Item: 2019 Subaru
Rating: 4.6
Author: CarMax

My husband and I decided to purchase a Subaru Outback when we grew to a family of 4. We then purchased a Subaru Ascent as our 2nd car so that we could eventually tow a small camper. We bought a used 2...

My husband and I decided to purchase a Subaru Outback when we grew to a family of 4. We then purchased a Subaru Ascent as our 2nd car so that we could eventually tow a small camper. We bought a used 2019 Subaru Ascent and due to the pandemic, sold back our other car and became a one car family. It was reliable and comfortable. I will say Subaru's entertainment technology is good, but not as good as other makes I have driven (IE: Honda, Toyota); however, we primarily bought Subaru because of the highly rated safety features. Unfortunately, that recently came into play. My family of four (two adults and a 4 year old and 1 year old) were driving to a campground. The car was fully loaded with us and camping gear. We also had a bike rack attached to the hitch and a car top carrier on the roof rack. While driving through the country, we were T-boned hard enough that the car rolled. The car was totaled, all air bags deployed (and there were a lot of them), damage all around the car, BUT just like the commercial - we all lived. Not only did we all live, we all had minimal to no injuries. My son's door took the brunt of the impact and other than a mild seatbelt burn, he was fine. The only damage to the inside belongings (and remember we were going camping so there were a LOT) was a wheel popped off our umbrella stroller and a ball jar broke inside our cooler. There were actually multiple ball jars in the cooler but only one broke. That's it - everything else was fine. The car was busted, but it did it's most important job of protecting all of the people inside. We are now purchasing our 2nd Subaru Ascent.

Pros

Reliability: Never had a concern about the car holding up
Ride and Handling: We live in a city with the most roundabouts in the US and it drove well throughout city, country and the suburbs and handled the frequent turns well.
Fuel Economy: For a larger SUV that can tow 5,000 lbs, 20-26mpg is pretty reasonable in my opinion.

Cons

Technology and Entertainment: Of note, the safety technology (lane departure, lights, cameras) are all great. The Apple Car Play and entertainment technology are good, but just not as smooth functioning as it was on our Honda Civic that we had years before.
Cargo Space: I only note this is you are planning on using the 3rd for seating often AND you want significant storage. The cargo space is rather small if the 3rd row is up and in use, but you can still fit probably 6ish grocery bags or a few slim boxes. There is quite a bit of cargo space if the 3rd row is down.
Interior Space: Again - this only applies to the 3rd row. If both the 2nd and 3rd row are bench seats, then there is not a lot of leg room on the 3rd row. Still not a lot of leg room even if 2nd row has captain's chairs, but two adults can sit in the 3rd row without it being all that bad.

Large enough to move pretty much anything, even the in-laws. Great in car features, driver support systems work very well. Stable at speed, cruises comfy on local streets. Two rows of captains chairs ...

Large enough to move pretty much anything, even the in-laws. Great in car features, driver support systems work very well. Stable at speed, cruises comfy on local streets. Two rows of captains chairs for the win!

Pros

Power: Solid power, reliable at all speeds.
Ride and Handling: Stable, clear road holding authority.
Value: Stacked with simple, effective driver support controls.

Cons

Technology and Entertainment: Average connection to iPhone / Apple Car Play
Dashboard: All good, digital speed could be fractionally bigger.

i love this car. it’s zippy and powerful. panoramic sunroof/moonroof. well made. functional dash. comfy legroom in the back for kiddos. cup holders in door!!! (wooot!!) and nice 3rd row. Drives smooth...

i love this car. it’s zippy and powerful. panoramic sunroof/moonroof. well made. functional dash. comfy legroom in the back for kiddos. cup holders in door!!! (wooot!!) and nice 3rd row. Drives smooth. Roomy but slick. one of our fav cars to date. and fun to drive.

Pros

Power: zippy puppy!
Dashboard: functional! stylish
Visibility: huge dashboard!

Cons

Reliability: none really - I was injured initially and couldn’t drive for a few days and wouldn’t start. took it to auto zone and said battery was fine. we made an appt with CarMax and they told us the battery was toast. they replaced it and it’s been fine since.

2019 Subaru Reviews

Saved Our Lives

Saved Our Lives

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Love this zippy thang!

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