[irvineboy]

I currently have a 2013 BMW X5. I love everything about this car. The hydraulic and heavy steering, which you cannot find in cars these days as every manufacturer is making electric steering. The great handling. It does not feel like an SUV. I just wish I had a third row, which I did not order at the time. Now with 3 kids, I need a 7 seater. The Tesla Model X is out of my price range as well as the Range Rover Sport. Those would be ideal.

I looked at the Audi Q7, but the third row seats offers barely any leg room and are painful to get in and out of.
I looked at the Volvo XC90, which we liked but I personally did not like the tiny 4 cylinder engine. The electric steering feels loose. It costs over $60k for the T6 Inscription. But it has the nicest interior I have seen.
I have not driven the Honda Pilot or the Toyota Highlander.

My neighbor recently purchased the Ascent and was raving about it. So I went to look at it. The drive is ok. Obviously does not drive like my X5 but is cheaper. Electric steering is terrible and feels numb and artificial but it seems I will have to get used it. I was worried about the small 4 cylinder engine. 0-60 in 7.3 seconds is slow. But it actually felt faster than that. I also wish it had a 360 degree camera.

What I like about the Ascent is the price and features and how roomy it is. I'm leaning toward the Limited because I don't care for the Touring's chrome handles. Ventilated seats are nice and I don't believe you can get that in the Limited. Can you get heated seats in the Limited? I am debating 8 seats or 7 seats (captain seats). The wife likes the captain seats with our 3 kids. But I figure 8 seats is better. More the better right? Especially if it is the same price. I want black leather interior. I am debating between the white or the ice silver exterior, which has a tint of blue that I like. I've always had white cars and they are a safe bet. Im in the southern CA orange county area. Has anyone ordered one under MSRP? Thoughts and comments?

 

[crowdc]

Take a read here:

2019 Subaru Ascent 7 passenger research webpage


I would also go to a dealer and have a look at one (if they have one on the lot to drive)
To answer questions:

Yes heated seats on Limited
7/8 seats - Depends on use cases
Many of us have gotten for close to invoice or at invoice - Depends on the dealer

Color - Pick what you like. I went with white on black because of the safe color and loved the way it looks
Interior Color - Touring only gets the Java an 7 seater

Don't be afraid to shop around the US to find a good deal.

 

[CDN-Ottawa]

I am debating 8 seats or 7 seats (captain seats). The wife likes the captain seats with our 3 kids. But I figure 8 seats is better. More the better right? Especially if it is the same price.

We also have 3 kids and my logic for going 8 seats is that with 7 seats someone always has to sit in the 3rd row no matter what. with 8 seats the whole family can sit in the front 2 rows in a pinch and fold down the whole 3rd row for stuff.

With only 2 kids, or putting adults in the back the captains chairs are an easy sell.
Others have preferred the 8 seater as it folds flatter when you put both rows down.
It's surprising how many pros/cons there are

 

[irvineboy]

The idea of captains chairs is that it is easy to get into the third row when the car is moving. You don’t have to stop and slide the second row forward to access the back. However, you bring up a great point about having the third row down to have more room. With the third row prompted up, I can’t even fit my double stroller with the two stroller seats in the cargo area.

 

[zulater]

I would say the Ascent definitely handles well under it's weight class. I upgraded to better sway bar bushings and it's amazing. Car feels faster than it is but there is no problem at all getting up to speed merging on the highway.

If you like the 360 camera you may want to still consider the touring. It has the front mount camera that helps and the rear view mirror camera.

 

[ShadyT]

I have 3 kids (5, 8 and 9) and we went for the 8-seat primarily for the same reason as CDN-Ottawa. My wife has an Odyssey with captain's chairs and she was the one who pushed for the 8 seats. I think the CC's are great with younger kids but now that my kids are older the 2 older ones can manipulate the second row seats to get to the 3rd row without issue. So combined with the extra seat this pushed us to the bench. But everyone has their own preferences and needs so just go with what works best for you. I do wish they had the option like the Odyssey to be able to have an insert between the CC's to create 3 row seating in the second row.

