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The Sport might fall under $20k street price, then. That's good - it sneaks below a psycological barrier.
-juice
Impressions:
1) Silky-smooth engine+transmission. Downshifts easily and quickly. Suspension works very well, no body roll.
2) Steering's a tad overboosted for my taste, but quick and precise.
3) Brakes seem to be better than in my Forester, at least no "mushy" impression.
4) Instruments look nice and easy-to-read, but what's up with yellow hands on all gauges?
5) Power seat is a blast to have.
6) A/C feels very powerful and generally worked well, but I felt a bit of exhaust was being sucked in even in the Recirc mode. Then again, there was that old truck with puffs of heavy smoke in front of me, and maybe no Recirc mode can save from some exhaust fumes in this case.
7) I wish side mirrors and rear-view mirror were a bit bigger. I thought current mirrors are adequate but if someone needs to tow behind Baja, they'd be too smal.
8) Factory tint looks very good.
9) Yellow is not my cup of tea, but all-silver, red-silver and black-silver Bajas all look pretty sharp.
All and all, it feels as a fun vehicle to have!
Is it a 5-speed or an automatic? You might want to get it out on to the interstate, and see what it revs at highway speeds. I've driven several 5-speed Bajas, and to me, they rev a bit high at any given speed. I think they're geared down from the Outback. I know the EPA ratings are about 2 mpg less than a comparable Outback, and it's probably due to the lower gearing.
Bob
I think I have yellow guage hands, too. Yours are red, IIRC, I think Bob's has those too. That changed for MY2001 on Foresters.
I do think they have a shorter final drive to make up for the extra weight, so yeah it might rev higher than an Outback. But that's how a little engine pulls all that weight to 60 in 9.3s or so.
-juice
Does Baja have a variable booster for steering? Steering felt excessively light in slow motion and on the parking lot, but was pretty much OK at high speeds.
Gated shifter takes some getting used to. So far, I liked the "straight" one more.
Hanging license plate (when you drop the tailgate) is really neat.
Bob
This appears to be a hard bed cover, shown at Detroit, on the new Baja Sport. It definitely looks different from the cover shown in the Baja brochure, which was a soft bed cover. I wonder if it locks (It sure better!!)?
Bob
-mike
More pixs in Future Models thread.
Bob
Bob
I do believe the power steering varies its assist.
So price and some of the accessories are being addressed as they go, I just hope it's not too late to save it.
They should have two models - the Sport and the Turbo. And the turbo should add just the engine itself, no frills. Make leather a stand-alone option.
-juice
So, in short, Bob was correct: Baja does need revving up, more than you'd expect from a pickup. BUT -- if I was into gardening or some extensive woodworking, or active sports where gear gets wet and dirty -- I would buy Baja on the spot. Brakes are the best I ever tried in Subarus. My Forester is not even close. Ride and maneuverability are superb for a small pickup.
My recommendations for SOA for Baja improvements:
a) H6! H6! H6!
b) cheapen the interior (cloth would do fine)
c) drop the price
d) offer many toys and customization extras as options.
e) did I say H6?
-juice
Bob
Though for CAFE purposes it's a truck, so Subaru could go whole-hog and still meet CAFE easily.
-juice
Overall, Baja did not feel like it lacks the power, but it was sometimes hard to get the power out of the engine on time.
On my way back from the dealer, I checked how my Forester behaves on the same road. My impressions (but remember I compare old car with 60K mi vs nearly brand new one with 2.5K mi):
-- Forester is louder inside than Baja
-- Baja's steering is a bit more precise
-- Baja brakes work much much better
-- Baja feels definitely smoother and maybe a bit quicker to shift when accelerating 0-50 mph.
-- Forester is easier to get to higher speeds. Forester feels more "linear": it feels that getting from 30 to 50 is about the same time/effort as from 50 to 70. In Baja, getting from 30 to 50 is very smooth, quick and quiet, but from 50 to 70 is a different story.
-- Baja rides much better over potholes (longer wheel base?)
-- Baja has surprisingly small turning radius. I expected it would be much harder to turn it around in a tight spot than it really was.
