[sascent_l]

First time poster here,so will do the intro as well.
new to ascentforums and do have refundable deposit knowing that I would most likely buy my second car prior to ascent hitting dealership but wanted to stand in line for getting one if thing changes however over past weekend.Things did change and we-myself and spouse-went ahead and got my second car.Its Impreza.First being Forester.

A week prior , We drop by local dealer for test drive impreza and was surprised to see an ascent-pre production.We spend like 45 minutes playing around and no test drive allowed. All in all,everything was as I had read here.Car was a bucket seat,things I noticed
Trunk space with 3rd seat up is very small
Prefer a grab handle on door side to get to third row
Nothing fancy in cabins if you are used to Subaru.
Rear lift gate is faster.
Hated the trunk cargo cover,Its takes up some space and not easy to take it/put out either.
2rd and 3rd row is not flat completely

So we move on to test drive impreza get quotes and head home.On way discuss and drop the idea to buy ascent not because of what we saw/experience,but we were okay to wait for an year or Also I hate black trim with ivory dash combo.Prefer all black.

So over week ,we sign papers on impreza at another dealership and have a side talk with F&I guy on ascent,he says he plan to order but some time with September build date ,Subaru is planning to put in rear entertainment package based on latest strong feedback from salesperson all over the country. Well I wanted to put this out.My guy could be wrong but I am not wrong,least that's what I have heard.

I cant wait ascent to hit road and real world reviews start flowing in.We really wanted 3 rd row/8 person car with all safety/drive assist but couldn't justify 32K selling price and using it only few months of year at full capacity.So we decided to wait until demand slows down and price drop after initial excitement

 

[Subiesailor]

The trunk space behind the 3rd row is very similar to my Sequoia it hasn’t been an issue. Having said that we have an 8 pass and often haul 7 with half the 3rd row folded for gear space.

The 2nd row Captains chairs simply will not work for our camping trips. Subaru should offer bench 2nd row in the Touring trim. Who installs entertainment systems today? Every parent I know loads Netflix content and or books to ipads for the kids on road trips.

 

[Carl Abrams]

Subaru is planning to put in rear entertainment package based on latest strong feedback from salesperson all over the country. Well I wanted to put this out.My guy could be wrong but I am not wrong,least that's what I have heard.

Here's clarification on that 'rear entertainment system'.

The Entertainment Anywhere Kit Contains:

2 iPad; 32GB Wi-Fi model (latest version)
2 Harman Kardon Bluetooth Headphones
2 OtterBox Defender Series iPad Cases

Price: $970 (excluding taxes)

So ... that's what it is.

 

[Subiesailor]

Ahh most parents who can afford a $40000+ rig probably already has that stuff. I don’t get why Subaru needs to even offer it lol people know how to buy tablets

 

[husker_soze]

Here's clarification on that 'rear entertainment system'.

The Entertainment Anywhere Kit Contains:

2 iPad; 32GB Wi-Fi model (latest version)
2 Harman Kardon Bluetooth Headphones
2 OtterBox Defender Series iPad Cases

Price: $970 (excluding taxes)

So ... that's what it is.

Ahh most parents who can afford a $40000+ rig probably already has that stuff. I don’t get why Subaru needs to even offer it lol people know how to buy tablets

Well....at least they're checking the box that states they have an "Entertainment System" as an option. :devil:

There's gonna be a lot of lessons learned here for Subaru. And I'm pretty sure they'll adjust (or maybe not) to customer demands.

My personal experience coming from a family that had a minivan and SUV with a rear entertainment system...it was a godsend for us. And even to this day...with the kids all grown up, they still use the rear entertainment system on our Pilot.

 

[Jason]

Well....at least they're checking the box that states they have an "Entertainment System" as an option. :devil:

There's gonna be a lot of lessons learned here for Subaru. And I'm pretty sure they'll adjust (or maybe not) to customer demands.

My personal experience coming from a family that had a minivan and SUV with a rear entertainment system...it was a godsend for us. And even to this day...with the kids all grown up, they still use the rear entertainment system on our Pilot.

The big sunroof makes it hard for a drop down entertainment. Subaru used to offer a system in the head rests of the Outback but no one ever bought them. There are so many aftermarket options to go with that are cheaper. I'm not surprised at all that they decided to go this route. My kids, 3, 5, and 7, all end up watching our Ipad on road trips anyways. No one likes lugging around a bunch of DVD/BlueRay disc's in cars anyways. Give them your phone, plug it in, and let them have fun.

 

[Nemesis099]

The big sunroof makes it hard for a drop down entertainment. Subaru used to offer a system in the head rests of the Outback but no one ever bought them. There are so many aftermarket options to go with that are cheaper. I'm not surprised at all that they decided to go this route. My kids, 3, 5, and 7, all end up watching our Ipad on road trips anyways. No one likes lugging around a bunch of DVD/BlueRay disc's in cars anyways. Give them your phone, plug it in, and let them have fun.

You are right and with the unlimited Wifi you can just put that on for $20 a month and let the kids watch whatever they want. I didn't have an entertainment system in my Xterra and I always debated on getting one installed for the 8 hour drives we do. But I kept thinking I would be getting rid of it soon and during that time the iPad became more and more of a go to in the car.

