Subaru Ascent towing

[Rossue]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

.....Sorry for the non-Escape sidetrack; I was just illustrating that having a spare for the tug is not really required.


Near home, in another state/province, or in another country... does it really matter? Service is available everywhere (and is difficult in a remote area whether that is in your own state/province or another one), and being stuck for a while in an RV isn't like being stuck at the roadside in a car.

Disagree with that as we are often on BLM land where even with a signal AAA is not going to cover the charge. Glad to have a full size spare; hard to believe some full size trucks don't yet not really surprised. Kinda goes to one's camping style I suppose, yet Murphy was an optimist am told

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Rossue

Disagree with that as we are often on BLM land where even with a signal AAA is not going to cover the charge. Glad to have a full size spare; hard to believe some full size trucks don't yet not really surprised. Kinda goes to one's camping style I suppose, yet Murphy was an optimist am told

Sure, service isn't available in every location, but that would be true whether the BLM land is ten minutes from your house or thousands of miles away. It's also available in every state and province, which is one reason that Jim's "out of state" comment just doesn't make sense to me.

And it can be manageable: if the tug has a compact spare which can't be used for towing, and the rig is a viable campsite (even if not the intended site), the spare can be mounted, the trailer left parked, the compact spare mounted, and the tug driven away to get the flat fixed.

Originally Posted by Rossue

Glad to have a full size spare; hard to believe some full size trucks don't yet not really surprised.

I'm not surprised, either. Most trucks are not used for towing or any significant hauling, and are well-served by a differently sized or even temporary-use spare. And most people are in phone coverage and auto club service areas all of the time (some even when towing), and will just call for help regardless of what is carried in the truck.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Bobbie54

I googled it to find the info so not sure where it would be in the site.

So we don't know if the found site was even from Subaru?

This catches a lot of people: they do a search, they find something published, and they are misled by misinformation.

For instance, the first page of Google search results for "subaru ascent hitch" includes this page: Subaru Ascent Trailer Hitch. It says

Class 1 Base Model
Class 3 on all others
Towing capacity: 2000 pounds on Base Model, 5000 pounds on Premium,
Limited, and Touring

but that's the vehicle rating, not the hitch rating, and it doesn't mention the size. It is from a company selling Subaru parts, not from Subaru (the manufacturer) or Subaru USA (the distributor); they just added their own interpretation to the Subaru listing. It also confirms that there is only one model of hitch, so it is obviously a 2" Class 3 unit, not a 1.25" Class 1 unit (which wouldn't meet the Class 3 requirement when installed on the more capable versions of Ascent).


There's nothing exceptional about the Ascent's hitch; it is very similar in design and identical in capacity to the OEM hitches for the Toyota Highlander and Honda Pilot, the vehicle's direct competitors.

The important result of this discussion seems to me that it takes vastly more time and effort to correct a piece of misinformation (such as the receiver size of an Ascent's hitch) than to convey a piece of valid information.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Good info. One wonders with Subaru's history of poor max tongue weights etc. if they just don't want to be in the market. ( speaking as a former Subaru owner ).

And some not-so-good "info".

So now we have established that

• the Ascent is equipped in all but the base version with a towing prep package at no additional charge,
• the prep package results in a 5,000 pound trailer weight rating,
• the hitch weight limit is the usual 10% of the trailer weight,
• trailer stability control is included,
• there a hitch available for all versions (which can be installed later if desired),
• the hitch is very well integrated with the vehicle's structure,
• the hitch is an industry-standard 2" receiver and has the capacity to handle the vehicle's full trailer weight rating, and
• the hitch package includes wiring including a 7-pin connector and some pre-wiring for a brake controller.

So can we agree that whatever they did in the past, with this model Subaru is demonstrating support for towing comparable to other manufacturers of comparable SUVs?

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by Rossue

Disagree with that as we are often on BLM land where even with a signal AAA is not going to cover the charge.

