Subaru Ascent outsells Tribeca SUV in one year
Fun fact: In its first full year on sale, the three-row Ascent outsold the Tribeca's entire nine-year production run.
Subaru's three-row Ascent SUV has only been on sale for about a year, and it's off to a great start. In fact, in its first year of sales, the Ascent has already outshone its predecessor, the Tribeca.
"Ascent has already outsold the entire production of Tribeca," a Subaru spokesperson told Roadshow at a media event on Thursday.
Since going on sale last summer, Subaru has sold more than 83,000 Ascents -- 47,404 of them so far in 2019. Over the course of the Tribeca's nine-year model run, however, just 76,774 found homes in the US, according to GoodCarBadCar.net data.
Interestingly, the Ascent isn't even Subaru's best-selling vehicle. It's currently the fourth-strongest seller in the US, behind the Outback , Forester and Crosstrek .
Make no mistake, the Ascent is a better positioned, more well-rounded product than its homely-looking predecessor. Originally known as the B9 Tribeca, Subaru's new-for-2006 crossover SUV stumbled out of the gates thanks to awkward styling (an issue largely remedied with a 2008 model-year face-lift) and never really recovered. It went out of production in 2014 without receiving a second generation.
With a 2.4-liter turbocharged engine and generous accommodations for up to seven passengers, today's larger and more conventionally styled Ascent is nicely positioned to take on the midsize segment's best SUVs . We're big fans of our long-term tester, and it seems consumers are finding the new model appealing, too.