This was super helpful! I watched your other video with the 3 car seat set up too, and subscribed:) We live in Canada, so similar weather, and currently driving a Subaru Forester that we absolutely love. We have a 4yo and an almost 3yo, and now we’re expecting another one in September so your videos were EXACTLY what I needed so a huge thank you for taking the time to make them So thorough. Also I have to agree with how safe Subarus are. That was the main reason we chose it and it kept all 4 of us safe in a scary highway accident where a huge van crashed into us when it was speeding and changing lanes and didn’t see us. It wrecked our right side and blew up the front left wheel (all on 100km/HR) and I was able to get all of us to safety on the side of the road from the middle lane of a 5 lane highway. Subaru is pure magic when it comes to safety. So I think seeing your videos we’re getting Ascent next.
We have a 2021 Forester. Husband wants an Outback before we try for baby number 2 but i honestly think an Ascent would be better since we ultimately want 3 kids. Great video!
I've had 3 across the back of my outback for a year and a half, lol. One high backed booster, one rear facing convertible , and one front facing convertible. Tight but it works!
Ceramic coatings does nothing for the prevention of rock chips at all, none of them are thats not their intention. Its to keep dirt and grime from sticking to and contaminating the paint. It also makes washing the car a much more pleasant task because of the hydrophobic effect of the Ceramic coating. It is truly worth it if you care about the longevity of your paint. If you are looking for actual paint protection from rock chips you need a clear bra wrap.I also recommend Weather tech floor matts if you really want extra protection for your carpets. I really appreciate all your information regarding the assent as I am currently looking to upgrade my Outback.
I just bought an Ascent last month and love it! We also have a lot of all of the same features you do! We have 4 kids and I used to drive a Ford Transit as we are a foster family and have had 6 kids max but are on our final adoption and are settling down. My husband has an Impreza and that's why we went Subaru too.
I bought my wife a 2023 ASCENT ONYX LIMITED. She absolutely loves it! She loves size and functionality of it. I had my doubts about the car at first. After driving it to work for a week I became a believer in the ASCENT. So much value for the price. I’m thinking of buying one now.
I have to just laugh. I'm so glad it worked out for you. My first 2011 Subaru Outback., in 4 years I put 260,000 miles on it. My 2016 Outback has 226,000 miles on it. Subaru's are tough. I'm so happy that you are happy with your car.
As a fellow Ascent owner I couldn't agree more. We are on our 3rd Subaru, went up in size with the family (Impreza, Outback and Ascent). Our black Ascent Premium has never had any issues. We took it on a road trip a month after purchase and it's such a great ride for that. Plenty of power, decent milage for its class, a ton of standard safety features. I find all the chrome a bit too much but at least mine has some contrast :). The all weather mats are definitely a must, I wash them every now and then and they're back on within minutes. Starlink is definitely useful and something that everyone should get (a godsend where we are in the Northeast) . We spent months discussing a third row SUV and came to the same conclusion as you: can't beat this value. This is our only vehicle and it does absolutely everything we need. The only upgrades I've made have been winter-rated trail tires and LED lighting on the interior and reverse lights. Great content!
Yes!! Totally agree! If you’re looking for LED cabin lighting there’s options on amazon. I believe Mark got them for $20-30. Redid them all shortly after we brought it home and it makes such a difference! Thanks for watching🥰🤍
I want to thank you for mentioning the VIP PROGRAM . Just bought a 2023 base in silver thanks to you. Love this review it’s honest, real and one of the few NON ANNOYING reviews I have found thanks to you 🎉
Thanks for taking the time to share your experience and love for Subaru. I feel the same and are torn between forester, outback and ascent. Choices,choices.
We are a family 5, soon to be 6 (will be 4 kids in child seats). We wish they made the Onyx with 8 passenger, because we always black out our vehicles (I also really don't like chrome). We have a 2004 Subaru WRX Wagon that we love, currently has 235k very trouble free and fun miles on it. Currently looking at trading in our family vehicle, a Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivan for a new Ascent. Despite the minivan having more cargo space, the Ascent in 8 passenger configuration actually gives us more options for seating and child car seat arrangements. Also, I don't like that only the Touring model comes with the digital rearview mirror. Seems like a great safety feature, especially for the 8 passenger version, but it's only available in the Touring which is 7 seats. Subaru pushes for safety first, so I don't get why they limit that digital reaview mirror to the highest trim. I do wish the Ascent got a few more MPG and also a 360 surround view parking camera system would be wonderful. We have that on our van and it makes parking EXTREMELY easy, despite the large size of the van we have now.
