I don't understand why they made this 5 inches longer but actually give the driver 0.7 inch LESS legroom. The only complaint my wife and i have about the Outback is the driver (and to a lesser extent front passenger) legroom is cramped - both in distance and in width. Being restricted in your movements like that make for uncomfortable drives at a distance. Has anyone test driven an Ascent and specifically noted leg room vs Outback?
Driver legroom
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Can't speak to the Outback, but I have driven a 2017 forester which on paper has more legroom.(43") The Ascent, for me at 6'5", more comfortable than the Forester.
In the Forester, my left leg would be bent because of the fake pedal on the left / the wheel well. On the Ascent, I can stretch out more.
What I can't do is put my left leg to the left of the brake pedal and have room with shoes on. In my Tacoma now, I can do this and really stretch my leg out if I need to.
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253 Posts
Like Trashfo's post, I also drive a 2014 Forester regularly and found the Ascent more comfortable and spacious for the driver. Legroom did not feel any less (very similar) but I had more room where my right knee sometimes touches the center console in our Forester. Overall, I had no complaints about space in the driver's seat (I am 6'3").
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597 Posts
Legroom varies a lot depending on seat height. I have driven a lot of vehicles and some are more like bar stools where you sit up above the pedals with your legs going down to reach the pedals and others like a Mustang are more flat where your legs go straight out to reach the pedals. Due to this variance it can be really hard to judge if a car will have enough room until you sit in it and adjust the seat.
So far I have not sat in an Ascent that is powered (can't adjust front seats) but it seems the seat is more elevated so while it might have less leg room you could actually have more room because of the pedal arrangement.
So far I have not sat in an Ascent that is powered (can't adjust front seats) but it seems the seat is more elevated so while it might have less leg room you could actually have more room because of the pedal arrangement.
OK, so I actually got to sit in an Ascent on Wednesday and play around with the drivers seat! First off, there is much more width in the wheel well area for your feet/legs such that my left leg can reach out straight and even a little to the left, so my problem with cramping in the Outback should be lessened tremendously. Secondly, while there may be theoretically 1/2 inch less legroom, for whatever reason (seat height/position?) I had much more leg room than in the Outback. It is a MUCH quieter ride than my 2015 Outback as well - so while we wont be running to buy one tomorrow- it is definitely at the top of the list for when we are ready to replace the OUtback
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160 Posts
My wife has had a 14 OB and now has a 17 OB and I am looking at the Ascent. This is one of many reasons that I did not preorder. I do quite a few longer drives for work, at 3-5 hours. I don't mind riding in her OB, but can only drive it comfortably for 1-1.5 hours. I like to have my right leg/knee moved toward the center of the car. In her OB, the leg room left to right is too tight for me. I drove the Ascent last Saturday and it felt way better to me than my wife's OB. Granted it was a very short drive, but I do remember my wife asking me to compare. We left there and I drove her OB for 1.5 hours and yes, the OB was tighter. Regarding leg room length, I am 5'11 and it was great, I still had plenty of seat adjustment.
I am hoping to work out a deal soon to trade in my Flex. I will only pay MSRP if they allow me MSRP for my trade. When trading, I don't care what they put on the paperwork, just as long as the trade difference is where I want it. If they want to discount my trade, they need to discount the new vehicle as well. I will not pay MSRP and get wholesale on my trade. Sorry, bit of a rant. Just surprised to see how many people are paying full retail because of the excitement.
I am hoping to work out a deal soon to trade in my Flex. I will only pay MSRP if they allow me MSRP for my trade. When trading, I don't care what they put on the paperwork, just as long as the trade difference is where I want it. If they want to discount my trade, they need to discount the new vehicle as well. I will not pay MSRP and get wholesale on my trade. Sorry, bit of a rant. Just surprised to see how many people are paying full retail because of the excitement.
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16 Posts
Very disappointed in the drivers seat in the Limited Model I just purchased!! Aside from the lack of sufficient legroom to extend my left leg, the seat itself is the most uncomfortable thing I’ve ever owned in any car! It’s way to hard and not rounded enough to support my posterior which is not overt large . The back of the drivers side seat also doesn’t provide enough cushion of wrap to envelope my back. I’ve got a 12 hour drive coming up soon for a summer vacation and dreading bring in that seat for that long! Any ideas to increase padding and overall comfort in this car ??
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1,225 Posts
First post...lots of complaints....hmmmmm....I’ll answer anyway.
I have the touring and there is enough room for me to extend my leg and I am 6’7” tall. I guess because I am used to not having enough leg room in any car so I figured out how to quickly extend my leg for brief periods and hear my knee crack with relief. If you have a medical condition and have to keep your leg straight the entire time then that is something different. I also found my Ascent to be comfortable on a 4,000 mile trip we took.
To answer your question about padding any auto upholstery shop can add padding where you want it.
Not to ask a silly question but why would you buy the car if you found it that uncomfortable? I know seat designers are trying to accommodate a range of people sizes and it’s not an easy task. I also know I am on the outside of that normal range of people for which cars are designed for. Therefore the test drives are very important to me.
I have the touring and there is enough room for me to extend my leg and I am 6’7” tall. I guess because I am used to not having enough leg room in any car so I figured out how to quickly extend my leg for brief periods and hear my knee crack with relief. If you have a medical condition and have to keep your leg straight the entire time then that is something different. I also found my Ascent to be comfortable on a 4,000 mile trip we took.
To answer your question about padding any auto upholstery shop can add padding where you want it.
Not to ask a silly question but why would you buy the car if you found it that uncomfortable? I know seat designers are trying to accommodate a range of people sizes and it’s not an easy task. I also know I am on the outside of that normal range of people for which cars are designed for. Therefore the test drives are very important to me.
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232 Posts
I have a 2018 Outback. I'm about 6'4" and wide and I have plenty of legroom to spare. The seat in the last generation Forester, for me, was a deal breaker. The current generation Crosstrek, Forester & Outback all seem to have better driver seat dynamics - including legroom. I have yet to test drive the Ascent, But would imagine that it would be just fine. Seems like Subaru has finally figured out the seat issues for American drivers. Unless you were a professional basketball player and/or significantly taller than 98% of the general population, I can't imagine anyone having a problem. Don't let that 0.7 inches bother you. 
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guess the 5-10 minutes of test driving wasn’t enough time to get a true feel for the seat but after an hour or so of driving my back and back side is aching. Arm rest positioning sucks too. Things I’ll definitely pay closer attention to next time. I’m coming out of an Acura TSX who’s comfort and seat design were too notch. Hoping over time the seat will wear in with me and be one more comfortable, otherwise a very expensive hard lesson!
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13,172 Posts
It took me a few weeks to get my seats where I wanted them. Remember, they move up and down, not just forward and back, and, if you've got the extendable lower leg support, make sure it's not tilted too far up or down (the motorized seat lever tilts it up and down, while the latch under it moves it forward and back). My back and legs do NOT like when I either have it tilted to high up or pulled too far out.
I demonstrate the thigh support here, which will give you an idea of what I am talking about:
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