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Subaru Baja

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Comments

  • barresa62barresa62 Member Posts: 1,379
    Maybe the Titanium color that is (was) offered on the GT would be a good option for the OB. It would be monochromatic w/the lower cladding. Plus, I think the color rocks.

    Stephen
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    The cladding used to be Titanium, but it changed this year to slate, IIRC?

    Either would look cool in monotone.

    -juice
  • subypowersubypower Member Posts: 50
    I sell Suby's for a living and as much as I love the cars, this is one ugly duckling.

    I got into an argument with one of my coworkers earlier about who is going to buy this thing. I said no one.

    But he made some interesting points. It will be perfect for anyone who only needs a truck to haul their garbage to the dump, carry their trees and shrubs back from the nursery, take their mountain bikes to the trail, etc. All of this with bulletproof reliability.

    I think Subaru is trying to catch a light duty niche rather than heavy duty.

    Let's face it. To drop the H6 in there and give it a higher towing capacity plus the low range would have sent it into the $30,000 range. The competition is way to stiff out there at that price. Heavy duty truck buyers certainly are not going to buy a Subaru, they will buy a Ford, Chevy, Dodge, or GMC.

    There are plenty of do it yourselfer's up here in the Northeast that would love to be able to shove their dirty junk in the back of a pretend truck while staying with a Subaru.

    At least I hope so. :)
  • barresa62barresa62 Member Posts: 1,379
    it would be beneficial at least to offer cloth seats std for the more active/adventurous crowd and then bundle the leather seating w/the H6 option for about $2500. The starting price for a cloth seat, H4, manual shift could be more like 23,000 - 24,000. Those that wanted leather and the H6 could dole out the extra. Just a thought.

    Stephen
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I'll tell you this. IMHO the reason there is no switchback on the Baja is directly due to GM. GM does not allow any of it's affiliates to sell or market a vehicle that directly competes in some way with what GM is selling. The switchback would definitely make people thinking of buying an avalanche look at it. That is just my opinion though....

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Stephen brings up a good point, why make leather standard if it's a light utility truck? If you're cutting down trees it's not like you won't be filthy as you step into that nice leather interior.

    We can always count on paisan for a conspiracy theory. It was GM! Those @#*&%!

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Like i poste back about 100+ posts. This is setup as a yuppie vehicle, not an off-roader or one meant to do any "real" work. It's for the yuppies to go skiing and biking and show off to their friends with their X-terras and Sport Tracs!

    -mike
  • barresa62barresa62 Member Posts: 1,379
    My conspiracy side definitely believes Mike on this one... :-)

    Stephen
  • barresa62barresa62 Member Posts: 1,379
    My salesguy Joe Spitz @ Carter Subaru in Seattle came up w/the leather & H6 pkg option idea.

    Mike: Good point, but the Xterra doesn't even offer leather. That is what actually got Joe and I too think about a leatherless Baja.

    Stephen
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Yep, but, they are definitely shooting for the same crowd IMHO. Leather/no leather they are still going for that urban/suburban wanna-be outdoorsy biking/skiing/hiking/retro-grunge w/money types. I'm not sure if they are considered Yuppie, but not sure what their classified as. Don't get me wrong, I like to ski, camp and hike, but I don't fit the mold that I'm trying to describe here.

    -mike
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    Mike, my father is an electrician and raises cattle (as a hobby, not a trade). He's considering a GM pickup with leather.

    I believe will have more of an idea of any Baja production changes after the big dealer meeting at the end of January.

    -Dennis
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Leather + H6 seems logical. Subaru tends to offer leather first, power later (in terms of price). My guess is people would prefer to have the H6 available first, with cloth.

    My wife wants leather because she thinks it's easier to wipe spills clean, i.e. it's a bit water proof. I prefer grippy and breathable cloth myself.

    So, give her H6+leather, give me the H6 and cloth. So the Baja really isn't ideal for either of us.

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I wasn't equating leather with yuppie. I was equating Baja with Yuppie or whatever demographic I described above...

    -mike
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    Gotcha. :-)

    -Dennis
  • lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
    Since you're both discussing vehicles I once considered buying...

    Dennis: current GM pickup w/o leather is the most comfy p/u I've ever driven - ask me how I know ;). Bet I know the dealer(s) your dad will visit, too ;).

    mike: I can't remember which forum I posted in (probably Forester) but recall my sour experience w/the Xterra salesman who told me that I was too old at 36 to consider one. The target market is Gen X'ers who participate in eXtreme sports, hence the X in the silly name. The demographic goes beyond the people who actually do those things to the people who think they might want to do those things, whether or not they ever actually will. The one-word description for that demographic is "poseurs."

    Funny thing, though - my wife sometimes accuses me of that as I throw the kayak atop the Forester with lessening frequency these days :( .

    Ed
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I thought poseurs might be too non-PC for this forum, remember what happened last time I mentioned R*ced out wanna-be racers! :)

    -mike
  • lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Check out the gas cap cover. I think it's metal, but they kind of made it too dark. A lighter brushed aluminum would have looked much better. The color should match the bed extender IMHO.

    What do you think?

    -juice
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    from SOA. It's just a teaser, far less informative that I'd hoped for.

    You know, the looks grow on me. Yellow is definitely not my cup of tea, but the rest of the colors seem pretty good. Not ugly at all, IMHO.

    Talk about ugly: I saw my first Buick Rendezvous yesterday... brrr... it has the Aztek heritage all over it.

    I'm really curiouis now to see Baja at the dealers, in flesh.
  • FrankMcFrankMc Member Posts: 228
    on subaru.com... This will get info out fast and save a few trees!

    Frank
  • barresa62barresa62 Member Posts: 1,379
    All one has to do is compare the exterior of the Baja next to the Rendezvous or, worse yet, the Aztek to put the exterior in perspective.