-juice
I'm hoping the Baja Sport will be available with the turbo...but if not the price will hopefully be very attractive.
On my loaner Baja, I found visibility very good. I could see the upper edge of tailgate in the rear view mirror, and it helped me when backing up. It was 1st time in my life when I had to backup in pickup, and seeing tailgate's edge was really helpful.
Front view is very good. Side view seemed normal. Actually, being a bit lower than Forester, Baja was better in letting me see small cars in side lanes. On Forester, it sometimes hard to see a low-sitting sports car on your side.
Side mirrors seemed okay, but for towing you may perhaps want a bit bigger ones. Rear view mirror was okay too, fully sufficient, but if you want, you can always upgrade it to a bigger one, via aftermarket.
Thanks again for your input.
-juice
Bob
-juice
Hence: Headlights, black door handles and black outside mirrors from the Legacy L. Think of the Baja much like the Legacy L-SE in terms of content.
Bob
OK, lower the price and come out with many, many ingenious accessories (as Kate mentioned). Make money the way gameboy does.
Saw a yellow one yesterday. I think I like it. Would probably go with yellow (since it is funky anyway) or silver to offset lower cladding.
Greg
Scroll to the middle of the page
Dave
http://www.snugtop.com/p_snuglid.htm
D
"I apologize for the delay in getting back to you regarding a hard bed cover for the 2003 Baja. Your patience is appreciated.
I have been advised that two aftermarket companies should soon be offering hard bed covers for the 2003 Baja. These lockable hard top covers are not genuine Subaru accessories and Subaru is not in a position to endorse or recommend them. Therefore, it is up to potential purchasers to satisfy themselves that the covers meet their quality, safety, performance and other needs. Subaru cannot assume responsibility for any failure of these covers to perform properly or to meet purchasers' expectations.
The first is a lockable hard bed cover manufactured by Penda. It is a stylish way to protect your gear. Gas filled struts allow for easy opening and trouble-free loading. This one-piece cover is easily removed to carry tall or oversized items. The other lockable hard bed cover is manufactured by SNUGTOP. It features a two-piece removable design. Gas struts raise the rear section for easy access. This cover is color coded to the Baja exterior for a custom look.
The vendors will only sell the covers directly to dealers. They will not sell direct to customers. Potential customers must go to the Subaru dealer of their choice. The dealer can then order the cover for them. Since these are not genuine Subaru products, Subaru dealers are not obligated to stock or order these and some may choose not to do so. Pricing is strictly between the dealer and the customer. Subaru of America has no recommended retail price on these covers as they are not Subaru of America items and are not purchased by Subaru of America.
I have been advised that these companies should soon begin to manufacture and offer these covers. Please contact your local Subaru dealer sometime towards the end of next month for updated information.
While we cannot endorse these products, we hope that they will fulfill the needs of some of our Baja owners. I hope that this information is helpful."
Bob
It does look neat, but I'd like to have some way of removing it and storing it while still being able to carry tall cargo.
-juice
What I meant by that was, if you are going to have a cargo cap, by all means make it a hard locking cap, and not a soft tonneau cover that offers little in the way of security.
Bob
It basically has to be easy to remove, preferably with a place to store it (on board).
-juice
How 'bout a semi-rigid cover that rolled out and over the bed? They should be creative.
-juice
Bob
-mike
--jay
-juice
Forester performed flawlessly, but at some point I really wished I had a Baja, to just drop all the boxes into the cargo bed, instead of playing TETRIS every time we had to stick yet another box into the already-up-to-the-gills loaded Forester.
Though at some point payload becomes an issue. Baja has slightly more, I think, but maybe not enough to do it all in one trip.
-juice
The issue was not so much a payload but just space and convenience. In the open cargo bed, we would have loaded a pile of boxes and be done. In the closed space of Forester, and with those struts sticking out, we really had to try different combinations before we could fit our boxes. It still was impressive how much Forester can carry.
But the Forester roof rack really proved very useful when we carried mattresses helping our friends to move. Since that I've proclaimed the Forester The Official Mattress Transporter Vehicle.
Keep in mind you should tie down any gear in the Baja so it doesn't fly out and become a projectile in a collision.
-juice