2024 Subaru Ascent right at home in the Pacific Northwest
Published 10:30 am Monday, February 5, 2024
The Pacific Northwest is one of Subaru’s best-selling regions in the United States. Subaru’s popularity here is no wonder, with the brand’s longtime signature all-wheel drive as standard equipment on all models, and generous corporate sponsorship of what most of us consider “good causes” such as national parks, outdoor sports, nature, animals, health and more.
The Ascent midsize SUV is Subaru’s largest model. It has three rows of seats, with seating for seven or eight passengers, depending on trim level.
Pricing starts at $35,490 including a $1,295 destination charge.
There are six trims: Base, Premium, Onyx Edition, Limited, Onyx Edition Limited, and Touring. Motivation for each one is provided by a 260-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine partnered with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), and Subaru’s illustrious Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system.
EPA-estimated fuel economy rates for the Onyx Edition Limited model I drove are 19 mpg city, 25 mpg highway, and 21 mpg combined. Ratings are higher for less heavily equipped models in the lineup.
The base model is available only with eight-passenger seating. Premium and Limited trims offer seven- or eight-passenger seating. Onyx models and the Touring are exclusively seven-passenger setups.
The Ascent doesn’t eagerly rush headlong on the highway, but it does deliver a comfortable ride, and handling characteristics are lively enough to keep driver boredom at bay.
Subaru’s Starlink multimedia system is standard on all Ascent models. Its large 11.6-inch high-definition touchscreen is positioned vertically mid-dash. The generous screen size allows oversized icons that can be seen and operated readily, and the system overall is intuitive, easy to use. Bravo, Subaru. If I wanted to face a brain teaser every day, I’d play Wordle.
Starlink includes Android Auto and Apple CarPlay (both wireless), AM/FM/HD Radio, Bluetooth hands-free phone, text, and audio streaming connectivity.
Seating inside the Ascent is roomy if you don’t count the situation in the third row, which is tight. Little kids who don’t fight a lot could sit back there, or it would be a perfect place for your very good dog.
2024 SUBARU ASCENT ONYX EDITION LIMITED
Base price, including destination charge: $47,790
Price as driven: $47,931
Mary Lowry is a member of the Motor Press Guild and a member and past president of the Northwest Automotive Press Association. She lives in Snohomish County. Vehicles are provided by automotive manufacturers as a one-week loan for evaluation purposes only. Manufacturers do not control content of the reviews.
