After ditching its entry-level trim-level for the 2025 model year, the Subaru Ascent continues its upmarket, um, climb for 2026 with a base price that leaps $830 from 2025. That means the price of entry for Subaru’s seven- or eight-occupant SUV has increased $6,755 in just two model years. The higher base price now includes standard synthetic leather, as well as the black wheels and exterior trim pieces from the discontinued Onyx Edition. (The range-topping Onyx Edition Touring remains.) The 2026 Subaru Ascent starts at $42,245 (all prices include $1,450 destination charge).
Related: Is the 2025 Subaru Ascent a Good 3-Row SUV? 5 Pros, 3 Cons
Release Date and Pricing
The 2026 Subaru Ascent will go on sale in the fall. Full pricing is as follows:
- Premium: $42,245
- Limited: $49,335
- Limited Bronze Edition: $50,445
- Touring: $52,615
- Onyx Edition Touring: $53,445
What Are the 2026 Subaru Ascent’s Trim Levels?
Every Subaru Ascent has three rows of seating. The Premium and Limited offer a no-cost choice between eight seats (with a second-row bench) and seven (second-row captain’s chairs). The Limited Bronze Edition, Touring and Onyx Edition Touring trims are only available in the seven-seat configuration.
The Premium rides on black 18-inch wheels and features LED exterior lighting, adaptive headlights with automatic high beams, windshield-wiper de-icers, and keyless entry and start. In addition to the newly standard synthetic leather upholstery (in black with silver stitching), the cabin is outfitted with a power-adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats, tri-zone automatic climate control, and an 11.6-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Subaru’s EyeSight advanced driver-assistance suite is standard on the 2026 Ascent. It includes forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-centering steering, emergency steering assist, blind spot monitors, lane change assist, rear cross-traffic alert and reverse automatic braking.
The Limited gets two-tone dark-gray-and-machine-finished 20-inch wheels, as well as genuine leather upholstery, an upgraded driver’s seat with an adjustable bottom cushion, power-adjustable front passenger seat, heated steering wheel, heated second-row seats, second-row window shades, navigation and a 14-speaker Harman Kardon surround-sound system. The Limited also adds a 360-degree camera system and a driver attention monitor, and the seven-occupant Limited also includes a power liftgate and a panoramic moonroof. The Limited Bronze Edition is no more than its name suggests: an Ascent Limited with bronze-finished 20-inch wheels, black and bronze exterior badging, and bronze stitching inside.
The Touring’s upgrades are largely cosmetic, including a unique grille, chrome door handles and upgraded interior trim. It does, however, gain premium leather, ventilated front seats and rain-sensing windshield wipers. Like the Limited Bronze Edition, the Onyx Edition Touring finishes certain elements in its namesake hue; it features black 20-inch wheels, a black grille and exterior badging, and a black leather interior with green stitching on the steering wheel and shifter.
What Are the 2026 Subaru Ascent’s Powertrain Specs and MPG?
Every Ascent is powered by a 260-horsepower, turbocharged 2.4-liter flat-four-cylinder engine with 277 pounds-feet of torque. The engine is paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission with paddle shifters and simulated eight-speed automatic mode, and all-wheel drive is standard. Official EPA ratings for the 2026 model are not yet available, but on its 18-inch wheels and carrying fewer features, the entry-level 2025 Ascent Premium returns an EPA-rated 20/26/22 mpg city/highway/combined; the rest of the lineup is rated at 19/25/21 mpg.
Read More About the Subaru Ascent:
- What’s the Best 3-Row SUV for 2024?
- How Do Car Seats Fit in a 2025 Subaru Ascent?
- These Cars Do Well in Crash Tests for 2025, According to IIHS
- Research the Subaru Ascent
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