Sell Me on the Ascent

1871 Views 55 Replies 21 Participants Last post by securityguy, 1 h ago

ScoffingYayap

Discussion Starter · 8 d ago

Hey gang,

I drive a 2020 Subaru Impreza hatch. Absolutely love it to pieces, but the simple fact is it's becoming too small for me. I'm 6'2 and 225 lbs, and at age 29 I'm finding out that what people say about turning 30 is absolutely true. It's not necessarily getting hard to get in and out of my car but loading it up can put a strain on me. The kicker was today I somehow hit my knee on the steering wheel getting in (Long legs).

Tl;dr, I want something bigger, a good highway cruiser.

I'm considering Foresters, Highlanders, and Grand Cherokees but I'm leaning most towards the Ascent. I'd get an Outback as I think they're just about perfect in every way but I despise the big touchscreen - my girlfriend drives one and I just hate it. I am aware the 2023 Ascents have that big screen so I'd be buying used. Seems like there are some pretty good deals on 2020s in my area. I test drove a 2022 a while ago but held off as we were buying a house soon (And they had it listed for $48,000).

I do a lot of highway driving in the New Jersey tri-state region. I've heard of issues with the CVTs but it seems a programming update can remedy said issues? How is everyone's everyday gas mileage? I do a ton of driving but mostly highway and I keep it easy around 70 mph, which in my Impreza gets about 38 mpg. Is about 30 mpg attainable in an Ascent? A bigger gas tank would be great for me too as I usually put about 2,000 miles a month on my car.

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Sparkland

· #21 · 7 d ago (Edited)

ATXV18&Ascent19 said:
The seat actually moves back regardless of preset position to allow more room to get in. Once you are in, it moves to the preset position if set.

The problem I find with that setup is that the second row passengers do not have adequate room to get in BEFORE the driver's seat moves forward if they are getting in first. I disabled the feature on my Ridgeline.

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TSiWRX

· #22 · 7 d ago

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Jim_in_PA

· #23 · 7 d ago

I personally loath the driver entry/exit "comfort" features and never use them. The same goes for mirrors that tilt when you go into reverse. My dad's Caddies had that stuff and it was absolutely maddening when I had to drive it/them and couldn't turn them off because it wasn't my car. LOL But I acknowledge that there are folks who love the features. I do like the idea of fob sensing to set up a specific driver's pre-sets, although it's really not an issue here since I'm the only driver at this point.

It's nice to have choices!

Reactions: 1

Titanrx8

· #24 · 7 d ago

Jim_in_PA said:
mirrors that tilt when you go into reverse

I love that the 23 added this finally. Despite all of the camera views available, I do use the mirrors when backing and the auto tilt is just enough to see the ground. Just right for the occasional parallel parking.

Reactions: 3

Robert.Mauro

· #25 · 7 d ago

Titanrx8 said:
I love that the 23 added this finally. Despite all of the camera views available, I do use the mirrors when backing and the auto tilt is just enough to see the ground. Just right for the occasional parallel parking.

And it's a GREAT wheel saver. Plus, being able to trigger it is REALLY nice when off roading on the edge of a precipice - not that I do that... often.

Reactions: 3

securityguy

· #26 · 7 d ago

Jim_in_PA said:
I personally loath the driver entry/exit "comfort" features and never use them. The same goes for mirrors that tilt when you go into reverse. My dad's Caddies had that stuff and it was absolutely maddening when I had to drive it/them and couldn't turn them off because it wasn't my car. LOL But I acknowledge that there are folks who love the features. I do like the idea of fob sensing to set up a specific driver's pre-sets, although it's really not an issue here since I'm the only driver at this point.

It's nice to have choices!

I love the entry/exit feature (use it in my other two vehicles) and I also have my passenger side mirror only down-tilt in reverse.

Landshark

· #27 · 7 d ago

2

Robert.Mauro said:
And it's a GREAT wheel saver. Plus, being able to trigger it is REALLY nice when off roading on the edge of a precipice - not that I do that... often.

One feature regarding the surroundview camera, at least on the 2023 that I never see anyone talk about is the wheel cams.

Super useful when navigating tough terrain or narrow paths.

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Titanrx8

· #28 · 7 d ago

Landshark said:
One feature regarding the surroundview camera, at least on the 2023 that I never see anyone talk about is the wheel cams.

Super useful when navigating tough terrain or narrow paths.

View attachment 21133

Looks like you're pulling into my garage.

Reactions: 1

Robert.Mauro

· #29 · 7 d ago

Landshark said:
One feature regarding the surroundview camera, at least on the 2023 that I never see anyone talk about is the wheel cams.

Super useful when navigating tough terrain or narrow paths.

View attachment 21133

Oooh!!! I never saw them up that close! That's what I plan on replicating on my 2019. If the 2023 mirrors are not too expensive, I might just hook those up, and run them to separate monitors - IF I can create a little video processing board to work with them.

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Titanrx8

· #30 · 7 d ago

Robert.Mauro said:
Oooh!!! I never saw them up that close! That's what I plan on replicating on my 2019. If the 2023 mirrors are not too expensive, I might just hook those up, and run them to separate monitors - IF I can create a little video processing board to work with them.

Are we going to start seeing cables strung everywhere on your Ascent like Doc Brown's Delorean in Back to the Future?

