Subaru Ascent Luggage Test: How much space behind the third row?

The Subaru Ascent is one of the smaller three-row crossovers on the outside, but not unlike the Honda Pilot, engineers managed to squeeze as much interior space as possible from that footprint to create one of the most space-efficient choices in the segment. That means you get a third row that's actually comfortable for teens and most adults, as well as one of the more useful cargo areas behind that third row.

The official numbers say it has 17.6 cubic-feet of space, but again, like the Pilot, the Ascent has an underfloor storage area that frees up a considerable amount of space for bags.

Here is the space behind the third row with the floor raised and the floor lowered. You can clearly see how much depth is gained.

Sadly, a not-insignificant amount of that underfloor space is eaten up by spare tire-related tools. This is ultimately the reason why the Pilot (and Kia Telluride) can hold more than the Ascent.

Before we get to the bags, note how the floor is actually hinged upward against the seat back. This means it doesn't have to be removed from the vehicle as in the Kia Telluride (the Pilot's floor slides down to become the bottom of the underfloor area).

To keep that floor board up, Subaru came up with this clever solution: Repurpose the third-row folding mechanism straps and their Velcro backing. Just de-Velcro them from the carpeted seat back, lift into air, lift up floor board, attach Velcro to floor board. Done.

I believe this is new to the Ascent, possibly for last year's midcycle update, as my previous Ascent test vehicles did not have it. You had to remove the floor completely before.

The Ascent has a cargo cover, which can be stored under the floor. This is obviously handy, but it does mean that if you forget to take it out, you can't use the underfloor bonus space. As such, I'll be testing with and without the bonus space.