Compare the2023 Subaru AscentVS 2022 Honda Pilot

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Ascent have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Honda Pilot doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Ascent are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Pilot doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Subaru Ascent has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Pilot doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Ascent has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Pilot doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Ascent (except Base) offers optional Reverse Automatic Braking that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Pilot doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Ascent. But it costs extra on the Pilot.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Ascent’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Pilot doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The Ascent (except Base/Premium) offers an optional Surround View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Pilot only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The Ascent Limited/Touring’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Pilot doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Ascent and the Pilot have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Subaru Ascent is safer than the Honda Pilot:

	Ascent	Pilot
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	21%	28%
Neck Compression	8 lbs.	46 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	210	216
Neck Injury Risk	33%	35%
Neck Compression	156 lbs.	478 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	35/30 lbs.	478/436 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Subaru Ascent is safer than the Honda Pilot:

	Ascent	Pilot
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	37	109
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.6 inches
Abdominal Force	73 lbs.	101 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	81	233
Spine Acceleration	27 G’s	42 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	149	406
Hip Force	637 lbs.	838 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Subaru Ascent is much safer than the Pilot:

	Ascent	Pilot
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Structure	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	82	206
Neck Tension	178 lbs.	335 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Torso Max Deflection	.98 in	1.22 in
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	915 lbs.	1339 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Tension	89 lbs.	178 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	MARGINAL
Torso Max Deflection	1.18 in	2.05 in
Torso Deflection Rate	9 MPH	12 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	201 lbs.	759 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Ascent its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Pilot last would have qualified as only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2019.

Reliability

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Ascent’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the Pilot’s camshafts. If the Pilot’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Ascent has a standard 190-amp alternator. The Pilot’s 130-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Honda With 4 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Subaru higher than Honda.

Engine

The Ascent’s 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 15 lbs.-ft. more torque (277 vs. 262) than the Pilot’s 3.5 SOHC V6.

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Ascent lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability without compromising ground clearance. The Pilot doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Ascent gets better fuel mileage than the Pilot 4WD (20 city/26 hwy vs. 19 city/26 hwy).

Transmission

The Ascent has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Pilot doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Ascent’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Pilot:

	Ascent	Pilot
Front Rotors	13.1 inches	12.6 inches

The Ascent’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Pilot are solid, not vented.

The Ascent stops much shorter than the Pilot:

	Ascent	Pilot
70 to 0 MPH	176 feet	183 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	114 feet	128 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	136 feet	153 feet	Consumer Reports

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Ascent’s wheelbase is 2.8 inches longer than on the Pilot (113.8 inches vs. 111 inches).

The Ascent’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (54.2% to 45.8%) than the Pilot’s (56.1% to 43.9%). This gives the Ascent more stable handling and braking.

The Ascent Touring handles at .80 G’s, while the Pilot Black Edition 4WD pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Ascent Touring executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Pilot Elite 4WD (27.2 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 27.8 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Ascent’s turning circle is 1.4 feet tighter than the Pilot’s (38 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Ascent has a 1.4 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Pilot (8.7 vs. 7.3 inches), allowing the Ascent to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Ascent Limited is quieter than the Pilot Elite 4WD:

	Ascent	Pilot
Full-Throttle	70 dB	78 dB
70 MPH Cruising	64 dB	67 dB

Passenger Space

The Ascent has 1.7 inches more front headroom, 1.3 inches more front legroom, .1 inches more rear headroom, .2 inches more rear legroom, .2 inches more rear hip room and 1.3 inches more third row hip room than the Pilot.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Ascent is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Pilot. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

The Ascent’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Pilot’s parking brake has to be released manually.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Ascent’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Ascent Base). The Pilot doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its HondaLink Assist can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Ascent has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Pilot doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Ascent’s power mirror controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The Pilot’s power mirror controls are on the dash where they are possibly hidden by the steering wheel and are awkward to manipulate.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Ascent owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Ascent will cost $340 less than the Pilot over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Ascent is less expensive to operate than the Pilot because typical repairs cost much less on the Ascent than the Pilot, including $75 less for a water pump, $334 less for a muffler, $57 less for fuel injection, $177 less for a fuel pump, $138 less for a timing belt/chain and $394 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Subaru Ascent will be $4897 to $5135 less than for the Honda Pilot.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Subaru Ascent and the Honda Pilot, based on reliability, safety and performance.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its May 2020 issue and they ranked the Subaru Ascent Touring higher than the Honda Pilot Black Edition 4WD.

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