[Edward Rogers]

earlier this year I attended the Philly car show and fell in love with the Ascent

Last week I went to see the Ascent Touring model on display at my local dealership.
I only spent 10-15 minutes checking it out as the showroom was crowded.

3 things that i noticed that could be done better

1)
The front hood has a mechanical prop bar holding it up.
The bar was visibly bent because customers and sales agents attempted to close the hood while engaged
My guess is this was done out of habit thinking they were closing a car hood supported by pistons
it happened while I was sitting in the driver seat

2)
the large moonroof interior cover is only a fabric
it reminded me of a 50's roof liner
a more elegant solution with a molded interior body is needed

3)
the driver's side front seat reclines into the passengers sitting in the second-row captains chairs
I only mention this to Subaru as a safety concern for children left unattended
do not know if this is an issue for passenger side front seat as well

Overall I really like the Ascent and look forward to taking delivery

I preordered a Touring model with a towing package

 

[Antitarmac]

1) Agree completely!! I've done it myself. The hood isn't exactly light and the little prop rod isn't confidence inspiring. I am expecting to find an aftermarket solution almost immediately when they hit the floor.


2) I'm ok with it being fabric but am concerned about heat transfer into the cabin without an insulation. I'm hoping they've gone to a ceramic coating on the roof glass and not just a darker tint.


3) Front seats from every manufacturer I've worked with have always reclined into the second row. In 18yrs and thousands of sales, I've never had someone mention that it would be a problem...and have never had someone injured by the seats reclining. Cool thing is that in past models within Subaru, if you remove all the headrests, the front seats fold neatly under the top of the back seats when you fold all the seats down. It makes a fairly flat place to put an air mattress for trips in wild places. I first found out about it when a customer with an old wagon wanted to see if a Forester worked as well....for his drive to Alaska.

 

[Subiesailor]

The pre production cars might be slightly different than the production cars. Keep that in mind

 

[Trey T]

OP: You can always check out and buy the GX460 instead. It's a much better vehicle, a real SUV, with a competitive price tag.

 

[R P]

OP: You can always check out and buy the GX460 instead. It's a much better vehicle, a real SUV, with a competitive price tag.

A "real SUV" but only 8.1" ground clearance. Sounds more like a city SUV with all the bling. Don't think I would want to take this one on my cabin road...

 

[Carl Abrams]

OP: You can always check out and buy the GX460 instead. It's a much better vehicle, a real SUV, with a competitive price tag.

You know, I think we get that you're trying to justify in your mind spending thousands of dollars more for a car by continually hawking and talking about the GX on the Ascent forums, it's just a bit annoying. (Competitive price tag wouldn't be $20,000 more for the entry level - $18,000 MORE for the GX than the Touring Ascent.)

 

[Soca]

I can’t see how they’d change the panoramic sunroof shade that much. I noticed it when I was sitting in the one at the dealer trying to retract it. If you’re a taller driver with your head close to the ceiling you’re already naturally warmer because heat rises. In the middle of summer radiant heat gets downright unbearable without a hard cover or thick insulation.

My call outs
1. Wish the second row slide further back for more leg room. I was disappointed it’s only slightly better than the vehicle I’m planning on replacing it with. Hopefully the bench is better

2. More front thigh/knee height adjustment. I appreciate the thigh extension but my legs didn’t feel as supported because my legs are barely grazing the thigh support in the driving position. In most Toyota’s I can bring the back of the seat all the way down, front all the way up giving me lots of leg/thigh support.

 

[Trey T]

You know, I think we get that you're trying to justify in your mind spending thousands of dollars more for a car by continually hawking and talking about the GX on the Ascent forums, it's just a bit annoying. (Competitive price tag wouldn't be $20,000 more for the entry level - $18,000 MORE for the GX than the Touring Ascent.)

:crying: Wait, my statements are not true?

I didn't say it's competitive to the Ascent. The GX has a competitive price tag to its competitor and obviously the Ascent is not its competitor. The point I was trying to make is that people are just constantly bitchin' and moanin' about what Subaru isn't offering when in fact they give you more than other brands.

 

[Tony Yarusso]

I preordered a Touring model with a towing package

I haven't seen that listed on any of the package/option lists so far - what "towing package" do you mean?

 

[Nemesis099]

I haven't seen that listed on any of the package/option lists so far - what "towing package" do you mean?

I'm sure he just meant he ordered the tow hitch which is an accessory. Everything but the base model has the extra transmission oil cooler.

 

[Litemike]

:crying: Wait, my statements are not true?

I didn't say it's competitive to the Ascent. The GX has a competitive price tag to its competitor and obviously the Ascent is not its competitor. The point I was trying to make is that people are just constantly bitchin' and moanin' about what Subaru isn't offering when in fact they give you more than other brands.

I can relate to that - Too many buyers want the High End / Premium standards of the luxury brands for the price of however little they want to pay.

