Used 2019 Subaru Ascent Consumer Reviews
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Love the car but not the transmission
New Ascent Owner, 01/23/2019
2019 Subaru Ascent Limited 4dr SUV AWD w/7-Passenger (2.4L 4cyl Turbo CVT)
183 of 186 people found this review helpful
I ordered my Ascent in July 2018 and took delivery of it in mid-September. I love the car. It is comfortable, handles well and is great for my family of 4 plus friends/cargo/dogs or whatever else we need to drive around. Around mid-November, I started to notice the car shuttering at low speed in city traffic and within a few weeks after that, the shutter would be followed by a screeching that sounded like a cat. This happens nearly every time I drive, because I do mostly city driving. I took the car to the dealership in December, and they could not recreate the shutter/sound, so I took the car back and kept driving. Last week (mid-January 2019), we took the car back, and after nearly a week, they finally heard the sound and felt the shutter. Before that, the service department thought I was crazy. I'm not sure why it took them so long to discover that the problem was real. I believe they were just running diagnostics on the car, and this problem did not pop up in those computer diagnostics. I don't think they ever looked under the hood or checked any of the systems manually to see what the problem might be. Then, They called yesterday to tell me that, upon inspection after feeling the shutter and hearing the screeching, the entire transmission needs to be replaced. So that's great. My new car excitement definitely has worn off. This is our 3rd Subaru (plus my parents have had 4 or 5 of them), and the first time we've had any sort of mechanical problem. I was deciding between the Volkswagen Atlas and this car when we purchased, and I opted for the Ascent because of our excellent Subaru experiences to date. I'm starting to regret that decision. I hope the new transmission fixes the problem and that this doesn't recur.
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Transmission issues
Melissa, 01/19/2019
2019 Subaru Ascent Premium 4dr SUV AWD w/7-Passenger Sporty Pkg (2.4L 4cyl Turbo CVT)
90 of 91 people found this review helpful
We preordered our Ascent (3rd generation) Subaru owners for our expanding family. We maxed out of ‘16 Forester and needed a bigger family vehicle. We have ‘11 legacy that we love and have had no issues. The Ascent started making noises that we now realize is a skipping chain around 3000 miles. We brought it in once it continued and was annoying around 5700 for the oil change. Since then, the vehicle has been in 3 more times (2 times the dash lights came on and was stuck in low gear). Our dealership is working with us through the problems. They contacted Subaru of America and we’re getting a new transmission. Until then, we have a loaner Ascent for the next week or 2. I’m hopeful that this will resolve the problem.
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Lots of Highs, a Few Lows
Douglas, 08/27/2018
2019 Subaru Ascent Limited 4dr SUV AWD w/8-Passenger Technology Pkg (2.4L 4cyl Turbo CVT)
343 of 354 people found this review helpful
We considered 8 different vehicles, and test-drove 5 before settling on the Ascent. What we love about it: Quiet, smooth ride. When test-driving the Atlas, Highlander and Pilot, I noticed considerable low-frequency noise on the highway. The Ascent is as very quiet...easy to have conversations with everyone in the car. Driver's seat thigh-support extends, making it more comfortable for tall drivers like me. No one at the dealership I bought the car from knew it extended either. The windows are very quiet when going up and down...not a big deal, but something I noticed and appreciate. The second row seats can move forward, allowing you more room in the back if you put the third-row down to handle more cargo. I've tried out the X-Mode feature, and it worked quite well, keeping my speed going down a hill without having to ride the brake or gas. The 19.6 gallon tank will get me over 450 miles between fill-ups on road trips. The quality of the interior materials is very good, including the hand-stitched leather on the dash and steering wheel. I can fit my golf clubs in side to side, so I don't need to put the third row down when going golfing. And with the Cargo Net in place, I can put two sets in and not worry about them falling out when I open the rear hatch. The acceleration is quite good with the Turbo. I have no problem passing people, even when they are doing 70 MPH up hill. The Adaptive Cruise Control is fantastic...I use it in town and on the highway. What may bug you: Their Starlink Entertainment system is a joke. Its slow, with limited functionality. Carplay won't work over Bluetooth, only through one of the USB ports up front. The touch screen can be temperamental. I drove a Jeep rental a few months back, and really appreciated the control knob just in front of the driver's right arm rest that allowed me to navigate the screen without having to reach for it and try and touch a small spot on it while driving. There is no USB port in the console storage compartment, which would be great for simply charging something that you don't need access to. There are no front parking sensors!! This surprised the hell out of me. So, I back in as much as possible. The memory buttons only store the seat positions. I'm more than a foot taller than my wife, and I swore that the next car we got would have memory steering wheel and mirrors too... But I gave them up for this vehicle anyway. The Lane Assist doesn't function when the wipers are on high speed, because the Eye-site camera's are apparently confused by their movement. I would have thought this was something they would have anticipated and made corrections for. Cross-bars for the roof rack are additional, making the roof-rack pretty much useless unless you buy them.
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Lemon law candidate
Debbie , 07/16/2019
updated 01/21/2020
2019 Subaru Ascent Touring 4dr SUV AWD w/7-Passenger (2.4L 4cyl Turbo CVT)
38 of 38 people found this review helpful
The car still has brake issues that the dealership will not address. This has been going on since I bought the car. Radio was fixed with recall. If I don’t hold the ignition button in long enough, the car won’t start, all the lights go in and I have to let the car sit at least 4 hours. This has happened 4 times now. The dealership says this is common. I think it’s nuts. The comfort of the car is great, I invested in snow tires and can go through any snow storm with ease. I still feel my car is a lemon. I spent $45,000 on a car that has never worked right and after owning it for a year and a half it still has the same issues. I won’t buy another ascent.
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Subaru overlooks the obvious
Grant, 07/12/2018
2019 Subaru Ascent 4dr SUV AWD w/8-Passenger (2.4L 4cyl Turbo CVT)
226 of 234 people found this review helpful
We purchased the Subaru Ascent Touring. We’ve owned several Subaru Outbacks and have been happy with them. Though we looked in detail at competitive products prior to our purchase, the Ascent offered better safety, true AWD and value with a few exceptions. It seems Subaru Corp claims the Touring trim is fully equipped but coming from the Outback model you’ll be charged dearly for all weather floor mats, seat back protectors (you’ll need these as the material Subaru uses on the back of their seats is beyond cheap), cross bar set for the roof rack (came with the Outback) etc. I get profit, I get even the Outback had many of these as options, but it seems like Subaru has forgotten or doesn’t care about its base of loyal customers as many of those items came with the Outback. The old saying, “the devil is in the details” applies here. A few other issues for the price of the Touring Ascent trim the power passenger front seat is limited in settings. Not sure why. These issues weren’t enough to stop us from purchasing as the ride, handling and power from Subaru’s new turbo engine is outstanding. Once you drive it you’ll be hooked. Comfort and elbow room a plenty. The dash and electronics are intuitive and work extremely well. The radio is a bit odd doesn’t turn off? The third row is large enough for a short term ride for adults. It’s great for kids to teenage years. Lots of cup holders and power ports. Love the rear air con vents in headliner! We do agree with previous reviews the sun roof headliner cover is a joke. It’s awful!! Very poor design coming from Subaru. Its dangerous to drivers concentration with windows down! We didn’t notice this until after we purchased. So far we are happy with the Ascent with the exception of the horrible sun roof headliner cover. MPGs are good a bit better than expected.
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