New 2020 Subaru Baja Price, Specs, Interior
New 2020 Subaru Baja Price, Specs, Interior – There are currently no new compact vehicles with truck beds on the market. Full-size trucks such as the Chevy Silverado, Ford F-150, and Ram 1500 are very large and even the Colorado, Ranger, and Jeep Gladiator are not too small.
Small cars with truck beds like El Camino, Ranchero, and Rampage are long dead and even Australians have given up on utes like the Ford Falcon and Holden Maloo.
Realistically, the only way to buy an affordable truck that is not large is to get something like the Toyota Tacoma. While the old Tacoma is likely to get the job done, it’s not what we call sporty and the price of the user is very high compared to other vehicles.
Fortunately, there is one forgotten ute out there, we think you can buy if you are in the market for a sporty small vehicle with a bed – Subaru Baja.
New 2020 Subaru Baja Price, Specs, Interior
If you’ve never seen Subaru Baja before, you might be wondering what that is. Baja is a small unibody vehicle built with a pickup truck bed. It was sold in the US for only four model years, 2003 to 2006, before it was stopped due to slow sales.
All Steel models are built at the US Subaru plant in Lafayette, Indiana, and share platforms and bodywork with Legacy Outback. news is now circulating, that Subaru Baja will return to the market in 2020 or 2021.
Subaru markets Baja as a “multiple choice vehicle,” although limited advertising and a controversial style hamper sales. Only 30,000 were built during the four-year production run even though Subaru plans to sell 24,000 per year.
Even so, Baja won many awards, including the 2006 Consumer Reports highest score for reliability in the pickup truck category, and has since gained status like worship in the used market.
2020 Subaru Baja Price
When it was new, Baja was offered between $ 23,000 and $ 28,000 depending on the year, engine, and options. Although over 15 years old in some cases, Baja has managed to maintain its value relatively well – unlike other Subaru models.
We can find used examples ranging from around $ 5,000 to $ 15,000, making Baja an attractive choice for the first car. Not all Baja models are created equal and there are two very specific features that you should look for – manual transmission and turbocharged engine.
When Baja was first introduced in 2003, the only engine choice was a 2.5-liter boxer that produced 173 horsepower mated to a four-speed automatic or a five-speed manual.
In 2004, Subaru introduced a more powerful turbocharged motor, which increased output to 210 hp. In 2006, the turbocharged EJ255 motor produced 230 hp, which isn’t too bad for a vehicle of around 3,500 pounds.
2020 Subaru Baja Interior
New 2020 Subaru Baja Price, Specs, Interior
This does not mean that rival Steel is for full-size trucks, given its very small payload / towing capacity of 885 to 1,070 pounds. However, if you only need a bed to transport smaller items and are willing to sacrifice payloads for performance, Baja is the ideal motor.
2020 Subaru Baja Engine
Even automatically, Baja will reach 60 mph in 7.3 seconds and complete a quarter-mile in 15.7 seconds. Because this is a turbocharged Subaru, there are tuners out there who will be happy to take more power from the EJ engine.
In terms of cargo capacity, Baja offers 42-inch bed space, which follows the failed Chevy sporty pickup, SSR. Subaru knew that his bed capacity was rather small, so he cleverly designed the openings to the cabin for larger items. With the rear seats folded, Baja allows almost 7.5 feet of space. There is also an optional bed extender, which allows more space.
Subaru Baja Fuel Economy
The reward for a small amount of sleeping space is an increase in fuel economy. The most efficient steel, automatic non-turbo model, rated 21/28 mpg city/highway. Choosing a turbocharged manual model lowers these numbers to 18 and 23 respectively. Some modern pickup trucks can match these numbers, even though trucks from the same period are not nearly as efficient.
Subaru Baja isn’t for everyone – if that, it would have sold better when it was new. Even so, we think Baja offers a unique experience for people who want a sporty small car with the use of a pickup truck. With a little adjustment, Baja has the potential to become a turbocharged dream enthusiast truck at an affordable price.
