subaru ascent opinions

[Anonymous]

We are debating getting a Subaru Ascent - we currently have a Forester but are thinking we could use the third row. Does anyone own one/have opinions to share ? Or other ideas for their favorite three row SUV ? VW Atlas and Kia Telluride are often mentioned.

[Anonymous]

We have a Forester and a mini van. I love the mini van! So that's my vote for a bigger car.

My neighbor has an Ascent and they have this weird issue where it doesn't start sometimes, but you do like 3 things like open close the door, put down the window and then it starts. So, yeah, that sounds like a bigger electrical issue down the line to me. It only happened like twice in the 2 years they've had it. But otherwise, they do really love it! They have the moon roof which is really cool too.

[Anonymous]

I love my Honda Pilot! Subarus are usually great vehicles, but i've heard the Ascent doesn't get great marks.

We test drove Telluride and really liked it, but I am biased against Kias. I know they have improved by leaps and bounds over the past decade or two but i just feel like they don't have the long term "brand name" as Hondas.

[Anonymous]

I've heard that the engine is underpowered for the size of the vehicle. It has the same 2.4L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine you can get on the Outback or Forester.

[Anonymous]

277 ft/lb of torque at 2000 rpm is plenty. It’s a utilitarian Subaru. Also not a fan of CVTs. Check out the CX9. Much better interior. Better handling. More torque.

[Anonymous]

We really liked the one we test drove but ultimately talked ourselves out of the CVT. I thought the handing and interior space were great.

[Anonymous]

We’ve had an Ascent since 2019 and have not had any issues. It’s easy to drive, handles snow and ice well, great for our family—kids are now 13, 10 and 8. Love the front camera, captain chairs in the 2nd row and all the safety features.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We’ve had an Ascent since 2019 and have not had any issues. It’s easy to drive, handles snow and ice well, great for our family—kids are now 13, 10 and 8. Love the front camera, captain chairs in the 2nd row and all the safety features.

Same - ours has been great. Third row has so much room.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We’ve had an Ascent since 2019 and have not had any issues. It’s easy to drive, handles snow and ice well, great for our family—kids are now 13, 10 and 8. Love the front camera, captain chairs in the 2nd row and all the safety features.

Same - ours has been great. Third row has so much room.

How's the mileage? I wish it was available in electric or at least hybrid.

[Anonymous]

We have a Forester and an Ascent, having bought the Ascent when the third kid came. Love both, though the Ascent truly is awful on gas mileage. We get less than 20 whereas the Forester gets about 30.

[Anonymous]

It would be great with a manual transmission. You’d still have the eventual cylinder head gasket leaks, but at least you wouldn’t have the garbage CVT to constantly worry about after the warranty expires.

[Anonymous]

https://www.motorbiscuit.com/2022-subaru-ascent-reliability-bottom-barrel/

Consumer Reports says its "one of the worst cars you can buy right now in terms of reliability."

That was enough to turn us off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We’ve had an Ascent since 2019 and have not had any issues. It’s easy to drive, handles snow and ice well, great for our family—kids are now 13, 10 and 8. Love the front camera, captain chairs in the 2nd row and all the safety features.

Same - ours has been great. Third row has so much room.

How's the mileage? I wish it was available in electric or at least hybrid.

Mileage is poor. My parents have one and it gets like 13 mpg.

[Anonymous]

We are consistently getting 23 mpg.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We’ve had an Ascent since 2019 and have not had any issues. It’s easy to drive, handles snow and ice well, great for our family—kids are now 13, 10 and 8. Love the front camera, captain chairs in the 2nd row and all the safety features.

Same - ours has been great. Third row has so much room.

How's the mileage? I wish it was available in electric or at least hybrid.

Mileage is poor. My parents have one and it gets like 13 mpg.

We have 2 right now (2021 and 2022) and average 23 mpg so not bad at all. My biggest complaint is the fuel tank is small so I have to get gas weekly. I had a Pilot before the Ascent and the larger tank lasted a while longer (though my mpg was similar).

We love our Ascents but lease them due to concerns about issues with the CVT long term. Got the first one in 2019, then a second in 2021 when we replaced the Pilot, and then just replaced the 2019 coming off the lease with a 2022. The 2019 had the AC go out a few months after we got it, and it was fixed under warranty and didn’t give us problems after that. The 2019 also had a day when the tailgate wouldn’t open, but it resolved on its own and never happened again. So far so good with the 2021 and 2022.

Fwiw, the 2019 was still working great when we turned it in after 3.5 years, but my 2016 Pilot was falling apart about 3 years in - the auto stop failed and the car would turn off completely instead of restarting when I put my foot on the gas. Honda said they couldn’t find anything wrong, but Piloteering forums showed it was an issue for others too. I was so relieved to turn in the Pilot at the end of the lease.

We test drove and priced out the Atlas and Highlander before we got the 2019 Ascent, and the Subaru was a full $100/mo less on a lease compared to the other two. Not sure if that’s changed lately.