the better LKA/LC.

 

[Robdawg]

Any idea if the Touring level will have the 8-seat option? Why do they hold that back at the high end??

 

[hokiefyd]

Any idea if the Touring level will have the 8-seat option? Why do they hold that back at the high end??

Probably for the same reason you have to buy the highest trim Honda Pilot to get the 7-seat option in that model. I think they probably figure that folks looking to maximize passenger capacity are not going to buy the highest trim...and those buying the highest trim aren't looking to maximize passenger capacity.

It can be frustrating for sure but is, ironically, why we bought an Ascent. We wanted an EX-L trim Pilot to avoid the weird 9-speed transmission, but Honda offers the 7-seat configuration only in the Elite, which comes with stuff we didn't want and stickers at over $50k with AWD. So we came over to Subaru where you can get the 7-seat configuration in all but the base trim.

 

[lassetjus]

High Beam Assist on all trims is a big deal and a great change considering it is affects the safety rating. And also on my 2019 Premium trim that doesn't have high beam assist, my Insurance carrier withheld a discount that I would have gotten if I had that high beam assist.

 

[Big Superroo1]

With Subaru being a leader in value and safety, I always felt that they should of had the HBA, turn-responsive LED headlights as STANDARD equipment across ALL trims...and all Subaru models too. At a minimum, they could of made it an option for the base and premium models. Who wouldn't want to have a safety feature like that? I told Subaru that in more than one of the owner surveys they sent out. We love the HBA turn-responsive LED headlights in our Touring and I'm happy that all future Ascent owners will not have to make a choice to get the best lights for the Ascent.

 

[packout]

High Beam Assist on all trims is a big deal and a great change considering it is affects the safety rating. And also on my 2019 Premium trim that doesn't have high beam assist, my Insurance carrier withheld a discount that I would have gotten if I had that high beam assist.

I am very surprised that this feature would have any impact on insurance rates. I believe you, but I do not see why that should be the case. I love this feature (never a miss) on my Limited and last evening I commented just that to my 17 year old son. That being the case, it has never been difficult to turn the high beams on/off manually. Insurance discounts are somewhat fungible. The companies have a maximum amount to discount and they simply break it down to categories for marketing. My son took a winter ice driving class to avoid uncontrolled skidding but we are already at the maximum discount level for our auto insurance.

Auto insurance discounts guide for 2025 | Insurance.com

Auto insurance discounts like good driver - up to 30%, bundling - up to 14% and group membership - up to 20% can save you a lot of money on car insurance.

www.insurance.com

 

[Snowskis]

I'm surprised that when asked about any news regarding the 2021 Ascent updates/ changes, my local dealers have denied knowing about any updates. I suspect it's their card to sell the 2020's.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

Dealers are not going to highlight coming attractions for the most part and honestly, many don't even pay attention to things even behind the scenes. They are not going to see 2021 vehicles for quite a while yet, either.

 

[hokiefyd]

I'm surprised that when asked about any news regarding the 2021 Ascent updates/ changes, my local dealers have denied knowing about any updates. I suspect it's their card to sell the 2020's.

It's possible they don't have final notes on changes yet. My dealer gave me a copy of a "sell sheet" for the 2020 Ascent when we were shopping (that showed the upgrades on the Touring vs. the Limited, and the changes to the Touring in 2020) and the date on the bottom was something like May 24, 2019. I would expect this date to be somewhat consistent year-to-year -- that is, dealers probably get final sell sheets and other materials in mid-to-late May in preparation for the inbound new models whenever they do arrive in August or September.

Any consistency to that schedule is certainly subject to change in the current operating environment.

 

[James B]

I'm surprised that when asked about any news regarding the 2021 Ascent updates/ changes, my local dealers have denied knowing about any updates. I suspect it's their card to sell the 2020's.

I've found many salesmen don't know. They just want to sell, sell, sell. When I bought a 2020 Outback the saleswoman didn't know about hitting the cargo cover to get it to rise. I had seen it on YouTube. I don't rely on automotive salespeople anymore. I'll do my own research.

 

[Merope]

That's been my experience too. When I go to look at a new vehicle, I just about always find I already know way more about it than the sales guy. When I got my Ascent in Aug '19, over year after they had been on the market, nobody at the dealership knew or believed the factory hitch was 2", not the sales guys or manager, not the service writers, not the parts department. They insisted up and down that Subaru only does 1 1/4" hitches, period. I had to get them pull one from inventory, open the box, and look at it. And this was a pretty big dealer in a metro area.

As far as new model info, maufactures will often put an embargo on information on new models. I know that was true in the businesses I was in. We'd send out the info and materials but give a specific date when the recipients were allowed to go public with it.