We’re a subaru family too! We have an outback and recently traded in my husband’s old forester and bought an ascent because we’re trying for baby number 3 and just want room. We went with the 8 seater and I’m so happy, I’m just concerned about access to the third row with all the car seats but we will cross that bridge when we get to it😂 Thanks for your honest review.
We've had a 2019 and we had some issues upfront but after that we have had no issues at all. We driven it all across the country and the family loves it.
Most of the issues the first 2019 ascent generation had have been corrected by subaru. If you upgrade to a 2020 and up, you are going to love it more. ❤
My wife had a 2011 legacy and got into a really bad wreck, a guy in a F250 rear ended her and pushed her into 3 other cars. She came out of that wreck with just marks from the seat belt and was pregnant at the time and luckily baby was safe. After that she said the Subaru saved her life and she went and got a newer one. Now that we got a few more family members we are looking for a suv and definitely looking into an accent. Probably gonna wait for 2023 refresh since there putting the bigger infotainment in there and front fascia refresh.
I’m so glad your wife and child made it out safely! With our first legacy we heard so many of those stories ourselves! It’s the reason Mark bought our first one for me since I would primarily drive our kids around. I don’t know that we’ll drive anything but as long as we have our kids at home! If you go with the Ascent, I hope you love it! It’s been a dream car for me!!
@@MommaAliai agree! Great control driving wise and very roomy and comfortable. If i could have my pick id do the Touring with Onyx package altogether im not in love with thier interior fabric and detail choices. They need to hire a new design team and get rid of a lot of the chrome but make it look nice and elegant- simple, high quality materials. I dont like the center counsel where the shift knob is. Attracts way too much dust and grime and very difficult to clean for no reason. It should not have all this metal trim sticking up.
I have a 2019 Touring and it is my favorite car I have ever had. I had to drive around a loaner 2023 Limited for a little while but I still prefer my 2019. Even with the cooler extra options on the 2023, it didn’t handle the same and it was difficult to get comfortable in. Plus the gas mileage wasn’t as good as my 2019 for my 50 mile commute.
Thank you for this review. My husband and I dont have kids yet, but have two medium breed dogs and I love how much more space the Ascent has compared to the Buick Envision he wants to buy. Its also basically the same price.
Ooooh we have one on order! It's supposed to be delivered early March. Super nervous about it at times. How many miles did you end up driving on your old one and did you opt to get the 100,000 mile warranty? Did you ever go off road? Thanks for the update and review!
How exciting! I get the nerves! I don’t feel good until we have keys in hand lol. The old one I think had roughly 32k on it if I remember right. I don’t believe we got the warranty but I could be wrong on that one. True off-roading? No. But crazy, unplowed, iced, muddy, decrepit Midwest back roads, yes😂
Awesome review. We just bought one Black premium package in 🇨🇦. Can’t wait to get it end of June. I never owned a Suby before but I was really surprised how nice the ride was and the interior is very nice. High end look. 👍
We got our 22 ascent Onyx edition with the auto dim side mirrors, and the rear fold up sun shades for the second row. Dealer gave us a great trade-in on our Forrester and MSRP for the ascent with a discount on the mirrors and shades. Does yours have a kind of high idle speed when you first start it up from cold? For the 1st mile or so it revs a little high before settling down.
Paint Protection Film (PPF) is your best defense against chips. I want to see an Onyx or Limited Ascent [despite the CVT], VW Atlas/CrossSport in the garage to replace our CX-5...the Mrs. on the other hand wants a CX-70/90 [maybe a CX-50] or Pathfinder. I have a WRX and had a GTI so I am comfortable w/the Subaru and VW. We had a '04 Pathfinder, but Nissan has lost their way since then. Finally, the Mazdas seem fine and not overly big plus we are super happy w/our CX-5. Pilot/Passport/Ridgeline are not even on the radar....
No major ones! The only minor one has been that the windshields are notoriously fragile on them. I do believe they’ve claimed to “fix” the heated windshield issue that makes it more vulnerable to cracking. However we expect to replace ours every couple of years bc it still seems to crack eventually in that same spot. It is annoying but considering in all the years of owning Subarus (going on over 10) we’ve never had a major mechanical issue, or even several minor issues, we’re good with occasionally replacing the windshield lol
I am a homeschool sports mom of four girls. I currently drive a 2008 Yukon XL Denali and with today’s economy and none of my girls being into the same sports I am looking into a Subaru Ascent. Thank you for your mom opinion, especially about the captain vs bench seat. I currently have captain seats and love them but downsizing I had a lot of questions.
