Joined
·
565 Posts
I've posted these things on a few other threads, but formulating my list here.
Overall, I still love the Ascent. Everytime I drive it, I'm reminded of why I love it.
It's hands down the smoothest riding SUV I've ever been in. It soaks up bumps, minimal body roll, smooth and zippy acceleration. Responsive handling, etc etc.
The seats are super comfortable despite the ergonomic issues below.
It's the most premium feeling Subaru I've ever been in.
Great visibility all around, quiet cabin, minimal tire noise.
Now the not so good...
1. I'm coming from a Toyota Tacoma, so I'm used to being up higher. The new ride height is bugging me. But I think it's more that I didn't notice it on my two test drives. As soon as I was in bumper to bumper traffic and Rav 4s and Highlanders and Explorers came up next to me, I felt tiny next to them. It was a really odd feeling considering the Ascent is taller. You just sit lower. From what I can tell, you sit more around Forester, Audi Q5, Honda HR-V ride/drive height. I feel like I'll probably get used to this, but it still irks me a bit. Maybe I'll have to consider a 1-2" lift... not sure what that all entails though.
2. Ergonomics as a tall person - I've been really struggling getting comfortable. My instincts and what I did on test drives were to just lower the seat and put it all the way back. I'm 6'5" with 32" inseam, so short legs and long torso and normal length arms. So with the seat set that way, it's fine for my legs...and even a slight bend is fine. I can't go too much in otherwise going from gas to brake is uncomfortable for me. The real issue here are the lack of height adjustment of the center console as well as the steering wheel not telescoping far enough out. The padding on the driver's side door is also very low. So if I'm not driving at 10 / 2 and trying to hold the wheel from the bottom with my elbow rested...my fingers can barely reach the wheel comfortably.
The steering wheel not telescoping anything further really bums me out as well. So far I find myself just constantly adjusting the seat. I'm considering one of those cushions for the center console...not looking forward to that. There are pads for the left side door, but they aren't recommended for use on leather.
I'm very curious if any of the other tall folks have run into these same issues.
3. Ram air
I've noticed somewhat warmer air coming through the vents when the temperature controls are off. Think 73 outside, but 78 degree air hitting your face and hands...
I usually leave it on fresh air versus recirculate. I've played around with this extensively, I can turn on the HVAC and turn it to recirculate and then shut it off. That seems to help or closing the vents completely.
I also noticed this tonight in the footwell area on the driver's side around my knees. It just felt warmer despite the HVAC system being off and the windows being open and a cool 73 degrees outside. So the air outside felt great and cool, yet my legs and feet felt oddly warm. I reached down and could feel warmth on my arms as well.
Comparing this to my Tacoma, I could leave that on fresh and as long as the thermostat was set to cool, the air from the outside pretty much matched what came through the vents.
4. Cupholders not adjustable and the center console ones don't have inserts. Big fail now that I've actually tried to use them. I know there was another thread on this, but I'm shocked how much that was marketed, yet I can't fit any of my Nalgenes nor the majority of my insulated water bottles. The same goes for the doors. They only fit around 16.8oz bottles of water versus anything bigger. Really hoping Subaru gets enough complaints and replaces the part or offers some sort of insert/adapter.
5. Wish there was more storage room in the front cubby in front of the cupholders. I can really only fit my cell phone and maybe a wallet next to it. I feel like I'm a bit forced to use the center console.
6. Fuel economy still seems to be up the air. This was the first solid week of LA traffic with the Ascent. Aka - 40+ minutes of stop and go traffic to go a whopping 6 -7 miles. Computer is showing AVG of 16 mpg and was basically at 60 miles when I used up a 1/4th of the tank. This has me concerned. My Tacoma did better than that. I'm hoping this is just break in, but it is super odd that if I do any highway driving, the numbers match what they should be. Definitely not getting 20 city though...
7. Floor mats are cheap and flimsy and the all weathers ridges don't go high enough. This is already pretty well known.
8. Rear lights not able to be turned off when doors are opened. Also well known issue
9. No captains chairs seatback protectors
All in all, the Ascent isn't perfect. But I still think it beats the competition and ticked all the boxes of what I was looking for in my next vehicle.
