Long-term 2019 Subaru Ascent is ready for the long haul
Cars
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The Road to Success is a mass market manufacturer is paved with three row SUVs.
Big families need big cars on budgets that might not be so big.
Subaru retired it's Tribeca many years ago and has soldiered on without a three row crossover since.
But all that changes this year, and we're about to find out whether or not the 2019 Ascent can handle a year of work with Roadshow.
This is our long term 2019 Subaru Ascent.
Over the next 12 months or so, we'll live in both Detroit and upstate New York hauling everything we can think of and piling on the miles like a pack mule.
We've already put about 2,500 or so on the odometer.
But before we dig into that let's look at this SUV specific spec a little further.
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We've auctioned our 2019 this Sent in the second highest limited trim.
Bringing you it's base price up from 31,995 to 38,995.
Of course that money is dumped in the fancier kit and are scent is plenty posh.
You have leave across the interior creating the neat two toned aesthetic.
The limited trim also includes LED head lights, 20 inch allow wheels, a heated steering wheel and key less access.
But that's not all.
We also opted for the $2,915 option package that has navigation, a panoramic moon roof and a 14 speaker humming car sound system including an extra $132 for all season rubber formats that are all but required in the Midwest winter.
Our Accent cost a lofty but not obscene $43,052.
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No matter the trim, all the Sense rock the same engine.
A 2.4 liter flat four, good for 260 horsepower and 277 pound feet of torque.
All wheel drive is standard, as is a continuously variable transmission.
Now, this trammel tow up to 5,000 pounds, which should cover everything that we will be interested in towing over the next year or so.
Sense we receive a long term ascent on Halloween, we've since put about 2,500 miles on the odometer.
The first 500 came just in Detroit, but since then, I've taken it on two separate road trips to the other side of Lake Michigan.
Five hours is really nothing for this car floating nice and serene down the highway.
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The Ascent Limited is EPA rated at 20mpg for city, and 26mpg highway, numbers that I frankly have had a little bit of trouble achieving Now at double nickels, at 55 miles an hour, 26 mpg all day.
But once you get to highways with 70 mile an hour and higher speed limits, it turns out the city rating is more applicable than the highway rating.
While I do find the ride generally comfortable, I do have a couple Initial qualms.
First, the throttle tip-in is way too touchy, so it kind of launches itself forward at every intersection, which gets pretty annoying.
Secondly, the CVT is way too efficiency-minded at low-rev, so it's constantly trying to drop them, and every time you're trying to maintain the slow acceleration rate And you just, you jam the throttle back and forth.
You lurch it back and forth.
It doesn't work.
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Sadly, the [UNKNOWN] already needed to be repaired.
With just forty miles remaining on a thousand mile road trip and errant highway rock struck and cracked the windshield.
Thankfully after having somebody come out and assess it, it was only a minor crack so we were just able to fill it and keep the rest of the windshield.
That set us back about a hundred and thirty bucks.
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Now we've all ready had an eventful start with our longterm 2019 Ascent and we do not anticipate that changing for the next 10 months.
Keep your eyes peeled to road show for more updates, including the handoff to our team editor in chief, Tim Spieth.
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