2003 Subaru Baja
My new Subaru Baja
I have yet to take any photos of my new car so these were stolen off websites. Mine however is the same color, has the bed extender but lacks the roof rack mounted lights. Hopefully when spring arrives and the grass is greener I'll take some actual photos.
I purchased this car about a week before Christmas in 2002. It was my Christmas present to myself. I love it! It's got everything I could ask for in vehicle. I sometimes wonder if Subaru built it especially for me because I currently wasn't in the market for a new vehicle. I had plans to hang onto my 94 Jeep Wrangler and perhaps buy a new MINI in a few more years but when I first saw a photo of the Baja in Popular Science last summer, it really struck my interest. I stopped by the local dealership to get a better look and after test driving it I knew I had to have one. And after weighing what the Baja had to offer over the Mini, the idea of a Mini quickly left my mind.
Anytime a radical new vehicle hits the market, there is allot of hype over it. A perfect example would be the PT cruiser, VW Beetle and Mini. Where does the hype come from? The automaker iteself, automotive critics or the people who buy cars? For some reason there hasn't been allot of hype of this vehicle. There is currently nothing like it on the market. This is good for me because I really wanted one buy didn't want to get on a waiting list or pay thousands over sticker price like PT cruiser and new Beetle owners had to do. It does have the, either you like or it or hate it styling like the Saab 900. When I registered it at the DMV, the temporary title just said "BAJA" so I was asked, "is it a car or is it a truck?". "Well I don't no", I replied.
There has been allot of reviews on the new Baja but most of the ones I have read seem to be mostly negative. Or I get that opinion anyway. They talk about the bed being too small, the engine is not powerful enough, it's too expensive or the body cladding is tacky. Or maybe because it's so radical and practical they think it's not worth buying! So I have decided to write my own review on my Baja and I have allot of positive things to say about it . I am money concious so it's not everyday I buy a new car so a car company has to really come out with something really great before I would consider buying it.
The Baja had everything I was looking for in a vehicle. The first thing that attracted me to the Baja was it's looks. In fact I like the looks of just about everything Subaru makes. I can say I could do without the standard roof rack or the plastic body panels on the doors but otherwise it think it's really cool.
After test driving one, I was really impressed with how comfortable, quiet and smooth it was. My previous vehicle was a 94 Jeep Wrangler. There are no rattles whatsoever and virtually no windnoise with this car! The engine is so quiet I can't hear it idling even with the radio and heater turned off. And the seats are really firm and comfortable.
Even though we don't get allot of snow here in NE Tennessee, I did want something with four wheel drive just in case. But I didn't want another Jeep, a big SUV or pickup truck. I have no idea how the All Wheel Drive system works (I assume one of the front wheels and one of rear wheels are turning at the same time, then transfers traction to the opposite wheels if one slips) . I have heard this is actually better because as you know four wheel drives are not actually four wheel drives.
I was wanting something with air conditioning, cruise control and intermittant wipers but I'm not amused by all the fancy bells and whistles allot of higher end makes have. Most new cars have these items as standard equiptment but my Jeep had none of these and at the time if I wanted one that did, I was going to have to pay $7000 more for one that did. I only paid $13,000 for my Wrangler in 1994. The difference between the base Baja and a loaded Baja is about $1500.
I wanted something I could haul stuff in but didn't want a truck or a minivan. Stuff that you wouldn't want inside the vehicle such as trash, gasoline cans, propane BBQ grill cylinders, dirty car parts. The payload capacity isn't much smaller than that of a compact four door truck. If I need to haul something like a piece of plywood or 2X4s I can always borrow my father's truck. But there is enough room to haul something you couldn't get into a typical sedan like a large television set.
Some auto critics have said that a 2 door model with a longer bed would have been better. I don't have the specs but I beleive the bed is just as large if not larger than the Baja's ansestor, the Brat. If a two door model with a longer bed was offered along side the four door model, I'm not sure if I would have chosen the two door. The Baja has the best of both worlds because I can haul more than 2 people and still be able to use it somewhat as a truck. One day I hauled a bunch of car parts to Atlanta and didn't want them to get wet so I laid the rear seats forward and slid them in through both rear doors.
For me, the Baja meet everything I was looking for in a new car. For me it's practical vehicle. An ordinary sedan or wagon wouldn't have meet my needs. I don't plan on doing any serious hauling with it so yes you could say I bought it mainly for it's looks. But if I need to use the truck bed, I have it.
I like the how the dash controls are laid out. Everything is straight foward. No fancy climate control settings. One dial controls the temperature, one controls the fan speed, one controls the vents. The radio is easy to figure out as well.
I love the stereo system. Since this vehicle has virtually no windnoise (with the moonroof closed anyway), I wanted the top of the line stereo system. Mine has the upgraded speakers, tweeters, bass cannon under the passenger seat and the in-dash 6 disc CD changer. Unlike my Jeep and my Fiat Spider, this car's CD player does not play CDs in MP3 format, nor will it play re-recordable CDs. So that's the only thing I don't like about the radio.
But there are a few things I don't like about the Baja. Sorry if some of these things maybe a bit nitpicky.
There is allot of pourous black trim on the Baja. This doesn't look bad but presents a challange without getting wax residue on it. This is one reason why I don't like the factory mounted roof rack. It would be nice if it could be removed and stored away. The other day I waxed my Baja for the first time. Instead of using paste wax, I used a spray wax made by Maguires that works really well. It's clear and when applied to a cloth and then applied minimizes any wax residue on the trim. The plastic bed liner is another complaint. It's very delicate and can be easily scared if something slides around. My best advise is to lay a rug or blanket down before hauling something that might slide around.
