It’s hard to believe the Subaru Ascent is almost five years old already, but it’s getting there. Thus, Subaru went back to the drawing board and whipped up a midcycle refresh that breathes some more life into a three-row family SUV that was compelling to begin with.
Subaru on Tuesday unveiled the 2023 Ascent. It arrives at dealers this fall in five trims: Base, Premium, Onyx Edition, Limited and Touring. To help bring its look closer in line with other new Subaru models like the Forester, the Ascent picks up more angular headlights and a new set of taillights, in addition to a tweaked front bumper with better aerodynamics.
Subaru also gave its safety systems a boost. The latest iteration of the EyeSight suite of driver aids promises smoother operation over a wider range of conditions, thanks in part to a wider field of view, software tweaks and an electric brake booster. An additional wide-angle forward-facing camera promises to improve pedestrian and cyclist detection in intersections, as well.
Models with blind-spot monitoring also get a new evasive steering aid that can help steer the vehicle around a potential collision at speeds under 50 mph. There’s also a new surround-view camera system on offer, and the backup camera gets its own washer to keep the lens from getting gunked up.
Parents with children in the third row will be happy to hear that Subaru also added a microphone system. This takes the voices of front-row occupants and beams it to the third row through the speakers. However, this new tech is limited to models with Subaru’s uprated Harman Kardon surround-sound audio system.
The Ascent gets a major infotainment upgrade, too. All 2023 Ascents will come standard with an 11.6-inch portrait infotainment display running the latest version of Subaru’s Starlink infotainment system. It offers controls for climate control in addition to the usual telematics stuff, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard.
Otherwise, the Ascent is largely the same as the one that came before it, and that’s great. Its 2.4-liter, turbocharged flat-4 engine makes a sufficiently peppy 260 horsepower, all-wheel drive is standard and the SUV can tow up to 5,000 pounds. Pricing has not yet been announced, but Subaru will likely change that closer to the Ascent’s on-sale date.
