The cart before the horse theory, I guess. My soon to be SIL bought a new Subaru Ascent. Then he went out and bought a 4,400 lbs non-slide trailer. My first though was "A four banger towing a trailer?" Well, the specs say it can. He did. I asked how it felt. He said it was light on the front end. Okay....I got a WD hitch sitting in the garage toy can have. A few days later, he gets back to me. WD cannot be used on this uni-body car. Wutcha gonna do now? Hmmm....Maybe that 1999 F250 7.3 diesel truck you have sitting in the driveway can tow it? Better safe than sorry. He just didn't want his 2 precious labs to be uncomfortable in the back of the truck. Forget about the safety of my 2 10 year old grand twins.

Yep, the truck would be much better. Unfortunately, I don't think the specs work in the way he might think it does. The Ascent, per their website, caps out at 5,000 pounds tow capacity. If that 4,400 is GVWR, he's probably right at the limit of the ascent once loaded. If that 4,400 is dry, however, he's likely overloaded by a good 10-20%. Start talk about hitch ratings and payload and I'll bet you start finding other ratings that are out of line as well. You're dead on - cart before the horse. Sadly, not a new or unusual tale that we hear on these board.

Wife drives an Outback and it's a great car...but not designed for towing. Sure, ours says 2700lbs towing capacity, but no way would I do it. Four of us, suitcases, roof top carrier with beach stuff (and dirty laundry on way home) and you can FEEL the weight. Ours says no WDH as well. Then again, we don't tow with it...it's a grocery getter and people mover.

I'd buy a slightly lighter trailer before I'd give up using the Ascent. It's a great SUV, 277 lbs. ft. of torque, and a perfect daily driver when you're not towing (which will be the vast majority of the time).Just my opinion.

We all have learn. Your SIL is no different. Pay a call on the RV salesman...”Why, son, your Subaru Ascent can pull anything on this lot!”

I would probably use the WDH anyway.Maybe target 50% front axle weight restored vs. 100%. It seems lower risk to damage the receiver than running down the highway @65mph with a light front end.

Subaru Ascent towing 4,400 pounds | Good Sam Community

17 Replies

mkirsch
Nomad II
Aug 31, 2020
RambleOnNW wrote:
Factory recommended oil on that turbo Ascent is 0W-20. Not sure I’d want that towing.

That's a new one on me. Care to cite any documentation that may support your assertion?

0W does not mean "zero lubrication." It simply means it is a very thin oil at room temperature. The tolerances in the engine are extremely tight, requiring that grade oil.

That said, the 8.1L in my Chevy 3500 specifies 5W-30 and is rated to tow something like 14,000lbs, and I would not have any qualms about pulling 16,000+ with it. The oil is not THAT much thicker.
Durb
Explorer
Aug 29, 2020
1320Fastback wrote:
That Subaru is going to have a very short life.

Especially that continuously variable transmission.
RambleOnNW
Explorer II
Aug 29, 2020
Factory recommended oil on that turbo Ascent is 0W-20. Not sure I’d want that towing.
1320Fastback
Explorer
Aug 22, 2020
That Subaru is going to have a very short life.
gmwelder86
Explorer
Aug 21, 2020
Thing I would be worried about with the suby is the cvt tranny. I daily a forester and wouldn’t want to tow anything with it. It’s a great car and does it’s job great but wouldn’t put anything full height behind it.
frankwp
Explorer
Aug 19, 2020
APT wrote:
He has plenty of power for long grades.

Maybe if it was a fold up trailer, but certainly not a full height trailer that weighs in at 5000+ lbs and a car with 600 - 700 lbs of people & dogs.
APT
Explorer
Aug 19, 2020
He has plenty of power for long grades. I don't know about cooling capacity. Stability on highways, 2-lane highways and large vehicle pass the other way, multi-lane highways, strong winds, etc.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Aug 19, 2020
Eh, I'm not the weight cops by a long shot and I wouldn't want that combo attached to my hands and right foot!
rexlion
Explorer
Aug 19, 2020
I can't see how he could be within the vehicle-specified 500 lbs hitch weight limit with that TT. Not only is it going to be light on the steering, it will also be at risk of tearing the receiver off the car. Ask him how he'd feel if his TT rips away and careens into oncoming traffic at 60 mph. Subaru saying to not use WD could indicate that the sheet metal where the receiver is mounted can't take the strain, so what will overloading the receiver do?

And trying to load more stuff in the rear of the TT to compensate will only make the handling squirrely, risking sway.

He's got about 700 lbs of humans plus dogs in there, plus the hitch weight, plus who knows what else... the rear suspension will be hard pressed, as will the rear tires.

Offer to take that TT to the scale and weigh it for him, maybe?
BurbMan
Explorer II
Aug 19, 2020
A1ARealtorRick wrote:
I'd buy a slightly lighter trailer before I'd give up using the Ascent. It's a great SUV, 277 lbs. ft. of torque, and a perfect daily driver when you're not towing (which will be the vast majority of the time).

Just my opinion.

No need, he can just borrow Dad's F-250 when he takes the trailer out :B