The power door locks were a bit hard to get used to at first. The door switches are backwards! To lock the doors, you push the switch up, the unlock the doors, you push it down. This took me several days to get used to but I finally got the hang of it.
The rear windows only roll 3/4th of the way down. I thought the child safety button was pushed in but turns out the windows are not designed to roll down all the way. But I'll probably be running the A/C most of the time so this is no really a big deal. Speaking of windows. all windows are tinted except the fronts. I guess this is because tinted front windows are illegal in some states. So the next step is to have the front two windows tinted as dark as the law allows.
When the moonroof is open it generates allot of wind noise. If I pull down on the deflector, I can control the noise somewhat. One owner on the Baja mailing list had installed one of those plexiglass deflectors and said this cures the problem.
Price. My jaw dropped when I saw the $25,500 sticker price. I managed to get the dealership to knock almost $3000 off the sticker price. That's still allot of money for a vehicle. Any vehicle. But since I don't trade for new vehicles that often and I really wanted it, I decided to buy it. One salesman told me Subaru was going to offer a stripped down version call the Sport but after owning a stripped down Jeep I wanted my next new vehicle to have as many options as I could get. I love the leather seats.
Ground clearance. I beleive the Baja has taller springs than it's sister the Legacy. Probably the same as the Outback. The Baja is not really an offroad vehicle but they still designed it to sit higher off the ground just in case you wanted to. Not that this affects the handling (I think it handles great) but as you can tell from my other cars, I like lowriders and so I have lowered just about every car I have ever owned. But the length of the Baja is long enough to where you don't notice the 3" gap between the tires and fenders.
I would prefer the Baja to be 2" lower. The ground clearance is not the issue, the gap between the fenders and tires are what I'm talking about. I don't plan on taking my Baja offroad but I do think the extra ground clearance will come in handy just in case we get more than a foot of snow. Maybe when the struts need replacing I will install a set of Legacy wagon springs (if there is a difference) while I am at it.
Engine. This is debatable. It would have really been nice if the Baja came with the same 227HP turbocharged engine the WRX has. That would really be cool! But I suppose this would really inflate the sticker price. Some auto critics have said that the 165HP 2.5 liter engine doesn't have anough power. I think it's adaquate for me but it's nothing to write home about!
Choice of models. This really doesn't have anything to do with the car itself but either the dealership or how Subaru markets their cars. I had to have a 5 speed. Most of the cars on the dealer's lots were automatics. The problem was they had all the options I wanted. The 5 speeds were usually base models. That's usually the case with any vehicle. But I got lucky and found a 5 speed with most of the options I wanted.
And if I really want to get nitpicky. Who designed the rear licence plate bracket? When I finally registered my Baja I tried installing a frame overtop of the licence plate to cover up the rough edges of the licence plate. But the studs are just long enough for the licence plate. If this was the case with other cars, you could just use longer screws but they are pressed into the bracket like wheel studs so they cannot be easily removed. They did goto the trouble of providing some cool looking chrome plated acorn shaped fasteners. I will be on the lookout for a thinner licence plate frame.
Despite all things I've said Subaru could have done without or did better, I still like my Baja and glad I bought it. I think it's good qualities far outweighs it's bad qualities. But I seriously doubt this vehicle is going to be a good seller. Not in North America anyway. At this time, I read that Subaru has sold less than 3000 Bajas between September and the end of the 2002. I believe if they had left off the body cladding, built a two door with a longer bed and a lower pricetag it might gain more praise. It could also be the fact that you can buy a full size pickup with about the same options for the same price.
I can see how this vehicle would be a big seller in Europe where owning a 2 passenger truck is impractical and Australia where utes are popular. I think Subaru should market this vehicle worldwide if they want it to sell.
I think the biggest reason Subaru is having a hard time selling this vehicle is the fact nobody knows it's exists! Subaru is pushing the WRX and Forester really hard. I see a WRX commercial on TV ten times a day but haven't seen a Baja commercial on TV in months. If Subaru expects people to buy their products, they need to tell people about it. I've had people approach me and say, "That's a really cool looking car but what is it?". When I tell them it's a Subaru, they ask me, "Really, when did they come out with that?". My friend in Atlanta told me mine was the first Baja he had ever seen up close. He had yet to see any Bajas on the roads in Atlanta.
Everybody I'd talk to have purchased a Baja say they really like it. Before I bought my Baja, I talked to a guy who was sitting in one (waiting on his wife who was shopping) and I asked how he liked his. He said he loved it. He told me he also owned an Audi AWD, a Mercedes and a Cadillac. He said his wife loved their Baja so well, she wouldn't let him drive it. So he bought one for himself! Another guy who works in the parts department at the local dealership said his friend also owned a new Mercedes and said he prefered to drive his Baja over his MB. So that should speak allot about the Baja.
Since originally writing this article, the Baja Sport has been introduced. Based on what I know about it, it's got cloth seats, black door handles and mirrors and something to do with the headlight bulbs. I can understand how replacing the leather with cloth could reduce the cloth but the black door handles and mirrors, I don't see how they could possible save that much money on. If Subaru wants to come up with a cheaper version, my advise would be to do away with any power motors on the car such as the mirrors, power driver seat, windows and electric door locks. Perhaps the eliminate the sunroof, body cladding and replace the front bumper with one from a Legacy and make the fog lights and option. The A/C could also knock off about $1500 but I think this might drive away buyers.
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