Subaru Ascent 1

The Ascent is Subaru's three-row family SUV, sold in the US since 2019 and Subaru's biggest model. It's a sensible, roomy, all-wheel-drive hauler with standard EyeSight — a solid pick on paper. The honest catch is the early years: a cluster of recalls and a CVT that, not the engine, is the real weak point. Buy carefully and it's a comfortable, capable family car.

Under the hood is the FA24F 2.4-litre turbo boxer (260 to 271 hp, 277 lb-ft from around 2,000 rpm), paired with a Lineartronic CVT and symmetrical AWD. The engine is genuinely solid — far better than the FA20DIT it replaced — and many pass 200,000 miles with good oil discipline. Watch for cam-phaser issues around 40,000 to 50,000 miles if cheap or wrong-viscosity oil was used, intake-valve carbon buildup from direct injection around 50,000 to 60,000 miles, and timing-chain stretch near 100,000. The FA24 is sensitive to oil quality, so insist on OEM-spec oil history.

The headline issues are recalls. The CVT chain-slip recall on 2019-2020 cars covered roughly 198,000 vehicles — a transmission-control programming error could let the chain slip and cause complete loss of power; a related class-action settlement extended the warranty up to full CVT replacement. Also: a Denso low-pressure fuel-pump recall (2019) that can cause stalling, a PTC heater fire-risk recall on 2019-2022 cars (Subaru even advised some owners to park outside), a battery-drain class action on 2019-2020, and a cracked-windshield class action across ~1.4M Subarus — replacement is costly because EyeSight must be recalibrated each time. Verify every open campaign on the VIN at subaru.com.

2026 market price: 2019 cars run roughly $10,300 to $22,200 depending on trim and mileage; 2020 cars roughly $11,300 to $24,400. Higher-mileage examples sit near the bottom.

Buying advice: 2019-2020 carry the CVT recall, CVT class action, battery drain, and (2019) the fuel pump — buy only with all recalls documented complete and ideally the CVT warranty extension intact. Prefer 2021 and newer, which are reportedly better, though 2019-2022 still need the PTC heater recall verified.

Test-drive red flags: hunting or unstable idle, any CVT shudder, jerk, whine, or hesitation under load, a weak 12V battery on cold start, windshield chips or cracks, and confirm every open recall is closed on the VIN. Insider pick: a 2021+ Touring or Limited with full recall history and documented OEM-oil maintenance — the matured Ascent that sidesteps the early-year mess.