2025 Honda Pilot vs. Subaru Ascent | 3 Row SUV Review

[@TheTom2video]

I have a 2019 Subaru Ascent Touring. I love the vehicle. This was one of first run vehicle I bought. Had this since June 2018. Only have 62000 miles. One of the most comfortable vehicles I ever owned. Taken numerous trips between Baltimore and New York. Very comfortable.

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

That’s awesome, I’m glad you’re enjoying it!!

[@proudtexan5513]

We just bought our first Subaru! We bought the 2025 Subaru Ascent Limited and really like it so far. It has only about 500 miles on it so far. Steering is a little light compared to our 2016 Lincoln MKX Reserve model we traded i at 130,000 miles. Also, trying to get use to the very peppy gas pedal with this turbo engine compared to the naturally aspirated V6 we had in the Lincoln. Overall, very nice vehicle so far.

[@michaeljoos9753]

@@proudtexan5513 I came from a 2018 Ford Edge to a 23 Ascent Onyx, also found the Ascent steering to be very light compared to the Edge, but you will get used to it. Ascent steers like a sedan. Love my Ascent.

[@proudtexan5513]

@@TheTom2video Really appreciate your feedback and help! Hope you and I get many more miles to come! I agree on the light feel steering as it takes a little while to get used to. Thanks again for your reply.

[@chrisb9478]

Can’t go wrong with either of these! 👍🏻

[@MartinStockel]

Thanks for comparing these two vehicles side by side. I have a 2023 Subaru Ascent Limited AWD and would like to try a Honda next. It just looks like you would not be sorry with either vehicle.

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

Nice!! Yeah, I think they’re both great options.

[@tungol00]

v6 and a conventional automatic transmission, not a 4cylinder turbo and cvt, the pilot is a no brainer in my opinion.

[@freedomisnotnegotiable]

Subarus 4 cylinders are boxer engines. This particular engine is the original Sti engine. Engines that are proven. It has more torque and it has the full torque 275lb-ft at 2000 rpm!!! I thought the same first I came from a palisade and now have the Subaru it is so much faster and the handling is incredible. I also tested the Honda. Subaru s reliability ratings are great, there engines are old school and long history, same for the CVT. They use them since decades now it’s not a Nissan CVT.

[@kijijiuser4173]

@@freedomisnotnegotiable ENGINEs proven? Proven of what? Failing? lol CVT vs AT? Please make sense before you even post. Mechanic here, did saw a lot of issues with that CVT. goodluck

[@boygeorge19561]

@@kijijiuser4173 There is nothing bad about a CVT

[@kijijiuser4173]

@ that's your opinion.

[@freedomisnotnegotiable]

@@boygeorge19561 first I thought I don’t won’t to have the CVT because of Nissan they have this bad taste. But if you look into how Subaru does it and for how long it’s different. Now having that CVT I actually think it’s awesome and you always get the power. It’s not like a 9 or 10 speed where it has to shift 5 gears before you get power. Especially if you have full torque at 2000 rpm

[@Runningwithmike]

They need the Ascent wilderness vs pilot trailsport

[@qingdao2372]

In winter with deeper snow , you will know how to choose

[@TheTom2video]

Also want to mention furl economy. Driving local I get about 20-22 mpg. Straight high driving from Baltimore to New York is around 25-28 mpg. I almost got 29 a few times

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

Woah, 29mpg is awesome for one of those. I’ve often heard owners getting closer to the 20-22 range. Tomorrow morning I’ll share a video I did comparing the Ascent to a Palisade.

[@mimilong3817]

Hello! Thanks for you excellent video comparison. We currently have a 2015 Subaru Legacy with over 30k miles (it was garaged a lot). We are looking at the ascent and I’d like to know how well insulated the undercarriage is because our Legacy is very loud on the highway. We have to turn the radio up LOUD to hear it plus we have to speak very loudly to hear each other. Please let me know if there have been corrections to this issue. Thanks! And have a great weekend!

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

Great question and thanks for watching!! I don’t have any experience with the last generation Legacy platform as I only started filming cars a couple years ago. But I would imagine the never generation is mildly more quiet than the last generation that you have. And then the Ascent on the same set of tires should be slightly more quiet than the Legacy/Outback being a one class fancier vehicle (at least in my mind). But I’m only speculating. Test driving one and driving it in multiple wind/road situations is probably the best way to find the information you are looking for. Best of luck!!

