Subaru Baja

[Timmy-The-Ute]

Another SUT type of vehicle tat might be compete with Sport-Trac is the Subaru Baja. It's small and less cost. Any opinions?

 

[Mark B]

This is supposed to be the last year they'll offer Baja. I've sat in one. I occasionally miss driving a 5-speed car and thought the Baja might fill the bill but couldn't talk myself into it.



Didn't like:

- Styling, too much plastic cladding like a Crapalanche, just not a clean design

- Underpowered except w/ turbo which hurt MPG

- Only seats 4, middle of back seat is a console

- No compelling incentives

- Couldn't find a 5-speed to test drive



It's really not in the same class as a ST but I've read the tubbo' is fun to drive.

 

[Jake Antcliff]

I just don't like its look or feel, too much of a car. But those are just my personal opinions. Seems like a good "car" though.

 

[Nelson Atwell]

I think they modeled it after this Skoda model. I used to rent one of these in Turkey -- great on gas, but very low performance. It was fun to drive though. It was very manuveurable.

 

[A K]

The Baja is built on the old Legacy/Outback platform. With the 2005 Legacies and Outbacks out, unless Subaru plans to retrofit the model to the new look and tooling, it may be discontinued. It's like the Sport Trac up to 2005 - a parts bin creation.



I am a fan of Subaru's (mum just purchased an '05 Legacy GT Ltd with the 250 HP Turbo) but the Baja never really impressed me. It was too much look without enough utility.

 

[Dre L]

I got one stuck in my tire the other day, I wouldn't say it's in competition with the SUT's, but ... no, hell it can't compete for anything... I mean what's the point of a pickup bed in a car? At least the El Camino had a full size bed, the Trac has a 50" bed all around, the baja has got to be half that, what the hell are you going to fit in there?



Before writing this I thought it was a good flex option for a car, but why not just cut a hole in the trunk lid for christ's sake.



I hated them, then they grew on me, now I hate them again.



I'm not biased, I didn't even like Tracs when I first saw them, and I hated all Explorers, but I am a little tired of this "Hey those are selling great, let's put a bed in the back of everything" frenzy.



So far here's the list of bed ridden vehicles to follow the Trac:



Crapalanches

Bajas

PT Cruisers

Hondas

Mercedes

Hummers



and finally



Sport Tracs - because everyone ripped it off now Ford goes and redesigns it as a sport truck.



But you said it yourself, it's small and costs less, so if that's what you're looking for go for it.



I was looking for a RAM 1500, but they redesigned them and I realized it was too big for NYC, and so was an F150 SCREW. Settled on an Escape, and somehow bought a Trac.

 

[Timmy-The-Ute]

Didn't know it was being dropped. They looked liked they have updated it to compete.

 

[Mike Wilson]

Is anyone here old enough to remember the old subaru brat?(I think that is what it was called).

Had the little pickup bed in the back and the two "jump-seats" that you could sit in, in the bed...

anyone see where I'm going with this?... Maybe we could mod the bed of the st's for this (obviously for shows or nostalgia, etc.. whatever). With all the safety requirements nowadays, I don't see it being street legal, but wouldn't it be fun for tooling around the campground or private property?!.

 

[Travis Munday]

nobleman, what HAVE you been smoking?



First off, the Baja has a 41" bed, still not exactly spacious, but bigger then it looks.



Secondly, what's with that list of yours? Only four on there makes models with beds...the fullsize Avalanche (Chevy), the midsize Ridgelinge (Honda), compact Baja (Subaru) and the fullsize Hummer 1/2.



Mercedes doesn't make anything with a bed that is sold in the States, neither does Chrysler.



And finally, for the record..if you want to talk about a company "stealing" another company's idea with this whole slap-a-small-bed-on-a-four-door-SUV/Car/Truck/Van craze, point your finger at Ford. Don't forget the original Hummer was avaible in a four door truck version. Fullsized cab, small little bed, Ford didn't pioneer it, Ford simply brought it to the masses. Even then, the Hummer wasn't the first, but I'm just using it as an example. Shoot, even Lamborghini built a four-door truck with a small bed in 1986, the <a href="http://www.lambocars.com/lm/lm002.htm" target="top">LM002</a>



I wish people would fact check sometimes.....