Just like home or any other insurance, you get what you pay for. I have BCAA RV Plus, which covers the tow vehicle and the trailer for up to 160km tow. Still need cell coverage to call the of course.

[cpaharley2008]

Brian,
My intrastate comment meant that I can easily drive home from anywhere within my state to make repair arrangements for my tow or stranded Escape, whereas out of state complicates who and where and when.

[War Eagle]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

And some not-so-good "info".

So now we have established that

• the Ascent is equipped in all but the base version with a towing prep package at no additional charge,
• the prep package results in a 5,000 pound trailer weight rating,
• the hitch weight limit is the usual 10% of the trailer weight,
• trailer stability control is included,
• there a hitch available for all versions (which can be installed later if desired),
• the hitch is very well integrated with the vehicle's structure,
• the hitch is an industry-standard 2" receiver and has the capacity to handle the vehicle's full trailer weight rating, and
• the hitch package includes wiring including a 7-pin connector and some pre-wiring for a brake controller.

So can we agree that whatever they did in the past, with this model Subaru is demonstrating support for towing comparable to other manufacturers of comparable SUVs?

Perhaps one other thing this discussion has established is that Subaru could improve their "official" online documentation and their direct access to it by consumers. Following the lead of President Reagan, "Trust, but verify", I'm withholding judgement until I actually see an OEM 2" receiver mounted on the rear of an Accent (and so far, the only Accents I've seen were on dealership lots, and none had a hitch mounted).

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by War Eagle

Perhaps one other thing this discussion has established is that Subaru could improve their "official" online documentation and their direct access to it by consumers.

Perhaps, but the confusion here was about a 1.25" hitch, and the Subaru website consistently mentions only a 2" hitch. In fact, every factual bit of information about the hitch (and differences between model levels) that came up in this discussion is on the website, and I found it all in a few minutes when I first looked (two days ago). What they should do is manage their idiotic dealership staff better.

The internal data site has nice additional detail regarding the wiring, and it more explicitly confirms the hitch size, but none of it is required to provide the consumer with a clear and complete description of the hitch for towing-equipped model levels... the public website even includes an installation manual!

Originally Posted by War Eagle

Following the lead of President Reagan, "Trust, but verify", I'm withholding judgement until I actually see an OEM 2" receiver mounted on the rear of an Accent (and so far, the only Accents I've seen were on dealership lots, and none had a hitch mounted).

This is what I was saying about the difficulty of fighting misinformation. If someone hadn't made up a story about a 1.25" hitch, there would be no doubt. Should I start a rumour that the new Ranger pickup only comes with a 1.25" hitch? There's no reason whatsoever to believe that, and it's completely untrue, but it might be amusing to watch the Ford fans panic... or maybe this sort of suspicion seen in this discussion is reserved for Subaru?

By the way, you may have already seen an Ascent with a hitch, because it is covered when not in use.

[War Eagle]

Or perhaps the misinformation given to us was due to lack of information available on the web and lack of accurate knowledge at dealerships at the time. We were interested in the Accent very early on, simply as a dependable family car for Colorado winters that could potentially tow our EggCamper if called upon. We saw the first one on the lot at Heuberger Subaru in Colorado Springs, CO, back in June (we didn't test drive it because it was about to hail and they were anxious to get it under roof). Being the first one, it had badging on it for demo only, not for sale. Same thing a short while after that at Subaru of Kennesaw (Atlanta suburb). However, we did test drive it and liked it a lot. But as I stated in an earlier post, when I asked about a towing package and 2" factory hitch to pull our camper, BOTH places told us that OEM was a 1.25" hitch only (and these are both huge Subaru dealerships). Perhaps the dealerships weren't dealing with a full deck of information yet because everything about the Accent was so new to them, too. We stopped looking into the Accent several months back and decided to look for better fuel mileage in the new global platform Forester and the Honda CR-V. So there could well be a lot more new, accurate and inclusive information regarding the Accent out there than was available when we were looking at them just as they were being launched across the country. My apology if I was spreading old and incorrect information. Now, about that new Ranger....

