Subaru Baja

Subaru manufactured the Baja, a light-utility four door, four passenger car-based pickup from 2003 to 2006. Indeed, the Subaru Baja was a mid-sized sedan with a load-carrying open bed in the back. A midgate provided for the front wall of the bed and the rear seatback to fold down into the passenger area. This increased the bed length from 41 to 60 inches. The rear window, however stayed in place, so that the size and shape of whatever was put in the back had some limitations. In other words, it was good for unsecured package delivery in good weather. Since there is almost always good weather in Baja California, it was aptly named.

Features included a dual illumination bed light, four bed tie-down hooks, standard roof rails to add load capacity. It had two distinctive stainless steel flying buttresses behind the passenger compartment to provide added structural reinforcement for the open bed. The spare tire was mounted under the rear bed, operable by a cable winch accessible from a panel in the bed.

At first, the Subaru Baja had a 2.5 liter, 165 horsepower, flat 4-cylinder engine and a 5-speed manual transmission was standard with a 4-speed automatic optional. Later, a turbocharged version of the 2.5 liter engine became available. Its all-wheel drive, ample ground clearance, and versatile cargo space provided versatility for outdoor sports enthusiasts such as those who like mountain biking, kayaking, and camping. However, the towing capacity of the Baja was rated at just 2,000 pounds for the automatic and 2,400 pounds for the manual shift version and this limited outdoor use.

Unlike most pickups, the Baja used unibody construction, so its cargo box was part of the main body and not a bolted-on appendage. A bed liner was included and roof mounted “sports activity” lights and a bed cover were available options.

Although Baja represented a novel concept, for a variety of reasons including the specialized market that was not fully developed, the limited passenger space, and the features that were not in tune with the more general market at the time, the Baja did not live up to expectations. Subaru projected selling 24,000 of the Baja per year. However, over four and a half years only 30,000 were sold when the model was discontinued in April 2006 just as fuel prices were going up and fuel economy was becoming more important in the market.