I took my 2021 Ascent the the dealer for the ground bolt recall today. I also mentioned that I've had to jump start my car a few times after it sits unused for a few days. My battery tested to 508 COA (defect sulfation/ degraded). I was hoping for the B600 battery mentioned in another battery thread. But apparently their is a newer TSB that now specifies the SOA821B900 with 750 CCA. That's what they put in mine under the 3 year 36 month warranty. It was a nice surprise.
Battery replaced with SOA821B900
Billybax
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The photos posted don't seem to have a BCI rating, only "LN", maybe that is a new spec? When my B400 was replaced with a B600, it required a larger tray, and the insulating jacket was cut out at the front to reveal the "add and fill lines" on the transparent case (EFB with filler caps). The B900 doesn't have filler caps, looking at the photos.
23 Ascent Premium, 20 Outback; former 19 Outback, 87 GL-10, 85 GL
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I'd be interested in your thoughts comparing the Pilot to the Ascent. We had it narrowed down to those exact two vehicles and chose the Ascent for
1) One inch wider third row and one inch more depth behind the third row for cargo.
2) Familiarity with the same big screen we've enjoyed with our 20 Outback, which we kept.
3) $9K less expensive comparably equipped, $15K less expensive when you consider that only Touring and Elite offer live HondaLink that is comparable to Starlink on the Premium Ascent.
The lowest Pilot we would have considered was the EXL with the 9" screen, we ended up with a Premium Ascent.
Getting back to the topic of this thread, we do not have this newest, biggest battery in our Ascent but will certainly keep it in mind if we ever need it.
Just curious, which battery is in the 23 Premium, a B400? (That's what was in my 22 Onyx, before they replaced it with a B600).
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She didn't like the big screen after having a couple of loaners with it. She likes buttons and she felt the bigger screen lags. Our Ascent is a Limited and our Pilot is an Elite. Our current Ascent's headunit has been finicky since we have owned it. It has been replaced once and still has some issues. The cargo difference was negligible for her. Where we lost it in the formal cargo area in the new Pilot, we gained it back in the deep seat storage area. Everything that was permanently stored in the Ascent in the cargo area can be stored in the seat storage area under the floor board. The cargo cover for the Ascent, hands down is so much better than the Pilots. The Pilot's doesn't collapse in and there is no place to store the thing in the car.
Engine wise, I'm leaning towards the Ascent's CVT. I try not to say this on the Honda forums. You press on the gas the Turbo goes. The Pilot, you have to realize what setting you are in. We've been trying out the economical mode all weekend. Changing to sport when we need to be aggressive. Our gas mileage for the Ascent is better now that I'm driving a little more highway than just in town. In town, my wife felt she had to really stay under a certain RPMs to get better gas mileage. The Pilot in Standard and Eco mode gets what it is stated in town. Fake vs. real shifts, it really doesn't matter to me now. I thought you will have this life affirming realization driving a CVT vs. a 10 speed tranny.
Starlink and HondaLink. We did the initial offer for Starlink. I wouldn't mind having it to remote start the car in the mornings but for the price after that intro price, we did not renew. Yes Honda Link is similar but my wife doesn't need to remote start the car that often and when she does it's a feature on the key fob. We won't be paying for HondaLink after its intro freebie.
Tech wise- while the big screen is nice (I like it) on the newest Ascent, the full digital driver's screens is a must to compete with a lot of similar vehicles has come out with at the higher trim levels. The one thing that the Pilot doesn't have that we thought was weird at our trim level was a digital rear view mirror.
Honestly, my wife and kids are taking a big trip without me and I didn't feel as confident with the Ascent for that trip. We've had brakes done several times, transmission replaced, a ball joint, etc... My wife had enough with the dealer's shady service reps (there is one I only deal with now). With the last brake issue, she rode with a tech and he said the newest Ascent is practically the same vehicle mechanically with all the recalls done and he has never seen so many issues with Subarus since he has started 7 years ago. For my wife, that put the newest Ascent out of contention regardless of price. I voiced my concerns to Subaru America and got 1500 towards a new car or 500 towards parts and service. I took the parts and service, which I promptly used part of it fixing the ball joint. For me, now that I daily drive it, I felt around town it was reliable enough. I've got 120K/7 year warranty on it if it isn't. Plus the 2018 Crosstrek that was my daily was getting slower as the kids got bigger and I started picking them up from school. I looked around one day between their backpacks and themselves they were packed in like sardines. We all joke about turning the AC off to get extra horsepower to get the Crosstrek up a hill loaded or not. I didn't get a bad deal inheriting the Ascent, base model Crosstrek 6 speed manual to a Limited Ascent.
The one thing I noticed is that owning a Subaru is a community thing, regardless of what model you have. You get that with certain cars from makers like Jeep (Wranglers) and Toyota (Tacoma/4Runner) but not as a whole. I don't get that vibe from owning a Honda and we've owned a 2010 Pilot before this new one. You own a Honda and you just drive it, it's a tool (hopefully a trusty one). I don't know how to explain it.
