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Comments
Speaking of roof lights, if the vehicle is so equipped, those lights pretty much render the roof rack as otherwise useless, except for maybe skis and other skinny stuff.
Bob
The USA Today reviewer who questions the utility of the Baja seems to be focused on pickups. But there is more to "utility" that the size of the bed. How about driveablity? How about safety? PLUS a small open bed! A car-like drive and the options opened up by the open bed: that is "utility". Think outside the box -- the cargo box.
Bob: Yeah, I read that too. I bet it will be a simple wiring fix like that of the foglights being able to run w/highbeams instead of disengaging as it does normally. :-)
goldencouple: I totally agree with your take on utility. Sometimes the James reviewer character needs to step away and be a bit more objective, or at least put things in perspective. :-)
Stephen
Bob
A few years ago some yahoos blinded a state trooper or something and shot him in cold blood using the roof lights, so they made it illegal.
I'm sure there are other states that have similar laws.
The lights are all about image, nothing more. I'll bet the ones on the liberty have a similar feature. See the cafe for more about "image"
-mike
Sheesh! I ordered the tailgate extender and the lights, and may end up removing them half the time... I didn't remember to get the rubber floormats, and they're probably the thing I need the most. Is there a good online Subaru parts dealer that would be cheaper than my dealer on the Baja floormats?
Dan
Then you MUST join us on Sept 21 or some other time for a Pine Barrens Run! http://isuzu-suvs.com/events for details. The Baja would be at home there.
PA law states they need to be covered unless being used off-highway use.
-mike
-mike
Keep your eye on the Events section of Subaru Crew and the Tri-State Forum of i-club.com for Subaru meets. We've had meets in Cape May as well as just outside of Cherry Hill (RalliSpec in Hainesport. About 100 Scooby's there)
-Dennis
Same with the yellow color. It draws attention. I recall when Dodge launched the Neon, they had a hideous yellow and another awful green. They made a couple for showroom floors, to draw attention, but very few actually bought them. The idea is to create showroom traffic.
-juice
Mike/Dennis: Thanks for the invite! I'm down in Longport, about 4 miles south of Atlantic City. I will definitely frequent some owners groups from here - unfortunately, my fall is completely booked. I coach a local high school cross country team. We're really good, and there goes every weekend from Sept 7 through Thanksgiving. Maybe I can catch an event this spring or some fall Sunday if I visit my sister way up in Jackson.
Dan
-mike
Hmmm... Lite-rock stations have a somewhat older audience in terms of demographics. Certainly not the "surfer" crowd.
Bob
When I get the 6 disc changer in my 2003 Baja (or your subie) I will have: (insert your answers here)
1- KISS - Alive II
2- The Hives - Veni Vidi Vicious
3- Cheap Trick - At Budokhan
4- Nirvana - In Utero
5- The Vines - wife's CD, forget the title
6- The Ramones - Road to Ruin
My analysis - quasi middle-aged, two notches from their lite-rock advertising, but eerily close enough...
Play with me!
Dan
Mike k
I'm buying from Kerbeck in AC. They don't have the best rep among my friends, so I'm a little nervous about how I'll be treated. So far, so good, although I already had my original salesman leave. The new guy is nice enough. I went down to your dealer a few months ago to look at a WRX, but wisely decided not to drive around in it, in case I got hooked. Good advice, everybody!
Dan
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
Peter Gabriel - So
Metallica - Black Album
Tool - All CD's
Moody Blues - you pick
Have fun!
Patti
1. Amon Duul II--Yeti
2. Can--Ege Bamyasi
3. Genesis--Tresspass
4. Pink Floyd--1970 bootleg
5. Holger Czukay and Jaki Leibzeit--Full Circle
6. PFM-Per Un Amico
Holger and jaki, Can and Amon Duul are German.
PFM is italian.
TWRX
Don
Bob
Oh, I'll also admit to liking Bruch, Copeland and Dvorak. Still a romantic at heart.
Don
Don
Bob
Pro:
Very attractive in the silver monotone. The cladding was not as bad as I was expecting but perhaps the silver on silver made the difference. This truck looks better in person than in some of the photos I have seen.
The interior is very attractive and the selection of materials seems of high quality. Fit and finish were excellent overall. The front seats were comfortable and I found the back seat easy to fold.
Interior noise dampening was excellent.
Ride quality was excellent. Very sporty handling and fun to drive. Steering and brakes were about perfect.
Cons:
This truck is underpowered with the 4 cyl. engine and automatic transmission. I found that interstate merges were painfully slow. I did this twice just to make sure. I had three adult passengers in the vehicle at the time. I even thought that the 4cyl. engine was sluggish in typical stop and go city driving. To be fair, the last two cars that I have owned have had 6 cyl. engines so I may be a little spoiled by their power.
The back seat room is more cramped than I had imagined. I am 5’10” tall and I could feel my hair brushing the ceiling. I am convinced that someone 5”11” or taller would have to lean forward in order to have clearance. With the front seats adjusted for average room, I found that my knees were touching the seat backs. Front seat room was fine, however.
The optional and expensive stereo upgrade still seemed about average in quality.
The bed is a little smaller than I had imagined buy I still think that it would be useful. The optional bed extender does take up valuable room inside the bed.
