"mazda616" (mazda616)
09/09/2019 at 09:13 • Filed to: Subaru Ascent
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"mazda616" (mazda616)
09/09/2019 at 09:13 • Filed to: Subaru Ascent | 0
| 23 |
Researching the Ascent, to an obsessive degree (as I am prone to do), I’ve discovered some not fun things.
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The 2019s also had issues with their air conditioning systems.
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And, the engine.
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It’s a brand new model for a new market, so some growing pains are expected, I suppose. And Subaru is usually very good to their owners with regards to this stuff. I
have read that these particular Ascent
problems were mitigated (so far) for the 2020s.
Plus, forums are usually the place people go to bitch about stuff, first and foremost. It’s 50% enthusiasts who love their cars and 50% people who hate them and are looking for others having similar problems.
But, I’m still on the fence. We are going to test drive a Highlander today, purely because I know it’ll be reliable and the dealer is 10 minutes from my house. I just hope it isn’t boring enough to put me to sleep.
That’s part of why I like the Ascent. It wasn’t boring. It was different, in a good way. Standard all-wheel-drive was cool. So was the color and I personally like the styling. But, it could also be different in a bad way. My wife and I buy our cars new (hush with your “That’s not a smart financial decision!” remarks ), and we keep them for 8-10 years.
We have short commutes during the week but we do take long trips on weekends at times. And to Florida once or twice a year. Either way, I don’t want a car that has issues all the time. Even with a good warranty and roadside assistance. Car problems suck, especially with something new.
I’m nervous about having a turbo. What special care is needed? Will my wife’s 5 minute commute in the mornings and afternoons hurt it?
I guess this is all just my anxiety about making such a large investment. I want it to work. And work well for us. My wife works hard at her job each and every day, and she deserves this. I don’t want it to let her down.
Ash78, voting early and often
> mazda616
09/09/2019 at 09:39 |
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My two cents — the Ascent seems cool enough, but it’s already on its way to being another Highlander. Subarus in my area are still in the VW/Mazda territory of “sub-5% market share” but the Ascent is already getting pretty common. You also forgot the major welding issue/recall they had in the first year . It was proactive of Subie to do this, but IMHO not very forgivable that the robotic welds were so screwed up to begin with. It didn’t affect a ton of cars, thankfully.
YMMV, but for unique I’d consider going back to the CX-9. Neither of those two have much usable third-row space, though. Everyone I know with an Atlas seems to love it, but I don’t know firsthand. That 6/72k warranty, though...get a 2019 while you still can, I suppose.
I won’t go back to Honda for a myriad of reasons, but the Pilot seems like the no-brainer for a lot of people. Too many people. Like Half of All The People...
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mazda616
> Ash78, voting early and often
09/09/2019 at 09:43 |
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There are approximately 17,000,000 Highlanders and Pilots in my town of 60,000 people. Or so it seems. I have seen one Ascent, and it was from out of state.
The CX-9 is my pick, and I adore it. But, my wife hates it and try as I might, I can’t convince her otherwise .
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Ash78, voting early and often
> mazda616
09/09/2019 at 09:48 |
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That sounds like the correct ratio to me. Seriously, though, I’d give the Atlas a shot — sounds like a decent compromise. Not quote as fun as the CX-9, but bigger inside than everything else. Great visibility and the interior is pretty nice, often on par (or close) with the upper-end CX-9.
But if you can afford ZERO downtime (even a great warranty requires extra trips) then Honda and Toyota are still the best bet. If you have a backup family car, I’d be much more liberal. A lot of this depends on your local dealer and their locations, though.
Shopping for a main family car is so much different than other types of car shopping....
Arrivederci
> mazda616
09/09/2019 at 09:54 |
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No interest in the Telluride or Palisade with 10 year 100k warranties ? Neighbor just got a new Palisade and it looks better in person, though I still prefer the Kia. The Atlas is another great suggestion and if you can find a 2019, it’ll still have the big warranty as Ash pointed out.
I’m surprised your wife doesn’t like the CX9 - my wife adores them. We’d have one if they had been available used when we had to buy her a new car.
Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
> Ash78, voting early and often
09/09/2019 at 09:55 |
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At least between the Tiguan and CX5, I found the Tiguan to be more fun. It was just as direct to drive, but it didn’t punish your spine while driving it normally. VW nailed it with that. Plus, it also has a third row and it isn’t massive.
ShrimpHappens, née WJalopy
> mazda616
09/09/2019 at 09:56 |
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You said it yourself that forums are a hotbed for people to complain; I’m sure there’s a name for the bias that is. D on’t forget there are also tons of people with Ascents without those pro blems who ’ll never get on a forum.
Wacko
> mazda616
09/09/2019 at 09:58 |
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whats the warranty on the CVT?
