2003 Subaru Baja Review

The manager of the exotic car dealership I visited glanced at the screaming yellow Subaru Baja with its silver lower body and tailgate plastic cladding and said with a faint smile, "Come back any time, but don't drive anything like that here again!'' Some people had the same thumbs-down reaction to the 2003 Baja when I was testing it. But others waved and gave a thumbs-up when they saw the vehicle, which was inspired by Subaru's ST-X concept vehicle and goes on sale Sept. 1. About 24,000 of the made-in-Indiana Bajas are expected to be annually sold in America. Giving my test Baja an off-road look were standard fog lights with stone guards and optional roof-mounted lights. However, the lights only are functional with the parking brake on so they doesn't violate lighting laws.

The continuing move to more versatile specialty vehicles has led to the introduction of the all-wheel-drive Baja, which essentially is a mid-size combination station wagon/pickup truck with four doors and a small pickup bed. The Baja is based on Subaru's comfortable Legacy/Outback station wagon, which is sold as a carlike alternative to truck-base sport-utility vehicles. Subaru characterizes the four-door Baja as a new type of "crossover'' vehicle that blends the versatility of a compact four-door pickup with an auto's driving feel and comfort. The Baja costs $23,995 with a five-speed manual gearbox and $24,795 with a responsive four-speed automatic transmission. It's well-equipped with such items as air conditioning, AM/FM/CD, cruise control, power driver's seat, tilt wheel and "breathable'' perforated leather upholstery. Also standard are keyless entry, rear defogger and power moonroof, windows, door locks and mirrors. There also are standard roof rails and cross bars.

The Baja meets safety standards for cars and has Subaru's Ring-Shaped reinforcement frame body structure that is said to help provide it with good protection in a variety of collisions. The manual and automatic-transmission Baja models have different all-wheel-drive systems. Both power all wheels all the time and can transfer more power to wheels with the best grip. With either system, the Baja includes a viscous limited-slip rear differential and heavy duty raised four-wheel independent suspension that provides 7.3 inches of ground clearance to provide all-road capability, although Subaru suggests only "off-road trail driving.''

Steering is precise, and the suspension and large wheels and tires help provide good handling. A four-wheel anti-lock brake system provides decent stopping power, although the pedal is rather soft. Subaru provided four-wheel-drive cars more than 25 years ago and often has come up with unique vehicles and features, such as the sport-utility station wagon and standard all-wheel drive for all models. It even offered the small, cute 1977-87 Brat two-seat hardtop that had a pickup truck bed containing two rear-facing seats. But the noisy, uncomfortable Brat would be too crude for today's sophisticated hybrid--or "crossover''--market. The quiet Baja drives like a smooth car and seats four tall adults--if a tall driver doesn't move his seat back too far. Like the ST-X, the Baja is configured as a four-seat vehicle, with rear occupants having their own "captain's chair'' style individual seating.

Powering the Baja is a compact 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with horizontally opposed pistons that sits low in the chassis for better handling. It needs lots of revs for the best acceleration and provides average acceleration. However, the engine is geared to be relatively relaxed at highway speeds; the tachometer only registers 2,800 rpm at 70 mph. Fuel economy is an estimated 20 mpg in the city and 25 on highways with the manual transmission and 21 and 26 with the automatic. Only 87-octane gasoline is required. The Baja has a 41.5-inch-long pickup bed that has an integrated liner, sport bars, bed light and four tie-down hooks. It's too small with the rear seat in place and closed tailgate to carry things other than fairly small objects.

But the cargo bed is part of the Baja "Switchback System,'' which lets you reconfigure the rear seating area and bed to meet a variety of needs when moving people and cargo. For instance, folding the back seat forward provides extra cargo space inside the Baja. Lowering a pass-through door behind that folded seat significantly lengthens the cargo area. Use the optional aluminum-tube bed extender with the lowered tailgate and the bed can be lengthened to 91.5 inches. (A swing-down rear license plate bracket keeps the plate visible when driving with the tailgate down.) The bed length is 60.5 inches with just the tailgate down and the bed extender used. You gain 31 inches by lowering the back seat and using the pass-through area.

However, when stored in the bed between uses, the bed extender leaves only room for such things as a couple of ceiling fans from the local discount store with the back seat in its normal position. The interior has supportive front bucket seats and a nicely designed dashboard with easily read gauges and precise climate controls. Radio controls are too small for easy use, but there are decent dual front and rear cupholders in the front and rear consoles. Rear windows don't lower all the way. The Baja is the only auto-based pickup bed vehicle. The idea of a car-based pickup isn't new; the two-seat Chevrolet El Camino and Ford Ranchero car-pickups debuted in the 1950s, and Dodge, Plymouth and Volkswagen later offered such models. But none had the versatility or design sophistication of the Baja, which Subaru feels will be a successful niche vehicle.

2003 SUBARU BAJA

Prices:
$23,995-$24,795
Likes:
Versatile. Unique. Carlike. Cargo capacity.
Dislikes:
Small radio controls. Average performance. Tight legroom behind tall driver.