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- 2014 QX70 AWD
Not just you. The Atlas appears to have one of the laziest external design attempts I've seen. The Subaru is just a tad better, but nothing to write home about.
2019 Subaru Ascent
- Thread starter Aviboy97
- Start date
Not just you. The Atlas appears to have one of the laziest external design attempts I've seen. The Subaru is just a tad better, but nothing to write home about.
bebopdeluxe
Member
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- 2004 Toyota Sienna LE AWD
The only Mazda that I owned was a Protege about 20 years ago, and I primarily purchased it for its price/value relative to the competition (i.e. Civic/Corolla). While the CX-9's driving dynamics and aesthetics are a major draw for me now, the key drivers are the same - price/value. As someone who will not buy a car with leather seats, that meant buying a 2018 CX-9 Sport this spring with AWD and the Actvisense package - which I am guessing would run me somewhere in the $31,000-32,000 range.
My sense is the Ascent Premium will cost me more (I am guessing roughly $3,000, give or take - depending on the relative discounting by Mazda), but for that I get a pano sunroof, Apple CarPlay, better seating options (either 8 person or 7 with captains chairs), standard roof rails, USB's out the wazoo...as well as a car that has all of the safety bells and whistles, a well-established AWD platform and historically great crash test ratings. I do also worry about the "little things" that some CX-9 owners have been complaining about (infotainment, squeaks and rattles) that - in a vacuum - aren't a big deal in the overall scheme of things, but given the crappy dealer network in my area, will be a PITA to deal with.
At the end of the day it will come down to whether the Ascent is a decent car to drive with good fuel efficiency - which are the key selling points for the CX-9 for me. If the Ascent is even close to the CX-9 in those areas, it will be a very difficult choice for me. I am completely willing to sacrifice some space and utility for a better driving experience, but the substantial amount of things I can get (listed above) in a Ascent Premium - for a reasonable amount of $$$ - will make it a pretty compelling option relative to the CX-9.
My sense is the Ascent Premium will cost me more (I am guessing roughly $3,000, give or take - depending on the relative discounting by Mazda), but for that I get a pano sunroof, Apple CarPlay, better seating options (either 8 person or 7 with captains chairs), standard roof rails, USB's out the wazoo...as well as a car that has all of the safety bells and whistles, a well-established AWD platform and historically great crash test ratings. I do also worry about the "little things" that some CX-9 owners have been complaining about (infotainment, squeaks and rattles) that - in a vacuum - aren't a big deal in the overall scheme of things, but given the crappy dealer network in my area, will be a PITA to deal with.
At the end of the day it will come down to whether the Ascent is a decent car to drive with good fuel efficiency - which are the key selling points for the CX-9 for me. If the Ascent is even close to the CX-9 in those areas, it will be a very difficult choice for me. I am completely willing to sacrifice some space and utility for a better driving experience, but the substantial amount of things I can get (listed above) in a Ascent Premium - for a reasonable amount of $$$ - will make it a pretty compelling option relative to the CX-9.
DeepCrystal17
Member
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- 2017 Mazda6 Touring
I too hate the Atlas design but I'd rate the Subaru above average.
Your points are definitely valid...since Ascent is going to be really new come Spring next yr keep in mind there aren't going to be a lot of deals and incentives or even lower int rates on it being a brand new model and 1st production MY usually has some kinks and wrinkles and if demand is high there could be limited stock and production/wait times could be longer. Incidentally the 2018 CX9s might have better deals/incentives on them and may have more inventories in dealer lots as Mazda may be pushing them more due to Subaru's launch. Good luck on your hunting...
The Atlas design is aweful. Looks even worse in person. Youre right. It looks like they didnt even try.
I think the Ascent is rather decent on the exterior. It looks like a Highlander and Outback has a baby. The refreshed Outback/Legacy design is quite nice in person and looks better than the photos. I think the Ascent will be the same. Not a polarizing design, but seems clean, safe, and decent. It looks better than the Acadia, Pilot, Atlas, Traverse and Sorento in my opinion. Obviously, i think the CX-9 is the clear winner in the design dept.
bebopdeluxe
Member
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- 2004 Toyota Sienna LE AWD
For someone who wants/needs cloth seats, I think the Ascent Premium (where you can add the pano roof) is the best non-luxury value. You get many safety goodies (except the auto high beam - one of the nice things about the CX-9) - including, I think, a HUD...which would be sweet. I am sure I would be happy with the CX-9 - I still plan on test driving it when I go on the market in the spring...but if that CVT isn’t a dog, the pano roof may be the deciding factor.
If anybody knows of something else in this class that is available with both cloth seats and a sun/pano roof, let me know!
I think the problem with VW design is the existence of Audi. VW can't overshadow Audi design so they always look overly plain. Like people said earlier, Mazda isn't constrained by a luxury division and thus have the best mainstream design lineup out there. One might then ask what's Subaru's excuse since they don't have a luxury brand. They've always been a bit of an odd ball at design language.
Interesting vehicle - it's an Outback on steroids, but it looks better than the PoS B9 Tribeca 
Subura owners will flock to it, as Suburu owners have a super loyal following. I considered the Legacy for a bit for an AWD sedan. Curious to the see the pricing and the driving dynamics... CVT? after the Murano and Rogue experiences, i want to avoid CVT if at all possible...
