Okay, I am a bit neurotic about such things, but I have been collecting my thoughts on the Ascent. It's a long list. I do enjoy the car, but it definitely has plenty of faults. If this list being much longer than 3 items violates some rule, please delete my post. And yes, some of the items I did not realized until I was reading things here over the past 4 months, so i do not claim they are original thoughts. I mainly keep this so when I begin shopping to replace our OTHER car in a few years, I'll be really able to evaluate between vehicles better.
Subaru Ascent thoughts:
-Side mirrors do not adjust to seat memory setting
-side mirrors do not auto-fold away when parked
-Audio system does not adjust to ambient noise or road noise increases
-road noise is higher than expected from highest end trimline of an expensive vehicle
-No way to turn on all interior lights without opening doors (like a button)
-Driver’s seat adjustment, the front of the seat does not lift up far enough to get fully comfortable support under the upper legs
-remote start features do not include heating steering wheel
-Cruise control increase/decrease uses only 5 mile increments. Should have a user setting to decide increments, as many people drive 9 above or 4 above.
-Android Auto requires usb-C cable, cannot use bluetooth
-The distance-til-empty calculation is wildly inaccurate and only seems to update by increments of 10 miles
-center-upper display uses widgets, but the widget selection is poor. Would be nice to have speed-limit (when available), current speed, and a split square of current MPG and average MPG
-Turning on cruise takes over the mid-upper display. Why? I do not want that, ever. I picked what I was viewing on that screen for a reason, please do not override my preferences.
-storage space in back is poorly lit
-front middle cupholders are really wide, letting cups and bottles tip over and fall out
-driver’s door cupholders, one is useful, one too small, and one has door trim blocking it so you cannot really use it except for something small (a standard 12 oz water bottle will not fit, maybe a skinny red bull can might?)
-Using volume controls blocks access to main screen for several seconds, which is annoying
-There is no park-assist feature
-3rd-row headrests are either all the way up, or all the way down, which doesn’t fit every size person well. Could they get notches on the pole to work like other cars?
-satellite radio antenna is ugly, doesn’t match, may interfere with some roof use, and nobody asked if we wanted it added. Is it removable?
-If I turn off the lane warnings (so many bad lines and such in my area, the thing is always alerting or shutting off anyway), I get a very bright orange light constantly on. Let it be dimmer or make it go away after I drive a few miles. I don’t need a constant orange warning light reminding me that the car is not going to annoy me for poorly marked roads.
-The all weather mats are not good. They do not cover the area under the gas pedal and they do not trap water from snow melt.
-Floor carpet seems cheap and low quality
-chrome vent trim reflects in windows all the time, is distracting
-when driving slow, or soon after leaving home, the transmission is bumpy and goofy. Overall it seems to go from too-low to too-high and engine noise makes it seem like I just shifted from 5th to 2nd on a hill. Can this just be smooth and adjust evenly?
-mileage is nowhere near what was reported
-Road noise is quite high for having the highest trim model
-Does the radio have to turn on every single time I start the car? I am capable of turning it on when I want it.
-I am annoyed that a satellite antenna was automatically installed. It is not body color, it is an ugly shark fin eyesore, and it may interfere with transporting things on the roof. I should have had the option to have it or not as my own choice. I have zero interest in satellite radio and find it to be an overpriced awful product.
-no 12V in the middle row.
-Passenger in front cannot type for directions and such while vehicle is moving. This makes the built-in maps tool useless. When we travel I am the pilot and my wife (or oldest son) is the navigator.
-My rear gate has a wider gap on the right than on the left. OCD me is sad.
-When on, the venting feature in the front seats is REALLY loud
-When you remote-start, there does not seem to be a way to NOT use AC/Heat.
-Remote start app is really bad. Those features should be on one screen and access should be 2-3 clicks. No need for “delay” to have it’s own click-through screen.