[Hilola]

This owner’s forum is probably your best bet to get info on the Ascent:

https://www.ascentforums.com

[War Eagle]

Originally Posted by Hilola

This owner’s forum is probably your best bet to get info on the Ascent: https://www.ascentforums.com

\
Thanks for sharing! The thread below answered a lot of my lingering questions:
https://www.ascentforums.com/forum/1...xperience.html
Including this photo of a trailer hitched:

[Hilola]

Originally Posted by War Eagle

\
Thanks for sharing! The thread below answered a lot of my lingering questions:
https://www.ascentforums.com/forum/1...xperience.html
Including this photo of a trailer hitched:

You’re welcome, glad you found some helpful information!

[cpaharley2008]

Hold the presses, there is another newcomer, a Kia Telluride with 5000lb towing and a 10 year warranty https://www.kia.com/us/en/vehicle/te...E_SB-T4-OWH-EM

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Hold the presses, there is another newcomer, a Kia Telluride with 5000lb towing and a 10 year warranty https://www.kia.com/us/en/vehicle/te...E_SB-T4-OWH-EM

Saw that Super Bowl commercial too?

[steve dunham]

I enjoy reading these stories about urban legends . They seem to pop up about once a year with a new twist being added .

[Sheepdogger]

I looked into Ascent when I was buying. The online manual said do not go over 45 mph or tow uphill in hot weather. So I bought a Highlander. No restrictions listed there.

[Desert Traveler]

The main drawback there is the CVT transmissions, most Subaru's have the CVT Trans, its not up to towing despite what may be said, its self destructive and will not last very long with the added weight.


If you must use a SUV to tow with go with a Toyota 4Runner, they tow well.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by Sheepdogger

I looked into Ascent when I was buying. The online manual said do not go over 45 mph or tow uphill in hot weather. So I bought a Highlander. No restrictions listed there.

I did see the following in the online manual:
-Never exceed 45 mph (72 km/h) when towing a trailer in hilly country on hot days.

-When driving uphill in hot weather, the air conditioner may turn off automatically to protect the engine from overheating.

-When driving uphill in hot weather, pay attention to the following items because the engine and transmission are relatively prone to overheating
-Temperature gauge
-AT OIL TEMP warning light
-Rear differential oil temperature warning light (if equipped)

The models that are equipped to tow 5,000# have an air-cooled fluid cooler for the CVT. It will be interesting to see how the Ascents do towing once there is some real world feedback.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Sheepdogger

I looked into Ascent when I was buying. The online manual said do not go over 45 mph or tow uphill in hot weather. So I bought a Highlander. No restrictions listed there.

That's interesting, because for many years Toyota owners manuals included a statement to not exceed 45 mph when towing. We all ignore it.

The 2018 Highlander manual now recommends a towing speed limit of 65 mph, and has since 2016 or earlier. Back in 2010, it specified 45 mph (72 km/h). I don't know exactly when it changed, but it goes with an overhaul of the towing section contents, so this is likely an administrative change rather than a technical change.

[GeorgiaBill]

Originally Posted by Desert Traveler

The main drawback there is the CVT transmissions, most Subaru's have the CVT Trans, its not up to towing despite what may be said, its self destructive and will not last very long with the added weight.


If you must use a SUV to tow with go with a Toyota 4Runner, they tow well.

I wondered if anyone would mention the CVT. I've got the 2014 Forester 2 liter turbo and I worry that the CVT will fail. We've had one recall on the CVT and one on the engine. For the engine recall I got a loaner while they did a leak down test on the 4 cylinders. If much variation was noted a new engine was installed. Mine was OK but I think they re-flashed the ECM. I purchased expecting a long life.



We got my daughter a 2015 Forester with the 2.5 non-turbo engine.


We could get a manual transmission on the base 2.5 but all else had the CVT.


I would not tow a trailer using a CVT transmission.