Subura owners will flock to it, as Suburu owners have a super loyal following. I considered the Legacy for a bit for an AWD sedan. Curious to the see the pricing and the driving dynamics... CVT? after the Murano and Rogue experiences, i want to avoid CVT if at all possible...
My wife's first new car was a '96 Mazda Protege LX. A great little car we sold back in 2007. I have no doubt it could still be on the road today.
Interesting vehicle - it's an Outback on steroids, but it looks better than the PoS B9 Tribeca
Subura owners will flock to it, as Suburu owners have a super loyal following. I considered the Legacy for a bit for an AWD sedan. Curious to the see the pricing and the driving dynamics... CVT? after the Murano and Rogue experiences, i want to avoid CVT if at all possible...
Nissan makes a terrible CVT. Subarus are decent. The CVT in the Legacy/Outback is pretty good. It mimics shift points to give the feel of planetary gears. Not as good as a traditional AT, but better than many CVTs on the market. Hondas are pretty good too.
We just replaced the CVT transmission in my daughters '12 Honda Civic at 76k miles.
Saying that to say this:
The transmission shop owner/head mechanic that replaced it told me it's been his experience that all CVTs are more problematic than a standard 6 transmission. He said the newer ones seem to be improving but still... not as reliable.
After sinking $3,500 into the Honda and going on his experience, I won't own a car with a CVT until he tells me otherwise.
PM me if you want the shop name and contact info.
Subaru just extended the warranty on a whole bunch of CVT equipped vehicles. There are several issues cropping up with these things at higher mileages; it seems to start around 100K. At least Subaru is stepping up and covering them, but the days of getting 150k+ without issue appear to be over. When they break, they are absurdly expensive to fix/replace ($5K+ in some instances). That little stat that Subaru likes to trot out about 96% of Subarus made in the last 12 years still being on the road isn't going to be true much longer.
Usually newer designed transmissions bring issues, such as the 2012 Mazda3 and 2013 CX-5. Both known for tranny problems. No company is immune to it.
What i meant by a decent CVT is Subis and Hondas dont feel like a typical CVT. Drive a Nissan then drive one of the others. Completely different.
Subaru intentionally makes their CVT drive "like" a normal automatic, I.e. they program steps into it so that it feels like you're actually changing gear ratios. I've recently driven a 2017 Outback and Forester, and for a CVT it was good (not great), but I personally dislike CVT's. I'll take a regular automatic over a CVT, and (if I could find one) a manual over an automatic.
All that being said, I think the Ascent is not bad looking. If you like boxy, then it kinda looks good. They (Subaru) needed something bigger than the outback and newer/ better looking than the B9 Tribeca. That thing was hideous...(freak)
All that being said, I think the Ascent is not bad looking. If you like boxy, then it kinda looks good. They (Subaru) needed something bigger than the outback and newer/ better looking than the B9 Tribeca. That thing was hideous...(freak)
I have a Honda Accord with a CVT. It drives like a snowmobile - there are no fake gear ratios. If you stomp on the gas, it holds the peak power RPM and sits there while you accelerate. It takes some getting used to, but I appreciate what it is doing (and why).
I drove a Nissan with a CVT as well, and it behaved the same way. The difference was, the Nissan was a Versa, so it was very loud and didn't accelerate well at all. In fact, it was disconcerting to hear the engine make so much noise while the car didn't seem to do anything. I wonder if this is why Nissan's CVTs have a bad reputation....
Frankly, CVTs are fine in the proper application. In theory, they should be better than a traditional automatic (or even a manual - they are banned from use in Formula 1). I'd be wary, though, of using it with a higher torque engine, in a heavier vehicle, or if I was planning on towing anything. The track record is not good in those applications.
Programming a CVT to mimic a traditional automatic is, frankly, stupid. The primary advantage of a CVT is that it allows you to keep the engine at an optimal RPM which results in optimal efficiency. But, consumers don't like the "snowmobile" effect, so the manufacturers program in fake shift points, which actually reduces the efficiency of the CVT, which defeats the purpose of using a CVT in the first place.
SAFE styling, I wouldn't say bad. Like their other hot seller products just bigger. Same approach VW took with Atlas. I think both look better than the Highlander, more restraint, a little less transformers.
For me yeah the CVT would be the deal killer, not the understated styling. Big changes in styling direction are risky, easier to get wrong than right. I guess they found that out with the Tribeca. Nissan and others had real problems with their early CVTs, not just noise, they overheated. Maybe the newer stuff does better.
I agree the fake shifting is kind of stupid. They are bad enough when you let them work properly, now you've got all the drawbacks and you've removed their strength.
For me yeah the CVT would be the deal killer, not the understated styling. Big changes in styling direction are risky, easier to get wrong than right. I guess they found that out with the Tribeca. Nissan and others had real problems with their early CVTs, not just noise, they overheated. Maybe the newer stuff does better.
I agree the fake shifting is kind of stupid. They are bad enough when you let them work properly, now you've got all the drawbacks and you've removed their strength.
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Just because it was funky looking didn't make the Tribeca ahead of its time. It was small and horribly non-competitive.
The Tribeca is the car that Subaru of America wants everyone to forget. They get cranky if you ask them to compare the Ascent and the Tribeca...
The dimensions of the Ascent are now on Subaru's website. At first glance, it appears to be competitive with everything else size-wise. They definitely tried to upsize it.