Cause on my 2017 forester the CVT is now 10 year warranty
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Ash78, voting early and often
> Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
09/09/2019 at 09:59 |
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Funny, almost all the reviews called it a little too floaty and not sporty enough. I’ve actually avoided taking it for a test drive based on all the negativity there. Might be time to reconsider...I just wish they had kept the 2.0t in it. That would seal the deal right now.
Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
> mazda616
09/09/2019 at 10:20 |
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When we were test driving it was 95* and humid, the van we bought was the only vehicle we drove that could actually cool the cabin.
Tripper
> mazda616
09/09/2019 at 10:24 |
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I think you’re only going to hear complaints at this stage on the Ascent. It’s too new for anyone to say for sure. You’re going to get more complaints than praise anyway because people.
I’m of the opinion that all cars break, buying a new one with a warranty is a safe way to find out how good or bad yours might be.
I own/have owned 3 Subarus (a WRX, an STi, and a Forester) they were/are all good cars. I beat the hell out of my WRX and it gave me very little trouble. The Forester is perfect for us/my wife right now. It was cheap, it’s got 3 pedals, it’s safe for the baby, fits our two big dogs and all of our gear.
That said, the dealers in my experience have been the absolute worst. I have probably bought my last Subaru because of them. My only other gripe is the interior. However , I feel the same way about the interior on any sub $30k American/Japanese/Korean car. Unless it’s a Lexus, I prefer the interior on a base Jetta to a loaded Escalade.
ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
> mazda616
09/09/2019 at 10:28 |
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As long as factory power train warranties are these days, you ought to have an idea of how reliable something is going to be over the long-run by time you’re getting to the end of the warranty. A little used oil analysis can also go a ways towards giving you an idea of likely long-term durability .
M odern turbo engines don’t require a whole lot of special care and feeding anymore. A good full- synthetic engine oil never hurts any car, but turbo’s can present a particularly good use case for them. The one things that turbo engines historically didn’t like was being shut down immediately after hard driving, or even sustained moderate load driving. The idea being the a possibly still glowing red turbo is now going sit there without fresh (cool) oil circulating through it, cooking the few ounces of oil left sitting in it and then circulating that burnt crap through the engine on the next start up. Around town, that’s not likely to be an issue, but the idea was the let the car idle to cool the turbos off for a few minutes before shut down after hard driving, or sustained interstate driving.
These days, those turbo cooling shut down issues tend to have been addressed via engineering solutions, rather than user actions. You’d have to read the manual to find out what they call for, or don’t. On my F-150, the 2.7 ecoboost t he oil routing is designed so that after shut down the oil from the heads and valley slowly trickles down through the turbos, and there is a secondary, small electric water pump that circulates coolant through the turbos for a few minutes after shut down when needed.
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Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
> Ash78, voting early and often
09/09/2019 at 10:41 |
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I thought they dropped the 1.8 for it and made the 2.0 standard? I just found the CX5 jarring and loud, and not sporty at all. It’s like they k new that there were comfort compromises with a sports car, and then added all of those compromises and turned them to 11, but didn’t actually make it fun. Even Motortrend, who never says anything bad, stated that the CX5 had a “baby waking ride”. I truly believe it’s loved because it’s a Mazda, not because it’s actually good.
Boxer_4
> ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
09/09/2019 at 10:56 |
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Subaru is requiring full synthetic on all of their new engines now, turbo or not.
I know Subaru used to use a convective cooling system on the EJ engines, though I’m not sure what they use now with the newer low mounted twin scroll turbos.
https://oppositelock.kinja.com/random-fun-car-fact-subaru-shutdown-turbo-cooling-514111544
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mazda616
> ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
09/09/2019 at 11:05 |
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Interesting! This explains the “turbo timer” my friend used to have on his MazdaSpeed Protege .
Textured Soy Protein
> mazda616
09/09/2019 at 11:18 |
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So...I have to say I’m kinda coming around to a different idea than I thought I would as you’ve been going thru this process.
My experience with my wife’s former ’16 Impreza is that just from looking at the overall fit & finish , under the hood, etc. Subaru is at least honest about where they’re being cheap and/or a little bit unrefined vs the competition. But it was amazing at riding the bumps. Their in-car tech might seem ok at first but the more you live with it the more you realize it’s sub-par.
She has a CX-5 now and I totally get why car people get sucked into Mazdas for their significant others. They look nice, feel premium, and handle well for their respective segments. The CX-5 isn’t a performance vehicle and I don’t drive it as such but it it’s at least a reasonably confident and consistent handler and on a couple rare occasions where I was driving it in anger with my wife not in the car it didn’t completely fall to pieces with the attempt. But t he ride quality could be better, and Mazda doesn’t have very spacious interiors relative to overall vehicle size.
F or your use where you need that third row, the CX-9 third row just ain’t roomy. In my mind, if I were going to the trouble of getting something with 3 rows of seats, at minimum it would need to have a usable third row and a decent amount of cargo space behind said third row. The Ascent is ok compared to the CX-5 but the third row and cargo space behind it are nothing amazing.
