New Subaru Ascent 3-Row Crossover; 2 Ways it Benefits U.S. Families

Subaru’s new 3-Row Crossover will be a big hit when it arrives next year. How will it benefit U.S. consumers?

The all-new Subaru Ascent 3-Row Crossover will fill a glaring gap in the Japanese automaker’s lineup when it arrives next year. Subaru of America asked parent company Subaru Corporation for a new large family SUV and Subaru is delivering it for consumers in North America. Up until now, Subaru has been known for their smaller all-wheel-drive vehicles like the Outback wagon, Forester SUV and Crosstrek crossover. But things are getting bigger.

Ascent will be big

The family-sized 2018 Subaru Ascent will have more interior passenger room and will be larger than any Subaru vehicle ever built. The 3-Row Ascent will have room for up to 8 passengers and it will be built at the newly-expanded plant in Lafayette, Indiana for North American consumers. It won’t be sold anywhere else around the globe. Here’s our TorqueNews.com story about the new Ascent interior.

READ: How Big will the New Subaru 3-Row SUV Be? Take a Tour through the "Space" of the 2018 Ascent’s Interior [Video]

The Ascent crossover will ride on the new Subaru Global Platform, which will be a “modified” version compared to the Impreza and Crosstrek platforms. The 3-row crossover will be considerably larger than the platform that underpins the new Impreza and 2018 Crosstrek. This special architecture will only be used on the new Ascent and not on any other Subaru vehicles.

The new Ascent that replaces the Tribeca will be longer, wider and higher, with a length of 204.7 inches vs. 192 inches. It is 79.9 inches wide, an increase of nearly 6 inches compared with Tribeca. With a height of 72 inches, it is 4 inches taller than the discontinued model. It’s what North American Subaru dealers and consumers have been asking for.

Ascent will be fuel-efficient

The new 3-Row Ascent will be powered by an all-new turbocharged Direct Injection Boxer engine. This will be a new-generation Subaru boxer engine that will develop more power and be more efficient. The fact that it’s turbocharged suggests it will be a four cylinder boxer for improved fuel-efficiency. The new Ascent will get a completely new four-cylinder Boxer engine from Subaru Corporation and they won’t use an existing powerplant in their lineup.

Subaru is expecting the new Ascent to be a big hit with American families and they could sell more than 60,000 of the new family-sized SUVs in the first year alone. Subaru figures to cash in on the crossover craze that is driving their sales to new records every year. Subaru could sell more Ascents than their new Impreza compact and Legacy sedan that are also built in Indiana. Go to Page 2.

Subaru unveiled the interior of the Ascent concept at the New York International Auto Show last month revealing a new flowing dashboard design and a 7-passenger configuration with center captain’s chairs. The new 3-Row will have more interior passenger room, will be the largest Subaru vehicle ever built, and it will be fuel-efficient. Subaru of America expects the all-new 3-Row 2018 Subaru Ascent to be a big hit with consumers. It will begin arriving in U.S. showrooms late next year.

Photo credit: Subaru