The ST-X stood out as a striking concept and generated some excitement for the brand. With a promising concept, Subaru began work on a production version, the new truck became known as the Baja, and debuted for sale in August of Remarkably, the Baja looked almost identical to the concept, retaining most of its unique points and design features, a rare phenomena when bringing a concept to production. But a cool concept is useless if the production version misses its mark in the real-world market, and it would become apparent just how misguided the Baja really was in the coming years.
With its overall design and mechanical aspects being based on the Outback, the Baja was fine as a car, retaining all the good points of the Outback's driving characteristics and comfort.
But, the Baja's point of distinction was its truck half, and this would be the standard it was judged by - after all, you could still just buy an Outback if you didn't want the truck bed. This was the first problem that led to the Baja's demise.
The pickup truck market plays by different rules than the car market. Ford buyers will stick with Ford trucks, as these vehicles are treated as indispensable work tools, creating a stronger sense of brand loyalty than most cars do. With Subaru still being the underdog in the car market, and a new name in the pickup truck market , their work was cut out for them.
So, to attract buyers over from the existing truck market, the Baja should have had competitive truck capabilities, but it didn't. The problem was, the Baja was a unibody car based pickup, often called a "ute. For example, one major player in the compact truck segment - the Ford Ranger sold during the same years as the Baja, could tow 9, LBS and carry a payload of 1, LBS.
Hauling wasn't the Baja's only deficiency either, as the pickup bed was a non-standard size, and extremely small, coming in at just The "switchback" gate didn't help much either, only allowing slim items like wooden beams, or surfboards, to make use of the extended space. A bed extender was available as an option as well, but was simply a metal cage that laid atop the lowered tailgate , not an ideal solution for serious loads.
Unable to match traditional small pickup truck capabilities, the Baja was relegated to being in a class of its own, unable to win over any buyers from the pickup truck market. Oh no. The backseat of the Subaru Baja could be ordered as a two-place perch, with cupholders and a center storage compartment, or a three-place bench. Either way, the seat bottom can be folded forward to reveal a ruggedized flat load floor, and the seatback can be lowered to reveal a 31Xinch access door to the cargo bed, which increases total bed length to 7.
Obviously, that 7. Due to low sales numbers roughly 31k total , the American-designed Subaru Baja was sold only from — During that time, Subaru offered their—car-uck—with a hp 2. They also sold lots of Baja accessories, which were designed to help you load everything from mountain bikes to salad shooters. In theory, the Subaru Baja seemed to make perfect sense, offering the best attributes of a family sedan with the utility of a compact pickup.
But it fell a bit short in a few areas. And towing capacity was rated at just 2, pounds with the automatic and 2, pounds with the manual. Verdict Clearly, the Subaru Baja isn't for everyone - if it was, it would have sold better when it was new. Add first comment. Now Buzzing. Electric Vehicles. What's Hot. Porsche GT3. Car Advice. A guide to choosing between a brand-new or pre-owned vehicle. Is Your Mechanic Cheating You? All you need to know to ensure you don't get ripped off. Electric Car Charging Stations.
Related Reviews. Test Drive. First Drive. Subaru's newest and most capable off roader loses a little of its on-road manners. Model Overview. Login Sign Up.
0コメント