[ntotrr]

Honestly, if they ever do add the mirror tilt on reverse and/or auto seat move back features, I hope they can easily be disabled. Both drive me nuts. My dad's Caddy had that and I unfortunately couldn't turn it off there because he liked it. My Grand Cherokee had it, but I switched it off day-one. 'Tis a subjective thing, of course!

Now coordinating the mirrors and the seats relative to the driver....that would be an upgrade. Yesterday my daughter had to borrow my Ascent while her Outback was in for brakes and an oil change. I swear she likes to look "inside" of the vehicle with the side mirrors. LOL And, of course, I had to set them back manually even though she actually remembered to hit seating position one for dear old dad when she returned it.

I've disabled the side view reverse tilt feature on two cars I've owned that had it. I still own one of them, my K900. The K900 and my Chrysler 300C both also have the feature where the wheel tilts up and the seat moves back when the car is shut down. That's a feature I like. With a manual tilt wheel on the Ascent, that can't happen but they can introduce the feature to move the seat back on shut down. Still, not a big deal for me and certainly not a deal breaker.

 

[zachavm]

@ntotrr The Outback and Legacy have the feature that moves the seat back on shutdown. I would bet they implement it in the Ascent too.

 

[RobertD]

But my seat is already all the way back....

 

[Robert.Mauro]

But my seat is already all the way back....

LOL, no doubt about that my friend!!!

 

[HLeigh]

This thread has really got me pumped about my next Ascent. I was beginning to look at other brands but, the new features are exactly what I was hoping for...and that clinches the deal for me. Excellent reporting Robert and a bunch of fun to read. Thanks.

 

[HLeigh]

Not likely that's going to change with this generation Ascent. All the body changes are essentially cosmetic here. The hitch receiver integrates with the bumper/subframe under all that greatness.

-----

Once again, I'm a little bummed/miffed that Touring buyers have no option for a lighter interior. This focus on dark interiors by many vehicle manufacturers on top trims is frustrating. If I were to buy a MY23 (I'm not...keeping the MY19 for at least another four years), I'd be stuck with three in a row with medium brown interiors. I don't hate the brown, but I"m bored with it. And I. Do. Not. Do. Black. Interiors. Ever.

I completely agree with you. I much prefer the lighter interiors and find it very frustrating that they are not readily available.

 

[zachavm]

I'll be checking STIS daily for the manual to drop. Once it does we should get a lot of questions answered.

 

[Sparkland]

How many extra $$$ will all those improvements cost us on this new Ascent?

 

[Steve70]

How many extra $$$ will all those improvements cost us on this new Ascent?

Hello Sparkland. A car article I read yesterday said the 23 will be a better value than the 2024....where a larger price hike was forecast. Part of the article mentioned that the Ascent has lagged in sales so this 2023 refresh is aimed at capturing a few more. Pretty sure we're going to buy 2023 based on the used car /trade value anomaly still continuing.

We have nothing bad to say about our Ascent experience this past year. it performed very well. Zero issues. MPG could be a little better, but that's certainly not a big deal for us.

 

[Ey31]

I just want to know if the CVT chirp will ever be fixed. I know it's just engineering.
11" screen is nothing when it's vertical.

You can go aftermarket 10.1" and it's horizontal which means it's bigger to view. Like I did in my van.

 

[zachavm]

@Steve70 would you link to that article?

 

[Steve70]

@Steve70 would you link to that article?

Never saved the links. Looks like there must have been two.

Here's one

Subaru Changed Its New Model Timeline - What It Looks Like Now | Torque News

Subaru is transitioning, and they have changed when its new models receive updates and a remodel. Here is the new timeline for the 2023 Subaru Forester, 2024 Outback, 2024 Crosstrek, 2024 Ascent, and other new all-wheel-drive models.

www.google.com

 

[zachavm]

@Steve70 Don't trust Torque News. It is speculative clickbait. He has no sources and most claims he makes are just made up. For instance here's his comment from that article on the Crosstrek:

The 2023 Crosstrek was announced by Subaru of America recently, and it should have been the next-generation model customers have been waiting for. Because of production issues in Japan, Subaru Corporation chose to carry over the 2023 Crosstrek with no changes except for the Crosstrek Special Edition, which is little more than an appearance package with a new color. Customers will have to wait until 2024 models arrive next year to get the next-generation Crosstrek.

