2020 Subaru Ascent adds rear-seat reminder for no additional cost
Otherwise, the Large Adult Subaru stays the course for 2020.
Subaru's three-row Ascent SUV only just went on sale last year, so it isn't getting any major updates for 2020. But Subaru is adding a little more tech to its big Ascent, and better yet, is doing so without raising the SUV's base price.
All 2020 model year Ascents will now come with a rear-seat reminder system. We've seen this sort of tech on other family-oriented vehicles; if the Ascent thinks you might have put a child (or dog -- it's a Subaru, after all) in the back seat, it'll chime and display a message in the instrument panel once the vehicle is turned off.
Subaru says the system can't physically detect if a kid or pet is in the rear seat area, however. Instead, the Ascent will turn on the rear-seat reminder if "the vehicle is started within 30 minutes after a rear side door is opened and closed, a rear side door is opened and closed when the vehicle is running and stationary," or if "the vehicle is turned off and back on again within 30 minutes, and the rear side doors remained closed," according to a statement released Thursday.
Aside from the rear-seat reminder, the Ascent carries over unchanged for 2020, and still carries the same $31,995 starting price (excluding destination). Power comes from a 2.4-liter, turbocharged, boxer-four engine, making 260 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque. All-wheel drive, as well as Subaru's EyeSight driver-assistance tech, is standard on every Ascent.
We've been putting a 2019 Ascent to the test for many months here at Roadshow; the big, brown Subie joined our long-term fleet late last year. It's been a formidable road tripper and winter sled, and we're eager to see how it holds up throughout the rest of our year-long test.
