2018 Subaru Ascent: Return of the Seven-Seat Subie

2018 Subaru Ascent (spy photo)

Surprisingly, the seven-passenger Ascent will share its platform with the Impreza. Subaru’s Global Platform, introduced under the new 2017 Impreza, is designed to accommodate vehicles of all sizes.

Also as in the Impreza, the Ascent will pack a flat-four. Subaru still has a flat-six in its portfolio, but given that engine’s 15 percent take rate in the Outback and Legacy and the fact that Subaru’s turbo 2.0-liter boxer produces nearly equivalent power plus more torque at lower rpm, watch for the carmaker to commit fully to a four-cylinder future. We’ve spotted prototypes convoying with a Mazda CX-9 and a Ford Explorer, the only Ascent competitors to offer turbo fours. And since it’s a Subaru, expect it to back that four with a CVT routing power to all four wheels. A hybrid model seems inevitable in a few years’ time.

The Ascent arrives in Subaru showrooms by midyear as a 2018 model. Figure on a base price of about $35,000 and wait for Subaru’s snowball to continue its improbable roll uphill.

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