{"id":22995,"date":"2018-10-25T21:07:27","date_gmt":"2018-10-26T01:07:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=22995"},"modified":"2018-10-25T21:07:27","modified_gmt":"2018-10-26T01:07:27","slug":"payne-big-subaru-ascent-wants-your-family-and-cups","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2018\/10\/payne-big-subaru-ascent-wants-your-family-and-cups","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Big Subaru Ascent wants your family \u2014 and cups"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Ascent<\/p>\n

The last time Subaru tried a family SUV it was going through an awkward phase with the three-row Tribeca wallflower and its geeky triangular grille, pricey sticker, and … Mrs. Payne and I walked right past it on the way to the handsome, 2006 Pacifica crossover on the Chrysler lot.<\/p>\n

Well, two\u2019s the charm.<\/p>\n

A lot has changed for a new generation of \u2018Ru families. For one, Subaru went out and got a proper stylist, and its family of handsome Imprezas and Crosstreks aren\u2019t turning away customers with their homely looks. Take my wife \u2014\u00a0who is on her second Impreza hatchback after downsizing from her three-row Pacifica.<\/p>\n

Young Subie owners who bought into the brand with a tidy Impreza or Crosstrek, on the other hand, finally have a proper, full-size family ute to, well, ascend into. Of course, they may have to swallow their tree-hugging ideals over the breakfast newspaper. \u201cThe World Is Embracing S.U.V.s. That\u2019s Bad News for the Climate,\u201d\u00a0lectured a New York Times headline this year. Well, there\u2019s always Fox News.<\/p>\n

The faithful might be reassured that Subaru keeps the continuously-variable transmission and flat four-cylinder engine tech for which its famous in its smaller, granola crunchers. But\u00a0in truth that requires real-world compromise, too, as the four-banger gets turbocharged to motivate its porky-for-the-class 4,583 pounds. That means the \u2018Ru gets an EPA fuel rating of 22 mpg \u2014\u00a0no better than comparably-priced V-6s like the Kia Sorento looker I recently tested.<\/p>\n

Indeed, in\u00a0Car and Driver\u2019s real-world test against<\/a>\u00a0another turbo-4, the alluring Mazda CX-9, the Ascent\u2019s fuel economy descended to 17 mpg, 2 mpg shy of the Mazda hottie.<\/p>\n

The new Ascent won\u2019t win any beauty pageants over the CX-9 but it\u2019s not unpleasant \u2014\u00a0it\u2019s even charming with its signature\u00a0long front end and thick, rugged roof rails. But just to make sure no one walks away before taking a closer look, the Ascent has …<\/p>\n

NINETEEN CUP HOLDERS! NINETEEN!<\/p>\n

That oughta\u00a0get your attention. And after counting every single one, you realize that they\u2019ve stuffed a lot of other stuff in there, too, for a very affordable price.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

What Ascent lacks in curb appeal to the Sorento and CX-9 it makes up for in size, features\u00a0and affordability.<\/p>\n

Parked next to the Sorento in my driveway, the Ascent looks a class larger. Part of that is a face with a lantern jaw bigger than Schwarzenegger, but open the doors and the interior is roomier. Check out that boot. With 18 cubic feet of cargo room behind the third row, the Subie beats the Kia by 50 percent and the Mazda by almost 30.<\/p>\n

Only the Chevy Traverse beats it in size with a palatial 23 cubic feet (GM\u2019s ute also is a class leader in third-row seat room, making life comfortable even for your giraffe-legged reviewer). For the same\u00a0$45K\u00a0price, however, the Ascent is a Shoney\u2019s buffet of features.<\/p>\n

Standard all-wheel-drive, adaptive cruise control, auto brake assist, and Apple CarPlay\/Android Auto \u2014\u00a0then panoramic sunroof, blind-spot assist, auto high beams, auto windshield wipers, power front seats, rear climate control, rear bucket seats, and a washer and dryer (just kidding about the last two).<\/p>\n

Japanese companies like Subaru, Honda, Toyota\u00a0and Mazda increasingly emphasize\u00a0the electronic gizmos which drivers are increasingly coming to expect. Like a camera on your phone. The Chevy does not have adaptive cruise and auto high beams at $45K, and they are sorely missed.<\/p>\n

Speaking of essentials, blind-spot assist is a must on big barges like Ascent, and Subaru obliged by putting the indicator \u2014\u00a0not waaaaay out on the starboard mirror edge where it\u2019s often lost in sun glare \u2014\u00a0but on the inside mirror stem where you can see it all the time.<\/p>\n