 

[Cajun]

tracnblack

My brother just bought a Brat w/ rear seats from a old guy down the street (original owner) and is the process of restoring it. From what I understand the seats were put in the back so it could be classified as a four passenger vehicle and not a 2 seater sports car. I've always like them and they've really fun to drive.

The guy was a Shriner and used it to haul around a rare (in US anyway) Honda Gyro which my brother also bought from him



[Broken External Image]:

 

[Dre L]

Slow down tiger I said:

Hey those are selling great, let's put a bed in the back of everything

I never said Ford pioneered it, just that they put one out and it was selling great, and now everyone wants one.



THAT IS RIPPING SOMEONE OFF.



Here's another example, remember a few years back when the movie Armageddon came out... followed by Asteroid, Meteor, Deep Impact, Don't Tell Mom the Asteroid is dead, and Flaming balls of fire from space?



Someone makes something, sells a few, and the other companies run to sell something very similar, that's BS in my book. A few years down the road maybe, but not all in the same time frame.



As for cargo space, be my guest, put your bikes or whatever in there, go ahead.



Subaru even went as far as an avalanche style door to allow 60" into the cab... just like a car with a fold down 60/40. (GOLF CLUBS AND SKIS)



Heres some Trac trivia, a Jaguar can fit about 4 golf bags in the trunk... I got 10 in the trac. I moved a complete dining room set for 4 in the trac. Wow, same class, we're competing now.



This is like when they rated a pacifica in the same class as the Trac and said it had a lower rollover rating.





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[Tom Schindler]

Nobleman,



Just make sure you get your fact straight ;-) (I read the article in Autoweek a few weeks back, I knew exactly what you were talking about)





Tom

 

[Mark B]

Here's a classic. Put a bed on the back of a Rabbit. Yeah, right.



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[Travis Munday]

I guess no one knows the meaning of the word "CONCEPT" anymore, or know the powers of Photoshop.

 

[Tom Schindler]

Or someone that reads Autoweek for an article about the New Mercedes Truck.





Tom

 

[Gerald Pierce]

here's one from 83. I had an 82, and loved it.... but it got bad cancer in IL.[Broken External Image]:

 

[Travis Munday]

<a href="http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=105633" target="top">"STUTTGART, Germany — Mercedes-Benz <i>reportedly is considering development</i> of a four-door pickup."</a>



Picture look familiar?

<img src="http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/pictures/VEHICLE/2006/Mercedes-Benz/100511160/20024195-E.jpg">



Like I said...MB does not sell (or even have a prototype) of a four-door truck intended to be sold in America.

 

[Dre L]

Fine, they ripped off their concepts. They took inspiration for a proposed model from someone else and advertised it as "something we're (thinking) of doing" or they actually did it. Feel better.



Maybe they ripped Ford, maybe they ripped Subaru, maybe, but they still ripped it off.



It's like that Pepsi commercial, if Sean Combs drove a diet pepsi truck everyone would be selling them.



And if you want to talk about pioneers, I take it back, Ford did pioneer mating a truck bed to a car, so yes, EVERYONE RIPPED OFF FORD on the non-pickup pickup concept.

 

[Fudged Undies]

I still like the monochromatic black baja that was posted on a similar discussion last year somtime. Can it compete with the trac? Don't think so, but with the STi setup so you can move when you want to and room to haul some stuff when you need to. It's one hell of a vehicle. Don't know what it's like on the inside or how comfortable it is but atleast on paper it looks pretty nice.



<img src="http://www.import-heaven.net/images/specs/subaru_baja_turbo_03.jpg">

 

[Nelson Atwell]

I don't think anyone could call Ford copycats on this idea.



Check out the 20-inch rims and side stepbars. I think they need some chrome-plating. Bling-bling! I always liked the step-side beds. :lol:



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1916 Model T pickup