A Great Cross Over Vehicle

OK, let's get the boring stuff out of the way, first! The following are the specs for anyone that is so inclined.

2003 Baja

Standard Equipment and Specs
Power and Performance
2.5L H-4 165 HP engine
4-spd automatic transmission w/OD
90 amp alternator
430 amp battery
Axle Ratio 4.11 axle ratio
Fuel Tank 16.9 gal. fuel tank
Stainless steel exhaust
Fuel Economy
Fuel Economy City 20.0 mpg city fuel economy
Fuel Economy Hwy 25.0 mpg hwy fuel economy
Handling and Control
Full-time all wheel drive
Permanent locking hubs
Viscous
Heavy duty suspension
Front strut suspension
Front anti-roll bar
Coil front springs
Multi-link rear suspension
Rear anti-roll bar
Coil rear springs
Rack & pinion steering
4 wheel disc brakes
Front vented disc brakes
16.0 " silver alloy wheels
P225/60HR16.0OWL M S tires
Compact steel spare wheel/tire
Design and Dimensions
Regular style pickup box with bed liner
Colored front and rear bumpers
Rear step bumper
Colored bodyside cladding
Colored fender flares
Chrome grille
Clearcoat lower accent two-tone paint
Exterior Cargo Length 41.5 " exterior cargo length
Exterior Length 193.3 " exterior length
Exterior Width 70.1 " exterior body width
Exterior Height 64.2 " exterior height
Wheelbase 104 " wheelbase
Front Tread 58 " front tread
Rear Tread 58 " rear tread
Turning Radius 18.3 ' turning radius
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating 4,555 lbs. GVWR
Curb Weight 3,485 lbs. curb weight
Payload 1,070 lbs. payload
Max Trailer Weight 2,400 lbs. towing capacity
Drag Coefficient .36 drag coefficient
Front Legroom 43.3 " front legroom
Rear Legroom 33.5 " rear legroom
Front Headroom 38.3 " front headroom
Rear Headroom 37.3 " rear headroom
Front Hiproom 51.3 " front hiproom
Rear Hiproom 51.9 " rear hiproom
Front Shoulder Room 53.9 " front shoulder room
Rear Shoulder Room 53.6 " rear shoulder room
Passenger Volume 90 cu.ft. passenger volume
Exterior Cargo Width 39.2 " exterior cargo width
Standard Warranties and Ownership Benefits
Bumper to Bumper (mths/miles) 36/36,000
Powertrain (mths/miles) 60/60,000
Corrosion Perforation (mths/miles) 60/unlimited
Roadside Assistance (mths/miles) 36/36,000
Active and Passive Safety
Side impact bars
Auto off headlamps
Front fog/driving lights
Pickup cargo box light
Illuminated entry
Oil pressure warning
Battery warning
Key in ignition warning
Low fuel warning
Door ajar warning
Brake fluid warning
4-wheel anti-lock brakes (ABS)
Daytime running lights
Center high mounted stop light
Driver and passenger airbags
Front seatbelt pretensioners
Panic alarm
Comfort and Convenience
4 doors
Power sunroof
Roof rack
Dual power remote heated mirrors
Dual illuminated visor vanity mirrors
Day-night rearview mirror
Seating capacity of 4
Front bucket seats
Adjustable front head restraints
Center front armrest
4-way front passenger seat
Rear full bench seats
Fixed rear head restraints
Full cloth headliner
Carpet floor trim
Carpeted front & rear floor mats
Metal-look instrument panel insert
Lighted locking glove box
Dome light w/fade
Front reading lights
Full floor console
Mini overhead console
Rear console with storage
Front and rear cupholders
Covered bin instrument panel storage
Interior concealed storage
2 seatback storage pockets
Dual door bins
Manual air conditioning
Underseat ducts
AM/FM stereo, seek-scan
Single in-dash mounted CD
4 speakers
Manual retractable antenna
Cruise control with steering wheel controls
Power with 2 stage unlock door locks
Keyfob (all doors) remote keyless entry
Rear child safety door locks
1 12V DC power outlet
Driver foot rest
Ashtray
Tachometer
Engine temperature gauge
In-dash clock
Exterior temperature
Trip odometer
Tilt steering wheel
Power front windows
Power rear windows
Driver 1-touch down
Deep tinted windows
Variable intermittent front windshield wipers
Sun visor strip
Rear defroster

