2003 Subaru Baja
Latest Legacy rendition takes Subie doin’

(All photos by Greg Jarem)
Subaru doesn’t “do” demographics... that’s straight from the company’s mouthpiece.

That being the case, it was hard for us to pin down just where Subaru is aiming the latest rendition of the Legacy—a car-based trucklet named Baja. We heard much ado about surfers and the like, but even the surfer crowd is an ambiguous fold. And, with Subaru looking for 24,000 Baja buyers annually, it may need to hang more than 10.

Subaru will find buyers, even if they’re mostly the same up-streamers who adore Subie’s stable of practical all-wheelers; even if it has to snag them with something that isn’t all that new.

2003 SUBARU BAJA
  • Arriving: September 2002
  • Base price: $24,520
  • Powertrain: 2.5-liter, 165-hp, 166-lb-ft H4; awd, four-speed automatic, five-speed manual
  • Curb weight: 3485 pounds
  • 0 to 60 mph: 10 seconds (est.)
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    With Baja, Subaru is doing something it already did with the Brat, the cute two-seater with a truck bed that Subaru sold here from 1977 to 1987. Baja is a car with much of the utility of a small truck.

    But don’t call Baja a Brat—and don’t think Baja buyers will look for the mere cute factor. The Baja is heavier and more powerful than the Brat, and lacks its rear-facing “fighting chair” seats in the cargo bed. Outback-like cladding that extends to the plastic fuel flap contrasts the featherweight character of the Brat and, instead has the 3485-pound Baja looking strong and bulky. Add a set of 16-inch Bridgestone Potenzas dressing prominent alloys, raised suspension that affords 7.3 inches of clearance, a set of optional roof-mounted rally lights and a pair of chrome rally bars and Subaru has possibly concocted a legitimate pickup-beater for rally enthusiasts.

    Yet the Baja shouldn’t be considered a pure truck, even though Subaru-issued comparison data often pit it as the cream of the pickup category and NHTSA dubs it a light truck for CAFE purposes.

    For starters, Subaru has employed all of the goodness of its all-wheel-drive stability to the Baja’s unibody frame, making its rack-and-pinion power-assisted steering sturdy and confident on roads where the majority of pickups would be bouncy and jittery and would struggle to maintain control. Pothole-ridden freeways and choppy dirt roads are managed with a grace unknown to the truck crowd. It doesn’t hurt that the Baja has four-wheel independent suspension and spreads weight a bit more liberally over the rear axle than your traditional pickup.

    Many of the people we encountered who were legitimately interested in the Baja and not just attracted by its eccentric yellow paint (red, silver and black will be available) were asking two questions: How much and how versatile?

    The Baja rolls in at $23,995 for a manual, $24,795 for an automatic, with a destination charge of $525. Options are few, but one we liked was a set of heavy-duty rubber floor mats. The optional roof-mounted lamps would be great for lighting late-night hockey games on the pond, but aren’t functional unless the parking brake is engaged. Option prices are yet to be announced. Vehicles go on sale Sept. 1.


    Subaru's 'Switchback' (above) offers a new versatility to the company's lineup. Baja's bed extender (below) allows 60.5 inches of cargo in the rear.

    As for the question of versatility, those who remember Chevy’s El Camino and Ford’s Ranchero will be intrigued by this version of the car/truck merger. (We wonder which of the big two will bring back its updated retro vehicle first...)

    Subaru designed what it calls a “Switchback” system into the rear of the Baja’s cab, which serves as a 30-inch- wide cubbyhole for narrow toys like kayaks and skis, as well as the occasional two- by-four to slip through. The switchback—not quite an Avalanche midgate, but far more convenient and safer than a pickup’s sliding rear glass—is accessed by folding the rear cushion forward and the one-piece backrest down. A panel is then collapsed in the front wall of the bed and rests flush with the collapsed seat. The only inconvenience is losing the two back seats. Also, the foot-high cubby is not as big as it seems.

    The bed, connected directly to the body, is reinforced with a layer of steel below and a sturdy plastic lining. Bed width is 49 inches. Length of the bed is 41.5 inches, and extends to 60.5 inches with the tailgate down and optional plastic extender used (the same plastic cage-like structure employed by Ford’s Explorer Sport Trac). Bed length extends to 91.5 inches with the switchback open—think six-foot sticks of lumber, not four-by-eight sheets of anything.

    For those who insist on driving with the tailgate down, Subaru has contrived a swing-down license plate holder that manually flips below the tailgate. The bed extender is lightweight and easily install-ed or removed, and there’s an optional tonneau cover.

    The Baja has a 2400-pound towing capacity, which is rated 400 more pounds than other Legacy models. It comes with a standard luggage rack. Subaru has begun working with aftermarket houses to extend the goodies that can be bolted on.

    At 193.3 inches long the Baja outstretches Subaru’s Outback wagon by seven inches, though its front half is adapted directly from Subaru’s standard Outback, with a few minor fascia and grille changes. The front buckets are standard, with a square of gray perforated leather accenting the black leather, and wear Baja embroidery. The rear perch is leather, and offers ample legroom and easy access thanks to a pair of full-sized rear doors. A hard plastic console runs down the middle of the back bench, providing room for cup cribs and stow space.

    The rest of the interior is dressed in black leather and plastic with a smattering of gray tones (its glovebox—yeech) to offset any implication of interior opulence. The silver-metallic plastic that dresses window controls, shifter column and climate knobs resembles aluminum, but is still obviously plastic. Thankfully, Subaru hasn’t tricked out its Baja enough to distract buyers from its origin or add even more to a hefty price tag.

    The same goes for the car’s powerplant. Subaru called upon its horizontally opposed 2.5-liter boxer four that motors its Legacy L and GT sedans as well as the base Outback, and mates it to your choice of either a four-speed auto or five-speed manual transmission.

    Even though the Baja appears fit to do some significant off-the-path motoring, and has the drivetrain to do so, the vehicle won’t break any records on a homemade truck rally course. The mill turns out 165 horsepower and 166 lb-ft, adequate for everyday driving, but that left us underwhelmed when climbing steep inclines or launching from a dead stop. While American Subaru executives seem bullish on the prospect of the Baja getting Subaru’s 3.0-liter six, Japanese executives seem set on keeping the Baja tame. The same goes for an auto-manual Subaru will put in the Legacy GT this year.

    No matter what the future holds for the Baja, one thing is true: It adds flavor to a lineup that could easily become staid in the eye of Joe Public. What’s more, it’s a heck of a lot more fun than yet another pickup truck.
     
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