Adoniram

As requested, J-hooks on wipers. I apologize for the crappy image, I was holding my 3 year old son while squeezing between people to get this shot. Drivers side, looking DOWN the windshield. (Reflection on glass) Passenger's Side: In the third row, with the 2nd row seat all the way back. I am 6'0" and 155 lbs. Definitely not comfortable, but I could deal with it on short rides. However, 2nd row all the way back would NOT be necessary for someone my size either. I could definitely sit in the 2nd row more forward and feel fine. That would actually make the 3rd row tolerable. Underside of bumper. It appears that any towing equipment will require the complete removal of the third section, and the hardware might actually make the spare tire visible... Not sure how I feel about that, but I have yet to see it installed and ready to go. You can also see an easy-to-delete cat:

Ok, went to the Dallas Auto Show, and the Ascent was being mobbed. The vehicle had a lot of marks from all the traffic going into and out of the car (scuffs from feet, dirty carpet, etc). Anyway, a lot has been posted here already so I'll try to keep things original for this post. We sat in the Pilot, Highlander, 4Runner, Santa Fe, Forester, Outback, and Explorer. For the money, the Ascent is a clear winner on features, fit & finish, and especially gas mileage. The Santa Fe was roomy but felt kind of plasticy and cheap, and that was in the "Limited - Ultimate" version. The Pilot was just "meh" across the board. Not bad, just boring. Highlander was nice, but a little smaller than you'd like for a long ride (for us anyway). 4Runner is awesome, except on fuel mileage, which blows. Forester and Outback look nice, but again not great for us for long rides. Pics: The hood has 2 large scoops underneath for airflow to the substantial intercooler: I'm hoping the chicken wire is just there to protect it during the show: Engine intake has its own high-mounted inlet, great for fording: Substantial room around the engine to work or add mods:

I'm on a wait list now as well. Dealer told me he expects deliveries in July and demand is pretty high (although I'm convinced a dealer would never say otherwise...). I was told "$42,087 Plus $489 d&h and tax" for the Touring trim. This was an "internet price" and most likely non-binding, so take it for what it's worth. Hope it helps others negotiate a decent price. I'm also hoping financing will be generous... our TLX was financed at 0.9%, which is awesome. I'm not sure Subaru will be so generous if demand is really that high though.

Only if you really feel the need for more powah! The extra potential mpg won't be compensating for the higher cost, so it's really all about what you want. If I were towing, I'd probably spring for 93. But for day-to-day driving... meh. If it's made for 87, give it 87.

I don't think the vehicle will have some kind of "mode" for 91/93, but like any modern vehicle, it should continuously attempt to learn and adapt to the present conditions (fuel, barometric pressure, humidity, etc). So... yes. The real question is: how much leeway does the software have in adjusting to various situations? My guess is more than enough. It's a turbo vehicle already dealing with a wide range of fuel and air pressures. I think the timing and other adjustments related to 87 versus 93 are going to be tiny compared to what it can cope with.

Edit: Thought you were referring to Ascent. Eyesight is standard on all trims for Ascent.

I'm pretty sure the Touring version is captain's chairs ONLY, likely because of the java brown leather. They are zero color options for the Touring version, and so they likely aren't making a bench with that singular color of leather. ...Good thing I like the color because I really want the Touring version.

Oh and that last estimate was based on 25 mpg for DI and 21 mpg for PI. Let's assume the increase in economy is only 2 mpg, instead of 4 (so 23 and 21 respectively): Now you're not breaking even anymore... (after paying for a shell blasting) :spin: Edit: Also, the optimal time to do the service is when the difference between DI and PI are at the greatest. For the 25/21 case, it's at ~52,000 miles. For 23/21, it's at ~45,000 miles. (assuming my fuel economy performance is correct) Edit Edit: Also I like maths... in case that wasn't obvious...

Let's assume the fuel economy drops like a complementary error function (for no reason other than it assumes a shape that I feel is close to reality): At 50,000 miles, the fuel economy has dropped by 15%. I feel this is reasonable, others may disagree... Consider total fuel cost of direct injection (DI with 25 mpg economy) versus port injection (PI with 21 mpg economy) assuming the DI economy falls as shown above, and PI remains flat (assuming you keep up maintenance and use an occasional fuel treatment): Two scenarios are shown for different gas prices. The higher the gas price, the greater the savings. I don't know what Subaru or others would charge for full service walnut blasting, but I'm betting it wouldn't be less than $500 considering the removal of the manifold... So PERHAPS you could break even if you serviced every 50,000 miles or so.