 

[rockthebeef]

Did you test drive the CX-9? You know, the "poor man's" BMW? The 2019 now has power folding mirrors, 360 camera, AA/CarPlay, etc.

I'm not sure if there are any on the lots yet, but you can test anything from 2016+ to get a driving impression. I was on the fence on between CX-9/Ascent, but we already have a CX-5 and I guess I have a thing for Subarus since I'm on a streak now. How do they make such likeable yet homely vehicles? I guess that's part of the charm.

 

[MamaBear5]

I would say the Ascent definitely handles well under it's weight class. I upgraded to better sway bar bushings and it's amazing. Car feels faster than it is but there is no problem at all getting up to speed merging on the highway

Did you get these aftermarket or from the dealer?

 

[MamaBear5]

I currently have a 2013 BMW X5. I love everything about this car. The hydraulic and heavy steering, which you cannot find in cars these days as every manufacturer is making electric steering. The great handling. It does not feel like an SUV. I just wish I had a third row, which I did not order at the time. Now with 3 kids, I need a 7 seater. The Tesla Model X is out of my price range as well as the Range Rover Sport. Those would be ideal.

I sent you a PM

 

[SpaceGal]

We just got our Ascent Limited 7 seater two weeks ago. I got it in white with the ivory interior. I originally wanted the black leather but my kids were complaint how hot the black gets in the summer, funny cuz in upstate NY, summer lasts only 3 months. After looking, at the ivory I just liked how it looked better than the black interior due to the accents of ivory in the front dash/glove areas. I’ll admit it stays cooler with white on ivory though...so that’s been nice.

My previous car was a Honda Odyssey which served my family well for 10 years. I went back and forth between the 7- or the 8- seats but with how much my kids (13, 11, and 9) annoy each other during long car rides it wasn’t worth trying to squish them in the second row shoulder to shoulder. We felt better just getting crossbars and getting a cargo carrier for future trips. The Ascent drives very different from the Odyssey but it’s enjoyable because the Odyssey felt very heavy and I always felt like I was driving a behemoth! It’s taking some getting used to not having the storage a minivan has but so far the kids are comfy and with carpooling kids can get in and out with the 7-seats quickly rather than sliding the bench forward and what not.

I think we got a decent deal on ours it’s sticker was $41,411 and I got it down to $37,700.

Good luck deciding.

 

[leky411]

I currently have a 2013 BMW X5. I love everything about this car. The hydraulic and heavy steering, which you cannot find in cars these days as every manufacturer is making electric steering. The great handling. It does not feel like an SUV. I just wish I had a third row, which I did not order at the time. Now with 3 kids, I need a 7 seater. The Tesla Model X is out of my price range as well as the Range Rover Sport. Those would be ideal.

I looked at the Audi Q7, but the third row seats offers barely any leg room and are painful to get in and out of.
I looked at the Volvo XC90, which we liked but I personally did not like the tiny 4 cylinder engine. The electric steering feels loose. It costs over $60k for the T6 Inscription. But it has the nicest interior I have seen.
I have not driven the Honda Pilot or the Toyota Highlander.

My neighbor recently purchased the Ascent and was raving about it. So I went to look at it. The drive is ok. Obviously does not drive like my X5 but is cheaper. Electric steering is terrible and feels numb and artificial but it seems I will have to get used it. I was worried about the small 4 cylinder engine. 0-60 in 7.3 seconds is slow. But it actually felt faster than that. I also wish it had a 360 degree camera.

What I like about the Ascent is the price and features and how roomy it is. I'm leaning toward the Limited because I don't care for the Touring's chrome handles. Ventilated seats are nice and I don't believe you can get that in the Limited. Can you get heated seats in the Limited? I am debating 8 seats or 7 seats (captain seats). The wife likes the captain seats with our 3 kids. But I figure 8 seats is better. More the better right? Especially if it is the same price. I want black leather interior. I am debating between the white or the ice silver exterior, which has a tint of blue that I like. I've always had white cars and they are a safe bet. Im in the southern CA orange county area. Has anyone ordered one under MSRP? Thoughts and comments?

