Key Points
- The Subaru Ascent competes in the crowded three-row SUV market but struggles to stand out.
- Its awkward styling and slow, difficult infotainment system detract from the driving experience.
- The sole turbocharged engine feels underpowered and unrefined, while the lack of a hybrid hurts appeal.
The three-row SUV game is a brutal one. There are more contenders entering the fray every year, and the demand remains high. Even families that don’t really need three rows flock to these bigger SUVs, and the option of carrying more than 5 passengers is tantalizing. The extra cargo capacity, space for friends/family/teammates, and the oftentimes small price difference make them appealing.
Kristen Brown
Subaru’s answer to the three-row SUV call has been the Ascent, having debuted in 2019. It’s easily the biggest Subaru in the lineup, at least until the electric Getaway arrives in 2027. The Ascent comes in five trim levels: Premium, Limited, Bronze Edition, Touring, and Onyx Edition. The first two trims can be had with 7- or 8-passenger configurations, while the rest are strictly 7-passenger with 2nd-row Captain’s Chairs. I drove the Ascent Onyx Edition for a week, and these are the three things that I hated about it.
The Awkward Styling
Subaru
The Ascent wasn’t exactly a looker when it debuted in 2019. It just looked like a larger Forester, and it definitely erred on the side of vanilla. Now, boring isn’t the worst descriptor of a car’s design, but something anonymous can easily disappear into the background when more stylish choices are out there. It did receive a facelift in 2023, but it seemed to make things worse by giving it an overstyled front fascia. While it fixed the boring look, the busy front end doesn’t seem to match the rest of the vehicle.
Subaru
The grille is bigger, and there’s a bar that bisects it and also touches the more complex headlight clusters. Rather than blending in with the upper fascia, the lower portion juts out, and the foglight surrounds are now vertical. The frame of the main grill also has appendages that flare out and touch those foglight surrounds. It’s far too busy, and the change makes the Ascent look awkward. The first-gen Ascent is clearly due for a full redesign after almost nine years on the market.
The Infotainment System is Dated and Challenging to Use
Subaru
The fly in the ointment for most modern Subarus is the portrait-oriented Subaru Multimedia Plus infotainment system. It’s found in every model except for the BRZ sports car and the redesigned Outback. While it has a sizable 11.6″ screen, navigation, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, and a Wi-Fi hotspot, its operation is lackluster. Competitors like Hyundai, Kia, Ford, and Toyota all have interfaces that are more attractive, more responsive, and more modern in appearance.
Subaru
The big screen and colorful menu icons are deceptive because the system is slow to respond to inputs. In fact, the system was always painfully slow on startup, and it took at least a full minute before I could queue up the heated seats or make climate control adjustments, which are mostly on screen. It also relegates too many of the Ascent’s functions.
The climate controls at the base of the screen look crammed in and are hard to operate while driving. Subaru should’ve used more real estate for climate controls and made the main menu icons smaller. The system is clearly getting old, and hopefully the next Ascent will receive the new interface found in the redesigned Outback. The one salve is the presence of temp buttons and audio knobs flanking the screen.
The Sole Engine is Underpowered and Unrefined
When Subaru’s three top sellers, the Outback, Forester, and the Crosstrek, all have gas and hybrid offerings, it feels wrong that its biggest vehicle doesn’t even offer a hybrid option. On top of that, it’s 260-horsepower turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder powertrain delivers paltry accleration and sounds rough when it’s pushed. The Ascent’s continuously variable automatic transmission adds to the cacophany.
Subaru
Acceleration is slow, which should be no surprise given the Ascent’s 4,600-lb curb weight. It’s also laggy off the line and lacks smoothness at low speeds. Steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters are there for those who want more control over the transmission, but it’s more show than go because the transmission features programmed “steps” or fixed-ratio shift points under hard acceleration or when using those somewhat cosmetic steering-wheel paddle shifters. While the Ascent has a smooth ride, the driving experience feels a bit unrefined and anesthetized.
Final Thoughts
I came away from driving the Ascent thinking the brand has to do better with its SUV for big families. It’s not selling especially well and the lack of a hybrid variant decreases its appeal. While it’s certainly better than the super-weird B9 Tribeca, it falls far short of impressing in the modern and very crowded three-row field. The mish-mash styling, challenging infotainment, and the unrefined and underpowered engine were impossible to ignore during my drive, a stark contrast to the superb (but two-row only) electric Trailseeker.
About the author
Amos Kwon
Contributing Writer, Autoblog