Those of you that have read my reviews over the years know that I like Honda and Toyota vehicles. I don't believe in buying new cars, anymore. Instead, I look for good, well cared for used vehicle in the above brands. Well, my wife has wanted a pick up truck for a long time. I did not believe in buying a single or special purpose vehicle. It is not economically practical. We can always rent or borrow a pick up truck (our son drives one and he is only 15 minutes away). But, to try to satisfy her whim, I had kept an eye out for a nice, reliable, used pick up truck that would fit her needs. She can, but won't, drive a manual transmission. She also wants some comforts of a sedan so that ruled out any stripped down Toyota, Mazda or Nissan. Well, I lucked out and ran across a 2003 Baja with a custom camper shell (A.R.E.) with only 22K at a local Subaru dealer that they had taken in on trade and it was in superb condition. It still had a new car smell to it. This was back in August 2006 and we really enjoyed it, tremendously - not as a pick up truck but as an everyday, general purpose vehicle. It is in addition to our existing 1995 Toyota Avalon and 2001 Toyota Avalon. Don't ask why we have 3 vehicles for 2 drivers!

The Baja is really a Legacy Outback with a pick up bed installed instead of a rear station wagon treatment. Think of it as a scaled down version of a Chevrolet Avalanche or Cadillac Escalade EXT without the high cost but with much nimbler handling and a lot more fun to drive.

Driving Impressions

This Baja is equipped with the standard 4-cyl., twin cam, horizontally opposed engine. The 165 HP it puts out results in reasonably peppy performance around town and is adequate on the freeways. 0 - 60 acceleration times are right at 10 seconds. It cruises very nicely at 75 mph with no appreciable engine noise nor any hints of stress from the engine even at 90 mph. Road noise on concrete roadways can be heard but it's not objectionable. I can't say the same for wind noise around the left front window and side mirror. It can be very evident at speeds above 65 mph.

The handling is quick and nimble. There is more "road feel" to the Subaru platforms than any of the other Japanese brands. Steering is precise with a short turning radius of 18'. This makes parking in tight spaces a breeze.

The ride is firm but not bad - very much like the Subaru Legacy Outback Wagon. That's not surprising since the Baja is built on the same chassis and is identical from the tip of the nose to the back of the rear seats. In reality, it is an Outback with 6" added to the overall length and the addition of a pick-up bed. The wheel base remains the same. The ride is a bit choppy due to this short wheel base but still comfortable and very quiet for a pick up truck type of vehicle. Aggressive cornering does show some lean but it never seems to feel twitchy nor fragile for traction and directional control. Braking is good without excessive nose diving. This is an AWD system so there is no pronounced under/over steer tendencies.

The 4 speed automatic transmission shifts smoothly under normal use and does not "hunt" excessively on uphills. The shifter on the console has an awkward shift gate that is kinda screwy. It is easy to shift into D2 when putting it into drive. This limits the up shifts to 3rd gear, only. Reverse is a little hard to find the first few times.

The driving position is fine. However, getting in can be a little awkward due to the low roof line. But, even tall folks, once seated in the driver's seat is quite comfortable. I really like the bucket seats - very comfortable with good side and lumbar support. It's easy to buckle up the seat belts as the pretensioners work smoothly and easily and the buckle receptor is higher on the thigh position (front seats) and this means you don't have to dig or look for them. The non-telescoping steering column is adjustable up/down and does not block the excellent analog gages (big speedometer and tachometer) and other instrumentation. There is a digital clock and digital outside air temperature readout and two resettable trip odometers. An analog fuel gage and coolant temperature gage complete the constantly observable instrumentation. There are also transmission temperature and low-fuel warning lights that illuminate only when those conditions are present. These are in addition to the standard battery charging and oil pressure warning lights. There is a big, bright brake light warning light when the emergency hand brake (center console mounted) is engaged. Two, nicely positioned drink holder wells in the center console make it very handy and easy to put your cold or hot drinks while driving. However, this is at the sacrifice of placing the center console/arm rest further back than is normal on most vehicles. For the armrest function, that's fine. But to open the console to put/retrieve items is really awkward and can best be done with the vehicle fully stopped and twisting quite a bit back in order to access it. The glove box is easy to access and a small mini console allows the storage of sunglasses, CDs, garage door remote, etc. Both vanity mirrors mounted on the sunshades automatically light; when folded down at night. Front overhead reading lights left and right are nicely positioned so they do not blind the driver when illuminated at night.