Overall, I still love the Ascent. Everytime I drive it, I'm reminded of why I love it.
It's hands down the smoothest riding SUV I've ever been in. It soaks up bumps, minimal body roll, smooth and zippy acceleration. Responsive handling, etc etc.
The seats are super comfortable despite the ergonomic issues below.
It's the most premium feeling Subaru I've ever been in.
Great visibility all around, quiet cabin, minimal tire noise.
Now the not so good...
1. I'm coming from a Toyota Tacoma, so I'm used to being up higher. The new ride height is bugging me. But I think it's more that I didn't notice it on my two test drives. As soon as I was in bumper to bumper traffic and Rav 4s and Highlanders and Explorers came up next to me, I felt tiny next to them. It was a really odd feeling considering the Ascent is taller. You just sit lower. From what I can tell, you sit more around Forester, Audi Q5, Honda HR-V ride/drive height. I feel like I'll probably get used to this, but it still irks me a bit. Maybe I'll have to consider a 1-2" lift... not sure what that all entails though.
2. Ergonomics as a tall person - I've been really struggling getting comfortable. My instincts and what I did on test drives were to just lower the seat and put it all the way back. I'm 6'5" with 32" inseam, so short legs and long torso and normal length arms. So with the seat set that way, it's fine for my legs...and even a slight bend is fine. I can't go too much in otherwise going from gas to brake is uncomfortable for me. The real issue here are the lack of height adjustment of the center console as well as the steering wheel not telescoping far enough out. The padding on the driver's side door is also very low. So if I'm not driving at 10 / 2 and trying to hold the wheel from the bottom with my elbow rested...my fingers can barely reach the wheel comfortably.
The steering wheel not telescoping anything further really bums me out as well. So far I find myself just constantly adjusting the seat. I'm considering one of those cushions for the center console...not looking forward to that. There are pads for the left side door, but they aren't recommended for use on leather.
I'm very curious if any of the other tall folks have run into these same issues.
3. Ram air
I've noticed somewhat warmer air coming through the vents when the temperature controls are off. Think 73 outside, but 78 degree air hitting your face and hands...
I usually leave it on fresh air versus recirculate. I've played around with this extensively, I can turn on the HVAC and turn it to recirculate and then shut it off. That seems to help or closing the vents completely.
I also noticed this tonight in the footwell area on the driver's side around my knees. It just felt warmer despite the HVAC system being off and the windows being open and a cool 73 degrees outside. So the air outside felt great and cool, yet my legs and feet felt oddly warm. I reached down and could feel warmth on my arms as well.
Comparing this to my Tacoma, I could leave that on fresh and as long as the thermostat was set to cool, the air from the outside pretty much matched what came through the vents.
4. Cupholders not adjustable and the center console ones don't have inserts. Big fail now that I've actually tried to use them. I know there was another thread on this, but I'm shocked how much that was marketed, yet I can't fit any of my Nalgenes nor the majority of my insulated water bottles. The same goes for the doors. They only fit around 16.8oz bottles of water versus anything bigger. Really hoping Subaru gets enough complaints and replaces the part or offers some sort of insert/adapter.
5. Wish there was more storage room in the front cubby in front of the cupholders. I can really only fit my cell phone and maybe a wallet next to it. I feel like I'm a bit forced to use the center console.
6. Fuel economy still seems to be up the air. This was the first solid week of LA traffic with the Ascent. Aka - 40+ minutes of stop and go traffic to go a whopping 6 -7 miles. Computer is showing AVG of 16 mpg and was basically at 60 miles when I used up a 1/4th of the tank. This has me concerned. My Tacoma did better than that. I'm hoping this is just break in, but it is super odd that if I do any highway driving, the numbers match what they should be. Definitely not getting 20 city though...
7. Floor mats are cheap and flimsy and the all weathers ridges don't go high enough. This is already pretty well known.
8. Rear lights not able to be turned off when doors are opened. Also well known issue
9. No captains chairs seatback protectors
All in all, the Ascent isn't perfect. But I still think it beats the competition and ticked all the boxes of what I was looking for in my next vehicle.
Thanks!
