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Subaru launches production of Ascent crossover in Indiana

Subaru began production Monday of the new Ascent, its much-anticipated three-row crossover, at its plant in Lafayette, Ind. It's set to arrive at dealers in June as a 2019 model and will start at $32,970, including shipping. The Ascent joins the Impreza, Legacy and Outback as vehicles built at the plant. It'll compete with three-row utility vehicles like the Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, Chevrolet Traverse and Volkswagen Atlas. (Read our comparison of the Ascent to the former two here.) Subaru built around 364,000 vehicles at the Indiana plant last year and expects the Ascent to nudge that up to around 400,000 vehicles a year. The automaker spent $140 million and added 1,200 jobs at Lafayette to support the Ascent. The company in late 2016 shifted production of the Impreza sedan and hatchback to the factory, its lone manufacturing site outside of Japan, to free up room at its plant in Gunma Prefecture for the hot-selling Crosstrek, which has been singlehandedly lifting Subaru's U.S. sales lately. A Subaru spokesman told Autoblog recently that the company hopes to sell 60,000 Ascents in the first year and had already booked more than 4,000 sold orders on the vehicle from customers who hadn't seen or driven it. The Ascent will come in either seven- or eight-seat configurations, is offered in all-wheel-drive and is based on a modified version of the same Subaru Global Platform that underpins the Impreza. It's powered by an all-new 2.4-liter turbocharged boxer four-cylinder that makes 260 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque. It fills a slot formerly occupied by the Tribeca, Subaru's last three-row vehicle, which was discontinued in 2014. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Subaru's BRZ STI Sport Concept is not quite what we've been waiting for

Subaru announced its lineup for the upcoming Tokyo Auto Salon, and at the tippy top is yet another STI-badged BRZ concept car. But unlike the Performance Concept from the 2015 New York Auto Show, the new BRZ STI Sport Concept isn't so extreme. While it's hard to predict what this car means based on the limited information Subaru has released, we can get an idea of where the company is going by looking at its last STI Sport production model – the not-for-US Levorg. Essentially, the BRZ STI Sport Concept sounds like a lukewarm example of the lovable rear-driver, taking parts of the tS driving experience and marrying it with some interior and exterior enhancements. We can see those latter elements in the sole image the company released – the silver concept car gets a fresh body kit that's less aggressive than 2015's Performance Concept. The sole exterior image shows a subtle chin spoiler and a more prominent upgrade to the side sill. Smaller changes include STI badges in the lower grille and side grilles. In the cabin, Subaru apparently added dark red upholstery. All of this gels with the aesthetic the Levorg pioneered. On the performance front, we see what look like Brembo-branded red brake calipers, but that's about as certain as we can get with mechanical upgrades. What we can't see are likely modest performance tweaks, focusing on the suspension. The Levorg STI Sport, for example, got adjustable Bilstein dampers, firmer springs, and a tweaked power steering system. A similar STI Sport concept, based on the WRX S4, will share the Tokyo show stand with the BRZ. Subaru's racing entries in Super GT, Japan Rally, and the 24 Hours of Nurburgring will also go on display. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2019 Subaru Ascent Drivers' Notes Review | Subaru redux

The 2019 Subaru Ascent is the follow-up to the odd and slow-selling Subaru Tribeca. From 2005 to 2014, Subaru sold just 76,774 Tribecas in the U.S. at a time when the company's sales as a whole were on a climb. As we put it in our first drive review, the Ascent can be considered a sort of mulligan. The new model comes out hot and heavy against strong three row competitors like the Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, Mazda CX-9 and American offerings like the Chevy Traverse and the Ford Explorer. Our tester is the top-shelf Touring trim. Standard features on the Ascent include Subaru's EyeSight driver assist technology, adaptive cruise control with lane keep assist, keyless entry, three-zone climate control and a turbocharged 2.4-liter flat-four mated to a CVT. Power, like nearly every Subaru, is sent to all-four wheels. For $45,670, the Ascent Touring nets you features like leather trim, power-adjustable front seating, a panoramic moonroof, LED lighting, a power opening rear gate and an upgraded audio system with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore: I found myself liking the Subaru Ascent much more than I expected. The turbo four and light steering made it surprisingly engaging to drive. I enjoyed how this one was trimmed out, and the cabin managed to be both woodsy and elegant. It also offered an excellent view of my surroundings, which is not a given for a beefy SUV. Style-wise, I don't love it. I think it looks better in pictures than in person. It seemed a little overwrought in my driveway. If you need a people hauler, and specifically, you need three rows, this one is worth a look. If you don't need three rows, I'd go with an Outback or Forester. That being said, this is the vehicle Subaru absolutely needs in order to have a more complete presence in the U.S. market. It's highly competitive with the VW Atlas, and it should add some solid incremental sales to Subaru's volume. Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski: I've logged more time in the Subaru Ascent than any other staffer here at Autoblog, having attending the automaker's initial drive event a few months ago and then signing a different one out to schlep my family on a couple of long drives in and around Seattle, Wash. Sometimes it takes a good, long drive to really figure out a car's merits and demerits. Other times, though, initial impressions are confirmed.