Wife and I are pretty set to buy this thing, but I am definitely not happy about the walnut blasting... I think first thing to go will be EGR, or at least a dual catch can setup... I don't see myself doing any major modifications (that resulted in 2x blown turbos in the LGT), but I definitely don't want to be watching my mpg drop over time, then shelling out a couple hundred for nuts.

Nice! A lot better than a water bottle or smartphone suction cup thingy... I'll be at the show in Dallas on Saturday, but I expect I'll get nothing but pictures...

No problem! I'll try to take pics of a measuring tape against each. By the time I'm done with all the measuring, note taking, and pictures, security will probably be carrying me out...

I’ll be going in 2 weeks armed with my camera and tape measure. Let me know what specific things you want to see. For now, my list is: Gas cap Engine bay Cargo area with measured dimensions Bucket seats layout/comfort Glove box Sun roof Brakes (front and rear) Any special buttons/modes Windshield wiper J-hooks Pics of adults sitting in 2nd and 3rd rows, with driver's seat adjusted for adult as well

You'd need something like a 22-28% increase in fuel economy to break even when going to premium... based on some back-of-the-envelope calculations. Say regular is $2.10, and premium costs either $2.60 or $2.70. Base economy with regular is 25 mpg. Here's a visualization where the intersection of the red and yellow lines with the blue line indicate where the break-even point is for switching to premium: I'll probably buy it if it's recommended (as I do with the TLX), but not necessarily for the economy... Obviously a 22-28% increase in mpg is not realistic.

I'll try to remember to check the fuel cap as well (in two weeks). My '16 Acura TLX says "Premium Recommended"... wtf? Allegedly, it can take either fuel but the manual says that premium is recommended. I'll be interested to see if it says the same. For the Ascent, my money is on premium only due to boost.

Definitely, especially in relation to the price point. Having a single engine across four different trim levels may be a sticking point, especially when it's "only" 260 HP. Thankfully it's boosted, otherwise I wouldn't consider it at all (since I'll be living in Colorado by summer, and hopefully for the rest of my life). If the price point matches the fact that only interior options are changing (and minor exterior things), great. But it's jumping by leaps and bounds with no significant drive-train feature, ... that may be a big issue. *Edit* Ok I just noticed that the base model does NOT have the 5,000 lb tow rating, but all the others do... this suggests to me that the brakes are possibly upgraded, or the higher trims just have a different hitch... I'm thinking the 2nd. If it's just the hitch, man that's silly.

For anyone wanting to see it, here's the touring schedule for the Ascent: 2017-2018 Car Shows Indianapolis International Auto Show December 26 through January 1. North American International Auto Show in Detroit, January 17-28. Houston Auto Show, January 24-28 Portland Auto Show, January 25-28 Washington Auto Show, January 26 through February 4 Philadelphia Auto Show, January 27 through February 4 Cincinnati Auto Show February 7-11 Motor Trend International Auto Show in Baltimore, February 8-11 Northeast Auto Show in Providence, February 9-11 Chicago International Auto Show, February 10-19 Dallas Auto Show, February 14-18 Pittsburgh International Auto Show, February 16-19 Cleveland International Auto Show, February 23 through March 4 Greater Milwaukee Auto Show, February 24 through March 4 Kansas City International Auto Show, February 28 through March 4 Twin Cities Auto Show, March 10-18 Columbus International Auto Show, March 15-19 Atlanta Auto Show, March 21-25 New York International Auto Show, March 30 through April 8 Denver International Auto Show, April 4-8 New Mexico Auto Show in Albuquerque, April 13-15 Austin Auto Show, April 20-22 source: https://www.torquenews.com/1084/new-subaru-ascent-coming-car-show-near-you-complete-list

The vein runs deep... very deep...

Moar 3D awesomeness:

All this time and I never realized these were pseudo 3D images... !

For nils, anything other than a snowmobile on tracks is redneck... Meanwhile in Sweden:

I really need to rethink flying in those demon-filled tubes... I even have gold status with the American brand of demon-tubes... https://www.facebook.com/OccupyDemocrats/videos/1585611204865261/?hc_ref=ARSpkq0hh3GaZUSoAV_nNtCu1z_XPQvOEjvRlaFzehjERpj3iYaAE8KolXkV1xdSJQE&pnref=story

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