Admittedly, I was initially lukewarm about testing this 2025 Subaru Ascent. Most seven-seat SUVs are the furthest thing from being exciting or engaging automobiles. I’m here to tell you that is completely fine.
Not everyone views cars as an extension of themselves, or as a means of escape from their day-to-day lives. Certain folk—myself and my colleagues included—love to savour the journey between Point A to B, while others just want to get to their destination while blasting the latest Disney soundtrack. This demographic couldn’t care less about steering feel or driver engagement. This demographic also doesn’t care about curb appeal or emitting main character energy; they’d rather seamlessly blend in amongst the sea of utilitarian blobs littering our roads day in and out. For this demographic, cars are tools; the Ascent has a job to do, and it does the job well.
What’s new for 2025?
Exterior styling is in line with other modern Subaru models—contemporary and fresh but the furthest thing from striking, and that is completely fine. The new-for-2025 Sport trim, slotting between the Limited and top-of-the-line Premier, adds bronze wheels and accents, along with a chrome delete to give it some flare. It’s a nice departure from the usual somber colour schemes of lower-trim Ascents. If you have been around Subarus for the past decade and want something with more space, the Ascent will feel right at home.
Interior comfort, cargo, and tech
Similar to the Ascent Limited, the Sport includes comfortable leather seating throughout along with captain’s chairs that are adequate at keeping second-row occupants comfortable for those long drives. With the addition of rear climate control and heated seats, no one will complain about being cold and uncomfortable on road trips. The third row, on the other hand, is best suited for small children as the raised floor is awkward and uncomfortable for adults. When not in use, the third row is extremely simple and straightforward to fold down, giving you 1,232 litres of space, more than enough to swallow a stroller and some grocery bags. For those occasional Ikea runs, the second row folds just as easily, providing a grand total of 2,141 L of cargo space.
Elsewhere inside, Subaru’s Starlink infotainment system isn’t the Ascent’s strong suit, to say the least. The 11.6-inch vertical display does a good enough job at presenting itself as a contemporary enough interface, albeit in a rather lackluster but straightforward manner. Despite the touchscreen being slightly laggy, navigating the various functions and climate control system is easy enough to understand, especially for older folk lamenting the loss of chunky physical switchgear.
What’s baffling is the backup camera view, which defaults to taking up the top corner of the display in a fish-eye view, rather than using more of the display to convey a bigger and clearer image. The 360-degree camera view oddly shares the same space as the backup camera, creating a lot of dead space between the camera views and the climate control functions. This use of digital real estate or lack thereof—a comically small backup camera view on a giant touchscreen—leaves a lot to be desired. Depending how you look at it, one possibly redeeming feature on this Ascent Sport is the analogue gauge cluster that integrates a small digital display in the middle. Some may consider it as outdated compared to competitors with full digital displays, it puts less strain on your eyes especially if you are driving for long periods of time during the night.
Although the Ascent has quite a few USB ports scattered throughout, the omission of a wireless charging pad is odd considering most of the competition have it standard on their higher trim vehicles. The Harman Kardon sound system is surprisingly good, with little distortion for when you want to listen to Disney’s Lion King soundtrack with your kids. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto do thankfully come equipped, though we did experience the occasional connectivity issue with CarPlay. Being a step higher than the Limited we reviewed last year, the Ascent Sport features Subaru’s full EyeSight suite of driver assists such as lane keep assist and adaptive cruise control, along with a driver monitoring system that alerts you if it thinks you are not keeping your eyes on the road. Sadly, rain-sensing windshield wipers are still absent, making this Ascent a mixed bag of features—or lack thereof.
Engine, performance, and driving impressions
The Ascent may share the same powertrain as the WRX GT—a 2.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder Boxer engine, paired to a CVT—performance is not the main highlight. Making a healthy 260 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque, this engine hums a subdued boxer engine tone that eventually disappears into the background as you get up to speed, a trait I admittedly am starting to admire more often as I get older. It creates zero fuss while accelerating and the CVT, devoid of any sporting intentions, does an adequate job at transmitting power to all four wheels through Subaru’s signature all-wheel-drive system. Unlike most manufacturers which reactively sends power to the rear wheels upon detecting traction loss, Subaru’s AWD system powers all wheels all the time, with the ability to send more power to any drive-wheel that needs more traction. In simpler terms, the Ascent always felt stable and planted, regardless of the road conditions.
Ride comfort with the Ascent Sport feels solid, with good sound deadening and minimal wind noise despite being shaped like a fridge. The suspension is tuned on the soft side with zero sporting intent, absorbing large bumps fairly well but wallows over smaller undulations and road imperfections. Although most buyers will not have any qualms with the ride comfort, a few people might have issues with the steering feel. It’s comically light to operate with almost non-existent on-centre feel. It is very sensitive for those used to making more deliberate steering inputs in other vehicles, but on the other hand, this makes operating the Ascent feel much smaller than it actually is. Being almost 15 inches longer than the Forester, Subaru probably didn’t want their existing customer base to feel they are operating a mini school bus. The steering wheel does become more weighted at highway speeds, in turn bringing back some user confidence, but city driving leaves a lot on the table for those who value steering feel and feedback.
Is the 2025 Ascent worth it?
At $53,995 as-tested, the Ascent Sport poses a good value proposition against other three-row competitors such as the Toyota Grand Highlander, Volkswagen Atlas, and Mazda CX-90. It will definitely appeal to the Subaru faithful who prefer to blend into traffic rather than stand out, prioritizing going about their day with minimal gimmicks and no drama. Despite the questionable steering feel and weird feature omissions, the 2025 Subaru Ascent is what many people ultimately want in a family hauler: a competent SUV with a proven drivetrain that can comfortably seat your entire family, haul all your things, and then some.