My parents owner the 2012 and now own the 2017 X5. I've driven both. The 2012 was amazing in terms of the hydraulic steering with speed controlled resistance. High speed driving was a blast because it was super controlled. The body was stiff and there was very little roll. It was a "fat" BMW and fun to drive. The 2017 lost many of those features. It became much softer of a car, the steering isn't as tight, but still it is a fun drive. I haven't driven either of these daily, but have clocked over 2000 miles on each.

Now with that there is so much on that car I dislike. The BMW infotainment system is terrible. The knob control is annoying, and even for someone with tons of IT experience, cumbersome to navigate. Both years always AVG 16mpg. Never anything better in mixed driving. It is ahead of features but you pay the price. The worst part is the price is overinflated and resale is not there. The minute the warranty expires at 5 years 50K the price of the car depreciates by more than half of invoice pricing. That is why many BMW's are better leased.

Now in relation to what I mentioned the steering is soft and electronic. There is much more body roll on turns. Almost too much roll and find I take turns a bit slower than in the past. The turbo is peppy, but shifts can be premature. The second row seat bench or captain are much more comfortable than the X5's. The Subaru infotainment is so much nicer. Touch screen is quicker and more intuitive. CarPlay and Android Auto make voice recognition reliable and more intuitive. The Ascent lacks many features such as folding mirrors, mirror memory settings, power adjustable headrests, has less seat adjustment options, probably lower grade interior finishes, not a sport suspension, and I am sure a ton of other BMW features. However it isn't trying to hit the luxury brand status. Like many car options, they become cheaper and trickle down to the more affordable brands. What you do get is a brand with much better resale value, solid record of safety features, and a more affordable price point.

It is a tough comparison, but honestly I paid 41K for my Ascent and will gladly keep the extra 20-25K in my bank. Nothing in the X5 justifies the price point. I believe once you hit 40K-50K on a car you hit the law of diminishing returns.

 

[MamaBear5]

The 2017 lost many of those features. It became much softer of a car, the steering isn't as tight, but still it is a fun drive. I haven't driven either of these daily, but have clocked over 2000 miles on each.

That is sad to hear. The whole point of driving a BMW is to experience that tight driving, especially at high speeds. I'm not sure why they would want to soften the ride. Those looking for a soft ride should look at something like Lexus or Infinity. I would not go back to BMW if the ride is soft. It's not worth the expense and headache of a BMW without the driving experience.

 

[zulater]

Did you get these aftermarket or from the dealer?

https://www.ascentforums.com/forum/...uspension/1437-sway-bar-bushings-cke-ssp.html

@traildogck

Takes about 10 minutes for 3 of them and 10 minutes for the passenger front without removing the skid plate plastic pan deal. Would be easier to remove the plate/pan but not necessary.

 

[MamaBear5]

https://www.ascentforums.com/forum/...uspension/1437-sway-bar-bushings-cke-ssp.html

@traildogck

Takes about 10 minutes for 3 of them and 10 minutes for the passenger front without removing the skid plate plastic pan deal. Would be easier to remove the plate/pan but not necessary.

I was one of the lucky recipients of the first batch and a "tester" :smile:. They improved handling for me. I was just curious as to where everyone else was getting their upgraded bushings.

 

[Sparkland]

We just got our Ascent Limited 7 seater two weeks ago. I got it in white with the ivory interior. I originally wanted the black leather but my kids were complaint how hot the black gets in the summer, funny cuz in upstate NY, summer lasts only 3 months. After looking, at the ivory I just liked how it looked better than the black interior due to the accents of ivory in the front dash/glove areas. I’ll admit it stays cooler with white on ivory though...so that’s been nice.

I will be interested to see pictures of the ivory (white) interior drivers seat after 6 months of ownership. Hopefully someone will offer up some "untouched" pictures.