I'm a big fan of the Subaru fa24 engine inside of the ascent I got one for my wife it was wrecked unfortunately and we ultimately ended up buying another one after test driving the 21 Lexus GX and the new Mazda CX-90 we got the touring model and love the genuine leather a lot of quality and reliability per dollar spent compared to the pricier models top trim
Lov you video I want this same package you have do you have the navigation maps system,also no ac front seats..I know that the outback onxy Edtion comes with no navigation maps!! So I have looked in the outback in that package XT trim but no navigation maps..so what do u do about the no navigation maps
Im a Mom also and love our ascent. Its also “my” car. We are a lot a like in tastes and preferences! I am totally with you on the styling too…why so much chrome everywhere?! AND i hate the dorky looking wheels they put on there! I like mine to look a lot “tougher” vs try to make it look like a “car”. In fact, for Christmas i said i wanted to deck out my car and make it really nice and sporty so i can drive my son up to the mountain after school some weeks for night skiing etc. So i just got cool new ski racks and bike rack, and black method rally wheels (18” vs 20” wheels that came on it) plus studded snow tires! It is gonna be so awesome! I also asked hubby for the floor light kit for Christmas too which will look really cool, especially as we drive back from the mountain at night. I DO wish the interior floor light kit would light the floors throughout the vehicle though all the way back to the 3rd row floors where kids hang out. Then give us the option to turn individual sections on or off! But its only like $130 so i guess that doesnt give a lot of money to do “extra”. I would like to look into blacking out some of the chrome trim also, vs trading in for the Onyx (which ive been tempted to do for similiar reasons as you). We got the 2021 Ascent Limited in blue, but it has the technology package (a MUST to get many features u mentioned as your favorite), and it has the moon roof and captains chairs vs the bench seating making it much easier for kids and big dogs to get in and get out without damaging or dirtying stuff (much). The huge moon roof that makes basically the entire roof glass, was actually a deal breaker for me if the car didn’t have that feature. Honestly there was the Subaru Outback Limited i drove which i also loved and it fit me great, but the fact that it’s moon roof is small and doesnt extend to the entire roof top was the main elimination factor for me. I just love memories of my son and i looking up at the stars through the glass “roof” back when i had a VW TDI Sportwaggon. Its so nice and really an amazing feature as far as I’m concerned. If the auto’s didn’t have that it was a “no go” lol. I really WANTED a Subaru again because they make THE BEST mountain driving cars for skiiers and i love how agile they are and well controlled w good feel for the road. As soon as i learned the Ascent had it, it was 70% “sold” as far as i was concerned. Very comfortable to drive too and i loved the drivers seats and all the adjustments. Im tall and thinner build amd found the extender option for driver chair that can be pulled out farther so there is more area towards your knees that the legs rest upon feels really nice on my lower back (which often hurts 24/7). It relieves that pain for somereason. Now, if it just did massages too! Lol! Ps love that it has heated seats for 2nd row also. Wish it did for 3rd row but less important. One thing i would love to see is a cool, “rally style” looking headlight kit, similar to what we did for our original WRX back in the day. I think if it had cool lights where part of it is BLACK vs the body color, it could look awesome. Especially with the black method rally wheels (in your case the Onyx 🛞 wheels) , and the black Thule and Yakima racks! 😍 If you know of a good place to find suped up Ascent after market parts to trick it out and make look a lot more cool, id love to know about it! I would think a lot of us aging GenXrs who owned and decked out their WRX’s, who are NOW parents w families and new hauling type needs, that there would be a nice nitche market for us new Ascent owners! Yeah, we are moms now, but we still appreciate style and performance features! Curious: You mentioned looking at the VW Atlas, as did i. Why did you end up going with the Subaru Ascent vs VW Atlas? It was my second choice so im curious what things u limed about the Atlas and didn’t like. Im glad we got the Ascent and im really happy with it. Ill love it even more after we enhance it a little more w some aftermarket stuff. 😊
We have a Thule Chariot Cross double stroller and I’m having a hard time figuring out if it would fit in the back with the third row at least mostly in use (I will sometimes need to sit back there or our toddler). Do you know the dimensions of the trunk and possibly with the extra storage space? Thank you!! My husband and I are deciding between this and a mini van but I don’t like vans.
Mine should be in next month and just got the evenflo 360 car seats For my twins. Can someone get into the back row past the car seat if it’s front facing?
I'm currently in a Dodge Durango and looking for something a little bit smaller but with 3rd row and this is so helpful. We have the same carseats so it helps see how they would fit. Thank you for this video!
Yep! We live in rural Ohio, have gotten over 20 some inches this winter, and have had an Ascent through many Midwest winters. It does very well and I’ve never once like I didn’t have control even when the roads are plowed worth a shit!
