Month: October 2018

Enlarge / Scenic riding, one of life's great pleasures in 1899 and 2018.

Red Dead Redemption II is not a tale about people who often do good things, as protagonist Arthur Morgan sums it up early in the game. This game’s central band of outlaws is sympathetic at times but never blameless.

Ostensibly, this dirty lens weaves an earnest story about these outlaws struggling to survive on the edge of modernity. Indeed, many of the vignettes found in this fictionalized version of the American West are beautiful, and many of the real-world experiences of vagabonds and frontier folk are distilled into some exceptional arcs. But these plains are vast, and not everything on offer presents a clear vision.

As Arthur Morgan, you take on the role of the gang's enforcer, and you get to manage Arthur’s life like an elaborate Wild West Tamagotchi. You'll have to keep track of his food and water intake, keep him comfortable in all kinds of locales and temperatures, and even manage his mane and beard. On top of that, you can hunt for food, track down outlaws, run heists, and bond with your horse (which means training, feeding, and caring for it in turn). I could go on.

Enlarge (credit: Eric Bangeman)

Subaru customers are well-known for their love of the brand, ranking at or near the top of vehicle manufacturers when it comes to loyalty. But what happens when long-time Subaru drivers outgrow their Outbacks and Foresters? Until this year, they would've needed to jump ship, as Subaru has largely been absent from the world of three-row SUVs. That has changed with the 2019 model year, with the debut of the Subaru Ascent, a three-row SUV that can carry seven or eight passengers.

At 197in (5,003mm) long and 76in (1,930mm) wide, the Ascent is the largest car in Subaru's lineup. And if there's a record for cupholders, Subaru probably owns it now, with 19 sprinkled throughout the car. At first glance, though, the Ascent doesn't necessarily look like it belongs in the Subaru lineup. The Japanese carmaker's station wagons, crossovers, and SUVs have a familiar shape and style. The Ascent, on the other hand, looks more like a generic SUV with a higher hood line than its Subaru siblings. There's the familiar black Subaru grille, trimmed in chrome, with the unmistakeable badge front and center. And the raised roof rails are standard. Aside from those details, however, the Ascent doesn't scream "Subaru" at the same volume as an Outback or Crosstrek.

Built on the same new Subaru Global Platform used in the Crosstrek and Impreza, the Ascent is geared toward comfort and a quiet ride. For the chassis, that means highly stiffened joints between structures and optimized cross sections for better stability, comfort, and agility (to the degree that a seven-passenger SUV can be agile). Subaru is also using acoustic front-door glass and windshield to try and keep road noise to a minimum (more on that below).