Ascent

Make
Subaru
Segment
SUV

Subaru seems to be on a roll of late. Still the most dominant seller of station wagons in the US, it's the go-to brand for those who want cars as adventure-ready as they are. Aside from the new Subaru BRZ sports car, all Subaru models get all-wheel drive, and almost all of them are abundantly capable off-road. Even more so when you look at rugged new derivatives like the Subaru Outback Wilderness that we recently drove. But this week, Subaru has teased a new model in the lineup, or rather a new special edition variant of the Ascent. Yes, the Subaru Ascent is getting the Onyx Edition treatment.

If the Onyx Edition name sounds familiar, that's because Subaru already offers this as a trim on the Outback. As a result, we expect the Ascent Onyx Edition to borrow the same sort of upgrades as the Outback is endowed with. In Subaru's teaser, they refer to it as a "darker, more dramatic Subaru Ascent" which pretty much sums up the Onyx Edition as little more than a styling package. We expect the three-row Ascent to inherit design elements like black alloy wheels, possibly 20 inches in diameter, Crystal Black Silica-finish side mirrors, black window surrounds, a black grille, and a unique interior. If it follows the Outback Onyx Edition, this will be upholstered in exclusive two-tone grey cloth.

The Outback Onyx Edition gets more power than lesser variants courtesy of a turbocharged motor. However, as all Ascent models are already powered by the same 2.4-liter turbocharged boxer - developing 260 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque - as the Outback Onyx Edition XT, we don't expect to see any change in performance. The Outback Onyx Edition is the most affordable of the turbocharged Outback derivatives, so if Subaru follows the same pattern, the Ascent Onyx Edition may come in under the $39,595 asking price of the Ascent Limited.

We'll know more when the Ascent Onyx Edition is officially unveiled next week on June 14.