Subaru Baja - Quirky, Funnily Flawed And Quite Fascinating

A bit more than 30,000 Subaru Baja were built from 2003 to 2006 in the US. Maybe not as many as Subaru hoped to sell, but not a failure. And what a car it was. Take a Subaru (Legacy) Outback, cut off the roof at the rear and add some 15cm for a usable open bed with a drop-down tailgate.

The Australians call that a Ute, though as fas as I know, Utes are 2-doors only. A 4-door pickup is a double cab or crew cab as the Americans say, but then these pickups a trucks built on a frame. The Baja is a unibody pickup. And because it is derived from the estate or station wagon Outback, it features something quite unique. A foldable rear seat coupled with a small "thru-hatch" which folds inward. The length of the bed can therefore be significantly lenghtened into the cabin.

Coupled with an optional flat bed extension - a open half-cage which fits onto the open tailgate, this Sub can really load some lengthy goods. The registration /number / license plate folds down from the gate. Though I don't know if that is legal in European countries.

But unfortunately the Baja can't load too much. The capacity is limited to 450KG (in Germany, see ). Which is a bit too little for a pickup. The car itself is relatively light at only 1,500kg (Wikipedia) to 1,610kb (Autobild)

It may not be the only pickup truck with frameless doors, but certainly the only 4x4, 4-door, with 4 frameless windows and a flat-4 engine. That's why we love Subaru.

And no, the Baja is not ugly but incredibly fascinating. I want one. The flat-6 3L engine should fit. Maybe even the more recent 3.6liter 6 cyinder boxer, truly automental. The Baja is unfortunately very rare in Europe :-)))) And if you really want one, you might have to travel a bit or buy blindly. It is a car for enthousiasts and people who appreciate it's uniqueness and utility. Therefore resale prices are far higher than for comparable Subaru Outback.  In early 2012 pices start at about 11,000 EUR. For a 6 to 9 year old car with a 165 HP petrol engine and more than 100,000 km on the clock, this is a lot of money. Nearly double the price a similar Outback! The 2.5l 4 pot turbo boxer with more than 240HP is absolutely rare in Europe. A case for US car import specialists...

Photos Subaru (and NetCarShow.com)