    Stephen
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Kate: I test drove a Renezvous, since we got a free gift for it, and was not impressed with the drivetrain. The interior was nice, though.

    The Aztec's cladding was changed to monotone for the 2nd model year, but it's still hideous IMHO. The Baja isn't even close.

    What concerns me is that they equipped it like a luxury car (leather, moonroof), but it may be used as a work horse.

    -juice
  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    did the Buick have the versatrak system, or was it the FWD one?

    -Brian
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    It had VersaTrak, but it felt like 100% FWD. It was dry, and it's not like 185hp is going to spin the front wheels, so I could not get it to engage during our test drive (cheesy sales guy came along with us).

    I don't like part-time systems. They only do half the job. I want less understeer, too.

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I drive it like a stole it weather there is a sales guy present or not! :) Of course I've been banned from several dealerships from test driving cars due to this.

    -mike
  • bkaiser1bkaiser1 Member Posts: 464
    I was poking around on the baja site again to see if the looks are growing on me (they aren't) and noticed something great: the silver / fake metal trim on the door switches and the dash. It looks to be the same type that's used in the impreza/WRX models. There's nothing I hate more than the fake wood in my 01 outback; it's disgusting and makes me feel like an 80's Buick. The silver plastic might make a great addition to the rest of the outback line, for those of us not wearing leisure suits. Yeah, REAL metal or wood would be nice, but I'll live with plastic at this price point. Too bad the 02+ dash is slightly different than my 01 (no cupholder in dash) or I would really look into putting the faux-metal into my car. :( Oh well...
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Really? I kind of think it looks fairly realistic, even though I'm not a wood person. Compare it to the trendy new grey colored stuff, which looks totally bogus. My wife likes the plood (plastic wood).

    The painted silver looks like fake aluminum, so I guess I have the opposite opinion. The thing is, it looks fake. It looks like paint, not the beautiful brushed aluminum on the Audi TT that everyone it imitating.

    Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I guess.

    Still, I think the black plastic is fine, and if I could choose any of the three it would be that.

    -juice
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    I think the "carbon fiber" interior trim, while it looks neat, is perhaps the most outlandishly priced option Subaru offers, except for of course the BBS wheel/tire combo.

    I find this so incredible on a car (the WRX) that is otherwise so perfectly priced.

    Bob
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Speaking of which, most dealers now carry the less expensive BBS wheel option. It's around $1000 for the set, I don't think they are forged like the $3K ones, but should be adequet for normal driving (non racing/rallying)

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I like the carbon fiber trim better than the fake metal, again because it looks less fake. I think in order I'd pick:

    plain black plastic
    faux carbon fiber
    plood
    painted silver

    -juice
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Is that animal, vegetable or mineral?

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Plastic Wood is probably all three! ;-)

    -juice
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    "Tiswood."

    Bob
  • bkaiser1bkaiser1 Member Posts: 464
    Juice:
    Agreed...the black plastic is really the best choice because it is not trying to be something it's not. Plastic is plastic. When I was shopping cars last year, I all but begged the dealer to take the flat black plastic dash trim out of a Legacy L and switch it with the nasty wood-ette in the Outback I was buying. They thought I was on crystal. The metal-ette looks more like plastic than metal, but I find that more appealing than wood...can't please everyone, I guess! :)
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    True, true.

    -juice
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Black plastic is the best solution. It's not pretentious, and I think looks the best too.

    Anytime you "highlight" something, either via wood, carbon fiber, or whatever; you're drawing attention to it—and that could be good or bad. If you keep it black, it "blends in" with the other black areas, which I prefer.

    From a "function" standpoint, the only things in the interior that I want "highlighted" are those that contribute or help with driving. So that pretty much means nothing other than switches, controls and instruments.

    Bob
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I think it should be black/painted the color to match the rest of the interior or slightly compliment it. Then again I have epoxy holding the trim on the dash of the AT XT6 so I shouldn't be talking! :)

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    The catch is paint can scratch. Plastic that is dyed all the way through will not show as many flaws.

    For example, the Volvo XC I test drove had major scratches on the passenger grab handle in the center console. So it was silver, with a grey plastic underneath that was a real eye sore. It's a very poor design because it is meant to be held by hands, and that's the hand with rings, for instance. DUH!

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Ok we are splitting hairs here. replace painted with dyed... :)

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    So long as the color is all the way through, fine by me. I just want something that won't scratch off. That doesn't seem like much to ask.

    -juice
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    Don't forget tonight's chat!

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    KarenS
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  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    over on the I-Club, who went to the Detroit Show said that Subaru was handing out "comment cards," and taking a poll on the new Baja in terms of possible engine options. His comments:

    << I don't know if anyone went to the autoshow...
    but there was a poll going around on the back of comment cards from subaru...

    one was about the Baja...and the magic question is...If power is an issue with the Baja, which would you rather see on the production model 3.0 - 2.5 supercharged >>

    Too bad they didn't poll us...

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Either one, just offer one of them! :-)

    It's a good sign that they were asking.

    The 2003 Forester borrowed a styling cue from the Baja - check the rear fender flare, and how it continues from the top of the flare all the way back. The Forester's looks just like the Baja's, minus the cladding.

    -juice
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    That rear fender flare is on the current Forester too. I think the Baja got it from the Gen-1 Forester instead.

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    That's true, but it's much more subtle. On the new one it stands out a lot more. This may be in part due to the red color in the photos we saw.

    -juice
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    the cladding on the Baja makes it much more pronounced.

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Especially when not in silver, i.e. two-toned.

    -juice
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    Welcome to the Subaru Crew's Weekly Chat!


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  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    this topic will remain pretty much dormant until the Baja hits the streets.

    Bob
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