Subaru Ascent Concept previews new three-row SUV

Last year, Subaru gave us a taster of its upcoming seven-seater SUV at the Los Angeles Auto Show, with its Viziv-7 Concept. Fast forward five months and the brand has unveiled a revised version called the Subaru Ascent, giving us a more accurate look at the 2018 North America-only replacement for the much-maligned Tribeca.

As Subaru concepts go, this is quite a handsome one, although it remains to be seen if the square-jawed good looks will make it into production unscathed – the Pleiades brand doesn’t have a good track record in this regard. It does look fairly production ready, however, apart from a few show car cues such as the headlights and slim wing mirrors, so it bodes well for the version the public will actually buy.

The design features Subaru’s angular “Dynamic x Solid” styling language, with a trapezoidal grille flanked by hawk-eye headlights, plus pronounced wheel arch flares and C-shaped tail lights. There’s also a deep Impreza-style cut along the doors, but it’s much better resolved here. Massive 21-inch two-tone alloy wheels provide the Ascent with a strong stance.

Inside, it’s largely reminiscent of the Impreza, but the centre console flows down towards the transmission tunnel. There’s also a digital instrument cluster, a large vertical centre display that incorporates the climate controls and a stubby electronic gearknob, but don’t expect much of these to reach production. Unlike a typical seven-seater, the centre row features two captains’ seats, with three-abreast seating in the third row.

Other details are scarce, but Subaru claims that the production Ascent will be powered an all-new turbocharged and direct-injected boxer engine. Measuring a massive 5,050 mm long, 1,989 mm wide and 1,839 mm tall – with a wheelbase of 2,972 mm – it will be built on a modified version of the Subaru Global Platform that also underpins the Impreza, and will be produced in Lafayette, Indiana.

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