► Subaru Ascent SUV
► Three-row 4×4 revealed
► 2.4-litre Boxer, AWD and Eyesight
Subaru’s new three-row Ascent SUV has been revealed at the 2017 LA motor show, and it’s the largest-ever Subie.
The new US-only SUV will take on the likes of the Volkswagen Atlas, Dodge Durango and fresh-off-the-boat Lexus RX-L in the truly massive mid-size market across the pond.
Headline tech specs include an all-new 2.4-litre 4cyl Boxer turbo engine, which Subaru claims offers the ‘drivability and fuel economy equal to or better than that of six-cylinder engines’ and standard all-wheel drive. The Boxer engine dishes out 260bhp and 277lb ft through the brand’s ‘Lineartronic’ CVT gearbox.
Eyesight safety kit is standard, which means every Ascent comes with blind spot monitoring, collision warning and assist, high beam assist and even reverse autonomous braking to stop you backing into things in car parks.
Inside it’s still classic Subaru. There’s the usual twin-screen layout on the dashboard and liberal use of tough materials.
Like the Ascent concept, the actual production version uses a two-two-three seat layout, rather than the usual two-three-two setup. Subaru calls the seats in use in the first and second rows ‘captain’s chairs’, and assures that third row occupants will be comfortable.
The Ascent will be build in the US, and will go on sale in ‘early summer 2018’.
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