Subaru Baja

ateixeira · January 2002

They probably corner better, but I'm sure ride quality goes down the drain. If unsprung weight is a lot higher, it could actually hurt acceleration and handling.

-juice

subaru_team · January 2002

wasn't with her friend and that everyone is okay. Kid's will age us, huh?

Patti

subaru_team · January 2002

call yourself a Yuppie??

Patti

rsholland · January 2002

Yes, we're very thankful. This accident happened two days before Christmas. If she had been in the back seatand she probably would have been there as she is the shortest of the groupshe would have been seriously injured or killed, judging by the the damage that was done to the rear end of the car.

Bob

rsholland · January 2002

Sorry folks, didn't mean to spend so much time on this...

I'm betting, that of all the Subarus that even "hint" of being off-road-worthy (Baja, Forester & Outback), that the Baja will actually be the least capable of road. Why? The rear overhang is so hug that the angle of departure has to be terrible.

Bob

ateixeira · January 2002

What is the stated ground clearance? Is is the same as the H4 Outback?

Right now it's odd that the H6 models have 7.9" and the supposed SUV (Forester) has less, 7.5". It doesn't seem right, the Forester and Baja should have the most.

-juice

rsholland · January 2002

I'm guessing it's the same as the Outback.

Bob

rsholland · January 2002

the Baja had been based on the Forester, instead of the Outback? Now I know the current Forester is on its way out, as a new one is just around the corner, but consider the following:

 It has a a better angle of approach.

 It's a bit shorter and taller.

 The wheelbase would probably need to be lengthened.

Bob

armac13 · January 2002

is 8.5"

Ross

ateixeira · January 2002

8.5" is good if that's right.

Forester is too short a platform for the Baja. With a wheelbase under 100", can you imagine the overhang it would take to get a reasonably sized cab out back?

A Forester is a shortened Legacy, so lengthen the Forester and you're back where you started. I guess they could take things like the taller springs from the Forester, but if 8.5" is accurate they went even taller.

-juice

rsholland · January 2002

Where did you get that figure? That was the ground clearance claimed for the ST-X. Are you sure it transferred over to the Baja?

Bob

rsholland · January 2002

They definitely would have to lengthen the wheelbase in order to do so.

Bob

armac13 · January 2002

I should never post based upon anything I've read while at work. The 8.5" figure came from the Boohoo, sorry, Baja site but under the "evolution" section. 230hp, 8.5" clearance. Sigh. Check before posting, check ... :-)

Ross

lark6 · January 2002

To get a decent sized bed in the Forester you'd have to lose the back seat and rear doors, leaving a 2-door, 2-passenger Forester "ute" which would look more like a BRAT than the Baja does.

Ed

ateixeira · January 2002

230hp and 8.5" clearance sounds good, bring it back! ;-)

Half a "Baja" leaves just "Ba".

-juice

barresa62 · January 2002

rsholland · January 2002

to attract all the "Harry and Harriet Homeowners" out there, the Baja will also be shown at the following events, besides the auto show circuit:

The Philly Flower Show, 3/3 -3/10

The San Francisco Flower & Garden Show, 3/20 - 3/24

Found this info on the Baja site. It's a smart marketing move by SOA. They should also consider putting them in shopping malls, and/or other unconventional areas where potential customers may gather, such as festivals of some sort. Even perhaps fast food outlets, Home Depots, gardening centers, or any place where groups people might be.

Bob

bluesubie · January 2002

A WRX wagon was also there last year. It was even given flower hauling duty.

-Dennis

theob · January 2002

re: rsholland's post

The Baja website says it still has the switchback. Look in the "Product Features"->"Highlights"->"Interior" it's listed as the first bullet. Did I miss something?

Theo

rsholland · January 2002

No, you didn't miss anything. The original ST-X Switchback (a fold-down-no-rear-window-midgate) has evolved into a much smaller pass-through. Subaru is still calling it a Switchback...

Bob

barresa62 · January 2002

Last time I did this the flowers didn't make it and dirt was all over the cargo area....go figure!