As much as I don’t love VW, I have to say the Atlas checks the hell out of that box. Their in-car tech is above average, their interior quality is a mix of premium-ish with some obvious cost-cutting, and their chassis tuning is decent enough. My main concern is of course quality, reliability, and especially serviceability, but that long warranty at least helps provide some security.
Look at the difference in 3rd row leg room and how much higher off the floor the seat is in the Atlas (black upholstery) vs the Ascent (brown).
And now for the 3rd-row-up cargo room...
Just sayin...
Manny05x
> mazda616
09/09/2019 at 11:35 |
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I found the hoghlander not to be as comfortable as I expected on long hauls. Get the CX 9, i would love a long term review since i am looking into a used one.
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Manny05x
> mazda616
09/09/2019 at 11:37 |
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Stuff her with food and then ask, is how i was able to convince my wife to let me add a motorcycle to the fleet.
Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
> mazda616
09/09/2019 at 13:54 |
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Subaru has me really baffled. I can’t forgive them for designing a shitty engine that burns oil, I can’t forgive them for using cheap as fuck wheel bearings, I can’t for give them for putting 170 HP into a 3600 lb car.
However, they consistently have excellent customer service and warranty service.
The are keeping manuals alive in the WRX and Impreza.
Subaru’s are at least interesting to drive if a bit under powered .
If you need AWD/4wd a lot there are few cars that do AWD as well as subaru. Yes I have driven a highlander and CRV, their AWD platforms are inadequate in deep snow, my outback had zero issues plowing snow.
Kailand09
> mazda616
09/09/2019 at 14:05 |
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I refrained from commenting as I thought I would add nothing before, but someone else suggested Durango and you didn’t seem to comment much about it.
The ZF 8 speed is a great transmission, the R/T has the hemi which is an awesome option, the 6 cylinder still reasonable in the segment. It drives really well, and the interior I think is a nice place to be. The infotainment from Dodge is really good too .
I just went through the same market as you this year and ended up with the Durango, which we almost didn’t even look at. I got the R/T on cpo, but I have slightly different needs than you.
You may as well test drive one.
I also found the traverse to be a pretty good car, picked up really well and was pretty nice overall. I agree, didn’t like the pilot or Highlander at all, Atlas was a decent enough car, just didn’t fit us. Hyundai only had the Santa Fe at the time and that was totally sub par.
Just my 2 cents.
P5guy now GTIguy
> mazda616
09/09/2019 at 17:53 |
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Isn't the new Highlander out soon? Might be worth waiting for it if the Ascent reliability gives you pause.
hike
> mazda616
09/09/2019 at 18:50 |
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Subaru has sold almost 60k Ascents this year, the people online are probably the small percent having issues but making the most noise. Subaru is hard to beat as far as customer care in the auto industry. Have a good relationship with your service department and you likely won't have issues even if something breaks.
Dan
> mazda616
09/09/2019 at 23:14 |
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Wh y are you buying a ~$40k 7-8 passenger SUV for a 5 minute commute?
Fo r that money, but a used SUV of an y stripe for hauling and a used Honda Civic for commuting, and have some money left over maybe. Maybe even keep the CX-5 and add something else.
We love our CX-9, but it sits most of the time, but we need the space once a month or so. My wife doesn’t commute, I do, and I drive a Miata to work.
I quite liked the Ascent, and if I were to buy new and/or need AWD or 8 passengers it would have been our choice, but for a 5 minute commute? No. That commands something much more sensible.
H3770
> mazda616
09/10/2019 at 23:29 |
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It appears that most people who have commented about your quest don’t own or have driven the Ascent. We upgraded my wife’s ‘ 15 Outback to a ‘19 Ascent. We got the premium with captain chairs. Having 3 kids, it is nice having the extra space esp when a friend comes along. On a nice long drive it is more comfortable than the Outback in terms of not being on top of each other, but cargo room seriously lacks compared to the Outback. The interior quality is nicer and feels a lot more like a luxury car. The second row captain chairs are really comfortable, the best in the car. It rides nicer than the Outback and has more power (it actually accelerates). The turbo isn’t WRX level and seems to kick in around 4k RPM.
Cons:. The steering wheel is super light, not Buick light but not like my ‘09 Impreza. The front seats are also not super comfortable, I liked the Outbacks better. The 3rd row, despite what some might claim is *not* made for adults. Washing the car is a beast as it is super high. It might not fit in your garage. Apple car play doesn’t allow music to be played from a USB stick (unlike Android auto).
Another note, as far as tech goes... Tech gets out dated really fast. I would make sure the tech in the car you get that you won’t replace with aftermarket gear works great. The eyesight system is great without wizbang gimics that will feel outdated in a year or two.
Disclaimer, we didn’t test drive any other 7 seater due to no captain’s chairs or my wife really didn’t want a particular brand.
Overall it is a good car, definitely worth a look.