This is not true at all. The roadmap slide that got leaked in late 2020 showed the Crosstrek and Impreza getting their full redesign in early 2023. That was before the supply chain issues manifested.

The truth is that Subaru is VERY tight lipped about future changes and the reputable information is few and far between. The timeline slide has proved very accurate outside of the STI getting canceled (likely due to sharply increasing CAFE requirements). Otherwise, the only truly reliable information I've seen is spy photos, and that still doesn't tell a lot.

For price increases, Subaru has continued to maintain modest price increases despite the current state of the industry. I expect that to continue. At most I think the 2023 will get around a $1K MSRP increase and a bump in destination fee. However, it could be less if they are making a more aggressive push into the segment.

 

[Steve70]

@zachavm Advice taken. 👍

The other point I made above about slow Ascent sales.. Or not as much traction as they hoped for.. came from a business publication. I'll look a little, but no matter in the big picture for me

I have a very good relationship with the dealer here and short of an exorbitant price increase, we'll be in the very first batch of cars they get as soon as he gets his allotment and ordering opens up.

 

[Robert.Mauro]

I just want to know if the CVT chirp will ever be fixed.

They don't see anything to fix, and haven't seen reason to address an expected behavior that's been happening since 2009.

 

[cherrytrek]

@Steve70 Don't trust Torque News. It is speculative clickbait. He has no sources and most claims he makes are just made up. For instance here's his comment from that article on the Crosstrek:



This is not true at all. The roadmap slide that got leaked in late 2020 showed the Crosstrek and Impreza getting their full redesign in early 2023. That was before the supply chain issues manifested.

The truth is that Subaru is VERY tight lipped about future changes and the reputable information is few and far between. The timeline slide has proved very accurate outside of the STI getting canceled (likely due to sharply increasing CAFE requirements). Otherwise, the only truly reliable information I've seen is spy photos, and that still doesn't tell a lot.

For price increases, Subaru has continued to maintain modest price increases despite the current state of the industry. I expect that to continue. At most I think the 2023 will get around a $1K MSRP increase and a bump in destination fee. However, it could be less if they are making a more aggressive push into the segment.

Thank you for bringing up the leaked roadmap slide. I remember seeing that a while back, but I didn't look that closely at 2022-23 at the time. I and many others have been discussing the 2023 models like the Ascent, Impreza, and Crosstrek refresh or redesigns were delayed due to supply chain, etc. It sure looks like that if your predictions are based upon Subaru's previous model change patterns. Now that I look back at the leaked slide, that was their plan almost 2 years ago!

 

[Robert.Mauro]

I and many others have been discussing the 2023 models like the Ascent, Impreza, and Crosstrek refresh or redesigns were delayed due to supply chain

So far, everything, including the Ascent (which people erroneously thought was on a five year cycle, like the OB, no matter how many times I promised it wasn't) are pretty much on schedule.

 

[Nevada Brian]

Looking forward to your video, Robert.

 

[subimann]

Pictures of Limited trim level and wheels please! (Tell Subaru that us 8-seater customers have NOTHING to look at yet.)

 

[zachavm]

So I totally understand why Subaru didn't do a wilderness trim for this release. It would not be easy at all to do similar drivetrain upgrades on the Ascent. Not to mention it makes sense to do it slowly and prioritize other vehicles.

That said, I would have loved for them to do something like a "Wilderness Package".

• 18 inch (or 17 if possible) unique black wheels.
• Yokohama Geolander A/T Tires
• Full size spare with matching wheel
• All weather floor mats

This could be available on any trim. Charge $1000 and they would make a ton of money on it. Especially on the upper trims that have more expensive wheels.