Pilot1226

Do we know if the engine can automatically determine use of Premium (91/93) and advance timing?

Buy it in the first year. Show Subaru you want it. And they will improve it in the future. From what I’ve seen Subaru tends to vastly overbuild components for their use in the first year. Case and point is the CVT - they have like a 20% safety margin with the Nm expectations with the torque. And if something fails from what I’ve seen they do the right thing - even if they write a check and reimburse you for repairs done years ago.

Haha, see that's funny. I could care less about power gate and button start. The EyeSight thing is interesting though. I think the Limited 3.6 with EyeSight kisses just about 40k. Yeah, I hear you about the 20's. I'd rather have the 18's. Bigger, stronger sidewalls. Better economy. 19 gallons of fuel, what a moose. Finally officially confirmed: Debut of all-new 2.4-liter turbocharged/intercooled SUBARU BOXER® engine with 260-hp and 277 lb-ft of torque that runs on regular-grade fuel (87 AKI) Man, I'd be all over the Premium with the HK upgrade, or Limited if it wasn't for those ventilated seats. Those sound pretty nice. I just can't justify 44k, you do get a ton of things in the trim, just slightly out of my range.

Whaaaa? I just realized the pricing for the Ascent Limited is cheaper than the Outback 3.6 Limited.

For me it's not just about fuel economy. If that was important I wouldn't have a third-row SUV. For me, it's about power. Eventually I've heard the BMW's will throw a CEL if there's enough carbon on the valves, which means in my state you won't pass inspection. The price point of the Limited at 38k is very aggressive. I love it. The Honda Pilot we bought had a sticker of 42, I think. We ended up somewhere in the 38-39 range, I can't remember. I would pay sticker at 38.

I hope it doesn't drive too boat-like. The fact the Touring trim has a front camera is... slightly concerning. For me, the big question will be what the upper trims come in at. You can't get the 8-person seating in Touring, so I'd have to look at the Limited trim. My wife really likes the bench seat in her Honda Pilot, since we have two kids in car seats, we often are doing some type of carpool thing and it's a lot easier to plop one of the carpooling younglings in the middle seat rather than keep the rear/third row available for use (she has a lot of stuff in there) That being said, I would like the Limited Trim with the optional Panoramic moonroof and Harmon-Kardon sound upgrade. She's got one of those new 2016 Honda Pilots right now, and man, less than thrilled after the year and half we've had it. And lookie, it's got a timing belt and direct injection. Fun times. So I get to walnut shell blast that thing every 60k and I also get to spend $1k on a TB service. My new mission in life is now to get her into an Ascent ASAP. True, I still have the carbon issues with the DI, but hopefully they'll have an easier fix than walnut blasting by then. I've heard of some of our friends in Australia with upper engine/carbon cleaner type services they've been using routinely. Wonder what the long-term implications are. I would rather spend an extra couple of bucks every or every-other service (even DIY in my driveway...) instead of a major headache with shell blasting. To each their own. Spring 2019: Get a 2019 Legacy or Outback 3.6, finance for either 36-48-60 months. When that's paid off, Get the Mrs. an Ascent Limited. Hopefully they'll have any known issues figured out with the mid-cycle refresh by then. I imagine they'll stick to the 5-year cycles too, so 2024 would be the first major overhaul. Rant mode off. The game is afoot. Challenge accepted.

Seems kind of a let down. Walnut Shell Blasting every 60k I guess. Unless maybe since it’s tuned down to 87 the problem with carbon buildup won’t be as pronounced?

Did the post any specifications regarding the shared Toyota tech from the ft86... Port and Direct Injection or just DI?

Great pics. Thanks. 400hp??? What the.... Nice to hear about 87 being okay for it!

Yeah I didn't care for the Heritage Blue either. It was cool, distinct, just not for me.

Cool stuff. Peek around to see if there's a 19 Legacy, eh?

Oh, I was talking about the "Sold by Dealership" little stickers/lettering they put on. Not the Legacy and Subaru and "3.6" logos. From what I've heard, the best way to remove the vinyl lettering is to was the area with a car wash soap and water so it's clean, use a hair dryer to heat up the adhesive, and then they should slide right off. Use something like a general purpose cleaner like a Simple Green, or a 3M Adhesive Remover if you have to for anything leftover, and then wash and wax the area afterwards. While the ~40ish bucks they're asking is a lot for a front bracker, it's usually a fair deal to also get the rear plate bracket in some type of package combo. I've used them on my 09 Legacy and my 11 Outback and they were solid. Just make sure you follow the directions and clean and dry the area thoroughly before you get started so the tape can adhere. You can also go for the OEM route for about $30.

Did it come with a front backing? I've used C&C Car Worx brackets in the past on the last couple cars I've owned, and they seemed solid. Or was your plate screwed right into the bumper directly? Did you remove any logos/markings on the rear of the vehicle? What'd you use?

Right on. Again, I don't like the idea of not being able to get the bench for the second row in the upper trims. I would have liked customization. This is kind of like the Touring Outback trims that force you into 4 exterior and 1 interior color choice. Pricing out an Outback for curiosity, I found that it'll cost me the more or less the same after I add my options from the Limited (to get a preferred color and the normal roof racks & rails) compared to the Touring. No steering wheel warmer though! :/

I think it can do 8 if you have the bench option for the 2nd row. But, some of the trims have a captain's seating arrangement, then you'll lose a seat.

Ice did you get the gray or black interior? I might go for Mag & Black

This happened with my 09. I had stuff in the door flap that was distorting the music! Lol.

Those headlights though. Love those LED DRL's.

Did you try checking that grounding wire and see if it's too close to the air box? Those pics were something about the 2.5i Premium though, different engine.

Would love to see some press things about the Philly Auto Show going on right now. Eerily quiet over there.

Yeah, the media.subaru.com website is my home page

Premium better on stock tuning? What I’ve read is that it takes dozens of tankfuls for the ECU to actually recognize the higher octane before it starts to advance timing...? Sound accurate? I’m skeptical of any advantage on stock tuning.

Well, there was a statistic buried in this thread or on the Outback forums about how they're going to make for example 50,000 of these 2.4T engines. The expected demand for the Ascent will be somewhere around 30,000, which gives them an extra 20,000 engines. Perhaps there will be an overlap and people could have a choice between both the 2.4T or the 3.6R for a few years. Maybe not. If all these engines are made at the Gunma plant in Japan, then you would probably need to cut back production on one to ramp up the other, assuming the production output was constant and maxed. Please do. If you can, can you pop the fuel door and take a pic of the cap/inside cover? I'm still trying to get confirmation that "Regular Unleaded" will be okay (87) since all other Subaru turbos require 91/93. The cap should read Premium Unleaded only if it needs the hi-test. The 3.6 has comparable horsepower to the 2.0T... I wonder if the 2.4T runs on 87 if it can be tuned to 91/93 and actually push closer to 300 hp... Hmm....

Hopefully we'll find out the fate of the 3.6 at the Chicago Auto Show... 2 more weeks... That's when they've traditionally announced the next year's Legacy info...

I dig the grill. The chrome mirrors I could take or leave, one of the "perks" of the Sport trim, I guess. Speaking of the exhaust tip, anyone recommend a product to use in conjunction with 0000 Steel Wool to polish it?