I will never buy a VW again, everything went wrong with mine. It also had several stupid design features that were both unexpected and annoying.

We looked at one at the dealer last week and wouldn’t consider it with three kids. Mine are 14, 9, and 7. The Ascent we saw had captains chairs in the second row, leather, etc. and seemed small inside.

We just had our 2011 Sienna totaled due to hail damage and we are getting a new Sienna—it’s just way better for the kids to have space and for carpooling.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you for all the info and replies! I appreciate all of the feedback and will take look into the CVT issue mentioned above.

I was also considering the VW Atlas, but I'm nervous about the long-term. We typically keep our vehicles at least 10 years.

My take on VWs is they're pretty reliable but when they break, they break extremely expensively.

True for us (2 jettas) just bought our first Subaru

Anonymous wrote:OP, my kids are 7.5 and 10.5 and no way do I want to stop driving a van. We were in a rental SUV on vacation and the kids hated it. So happy to be back in the van. I will get another in a couple years (will be my third.)

I have had the opposite experience. I like being able to normally have three kids in the middle row where it is safer and have lots of space behind. We have rented minivans on vacation and have not found them that much more convenient.

OP, my kids are 7.5 and 10.5 and no way do I want to stop driving a van. We were in a rental SUV on vacation and the kids hated it. So happy to be back in the van. I will get another in a couple years (will be my third.)

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you for all the info and replies! I appreciate all of the feedback and will take look into the CVT issue mentioned above.

I was also considering the VW Atlas, but I'm nervous about the long-term. We typically keep our vehicles at least 10 years.

My take on VWs is they're pretty reliable but when they break, they break extremely expensively.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you for all the info and replies! I appreciate all of the feedback and will take look into the CVT issue mentioned above.

I was also considering the VW Atlas, but I'm nervous about the long-term. We typically keep our vehicles at least 10 years.

I saw a review that did the Atlas and the Subaru head to head and Atlas won. I am also considering Subaru for when my VW minivans dies. I HATE VW dealership and will do anything to avoid the experience.

OP here. Thank you for all the info and replies! I appreciate all of the feedback and will take look into the CVT issue mentioned above.

I was also considering the VW Atlas, but I'm nervous about the long-term. We typically keep our vehicles at least 10 years.

We have one (Premium 8 seat) and have been very happy with it, it was an easy choice over the pilot and highlander. I suggest you take a test drive. The fit and finish is a noticeable step up from the Forester (which we also own) and doesn’t have the “plastic/cheap” feel that we expected after owning a Forester. The turbo 4 is responsive and drives really well - better than the V6 for the Honda and Toyota, and is supposed to have better mileage. The doors are wide, open really far, and the middle seats slide forward far enough that an average size person can slip in the back without collapsing the seatback.

Visibility is much better than the highlander. There is more head and leg room in the third row than the highlander, the adaptive cruise and other safety features are nice and function well (I hated the Honda blind spot camera in the dash). There is more room behind the third row, which is good for cargo and safety.

If the Ascent has a CVT transmission, I would avoid it, if you plan on keeping it past 100,000 miles.

Subaru is in the midst of a quickly growing problem with CVT's failing on post-2010 vehicles. They even extended warranties retroactively to cars only covered to 36,000 because so many were failing between 50,000 and 75,000 miles. Given the number of vehicles they've sold since 2010 (their market-share is up double digits in 10 years) they are looking at an enormous problem coming with unsatisfied owners in the next several years as more cars with CVT's have issues.

The "repair" is hugely expensive, too - about $6-7,000 in most cases. So the resale and trade-in value on previously owned cars is going to crater once it becomes widely known that they will likely need a $7k repair at 100,000 miles.

Anonymous wrote:Just curious if anyone out there has purchased the new Subaru Ascent? I'd like to hear your thoughts on it!

I'd really like to replace our old minivan in the next year or so (nearing the end of it's life), but I'm not sure if the Ascent would be a good fit or not. I'd much rather have a Subaru SUV, but a little afraid of giving up sliding doors and a tad more room that a van allows. We have 3 kids...ages 12, 6 and 4.

TIA!!

Now that all of your kids are presumably capable of climbing out of the car by themselves, you won't miss the sliding doors. I don't know much about the Ascent, but we're a devoted Subaru family - love our Outback and Forester. The only criticisms I have are that the interiors can be kinda cheap and plasticky (which I don't care about), they can be a little underpowered (but still perfectly adequate for daily driving in/around the DMV), and the AWD cuts into fuel efficiency a little (well worth the tradeoff in terms of maneuverability and safety).

Just curious if anyone out there has purchased the new Subaru Ascent? I'd like to hear your thoughts on it!

I'd really like to replace our old minivan in the next year or so (nearing the end of it's life), but I'm not sure if the Ascent would be a good fit or not. I'd much rather have a Subaru SUV, but a little afraid of giving up sliding doors and a tad more room that a van allows. We have 3 kids...ages 12, 6 and 4.

TIA!!