Comfort and Features

It's a very comfortable vehicle for the driver and the front passenger. And, it's very quiet - more like a good mid-level sedan. It's very quiet on smooth concrete or ashphalt roadway even at 75 mph except for a little wind noise. The noise level is high when the sun roof is completely open but it's nice and quiet in the tilted-up vent position. While the ride is a bit choppy on uneven roads, it's still a nice ride. It feels just a little stiff but not hard riding like a sports car. The back seats are quite comfortable but the seat backs are a little more vertical than most. There are two drink holder wells in the center of the bench seat along with a shallow storage bin. Because it is an AWD design, there is a middle hump in the floor.

The back seats bottoms fold forward and the seat back folds down to form a flat floor for additional hauling space. There is a waterproof separator between the passenger cabin and the pick-up bed that folds down to form a 3' wide x 18" tall "pass-through" hole to allow long objects to fit in the pick up bed of up to 6' with the tail gate in the closed "up" position. An optional steel bar extender for use with the tailgate in the open (down) position will allow items up to 7' 6" in length to be carried. When this internal divider is in place, the pick up bed can be hosed down and the water flows out of the bed down the drains embedded in the bed floor. This bed is also fully lined with a tough plastic material designed to take the abuse of hauling heavy and bulky items. Additionally, when the tailgate is down, the license plate assembly can be swung down from the now horizontal tailgate into a legal and lit vertical position fully viewable from the rear. There is a bright cargo light just below the high-mounted center brake light that does an excellent job of illuminating the pickup bed.

There is only one trim level for the Baja - loaded. As you can see from the specs above, it comes with powered moon roof with tilt feature, power windows, powered & heated side mirrors, roof rack, deep tinted rear side and back windows, AM/FM/CD sound system, cruise control, remote key less entry, etc. The "Door Ajar" warning system actually identifies which door is open. There is a warning light to advise the driver that the divider access door between the pick up bed and the passenger compartment is not latched (loss of waterproof integrity). The remote operates from a long distance away - further than most - about 50 yds or more away! It can be useful in finding your vehicle in a large parking lot. A small text reminder is on the dash to indicate which side the gas cap is located. Use of the remote key fob turns on the interior dome light that remains lit until the doors are opened and stay lit for about 30 seconds to allow entry before fading out. The pick up bed light is controlled from a switch on the dash. The brakes are ABS equipped. Intermittent wipers are included. Built-in roll bar is both functional as well as providing structural safety in the even of a roll over. The sound system is extraordinary when you consider that there is no rear parcel shelf for the back speakers.

Miscellaneous

My vehicle has the optional custom camper shell by A.R.E. installed. This is color-matched by the A.R.E. factory to match the Subaru paint to make it look like a true custom installation. An external high-center mounted brake light is provided with a hook up to the standard brake light mounted on the back of the cab and operates automatically just like an O.E.M. brake light. The camper shell has matching deep tinted windows. The interior of the shell is nicely finished with a tough, durable, heavy-duty matching fabric. This integrated unit is fully enclosed and makes the bed secure. It fits so well that it is fully waterproof even in the worst weather. And, it can be removed easily by undoing 4 screws and the electrical quick-disconnecter. It's fairly heavy so it is best performed by two people. This makes it into a genuine short-bed pickup truck! This results in a fully integrated look that makes it look and functions just like an SUV. We've had more nice comments and inquiries when we are out and about by people that are curious about it.

One more thing - due to the AWD system, all tires must be kept at the same outside diameter uniformly for wear. That means regular tire rotation is a must. And the spare is a mini-spare for very temporary use. When using that smaller diameter wheel, the AWD must be turned off. This is done by pulling a fuse in the main fuse box. Otherwise, serious damage could result from this one odd-size diameter running with the other 2 normal-sized tires.

No, this does not look like a kid's car/truck. It doesn't have the top roof lights and it's not bright yellow. It's a metallic silver and with the custom camper shell (called a cap), it looks like a sleek SUV but it's more versatile since the cap can be easily removed. And it doesn't look anything like the earlier Subaru Brat.

Jim