Subie may have supersized but it hasn\u2019t forgotten its adventurous roots. Ascent gets ox-like, 5,000-pound towing ability. And the forward camera that (Tesla -like) allows you to see out the front of the vehicle. And the nearly nine-inch ground clearance, and hill descent control.<\/p>\n

Touches like that endear folks to Subaru who will still be tempted to camp off-road in their three-row ute.<\/p>\n

Subaru is not immune from cost-saving annoyances. The adaptive cruise control only goes up in 5-mph increments (what?!), which was awkward when I was trying to stay under 80 mph on speed-limited, 70 mph interstates. To set the cruise control, I would have to accelerate to exactly 77 mph, then deploy adaptive cruise.<\/p>\n

My wife has to do the same on her Impreza. You get used to it.<\/p>\n

Happily, unlike the Traverse and Sorento with their cost-cutting, access-the-third-row-only-on-the-curbside-of-the-vehicle, the Ascent allows you to get into the back on either side of the car with a simple, one-pull seat lever. The Honda Pilot is still the master of this with its single-push button magic.<\/p>\n

It makes for a good, overall second-and-third row vibe. It seems Subaru cares about its coach-class passengers as much as first-class drivers.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s climate control for the second row, heated seats, that yuuuuge sunroof providing sunlight \u2014\u00a0and, of course, enough cupholders for the kids to have both a pop and milkshake with their fast-food burgers.<\/p>\n

Still, when I pressed the starter button and pulled the shift lever into DRIVE, I feared the worst.<\/p>\n

Despite the major improvement to my wife\u2019s CVT tranny in the latest-gen Impreza, the ghost of droning CVTs past \u2014\u00a0attached-to-four cylinders \u2014\u00a0still haunts me. How could the combo possibly work in a two-ton ute?<\/p>\n

Make that two tons and a half, and you feel every pound given the Subie\u2019s higher, off-road ride height. After a week of driving a Corvette ZR1 at the Dream Cruise this summer \u2014\u00a0sweating every parking lot entrance with its low, carbon-fiber splitter (scraaape) \u2014\u00a0I admit the Ascent\u2019s ride height was blessedly stress free.<\/p>\n

But it also means it has no athletic pretensions like a Mazda. The turbo-4 and CVT, on the other hand, are surprisingly spry. The CVT is no droner \u2014\u00a0but shifts smoothly under duress thanks to electronic programming that makes it feel like a high-ratio automatic.<\/p>\n

The 260-horsepower\u00a0turbo-4 is a bull.<\/p>\n

Subaru has left its awkward, geeky, Tribeca phase behind and produced a big, competitive, roomy three-row ute. Just in time for your growing family \u2014\u00a0awkward, geeky teens and all.<\/p>\n

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne. Catch \u201cCar Radio with Henry Payne\u201d from noon-2 p.m. Saturdays on 910 AM Superstation.<\/em><\/p>\n

2019 Subaru Ascent<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vehicle type: Front-engine, all-wheel drive, seven-passenger SUV<\/p>\n

Price: $32,970\u00a0base, includes $975 destination fee ($45,670\u00a0Ascent Touring as tested)<\/p>\n

Powerplant: 2.4-liter turbo, “Boxer” inline 4-cylinder<\/p>\n

Power: 260\u00a0horsepower, 277\u00a0pound-feet torque<\/p>\n

Transmission: Continuously-variable\u00a0automatic<\/p>\n

Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.9\u00a0seconds (Car and Driver); towing: 5,000 pounds<\/p>\n

Weight: 4,583 pounds<\/p>\n

EPA fuel economy: 20\u00a0city\/26\u00a0highway\/22\u00a0combined<\/p>\n

Report card<\/p>\n

Highs: Turbo-4 rows the big ship; lotsa standard features<\/p>\n

Lows: Turbo-4 gets thirsty; better cruise control, please<\/p>\n

Overall: 3\u00a0stars<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The last time Subaru tried a family SUV it was going through an awkward phase with the three-row Tribeca wallflower and its geeky triangular grille, pricey sticker, and … Mrs. Payne and I walked right past it on the way to the handsome, 2006 Pacifica crossover on the Chrysler lot. Well, two\u2019s the charm. A […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22995"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22995"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22995\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22995"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22995"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22995"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}