[@mimilong3817]

@@AutomotiveAnonymous208 : Will do. Thank you so much!

[@audriusbaranauskas6227]

Nice job on the head to head comparison! Would be interesting to see the driving impressions driving them back to back. Given that at least on paper Pilot is a bit faster, but the Subaru turbo 2.4 has more torque especially low end torque.

[@erinbynight]

It’s disappointing that this Subaru’s powertrain doesn’t give any better EPA MPG numbers than the V6 next to it. Why bother?

[@kijijiuser4173]

so true. i feel like driving a truck with that gas mpg. eat a lot

[@tuan056585]

I like the Ascent style in/out with Pilot V6 engine and transmission. My 2007 Odyssey EXL was totaled by a run red light driver 6mo. ago. Its ODO was 285K miles at that time on an original V6 3.5L engine with 5spds Auto. I'm driving a 2024 Outback touring now with 2.5L and CVT transmission (I did think about the Accent, but I don't like the "turbo" engine) This is my first Subaru car in my life. The CVT is NOT that bad like you think. I bought Subaru because of its safety, MPG and quiteness interior. But the overall main reason was because Subaru gave me a good discount and low interest. I don't know about Subaru reability but I believe if I maintain and take care it regularly... It won't fail on me. The interior of Subaru looks nicer than Pilot especially with brown Napa leather combined with White diamond pear exterior.

[@abr7192]

An excellent comparison and well done presentation. You can’t go wrong with either of these vehicles. The Pilot has too much of a truck-like appearance for my taste. I am seriously considering the Ascent as a nice alternative.

[@louiep9862]

How many more consumers will purchase the Ascent if it had a traditional transmission.Such a large vehicle needs it.

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

That’s a good question!

[@eblet]

This is why it 10k cheaper.

[@JohnSmith-te2yg]

Yep, they've been futzing around with the CVT for 6 years and it's still mediocre at best. If only the Ascent had a great traditional autobox like the ZF8HP...

[@sanotyobe]

Symmetrical AWD used a lot of gas and thats the reason they use CVT.

[@DanielAcostaAZ]

Honda only offers the highest safety features for crash notification and emergency response on their Touring and Elite trims, whereas Subaru includes this on all trims. Comparably equipped, our Ascent was $10K less expensive.

[@CRVgarage]

Can't go wrong with Pilot, Ascent or Telluride. But if you plan on keeping your SUV for long, go with the V6.

[@freedomisnotnegotiable]

The telluride v6 is very questionable, I had the palisade and timing chain ticking started very early. The Subaru engine is the original sti, it’s a boxer, very reliable and an insane 275lb-ft torque at 2000 rpm, it’s like a Diesel. These old v6 are much more sluggish and the reliability on the Subarus is very good. Which is no surprise since they use the same engines in all models and now for decades. Again a boxer engine is something completely different than a V-engine. I wouldn’t want to have a 4 cylinder in these SUVs except if it’s a Subaru boxer… Porsche used to have boxer engines too they have their advantages if they are thought through and after 30 years those Subaru engines are very well defined! My new Subaru Ascent is so much better compared to the Palisade that I had.

[@1950rking]

After having two Outbacks, I decided to go with a 2025 Honda Pilot Touring AWD. The MSRP was $50,695, but Honda will deal and I got over $4300 off. I wanted to get away from the CVT that Subaru uses and I find many of the features easier to use on the Honda and more intuitive. An example is brake hold. There’s a simple button to activate and keep it on with the Honda whereas you must go through several screens to activate on the Subaru only to have to go through it all over every time the engine is shutoff. I don’t think either car is a bad choice. Too bad you didn’t compare equivalent trim levels.

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

Great insight, and thank you for sharing your personal example and experiences with Subaru and now your Pilot!

[@tungol00]

v6 and a conventional auto transmission is a better choice for sure.

[@MerlinMoorlo]

​@@tungol00 no. Inline 6 yes. But v6 always a problem

[@sansinutube]

Did you trade in? How did you negotiate that big a discount?

[@1950rking]

@@sansinutube I checked various dealerships in Western Washington. One had that price. I was able to get the one close to my home with the color I wanted to match the price. No trade involved.

