Photo: Subaru
When it comes to Subaru, the Japanese automaker doesn’t have a three-row crossover to call its own. The Tribeca carried the torch from 2004 up until its demise in January 2014, when Subaru pulled the plug due to sluggish sales. But as utility vehicles get increasingly popular in the United States, the company is trying its hands once more at pulling off a Tribeca.
Except that the heir-apparent of the Tribeca isn’t called as such, but Ascent. Previewed by both the Viziv-7 and Ascent concepts, the mid-size SUV features seating for seven and rides on the largest adaptation of the Subaru Global Platform introduced by the Impreza. As per the automaker, “love is now bigger than ever” with the Ascent, whatever that’s supposed to mean.
Confirmed to be revealed on November 28 at the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show, the Ascent will go on sale for the 2019 model year. “Family-sized, versatile, and capable,” the newcomer is expected to go into production at the automaker’s Lafayette-based plant, the only assembly plant Subaru operates in the U.S. and the home of the Outback, Legacy, and Impreza.
Scheduled to roll off the assembly line starting from the second quarter of 2018, the Ascent will see the plant in Indiana hire 200 new workers as part of a $100 million investment in preparation for the all-new model. The Ascent will be put together on the A-line, which now handles production of the Outback and Impreza. The line in question used to be the birthplace of the Toyota Camry until May 2016, though production of the mid-size sedan moved to Georgetown, Kentucky for the eighth-generation Camry.
It remains to be seen what sort of horizontally-opposed engine Subaru will bestow upon the Ascent, more so when you consider the future of the WRX STI is uncertain in Europe because the EJ25 is past its prime. Considering the size, heft, and family-oriented persona of the Ascent, Subaru will most likely shoehorn the 2.5- and/or 3.6-liter boxer mills in the engine bay.
Confirmed to be revealed on November 28 at the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show, the Ascent will go on sale for the 2019 model year. “Family-sized, versatile, and capable,” the newcomer is expected to go into production at the automaker’s Lafayette-based plant, the only assembly plant Subaru operates in the U.S. and the home of the Outback, Legacy, and Impreza.
Scheduled to roll off the assembly line starting from the second quarter of 2018, the Ascent will see the plant in Indiana hire 200 new workers as part of a $100 million investment in preparation for the all-new model. The Ascent will be put together on the A-line, which now handles production of the Outback and Impreza. The line in question used to be the birthplace of the Toyota Camry until May 2016, though production of the mid-size sedan moved to Georgetown, Kentucky for the eighth-generation Camry.
It remains to be seen what sort of horizontally-opposed engine Subaru will bestow upon the Ascent, more so when you consider the future of the WRX STI is uncertain in Europe because the EJ25 is past its prime. Considering the size, heft, and family-oriented persona of the Ascent, Subaru will most likely shoehorn the 2.5- and/or 3.6-liter boxer mills in the engine bay.
Debuting November 28 at the LA Auto Show: the all-new 3-row 2019 Subaru Ascent. Love is now bigger than ever. https://t.co/FCgIogTwMP pic.twitter.com/EUQYZXIcgD
— Subaru (@subaru_usa) November 14, 2017
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