My sister spent $250 for a dual DVD setup for her Outback and it works great. The $2K options in a car seems excessively high priced to me.

 

[husker_soze]

No one likes lugging around a bunch of DVD/BlueRay disc's in cars anyways. Give them your phone, plug it in, and let them have fun.

Sheeeesh...No one?! You make it sound like you're dragging a kayak sized credenza that holds these DVD's/BDs.

Also...you're not limited to DVDs/BDs for the entertainment option. They have options to source other inputs.

 

[Jason]

Sheeeesh...No one?! You make it sound like you're dragging a kayak sized credenza that holds these DVD's/BDs.

Also...you're not limited to DVDs/BDs for the entertainment option. They have options to source other inputs.

Ha Ha, 1st world problems!! And yes I did forget that most of them have the source options.

 

[Subiesailor]

You are right and with the unlimited Wifi you can just put that on for $20 a month and let the kids watch whatever they want. I didn't have an entertainment system in my Xterra and I always debated on getting one installed for the 8 hour drives we do. But I kept thinking I would be getting rid of it soon and during that time the iPad became more and more of a go to in the car.

My sister spent $250 for a dual DVD setup for her Outback and it works great. The $2K options in a car seems excessively high priced to me.

Better yet we simply just pre load content at home via netflix and Amazon prime down loads. Occasionally we turn on a cell phone personal hot spot so our oldest can research a point of interest and be tour guide. Even the car based hotspot tech is old news given cell phones can provide hot spot connection regardless of where the car is. Assuming you have cell coverage.

 

[Nemesis099]

Better yet we simply just pre load content at home via netflix and Amazon prime down loads. Occasionally we turn on a cell phone personal hot spot so our oldest can research a point of interest and be tour guide. Even the car based hotspot tech is old news given cell phones can provide hot spot connection regardless of where the car is. Assuming you have cell coverage.

We would pre load content but the iPads we have are 16GB and typically are running out of space :crying: As for our phones the tethering uses our limited data (8GB) so we don't do that very often either. It is cheaper for us to just add the unlimited for a month every once in a while. Also I bet the cell antenna in the car is better at getting a signal than my cell phone.

 

[Jason]

We would pre load content but the iPads we have are 16GB and typically are running out of space :crying: As for our phones the tethering uses our limited data (8GB) so we don't do that very often either. It is cheaper for us to just add the unlimited for a month every once in a while. Also I bet the cell antenna in the car is better at getting a signal than my cell phone.

In spotty service areas the bigger receiver in the car is supposed to be able to get a signal when a normal phone receiver won't. But I don't see how often that will apply in the real world. Seems like it will be a very rare occasion when the car gets a signal the phone won't...

 

[Subiesailor]

The hot spot devices on the cars are basically generic cell phones. In fact my ford had to get its device replaced 1 yr after purchase because the device was no longer supported by the carrier. The hot spot thing will go the way of the center dash systems todays top systems simply display current cell phone data and mapping via connected apps Apple Airplay etc. No one wants out dated junk on their in dash unit so best systems simply mirror current cellphone data on your connected phone.

Reception is simply based on carrier coverage.

 

[Nemesis099]

In spotty service areas the bigger receiver in the car is supposed to be able to get a signal when a normal phone receiver won't. But I don't see how often that will apply in the real world. Seems like it will be a very rare occasion when the car gets a signal the phone won't...

While this is true in most suburban areas when you head off into the countryside like I do a few times a year the car should have a larger or higher (outside the car) antenna that should get a better signal. I will be able to test it in August when I do my drive into the Adirondacks. Only issue is I have Verizon and the Ascent has AT&T so it won't be a full comparison. Typically when driving up there I my signal goes in and out.

The hot spot devices on the cars are basically generic cell phones. In fact my ford had to get its device replaced 1 yr after purchase because the device was no longer supported by the carrier. The hot spot thing will go the way of the center dash systems todays top systems simply display current cell phone data and mapping via connected apps Apple Airplay etc. No one wants out dated junk on their in dash unit so best systems simply mirror current cellphone data on your connected phone.

Reception is simply based on carrier coverage.

That is not 100% true as I have changed phones multiple times I feel certain phones have better reception than others. My wife's older Motorola Droid Maxx phone gets a signal in areas where no one else does (I see this a lot with my phone). The car should have a larger antenna that will not just pick up a signal but have an easier time connecting. I say should because that is all in how it is designed as well.

 

[Karpediem]

We would pre load content but the iPads we have are 16GB and typically are running out of space :crying:

Just add a 64gb micro SD to your iPad to increase the storage....ohhhh wait :devil:

 

[husker_soze]

Just add a 64gb micro SD to your iPad to increase the storage....ohhhh wait :devil:

Here you go.....https://www.amazon.com/Leef-iBridge-iPhone-Expanded-Memory/dp/B01M29IYHM?psc=1&SubscriptionId=AKIAJIYNF643F4NAP3YA&tag=i0914a-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B01M29IYHM&ascsubtag=41-3579792-05-3651262

 

[Jason]

Samsung Tab A with a 128gb micro sd and the kids are quiet for hours!