Stephen

armac13 · January 2002

Might that have something to do with your "enthusiastic" driving style? :-)

Ross

barresa62 · January 2002

Nah, not at all.....it's just difficult to merge into traffic at my neighborhood Home Depot, wink, wink, :-)

Stephen

sgtjim · January 2002

I was disappointed to not see the gauge pack offered that is available on the Outback Sport.
A salesman told me that the gauge pack was available on all models, but in the Outback book there is a note that it is only available on the Sport. The Sport Trak has a full gauge cluster. And why is it not being shown at the Baltimore Auto Show in Feb?????

ateixeira · January 2002

The gauge pack goes over the top-center-dash storage bin in the Forester and Impreza models. The Legacy does not have this bin, so nowhere to put the gauge pack (Outback and Baja too).

At least Subaru is aware of the limitations of the Baja, and is marketing it thusly. Just don't mention the standard 4'x8' sheet of plywood that most Home Depot customers would love to able to haul.

But for bags of mulch and top soil, it ought to do well.

-juice

rsholland · January 2002

Juice, funny you should mention that. If you recall, with the concept ST-X, Subaru made mention that with the ST-X's (real!) switchback, it could accommodate 4'x8' paneling.

That will never happen with the production Baja.

Oh well, there's another good feature we'll never see. I'm tell'n ya, the original ST-X was nothing but a big tease...

Bob

rsholland · January 2002

for going to the Philly Flower Show? (Uh, that is to see the Baja, of course...)

Bob

lark6 · January 2002

I went once and that was enough for me. There's much less open floor space and the crowds are jammed in like sardines, always pushing forward such that you can't stop and smell the flowers. It was one of the first places I saw a Forester, though I can't say that event planted the seed in my mind to buy one.

Ed

rsholland · January 2002

to my wife. She wants to go... She said it is a great flower show.

Bob

jei · January 2002

I've been following the intro on the Baja with interest. At first I got excited about the idea of a full-size opening between cargo bed and cabin (like the Avalanche), imagining adding a stylish removable cap - a convertible wagon/sedan/light duty pickup. Unique and exciting product. The large pass-through is a dissapointment, but I'd think it costs MUCH less money to produce. I hope SOA has their pricing well figured out for a younger market as the Baja styling would suggest. If the price is right, I think the Baja will sell well, expanding Subaru's market audience.

I've had trucks before as all-in one work & personal vehicles, without a lot of frills. We've had times when we've wanted a pickup as a 3rd vehicle. The idea of a convertible car/truck where I could put a snowblower or load of mulch in the open bed one day, then put the cap on and make it into a station wagon for a trip the next, is very appealing. Curious to find out the size of the Switchback pass-through. I'm looking forward to seeing the Baja "live" and test driving it, though probably won't buy. I like the silver color because it tones down the cladding.

Pardon the dark humor, but... When I saw the black color on the website, I couldn't help but imagine the Baja as the perfect flower car for a rock star's funeral!

ateixeira · January 2002

Flower show? I'd be lucky to get the wife to go outside and even look at our Daffodils!

-juice

bluesubie · January 2002

Avid Edmunds Subaru Crew readers may remember that the reason that the ST-X's switchback didn't make it to production was because of safety issues, not cost-cutting.

Most Home Depot (and electronics stores) customers that I see, rarely use the proper vehicle. They're always trying to stuff a 32 inch TV in the back of an Accord or tying lumber directly to the roof.

-Dennis

ateixeira · January 2002

So address the safety issues, don't kill a good idea. If the Chevy Avalanche can do it, you'd think Subaru could.

Which brings us to the softer req's for trucks. You know what? Maybe Subaru should abandon trying to classify all its vehicles as "cars". That would solve the CAFE problem, too.

Then the H6 could be made standard in the Forester S and Baja.

-juice

rsholland · January 2002

So what do you think the EPA will the classify the Baja as? Car or truck?

I agree about juice's comment about the Avalanche's midgate. If Chevy can do it, Subaru should also be able to do so.

Bob

ateixeira · January 2002

Maybe Subaru knows something we don't, about future safety requirements for rear impacts? The Avalanche may be exempt because it's a truck.

