Joined
·
565 Posts
Well...woke up and drove 50+ miles to drive the Ascent finally. :smile_big:
Here are my thoughts:
I was pretty impressed. /endthread haha
I initially got in and adjusted the mirrors. Someone had jacked up the left side mirror and the motor was struggling to snap it back into position. Eventually, I got it. The mirrors seem a bit small, but I'm also used to my Tacoma's. I do think it will take a bit of adjustment, but should be fine.
@Robert.Mauro - I tried adjusting the rearview, but didn't get it as high as I had with the other one I saw in person. Curious if you were able to raise it like you said.
Visibility was really good. Definitely better than my Tacoma. It reminded me of the Forester. As mentioned before, I need to see if I can raise the rearview a bit higher for myself, but it wasn't really creating a blind spot that I was that concerned about.
I didn't like the steering feel, it's definitely electronically assisted power steering. It feels very loose compared to my truck I have now and the Forester I had driven before. It reminds me of the Atlas, which I didn't love. My guess is, I'll get used to it and over it.
That was really the only con I had. It does have a great turning radius though and that makes it very easy to make turns with minimal effort.
Luckily, I was able to take it out onto the highway and for a decent little drive. It accelerates EXTREMELY easily. I felt like I stayed under 3000 rpm unless I actually pushed it. And when I did push it, the engine/exhaust has a nice growl! :devil: I was pretty impressed. Considering the weight of the vehicle and it being a turbo 4-cyclinder, it was really unexpected. I felt like it was quicker than my v6 truck. I was in the 65-80mph range on the highway and had no issue passing when I needed to or getting up to speed.
The "fake" shifting seemed very subtle. I didn't really even notice it. I didn't try out the paddle shifters either. I did briefly test the cruise control and it was pretty awesome. It's going to be great on long roadtrips.
From a dead stop it gets up and goes very easily. Caught my gf off guard once...oops!
The limited was so...smooth. Compared to my truck I have now, this felt like a luxury car that just eats up the bumps. Very comfortable and enjoyable ride. It also is super quiet inside the cabin. I didn't notice any body roll when I took corners sharply. The AC was nice and chilly too.
The brakes were great. Very responsive and slow it down with ease.
I didn't notice the HUD or any of the safety beeps. I kind of feel like they were turned off. Lane keep was definitely off. That's one of my regrets was wishing I had tested/had them enabled so I could hear the beeps and see the lights etc. I would probably only use the lane keep assist during night driving or road trips and keep it off most of the time.
Overall, I was very impressed. Both my gf and I agreed it felt like it was the fanciest Subaru we've ever been in. Everything feels like quality. The drive was great and so smooth! I didn't notice any lag or lack of power. It feels zippy and nimble. It felt fun to drive and reminded me of my gf's CX-5. So it makes sense they were targeting the CX-9 drivability. When we did go up a steep hill, I did hear the engine working harder, but it still didn't seem like it was struggling at all. I am curious what some of the Colorado testers' impressions are in the mountains/at elevation.
The only other thing I wish I had paid more attention to was drive height compared to the competition and my truck. I didn't pay attention to the cars around me though. (highlander, pilot, pathfinder, explorer, etc) I still felt like I was up high, but possibly slightly less than my Tacoma. I also wish she had driven it, but maybe on the next one.
I'm excited and hoping I can do a few more test drives while I wait for mine. I'm hoping it comes before the date on the sheet. :grin:
Here are my thoughts:
I was pretty impressed. /endthread haha
I initially got in and adjusted the mirrors. Someone had jacked up the left side mirror and the motor was struggling to snap it back into position. Eventually, I got it. The mirrors seem a bit small, but I'm also used to my Tacoma's. I do think it will take a bit of adjustment, but should be fine.
@Robert.Mauro - I tried adjusting the rearview, but didn't get it as high as I had with the other one I saw in person. Curious if you were able to raise it like you said.
Visibility was really good. Definitely better than my Tacoma. It reminded me of the Forester. As mentioned before, I need to see if I can raise the rearview a bit higher for myself, but it wasn't really creating a blind spot that I was that concerned about.
I didn't like the steering feel, it's definitely electronically assisted power steering. It feels very loose compared to my truck I have now and the Forester I had driven before. It reminds me of the Atlas, which I didn't love. My guess is, I'll get used to it and over it.
Luckily, I was able to take it out onto the highway and for a decent little drive. It accelerates EXTREMELY easily. I felt like I stayed under 3000 rpm unless I actually pushed it. And when I did push it, the engine/exhaust has a nice growl! :devil: I was pretty impressed. Considering the weight of the vehicle and it being a turbo 4-cyclinder, it was really unexpected. I felt like it was quicker than my v6 truck. I was in the 65-80mph range on the highway and had no issue passing when I needed to or getting up to speed.
The "fake" shifting seemed very subtle. I didn't really even notice it. I didn't try out the paddle shifters either. I did briefly test the cruise control and it was pretty awesome. It's going to be great on long roadtrips.
From a dead stop it gets up and goes very easily. Caught my gf off guard once...oops!
The limited was so...smooth. Compared to my truck I have now, this felt like a luxury car that just eats up the bumps. Very comfortable and enjoyable ride. It also is super quiet inside the cabin. I didn't notice any body roll when I took corners sharply. The AC was nice and chilly too.
The brakes were great. Very responsive and slow it down with ease.
I didn't notice the HUD or any of the safety beeps. I kind of feel like they were turned off. Lane keep was definitely off. That's one of my regrets was wishing I had tested/had them enabled so I could hear the beeps and see the lights etc. I would probably only use the lane keep assist during night driving or road trips and keep it off most of the time.
Overall, I was very impressed. Both my gf and I agreed it felt like it was the fanciest Subaru we've ever been in. Everything feels like quality. The drive was great and so smooth! I didn't notice any lag or lack of power. It feels zippy and nimble. It felt fun to drive and reminded me of my gf's CX-5. So it makes sense they were targeting the CX-9 drivability. When we did go up a steep hill, I did hear the engine working harder, but it still didn't seem like it was struggling at all. I am curious what some of the Colorado testers' impressions are in the mountains/at elevation.
The only other thing I wish I had paid more attention to was drive height compared to the competition and my truck. I didn't pay attention to the cars around me though. (highlander, pilot, pathfinder, explorer, etc) I still felt like I was up high, but possibly slightly less than my Tacoma. I also wish she had driven it, but maybe on the next one.
I'm excited and hoping I can do a few more test drives while I wait for mine. I'm hoping it comes before the date on the sheet. :grin: