And the “biggest Subaru ever” isn’t all that far away.
At the New York motor show this week, Subaru has unveiled the ‘Ascent’ concept car, a more refined version of the outlandish Viziv-7 all-show concept that we saw last year. The new Ascent also proves to gauge interest as the Japanese brand prepares to make a return to the large-SUV segment in North America, a segment that it’s left unattended since the 2014 discontinuation of the Subaru Tribeca.
Based on the ‘Subaru Global Platform,’ the Ascent measures in at 5050mm in length, 1989mm in width, 1839mm in height, with 2972mm between the wheels. This mammoth of a car will cast a shadow on other segment competitors like the Toyota Kluger, Ford Explorer, and Nissan Pathfinder, all of which are smaller than the Ascent. It’s more than just a concept though, as the production version of this vehicle is expected to come about sometime next year, and will be assembled at the Subaru plant in Indiana.
The Ascent will seat seven passengers across three rows of seats, though we’re likely to see a pair of seats in the third row and three in the second, unlike this Ascent concept that’s fitted two captain’s chairs in the second row. Subaru said that the production model will be powered by a turbocharged, direct-injection Boxer engine (the layout of choice for all Subarus), which will be brand-new. The marque has not provided any other details on this new engine, though we don’t expect it to measure any bigger than 2.5-litres.
The concept car here sits on 21-inch wheels, with large tyres. Subaru’s proprietary ‘Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive’ will feature here, and “will be sold exclusively in the North American market.” At least, that’s what they intend to do in the beginning, as a Subaru manager spoke to CarAdvice saying that a right-hand drive model could be possible should there be demand for it.
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