 

[denverericj]

I use my Outback Limited for real estate. I work with a bunch of successful agents that drive the "typical" Realtor brands - Lexus, BMW, Mercedes. Every time I drive fellow agents for our weekly office tour I hear nothing but compliments about how nice it feels/rides/etc. What made the difference for our decision to buy an Ascent was we are getting a 2019 vehicle with the latest and greatest safety features and a full warranty vs the same price for a used 2015 MDX or 2016 Pilot Touring. We looked at both. Subaru's bang for the buck is great. Not to mention, I see my Outback selling used for only $4K less than I paid 2 years ago.

 

[Karpediem]

I can relate to that - Too many buyers want the High End / Premium standards of the luxury brands for the price of however little they want to pay.

This can be seen in the new Kia Stinger, and Genesis G70/80/90. People think because they are Kia/Hyundai the should be priced lower, but they are loaded with goodies and a powerful engine to compete with the luxury brand...all of which costs more to do.

 

[IcEWoLF]

You know, I think we get that you're trying to justify in your mind spending thousands of dollars more for a car by continually hawking and talking about the GX on the Ascent forums, it's just a bit annoying. (Competitive price tag wouldn't be $20,000 more for the entry level - $18,000 MORE for the GX than the Touring Ascent.)

Wait, my statements are not true?

I didn't say it's competitive to the Ascent. The GX has a competitive price tag to its competitor and obviously the Ascent is not its competitor. The point I was trying to make is that people are just constantly bitchin' and moanin' about what Subaru isn't offering when in fact they give you more than other brands.

You keep saying the same stuff, you getting butt hurt because none of us are allowed to complain?
Nobody is allowed to say anything negative about the ascent because of the pricing right?

 

[Carl Abrams]

You keep saying the same stuff, you getting butt hurt because none of us are allowed to complain?
Nobody is allowed to say anything negative about the ascent because of the pricing right?

I know it's not going to be a perfect car.

But when the same person makes the same comparison in 6 different threads WITHOUT making note of the price difference ...

Also of course you do need to keep in mind what I do for a living, and that I've only been with this brand since 1989, first building them and now selling them. I don't drink the Kool-Aid, I'm a supplier of the Kool-Aid. :tango_face_wink:

 

[Robert.Mauro]

Also of course you do need to keep in mind what I do for a living, and that I've only been with this brand since 1989, first building them and now selling them. I don't drink the Kool-Aid, I'm a supplier of the Kool-Aid. :tango_face_wink:

:grin: I need my fix, Carl! I need it now!!! :grin:

I just scheduled a second test drive with a different dealership, lol. In my defense, I'm doing it as a Subaru Ambassador for a Crosstrek owner who's been asking me all sorts of questions about it.

But, it's also another ride on for me!!! :tango_face_wink:

 

[Trey T]

You keep saying the same stuff, you getting butt hurt because none of us are allowed to complain?
Nobody is allowed to say anything negative about the ascent because of the pricing right?

man, this is nuts ... these types of straw man argument gotta stop. The lack of response from Carl likely means that my statements are true. If what I pointed out cannot be refuted and someone gets "annoyed", that's butt-hurt. I get it, not many ppl like to be contentious, but the truth is the truth. Again, if my statements are not true or inaccurate, refute my points, that's fine. If there are details that needs to be described, just ask appropriately in the respectively thread.

Keep in mind, I got significant stock investment on this brand and ultimately, I look out for the brand, unlike some of us just care about pressing the gas pedal or making a quick sales - hey that's fine, too.

 

[pilot1226]

I think @IcEWoLF is pretty passionate about the brand, most of us on these forums are, for a car we don't own and nobody is driving yet... I think both of you bring up good points. It's tough to put tone and intent into writing.

I'm sure there are some things that competitors do better than the Ascent. I'm sure there are some things that the Ascent does better than the competitors. Perfect example is the CX-9.

So many video reviews have continued to put the CX-9 at the top of the list for agility and driving performance, but the CX-9 lags behind several other cars in this segment because they sacrificed some of the utility and versatility for said performance. Subaru obviously did their homework when they re-entered this segment and I truly hope it pans out.

I'd love to buy some Subaru stock, but looking at the long term goals (MPG, EV, PHEV, etc.) it seems to be counter intuitive with the Subaru lifestyle, which is somewhat concerning from an investor's point of view. That's a big hurdle to cross.

 

[R P]

So many video reviews have continued to put the CX-9 at the top of the list for agility and driving performance, but the CX-9 lags behind several other cars in this segment because they sacrificed some of the utility and versatility for said performance. Subaru obviously did their homework when they re-entered this segment and I truly hope it pans out.

Again, I think this is a case of comparing the CX9 and Ascent to cars outside its market segment. SUVs are not intended to drive like sports cars, but they need to be good (for cornering, etc). And from the reports so far, the Ascent is more than adequate in that aspect.

What is more important with SUVs is room/space, towing, safety, comfort/convenience, on-road ride (soft) as well as off-road ride (incl snow). Of course value (what you get for your money) is important, too. And I think these are the areas where Subaru has really nailed it with the Ascent. There are really are no bad compromises that I know of yet at this point.

 

[Trey T]

...

I'd love to buy some Subaru stock, but looking at the long term goals (MPG, EV, PHEV, etc.) it seems to be counter intuitive with the Subaru lifestyle, which is somewhat concerning from an investor's point of view. That's a big hurdle to cross.

I agree