Good question, Bob. It's certainly the most truck-like Subie, but I still bet it's a car.

-juice

bluesubie · January 2002

The Legacy is no Suburban. :-)

-Dennis

ateixeira · January 2002

But the Baja has a pickup bed. Remember, trucks don't have to have full-frames and solid axles, or even the Grand Cherokee and Humvee would not qualify. What makes a truck a truck, at least under the initial definition, was that it would be used primarily for work duties.

The bed certainly implies that it could, at least more so than a Cadillac Escalade.

-juice

lark6 · January 2002

Speaking from experience, a 32-inch TV will fit in the back of a Forester with the rear seat folded, with room to spare ;-) .

Ed

ateixeira · January 2002

So will a full size clothes washer, and a Yamaha electric organ, and a Cosco diaper changing table fully assembled and upright.

But a 6'x8' section of fence must go on the roof rack. ;-)

-juice

rsholland · January 2002

in the mail. Actually it's just a "teaser" brochure. No new info, but certainly better pictures. They refer to it as the "word's first Reality-Based Vehicle." Yeah, okay...

If you go to the Baja web site, you can order a brochure. That's how I got mine.

Bob

ateixeira · January 2002

Hmm, the last vehicle to heavily market on "reality-based" programs was the Aztec. Remember the first Survivor?

Also, Honda markets its CR-V as meant for "adventures in reality". Hardly original.

IMO that's a cop-out. It's like saying people don't use their trucks to do much, so ours doesn't have to be very capable.

Reality to me is the guy in line at the Home Depot that just realizes be needs 3 yards of mulch for his yard. Or the guy that wants to haul a new fridge/oven/dishwasher home. That means payload, payload, payload.

-juice

lark6 · January 2002

Reality also means that the most off-roading you'll ever do will be into the muddy construction site of your McMansion - that is unless your McMansion has already been built, in which case you're limited to hopping the curb or backing up crookedly off the driveway :-p .

Ed

ateixeira · January 2002

You know what, that's more meaningful than it sounds, though. Anywhere you get snow, ground clearance is appreciated. Even without it, drivers like my wife just drive over speed bumps, and approach steep ramps at speeds that can make her 626 bottom out.

Also consider that with a fully indy suspension, a load decreases ground clearance. So you may start with 8", but with a full payload it's a more marginal 6" or so.

-juice

rsholland · January 2002

Did you all pick up on this? The rear only holds 2 passengers. The center console goes all the way to the back of the cab.

The seats are leather-trimmed. The picture of the seat appears to have leather bolsters, but most of the back and cushion don't appear(?) to be leather.

Still no dimensions or word as to whether the AWP will be available.

It does meet all car safety requirements, however.

Bob

ateixeira · January 2002

No, I didn't catch that. But I think the buyers aren't the type that haul 3 kids in there, so that's not such a big deal. The Baja is for hauling gear, not a car pool full of people.

I wonder if that'll be suede on the seats, that stuff is grippy.

I bet it has the AWP. It seems to be equipped like my dad's OB Limited.

Told ya it'll be a car.

-juice

ateixeira · January 2002

PS There are a few Crew Cabs that are like that, I think the Lincoln Blackwood is.

-juice

rsholland · January 2002

to be perforated gray leather, not suede. Like I said before, it seems to contented like the Outback Limited, with leather, power driver's seat, and moonroof.

Bob

rsholland · January 2002

that if you get the Silver Stone Metallic, the Baja becomes monochromatic as that is also the color of the cladding. I wonder if we'll see this kind of color choice being offered on the '03 Outback too, that is offering the body in the same color as the cladding whatever, color that may be?

Bob

barresa62 · January 2002

It would be nice for Subaru to offer at least one color combo that would be monochromatic w/the cladding on the OB, much like they will on the Baja or do on the Forester. It just gives people more options, especially those that detest 2-tone color schemes.

Stephen

ateixeira · January 2002

You mean the slate color? I don't know, I guess it would offer an option to the two-tone nay-sayers.

The Forester S Premium seems to sell well. I prefer the monotone on that particular vehicle, though I'd pick the S' wheels, vs. the gold highlights on the Preemie.

-juice

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