I have owned 2 suburbans. Love them! However, my current 2007 suburban has 160k miles now and my husband wants me and our kids in a new car. I have nothing against the ascents at all. Im just scared that I wont like one because I would be going smaller suv. We do tent camping, have 2 dogs, 4 kids. Luckily no more car seats. But still, for me space is key in making our lives work.
thank you for a very insightful review. we are currently planning on getting a 3-row suv and just looking into comparisons of the Ascent with it's other Japanese maker tier levels like the Pilot and Highlander. So far, most of the reviews I've seen goes to favor the Ascent. it's 2023 now and I think the price on these 2023 Ascents are being reasonably worth it. again, thanks for putting up effort on making these reviews, highly appreciate it! Subie for the win!!!
Are your bigger girls able to buckle themselves? If not, how do you deal with that? We have three still that can't reliably and it's the reason we're looking at going back to three across in a fullsize SUV instead of the captain chairs we have now in our Sedona.
For our 7 year old, yes she can. However Remi can’t quite reach the seatbelt buckle while in her booster so we help. The captains chair slides forward like I showed in the video. We climb back and help them with whatever they need to make sure they’re safe and ready to go!
Depends on the model you get. Our premier tier was around 34k and this one around 37k. Baseline will be even cheaper without a lot of the features I mentioned. Touring is the highest and closer to the 40-41k mark
@@MommaAlia I wonder if pricing is cheaper in Ohio? I'm looking into a Limited 8 passenger, but it starts at $40k and after the options it's just over $46k MSRP. The Touring starts at $45k MSRP. Or perhaps your dealerships are giving good discounts below MSRP. I'm in western Washington State, they sell a lot of subarus around here, but they retain value REALLY well. $46k is within our budget, but would prefer closer to lower $40k (or free!). :) If I may pick your brain about the car seats (or just to share our idea)... We are a family of 5, soon to be 6. We have 3 kids in child seats at the moment, our oldest is in a booster (9 year old). We have a 7 seater Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivan right now, but with 5 of us, we can realistically only take 1 extra adult passenger (filling 6 of the 7 seats), the child seats block the middle seat of the third row (2nd row has captains chairs). Once our 4th arrives we will always have 6 of 7 seats filled, which means no more taking any extra passengers. So we are wanting the 8 passenger Ascent Limited in order to provide enough seats for 4 total child seats, 2 adults (Wife and I), and still have room for 1 extra passenger. Our hope is to put our infant in the 2nd row with our other younger two kids in the 2nd row as well, then our 9 year old in the 3rd row. We'd keep half the 3rd row down unless we take an extra passenger. I'm not a huge fan of going back to a 2nd row bench seats, but this seemed like a decent trade-off. We'd lose the cargo space of the van, but gain back the extra passenger seat. Since you own the Ascent with 3 kids at the moment, do you think our idea if possible? I know you have the captain chairs in the 2nd row, but I'm hoping there's enough room in the 2nd row bench seats to support 3 child seats (and still be able to get into the 3rd row). Just rambling now, but thank you for the video! Both my Wife and I are also not a fan of chrome and prefer all black vehicles. We have a 2004 WRX Wagon that is all black and even our minivan is the "S" version which is all black. If we get a Limited, we'll get it in black and then immediately find a way to replace or black out all the chrome pieces.
im not trying to be petty but there is literally 5 editions above this one. the onyx edition your thinking of is the touring onyx edition which has every option. if you have to add things like dimming outside mirrors it isnt the top trim. the touring onyx has the full moon roof as well.
Idk what to tell you dude. It’s an Onyx Edition that we built to our specific desires. I didn’t want a moonroof or the god awful chrome. Pretty sure it’s my name on the paperwork, my bank account the payment comes from, and I’m in love with it. That’s literally all that matters.
My biggest question is would you keep the Ascent if you were having a 4th child? We are expecting our 4th in a few weeks and I'm really torn on purchasing the Ascent.
Seems like most people don’t like chrome, but manufactures still do it. I wish Subaru would listen to their consumers like they used to claim to. All their ambassadors need to be listened to. Do away with CVT and with so much dang chrome. Seems like it would be so easy to respond to feedback and make the acceleration less jumpy. Especially this far into production.
Can you give an update on the reliability of your 2022 Ascent? As you mentioned in the video, the first couple years of the Ascent production were having problems, but most of that seems to have been corrected now. Hope things are going well and that this trend has continued. Thanks for the video.
I have the 2021 ascent limited 8 seats. I checked the onyx but am waiting for the 2023 or 2024 refresh model. Hopefully, they will improve the inside and outside to be attractive like the palisade
