2019 Subaru Ascent – Is It the Dog Car For You

I loved my 2011 Subaru Outback but I really wanted rear air/heat for my shelties plus I wanted to be able to tow a small travel trailer and the Outback’s 2700lb towing capacity was really limiting my choices. When I first saw the announcement for the Ascent I instantly became excited. A larger, but not too big, SUV with Subaru’s well-known AWD system that could tow 5,000lbs?! It sounded too good to be true. Then I started hearing rumors of seats with serious inclines when folded down and big bumps in the cargo area and my excitement started to dwindle. I heard Subaru was bringing the Ascent to my local auto show so I decided to go and check it out and person and I am so glad I did! It turned out to be just what I need at the moment and on 10/30/18 I drove one home.

There are a lot of reviews out there for the Ascent but many don’t cover the need to know information (like how crates fit) that dog owners need. Now that I own an Ascent, I thought I would put together some information to help other dog owners out there figure out if the 2019 Subaru Ascent is the right dog care for you.

In this post I will be reviewing the 2019 Subaru Ascent Limited with 8 passenger/bench seating and the Navigation/Moonroof package. Some features and dimensions may vary slightly depending on model. This post is graphic intense.

Safety First

First and foremost I want a safe car for me and my dogs to be traveling in. I was already familiar with Subaru’s award winning AWD system but what I wasn’t familiar with was Subaru’s EyeSight Driver Assist Technology; which now comes standard on every Ascent. Per Subaru “EyeSight monitors traffic movement, optimizes cruise control, and warns you when you’re swaying outside your lane. The Pre-Collision Braking feature can even apply full braking force, bringing you to a complete stop in emergency situations, reducing rear-end crashes with injuries by 85%.” A backup camera is also standard. My model has blind spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert that helps warn you of traffic approaching from the side as you are backing up. The alerts and sensitivity are adjustable and can be turned off if you wish. With all these safety features it is no surprise that the 2019 Subaru Ascent was recently awarded the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ rating.

Convenient Features

One of the things I really wanted for the girls was rear air/heat and this comes standard on every Ascent model. The Limited and Touring models also have neat built-in sunshades that pull up from the second row doors. There is storage everywhere with lots of USB ports and cup holders. Some models have heated second row seats which is nice for those pooches that ride with harnesses in the second row.

Push button start models also have access to a Subaru Starlink app on a smart phone for a small fee. It was worth getting! It gives you remote access to compete vehicle reports and monitors everything but the feature I absolutely love is Remote Start with climate control. Yes climate control on your phone. Honestly this is one of the more advanced remote start apps I have seen. When you start the car you can control the temperature, air flow, how long the engine runs, turn the heated seats on and off and control the air speed. Oh and it also comes with PIN access so you can unlock your car even if you forget the key back at your setup.

There are tons of human comforts too. My model comes equipped with heated front seats, heated steering wheel, heated mirrors, great stereo system, moon roof, memory seats, leg support, navigation, and all the modern blue tooth and apple/android stuff. Heck it even displays the current speed limit for me. Wifi is also onboard although you do need to add it to a current plan if you want to use it.

Now let’s start getting to the information that dog owners are always looking for but can never seem to find. How are my crates going to fit, how much room do I have for my dog gear and how flat do those seats really fold down? Please note that all these measurements were hand measured by myself and subject to human error. The rear seat was moved to my preferred driving position so measurements may vary slightly depending on how far back you put the seats. The best way to know if your crates are going to fit is to bring them out to the Subaru dealership and try them out. Trust me Subaru is known to be dog friendly and the sales people there are more than happy to grab some keys and let you try things out!

Second Row Bench Seat

With plans on expanding my dog pack in 2019 I wanted to see how a crate would fit in the second row. I tried out one of my Medium Double Door RTK crates (29” Long X 18 ¾” Wide x 21” Tall) and it fit perfectly on the seats, A little bit of a tilt but better than many SUV’s and the crate fit secure with room to spare. The second row seats are approximately 18” wide and there is around 28” from the second row slid all the way back to the back of the front row (again depending how far the front seat is moved up this will vary slightly.) Length wise there is 51” from the edge of the seat to the edge of the seat and about 57” from handle to handle.

The second row doors open extra wide to help assist passengers get into the third row. However, I found this feature to be extremely useful when adding dog gear into the vehicle. Also there is no second row bump in the floor. It is nice and smooth making it perfect for sliding crates, expens, tables, etcs in and out.

