Order Placed For Subaru Ascent

After weighing multiple options (Toyota 4-runner, Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk and the Subaru Ascent) I honed in on the Ascent. I liked the features of the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk - seems very capable and with good new technology however, I worried about the reliability as well as the cost. My wife is not a Jeep fan (had a Jeep Liberty for years which she didn't really like).

I had been pretty gung-ho about the 4-runner till a neighbor talked me out of it. He was in the process of selling his trail rated 4-runner after just 1 year. He complained that it drove poorly as a commuter and that it had virtually no new technology for on road safety/convenience. It also handled poorly in wet/snowy road conditions. He is a big "off roader". Growing up in the rural south, I didn't realize that there was such a thing as paying to go on off road trails that are rated similar to down hill skiing trails. Anyhow, he sold the 4-runner and bought a Subaru Crosstrek which he's been very happy with.

This got me refocused on Subarus and the Ascent in particular. I like the 5,000 pound towing capacity and the capacious interior. I really look forward to driving with an adaptive cruise control with our crazy crowded East Coast highways. Hopefully lane keep assist will also work well. I'm also keen to use Apple Play for navigation/music/phone. Although our 2012 4 cylinder outback has performed admirably, one definitely "feels" it back there when towing. I had to slow down to around 45-50 mph last weekend going up Western Maryland mountains. This should be much easier with the Ascent.

I put in the order yesterday at a local dealer with an expected delivery of early August. I'll be happy to report back my experiences after a couple of trips if there is interest. Ben H

 

I'm guessing there will be a lot of interest. My Outback has the 3.6R and I have enough power but I like the increased tongue capabilities of the Ascent.

The adaptive cruise control is even better than you would expect.

 

Good luck with your new vehicle.

 

Soooo, how do you like it? Do you have an update?

 

I've now had about 6 different outings towing my 550. I've been much happier with the Ascent as a tow vehicle compared to our 2012 4 cylinder outback. It has very little impact on acceleration and braking while towing. I don't have the electric brakes on the trailer but not too concerned about the braking ability of the Ascent. I really like having adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist.

It handles pretty well off road using the X-mode. The other vehicle I was considering was a Toyota 4-runner which I still very much like. If I live out west and did more off roading I probably would have gone that route as it is more capable off road than the Ascent but the majority of my time is on pavement with some mild off roading.

Mileage has been worse with the cold weather than I'd like. My commute to work is only 1.5 miles which is hardly enough to warm up and I've been getting high teens for gas mileage. I did a separate review in more detail (search Ascent 550 review).