Reactions: 3

bob.pizzazzscenic

· #31 · 5 d ago

Jim_in_PA said:
My best highway mileage on the highway...just me and maybe a little cargo on the inside...has been about 28 mpg, but the general highway average in the four years I've owned it has been about 26.5. (The Grand Cherokee I owned previously was 20-21 on the highway, but it was a V8) I'm a very "light foot" driver. I get about 18.5-19 in general, local driving.

That said, I didn't buy the Ascent with the expectation of stellar fuel economy. I bought it for the interior space (the big upgrade from the JGC I owned), the Subaru symmetrical AWD and the comfort it provides me. And that's why I just ordered a MY23 to upgrade from the MY19 that's been excellent for 35K miles.

Congrats! We have had our ‘23 for 6 months now. The more we drive it, the more we love it.

Reactions: 3

bdjfywi4$

· #32 · 5 d ago

Robert.Mauro said:
I might just hook those up, and run them to separate monitors - IF I can create a little video processing board to work with them.

If you can figure out how to add a recording device to pull and store all the video feeds, we don’t need to buy a separate dash cam. The surround view system on the Ascent works amazingly well. It is frustrating that we can not have the recordings.

Reactions: 1

Titanrx8

· #33 · 5 d ago

bdjfywi4$ said:
If you can figure out how to add a recording device to pull and store all the video feeds, we don’t need to buy a separate dash cam. The surround view system on the Ascent works amazingly well. It is frustrating that we can not have the recordings.

If it comes, you'll probably see that feature as a monthly subscription.

Robert.Mauro

· #34 · 4 d ago

Titanrx8 said:
If it comes, you'll probably see that feature as a monthly subscription.

Or as a harness adapter... perhaps... hmmm....

bdjfywi4$

· #35 · 4 d ago

Titanrx8 said:
If it comes, you'll probably see that feature as a monthly subscription.

If priced reasonably I would be interested. A good dash cam can cost quite a bit plus the hassle of routings the cable, which I am not willing to do to a new car. To me a dashcam is necessary because I was hit once when a kid cut into my lane but later his parents refused to admit responsibility when contacted by the insurance company.

Sparkland

· #36 · 4 d ago

An article comparing 3-row SUV's, including the Ascent. Take it or leave it.

www.motortrend.com

3-Row SUV Big Test! Kia Telluride vs. Pilot, CX-90, Palisade, Ascent, Explorer, Grand Cherokee L

So, which of these family-friendly 3-row SUVs is best?

www.motortrend.com

bdjfywi4$

· #37 · 4 d ago

Sparkland said:
An article comparing 3-row SUV's, including the Ascent. Take it or leave it.

3-Row SUV Big Test! Kia Telluride vs. Pilot, CX-90, Palisade, Ascent, Explorer, Grand Cherokee L

So, which of these family-friendly 3-row SUVs is best?

www.motortrend.com

It is worth noting that they did not compare how well the cars do off road, or how well the AWD performs in general, so Ascent’s advantage there was not factored into consideration. I think these “reviews” must now assess the markups on these Korean cars to get a fair assessment of their actual cost on the market. Ascent did well however overall.

Reactions: 3

Sparkland

· #38 · 3 d ago

bdjfywi4$ said:
It is worth noting that they did not compare how well the cars do off road, or how well the AWD performs in general, so Ascent’s advantage there was not factored into consideration. I think these “reviews” must now assess the markups on these Korean cars to get a fair assessment of their actual cost on the market. Ascent did well however overall.

I agree with your assessment. Anyone who currently pays ADM on any vehicle is only hurting themselves financially. The Pilot does have a superior AWD system as obviously does the Ascent.

Robert.Mauro

· #39 · 3 d ago

Sparkland said:
I agree with your assessment. Anyone who currently pays ADM on any vehicle is only hurting themselves financially. The Pilot does have a superior AWD system as obviously does the Ascent.

Of them, I expect the Ascent, Pilot and Explorer to do the best off road. The rest, I would expect to fail Ryan's tougher off-road trails - that includes the Jeep Grand Cherokee, if it performs anything like the Jeep Compass Trailhawk does on ridiculously simple things. I truly expect, from the other off roading tests, the rest would perform pretty bad to utterly horrible.

I would like to see the Pilot's AWD system on extended off-roading though - Honda has had a problem with overheating stuff on extended off-roading, while the new generations of Subies (Ascent, OBXT, OBW, FozW) do not. (Ascent CVT hit 165°F by the 20m mark, after hours of off-roading, 2020 Forester without cooler hit over 230°F).

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Landshark

· #40 · 3 d ago

Robert.Mauro said:
Of them, I expect the Ascent, Pilot and Explorer to do the best off road. The rest, I would expect to fail Ryan's tougher off-road trails - that includes the Jeep Grand Cherokee, if it performs anything like the Jeep Compass Trailhawk does on ridiculously simple things. I truly expect, from the other off roading tests, the rest would perform pretty bad to utterly horrible.

I would like to see the Pilot's AWD system on extended off-roading though - Honda has had a problem with overheating stuff on extended off-roading, while the new generations of Subies (Ascent, OBXT, OBW, FozW) do not. (Ascent CVT hit 165°F by the 20m mark, after hours of off-roading, 2020 Forester without cooler hit over 230°F).

After watching at ton of videos on off-road comparison, seems like the ones that fail usually fall into 1 of 2 categories. 1) AWD system overheats. 2) AWD system can't put enough power to the rear.

My all-time favorite youtuber who does really good off-road reviews is Driving Sports TV:
(51) Driving Sports TV - YouTube

He has a 2023 Honda Pilot and several subaru's on there recently.

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