So exactly how flat do those second row seats fold? First let me state this is where one of the bigger differences is between the captain chairs and the bench seat. When the Ascent first debuted at auto shows they only brought the captain chair version and those chairs folded down have a pretty big incline. For some people this will be fine as they won’t be using the second row but for me it was an issue. I almost did not go look at the vehicle because of these reports. However, when I went to my local auto show and they only had the bench seats there and it made a big difference. Are they perfectly flat? No, they are not. There is still a slight incline. For those Outback owners it is similar. Is there a small gap between the second and third row? Yes. Is the second row usable folded down? Yes it is. Here are some pictures showing the incline and gap.

Third Row/Cargo Area

Here is where the fun (and pictures) really begins. Full disclaimer, I choose to have rear seat protectors on both the cargo area and the third row. All measurements were done with these mats on. The crates used in the pictures are Medium Double Door RTK crates (29” Long X 18 ¾” Wide x 21” Tall) which are my normal car crates and Pet Gear Soft crates (30” Long x 22” Wide x 24” Tall) which I do not use for traveling but thought they would be a good reference due to their bigger size. I do not have anything secured down right now as I am using just using these photos for reference.

There has been some talk about the height of cargo area. The bumper on the Ascent is approximately 28” tall which is similar to other larger SUVs. In comparison the Outback is 25” tall. However there is very little actual bumper on the Ascent so you are loading almost directly to the cargo floor which is a couple inches taller. This does not make a difference for my dogs since I have them jump in my arms to load in but if you are used to driving something like a mini van or small SUV with a low floor height it is something you may want to note and check out when you see it in person.

With the third row up there is a little usable room (about 18”) for storage but realistically you could only fit a small puppy size crate back there. I tried my medium RTK but it was just a tad too wide. There is some neat underfloor storage though that will come in handy for storing things like bowls, toys and leashes.

So what about the bump where the third row folds? When I first heard about this it was almost a deal breaker for me. That was until I saw it. The small “bump” people were mentioning is there but it is less than width of my pinky finger. It may look bigger in some of my pictures because of lip on the rubber seat protectors so I will include a pic without them below as well for reference. It does not interfere in any way with my RTK crates or my Pet Gear crates I use for reference below. If I had a large crate and felt the slight slant was an issue, a simple piece of 1/2 “ yoga mat could quickly level this out. I will include a sample pic below of this too.

With the third row folded down there is 45” between the wheels. That’s a good amount of room for this size SUV. At the hatch opening it is 44” wide at the bottom and 38” wide at the narrowest point right at the top. Height from the hatch to the cargo floor is 30.5”.

The floor length will vary a bit depending how far you have the second row slid up and how far the front row seats are forward. In the following measurements I have the second row slid all the way back and the front row is set to my normal driving preference (I am 5’7”.) From the tip of the mat on the cargo floor to the tip of the mat on the third row it is 44” and to the seat back it is about 47”. Folded down it is 71” from tip of mat in cargo to top of second row seats folded and 82” to the front row. I can fit 4 Medium RTK crates with room to spare. A fellow dog competitor recently shared that she was able to fit 2 large RTKS with the second row seats up! That is some serious crate space for this size SUV.

There are several tie down spots you can use to secure crates and supplies. There are also convenient plug ins, grocery hooks and even an added light in back.

How does it drive

Honestly, it drives like a dream. I was nervous heading to the dealership to test drive it but as soon as I got it out on the street, I settled into it quickly (and I generally am nervous driving big vehicles.) It does not drive or feel like a large SUV at all. It drives like a more powerful and slightly sportier Outback. It parks way easier than I thought it would thanks to Subaru’s class leading turning radius. Backing up is assisted by all the onboard safety features. It is smooth and way more powerful than I expected.

So is the 2019 Subaru Ascent for you

If you are looking for a large (but not gigantic) SUV that has enough cargo room to up to 4 mid-sized/small crates or a couple large crates and another mid-sized crate this may be the vehicle for you. The convenience and safety features accompanied by a competitive price and Subaru’s impressive AWD system warrant this vehicle a good look. Plus it can tow up to 5000 lbs so it is small trailer friendly!

Of course Subaru is also a dog friendly company. My sales person made sure even my two shelties enjoyed the new Subaru experience.