Subaru Ascent SUV: biggest Subaru ever launched for US market
The boisterous SUV is Subaru’s largest ever vehicle, and was revealed at the LA Motor Show for the American market only
Subaru has launched its biggest ever vehicle at this year’s LA Motor Show, an SUV called the Ascent. It’s billed as a family SUV combining off-road capability with MPV levels of practicality and it will only be available in the US from next summer
The Ascent is built on the Subaru Global Platform, which the new Impreza will also be assembled on. It features a clever three-row seat configuration with a seven or eight-seat layout. There’s plenty of room inside thanks to its length of 4,998mm and a width of 1,930mm.
Power comes from a direct-injection 2.4-litre turbocharged flat-four Boxer engine that produces 256bhp and 376Nm of torque. Permanent four-wheel-drive distributes power accordingly, with power being fed through Subaru’s Lineartronic CVT gearbox. The pulling power and four-wheel-drive system works in tandem to tow a maximum load of 2,268kg.
The Ascent offers lots of space for large families, but Subaru says it’s equally good as an off-roader. Along with the permanent four-wheel-drive, the Ascent is fitted with X-Mode, which improves performance in slippery off-road conditions.
Hill descent and torque vectoring also features as standard along with EyeSight autonomous driving technology.
Full prices and specs for the Ascent are yet to be announced, with first sales scheduled in the US for ‘early summer’ 2018, with no indication from the Japanese manufacturer of a potential UK launch.
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