[MiddleAgeSubie]

I priced a 2019 Ascent and 4Runner getting what I wanted. MSRP is about 1000 difference, 4Runner being higher. At that closeness, I'd rather take the 4Runner's 4WD and higher ground clearance any day.

Totally. An Ascent is not for any 4wd roads, unless they are just sand. And the 4R's cargo area is fantastic. I can do Fins and Things and then I can do 80mph on the interstate. And I can also carry whatever I want to carry.

However, in snow on paved roads...I would much rather drive a Subaru. The 4R is nearly scary in 2wd and that is with winter rated tires (though I am heavily Subaru biased when it comes to those conditions, with close to zero truck experience).

 

[clm2018]

Totally. An Ascent is not for any 4wd roads, unless they are just sand. And the 4R's cargo area is fantastic. I can do Fins and Things and then I can do 80mph on the interstate. And I can also carry whatever I want to carry.

However, in snow on paved roads...I would much rather drive a Subaru. The 4R is nearly scary in 2wd and that is with winter rated tires (though I am heavily Subaru biased when it comes to those conditions, with close to zero truck experience).

Obviously a 4Runner is not capable in the snow in 2WD as its pure rear wheel drive. When I owned the 4Runner, I would engage the 4WD whenever it snowed and went through anything.

What my point was is that for the price of the Ascent, for my needs and wants, I would take the 4Runner over that any day.

 

[MiddleAgeSubie]

I have an Ascent for a day.

I love the powertrain and the cornering. The rest is not so much for me. The steering is like a video game, super touchy. But the main thing is that this is really meant for that 3rd row, for people hauling, not cargo or dogs (reveal notwithstanding). The cargo floor is extremely high, the cargo area has a hump in the middle and while it is wide and deep it is only marginally taller than the TB's. For a family of 4 and a dog, the 4Runner offers vastly superior dog and cargo space.

If I lived in a rainy/snowy place where the only offroading is beach or dirt roads, I would probably still go Ascent, but I am not 100% sure due to it prioritizing people over dog and cargo hauling.

There is no question that Subaru delivered on the true 7-8 pax hauler promise. Whether it is worth having the Ascent over a minivan in areas with little rain or snow is another question.

 

[WantAnOutback]

We gave up Outback for Ascent. We have 3 kids, with 3 kids the Outback is just too small. If you don't need the room I'd stick to the Outback.

 

[toysbyus]

Today, I took my first test drive of a 2019 Forester Premium (no Limiteds or Touring available yet) and was very favorably impressed with the car......almost all of my concerns were addressed after the drive.

I still am waiting for the 2020 Gen 6 Outback to become available for a test drive BUT any worries about my fitting comfortably in the new Forrie are gone.....the seats were excellent and, other than not being leather, I actually had decent legroom and full ability to tilt the seat cushion for my best fit.....

My main reason for NOT automatically upgrading to the Gen 6 OB is that I HATE that huge touchscreen display with the virtual switch gear.........I much prefer the more conventional dash layout in the Forrie which, btw, is the same as in my wife's 2018 Crosstrek Ltd...........everything is visible, HVAC controls are familiar and not designed just to elicit "tech" love.....they just simply work. My 2015 OB Ltd has the worst set of HVAC controls of any car that I've ever owned......push buttons to handle what should be rotary knob inputs, impossible, at least for me after 4 years, to select controls w/o glancing away from the road.....and that damnable tiny clock and outside temp way down at the bottom of the stack.........who designed that mess?

I'm really looking forward to the Gen 6 OB just to give the devil its due BUT today definitely changed my opinion about going back to a Forrie from the OB.....

BTW, the power from the 2.5 Forester engine was MORE than adequate for my needs....turbo isn't offered and isn't needed either.......the 2019 Forrie is far more quiet than my OB and the new Global platform really rides nicely, takes hard turns better than my OB (I had to add the 19mm RSB to even get a relatively flat turn when going around cloverleaf entrance/exit ramps on the highway.....not so with the Forester......it was a decently firm ride w/o having to add some suspension upgrades....

My two cents!

Steve