[@MohammedHassan-dr9kv]

Ascent all the way. You get about the same on both but you pay on avg about 8 - 10k less for the Ascent as compared to the Pilot. No brainer.

[@RizHail]

Need advice for Cargo space 2nd row down. Can you do the measurements between the Wheel Wells left to right in inches. And cargo opening height up to down in inches? And length from passenger 2nd row control centre in the center to the cargo door opening length in inches? For both the cars?

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

The Pilot I used for this video has since sold and I don’t really have a Honda connection yet so I won’t be able to do that any time soon unfortunately. You might be able to find those measurements online, or ask owners in a forum. Best of luck and thank you for watching!

[@RizHail]

@ thank you for the response.

[@SifuBang]

Motor wise, I would take the updated Honda V6 to a boxer motor any day. Driving wise, Hondas will always feel sportier than most in its class.

[@sansinutube]

DId you get a chance to test drive these two? What is your opinion of how they compare in terms of lane tracing/centering and adaptive cruise control ?

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

Yup! I’ve driven a lot of Ascents, but this is the only Pilot I’ve driven. The Subaru safety features are amazing for the cost of the vehicle. In general they work a tad bit better than many rivals. I honestly don’t remember how well the Honda did. I would think at best it’s probably pretty similar and at worse it’s only a bit behind. But with this platform being new to me I apologize I didn’t get super into the safety features and trying them out. I think I still have a driving only video to post of the Pilot soon from the same day, but until we watch it I don’t remember how much or not I tested its safety features in such a short duration video. 😅

[@sansinutube]

@@AutomotiveAnonymous208 Thank you, love your channel. Packed with info.

[@ecastaneda51]

Love my pilot trailsport, i just wished they had the option for an 8 seater. I wouldnt be dissapointed with the ascent onyx edition, both are winners in my opinion.

[@blissfuljoy6049]

Have you had issues with the cars brake assist phantom braking ?

[@MotocaribeDR]

I never liked second-row captain's chairs, and it is difficult finding a solid second-row seat in this class.

[@angelas4681]

As a 3-time Subaru owner, Subaru's move to install that attention-sucking multifunction panel in all of their models is a deal-breaker for me. So disappointing.

[@Terrysoddy]

What exactly are you talking about, would like to know, thinking about getting one

[@jeejay98]

@@TerrysoddyShe meant that the center console controls are all in the touch screen. Our previous 2023 Forester has the AC controls separate. When that got totalled last month when we got rear ended, we started looking at the 2025 which is a new generation and we found the controls are cumbersome to manipulate. We still prefer that some controls should be left behind by themselves instead of being integrated in all-in-one. We opted to purchase the Lexus NX instead.

[@freedomisnotnegotiable]

It is not that bad, I don’t know why people complain so badly. There are still physical temperature buttons, physical volume Knoop, physical heated steering wheel… And the climate control is always visible. I like physical buttons and Subaru did not go full in, they found a decent middle way

[@denniss1211]

very good

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

I’m glad you enjoyed it!

[@madcatmeow196]

CVT is a deal breaker for me 👎

[@Official.ScottBrownCarpentry]

Making money is an action. Keeping money is behavior, but "growing money is wisdom".

[@DMETS519]

That screen on the pilot's dash, yeesh. I tested the Pilot. That screen obstructed outward visibility and was not integrated very well into it's surroundings. That was an easy deal breaker. Plus the Pilot was more expensive than the Ascent.

[@ayeleandinet]

I am trading in my 2022 Subaru legacy tomorrow to the Honda Pilot, was thinking to do it with Ascent, confused now, but my heart is telling me the Pilot, I will let you know which one i got by tomorrow

[@randykaminski6214]

I’m in the same spot, trying to decide between the two... Curious if you have the Pilot now, and how things are going? Thanks

[@albertatundra]

A CVT is so terrible they can't be compared to any automatic transmission.

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

Subaru makes a good CVT but I think their replacements are still way over priced. With that said this Honda’s 10 speed is quite stout and one of the best shifting modern automatics.

[@tungol00]

You got that right, that being said I way prefer the cvt in my crv vs the 8 speed conventional auto in her compass.

[@manishsingh1432]

Subaru no doubt

[@MerlinMoorlo]

ExL has paddle shifters wow

[@reyrey520]

Im so dizzy to much pointing back and port👎🏿

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

Sorry about that!