These are strictly my opinions and others should test drive to see for themselves. I think I could live with the slightly cramped back seat but the engine power issue is a big one for me. I also wonder if the $27,253 sticker price might be a little high for the “surfer” crowd the vehicle is being marketed to.
If you have any questions feel free to email me at [email protected] I will try and post some pictures soon.
Sticker details:
Base price:- $23,995
Automatic Transmission- $800
Splash Guards- $150
Trailer Hitch- $295
Bed Extender- $250
Popular Equipment Group 8- $443
(Includes auto dimming mirror/compass, horizontal and vertical cargo nets, and security system upgrade)
Premium Sound Package- $795 ($1,093 minus $298 package savings)
(Includes speaker upgrade, tweeter kit, sub woofer/amplifier, and 6 disc changer)
Destination fee- $525
Um, definitely a stereotype. ;-) That's ok though, I blame Hollywood.
You might as well insert cyclist (or anything) in that same sentence. Folks that surf can range from the sterotypical "surf bum" to doctors, lawyers, politicians etc.
There's a neurosurgeon in North Jersey that surfs. I wonder if he can afford the Baja? LOL!
-Dennis
Bob
My 6CD has:
Hits of the 80s Volume I
Hits of the 80s Volume II
Hits of the 80s Volume III
Ziggy Marley (Conscious Party) he's Bob's Son
Lulu Santos (a Brazilian pop singer from the 80s)
Kids CD for my toddler
You can tell I'm a Brazilian parent that grew up in the 80s, for sure.
The girls from Blue Crush will drive that Baja - used, in 2012 maybe. ;-)
Bob: time to start calling local dealers? Fitz does not tend to get them early, though.
-juice
Bob
-juice
Bob
Bob
http://forums.i-club.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=235421
I forgot to mention in my previous post about the gated shifter on the automatic transmission. It will take some time to get used to. I found myself concentrating harder than I felt like I should to make sure I had it in the right spot.
From http://www.surfecsc.com/press.html
".. Primary - Adults 18 - 49, Household Income $30,000+
Secondary - Men 18 - 34, Household Income $30,000+..."
I don't think it makes a huge difference though.
The are tons of kids in NY and NJ that just got their driver's license, and they're driving WRX's.
Great pics!
-Dennis
More RWL tires, Bob. You gotta stop lobbying again to ban those.
I will defend the gated tranny - I just attended the Mercedes-Benz E-Motion event, and the tranny's gates were not visible. It took me about 15 seconds to figure out you had to go right, then down, to shift into Drive.
And it wasn't just me - I noticed that early on the instructors were telling almost everyone how to get it out of Park. So it was not at all intuitive. Subaru's gates are a better design.
-juice
While the salesperson was getting the keys, three mid-40ish-looking women came over to look at it—in the rain—and they were just flipping out over it! They loved it, further proving my point, that this vehicle will have appeal far beyond just the surfer crowd.
The salesperson said: "the car just came in, and needs gas, why don't we go fill it up?" Boy, did it ever need gas, we got just 200 yards from the dealer—and it ran out! I managed to nurse it over to the center grassy island of the highway, and put my emergency flasher on till help came. I've been driving since 1962, and this is the first time that I've ever run out of gas! The salesperson called the dealer on her cell phone, and somebody came by with a gallon of gas. We then proceeded to the gas station to fill it up.
How's it drive? As Patti said, just like an Outback. However, if ever there was a Subie that could use a 2.5 LPT turbo, or H6, this is it. The power is at best. "adequate." The one I drove was a 5-speed (the only way I would consider buying one), and it felt a bit buzzy on the highway. At 65 mph, it tached 3000 rpm. At 70 mph it tached 3500 rpm. That's high, IMO. It felt like it could use a 6th overdrive gear. Subaru must have put a lower final drive ratio in this pick-'em-up. I think(?) the EPA rating is a little lower than a similarly equipped Outback, but I'm not sure.
The rest of the vehicle? Pretty neat. The bed, while short, is rather deep; somewhat like the Explorer Sport Trac. The rear seating seemed about like that of the Forester, or a bit less than the Outback. The one I drove had the optional bed extender. I also liked the silver interior trim. I don't think the All-Weather-Package is available; if not, it should be.
Bob
All of the sales people were busy test driving it (no wonder you ran out of gas).
The sales manager did mention that it was his opinion that the sticker price is too high for this type of vehicle. BTW, the silver cladding didn't look so bad in person, but I'd rather have a monotone color.
Michael
Just a reminder that every Thursday you can join the Subaru Crew for a chat session from 6-7pm PT/9-10pm ET. Stop in to talk about Subaru or just to say hello!... We had a great turnout last week, but there's always room for more, so stop by and join in this week! Hope to see you there!!
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You should have tested the roadside assistance, but then again why wait.
EPA ratings are a little lower, plus the Baja is heavier than the Outback. At least it's cheaper to buy than the OBLtd, which has roughly the same stuff. I don't think the MSRP it too high - Subies always sell for 10% or more below that anyway.
-juice
There are still things I want to check, like does it have a full-size spare, etc.?
Bob
Bob
Frankly, I did not like the high rpm buzz. At 75-80 mph it probably is quite noisy/buzzy; not at all what you want for a long trip...
Bob
I bet the switchback doesn't insulate as well as regular panels, so no surprise about the extra noise.
-juice
Bob
Bob
grahampeters "Subaru Legacy/Outback (Wagons Board)" Aug 30, 2002 7:22am