It’s not often that my first impression
of a vehicle is based on the design of the floor mats.
But that was the case with the Subaru Ascent. I literally said “oh wow!” when I first laid eyes on the pleasing
pattern.
The Monroney (vehicle sticker) doesn’t say what Subaru calls it, so I asked ChatGPT for some help.
“I would describe the pattern as:
linear strié weave (the most accurate textile term), heathered pinstripe, textured bouclé/flatweave look and woodgrain-inspired linear pattern,” according to ChatGPT.
“It’s designed to resemble a high-end woven upholstery fabric rather than traditional plush automotive carpet. The alternating charcoal and warm taupe fibers create that subtle woodgrain
effect, and the Java Brown leather-look binding is exclusive to the Touring trim.”
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Subaru doesn’t publish an official name for the weave itself—it simply sells
these as genuine Touring carpeted floor mats rather than giving the pattern a marketing name, notes ChatGPT, which also offered up some unsolicited praise.
“I actually think it’s one of the nicest OEM floor mats on the market. It
reminds me of the woven carpets used by luxury brands like Volvo, Genesis, and some Range Rover interiors more than the typical cut-pile carpet found in most SUVs,” per ChatGPT.
Besides the floor mats (which I continued to smile about every time I got into the vehicle) the exterior color is also very cool. Subaru calls it “Dark Mahogany Pearl” and
it’s kind of a deep purple with dark brown undertones. It’s really different from the grayscale colors (white, black, gray, and silver) that completely dominate today's roads, accounting
for more than 75% of all vehicles on the road today, according to Carfax.
The Touring edition is the top-tier,
luxury-focused version of the mid-size, three-row crossover SUV, which is designed for families.
It features Nappa leather-trimmed upholstery, heated and ventilated front
seats, and second-row captain's chairs. It comes standard with a 14-speaker Harman Kardon Quantum Logic premium audio system, built-in navigation, a panoramic power moonroof, and a 360-degree
surround-view monitor.
Here’s another “wow” moment: it retails for $52,615, bit it feels like a much more expensive vehicle.
A few dings:
The gas mileage isn’t so great -- only slightly worse than average for a three-row SUV. It gets 19 mpg city and 25 highway for a combined city/highway 21 mpg. The average three-row SUV delivers
an EPA-estimated fuel economy of roughly 22 to 25 mpg combined (20 mpg city / 27 mpg highway). Standard gas models average 20–24 mpg, while hybrid versions push that average much higher, according to U.S. News and World Report.
Another complaint is the large gap
between the second and third row of seats created when both rows are folded flat. As someone who frequently transports dogs, this is something I always check out, and it’s a common problem.
It’s a bit of a bummer that the engineers at the dog-friendly Subaru haven’t solved this issue.