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Batteries have at least 3 different dimension standards. Historically, the most common in the USA has been the BCI group number. The BCI group has specifications for dimensions as well as the terminal positions. Newer battery size standards that have become more common in the US are DIN and EN. In the example below, a battery can be described as a BCI group 47, a DIN H5 or EN 55L2 all describing the same battery. I am not sure what the L2 would specify. Perhaps the positive and negative terminal positions since it applies to more than one battery on this chart. The chart below or in the URL link is not inclusive of all automotive battery sizes.
Within the size designation, a battery can be a standard flooded lead acid, an EFB "Enhanced Flooded Battery", or AGM.
Understanding battery group sizes (Group 48, H5, 94R, etc) | RTS - Your Total BMW Enthusiast
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So, would it be worth going with a Subaru bigger battery and the modifications that go along with it?
Only if it is free, as in a warranty replacement. The MSRP on my B600 SoA replacement battery is $395!
For that money, I'm sure you could buy any of the top-of-the-line, high-capacity AGM batteries offered by Optima, etc.
I believe some will fit in the original location without other mods like the tray, hold-down, and bolts.
Just search "upgraded battery" in the forums and there is a lot of info on what other members have done. It's a shame that SoA chose the weak, 530 CCA OEM as standard. I had a much lower priced 2017 Sonata Sport Turbo that came with a 750 CCA AGM battery as standard.
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Certainly, the ideal solution would be for Subaru to replace a battery under warranty. In the absence of that, I think it would be beneficial to complete this upgrade when the original battery shows signs of failure. The reason that I was asking about the BCI or DIN size earlier for the Subaru #SOA821B900 battery is that this is standard that could be purchased from other manufacturers for far less than Subaru. All we really need would be the length, width, and height of the battery to make a determination allowing us to match this up.
23 Ascent Premium, 20 Outback; former 19 Outback, 87 GL-10, 85 GL
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Looks like a dinky regular flooded to me. Since the Ascent doesn’t have start stop I’m hoping this will be fine. I’ve noticed the Ascent does have the same “smart” charging algorithm as our 20 Outback with start stop.
Well, that's an upgrade from the B400 530 CCA that came OEM in my 2022 Onyx. Does it have filler caps? If so, prolly a standard flooded type. Aside from the AGMs, I regard "Maintenance Free" to actually mean "Maintainance Not Possible"
23 Ascent Premium, 20 Outback; former 19 Outback, 87 GL-10, 85 GL
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I didn't notice any filler caps, I'll have to take a closer look next time I'm under the hood.Well, that's an upgrade from the B400 530 CCA that came OEM in my 2022 Onyx. Does it have filler caps? If so, prolly a standard flooded type. Aside from the AGMs, I regard "Maintenance Free" to actually mean "Maintainance Not Possible"
So the B900 battery is equivilant to a group 47? I am curious about the actual BCI sizing too since my original battery is still fine, but I would like a larger one for the future.
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I do not recognize the B900 designation but Yes... The original battery is a size 47, also equivalent to a size H5. This is also considered an "enhanced flooded battery."
Correction: looking at the autozone website, they list a BCI group size 35 as the OEM battery for a 2021 Ascent Touring.
I believe Group 35 is standard for all from 2019-2022. Not sure about the SOA B 900, but the B 600 requires a larger tray and the insulator jacket had to be trimmed to show the min/max fill lines, as shown in the photo above.
the way it listed 200/600 same size and 900 is bigger
In my case, the OEM B400 battery was replaced with the B600 and that required a different tray (according to the service writer)
"KCP2 FREE!! MULTI POINT INSPECTION NORMALLY A $65.00 VALUE, FREE TO CUSTOMER.; SERVICE LOANER; JQX LOF ROT CABIN .7 119.39; INSPECT, CHASE, AND/OR TAP THREADS; STD FLOODED BATT TEST & REPL W/ ENHANCED FLOODED B; "
This was done on 1/30/23, before the TSB was published. This is just my interpretation, but I believe that before the TSB, individual dealers were "winging it" regarding warranty battery replacements, supplying any "better" batteries in stock. I'm not aware of anyone else posting that they have a B600 battery as a warranty replacement.
Also, the writer said "Oh, BTW, your cabin filter was dirty so we replaced it no charge" I like my dealer!
That's a very nice deal considering someone in the Facebook group said their dealer was wanting to replace it for...wait for it...$85. (My dealer wants $69...and that's also crazy considering it's a five minute, toolless job with an under $20 part)
I was very pleased, but I realize the heavy overhead that dealers support, they have to meet payroll, employee benefits, real estate mortgages, taxes, flooring interest, etc. I don't mind throwing them a few "gravy bones" now & then to keep the doors open. I also appreciate good service that makes for good business and loyal customers.
in TX you get 2 cabin filter free in 2/24 ( on 12k and 24k)
they are part of free maintenance plan in any state who gets free maintenance plan...
always find it strange cabin filter included but engine air filter is not..
Maybe the 30K interval goes into that whereas the cabin air filter is an annual item.
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