The Subaru Baja Turbo is a Weird, Fast Subaru… Truck?

As automotive enthusiasts, when we look at a lot of what is being released these days, sometimes, these rides can become a little bit boring. With most of the vehicles that find their way to the roadways, we find a lot of the same. It seems as if many manufacturers are focusing in on the easiest dollar. It’s only natural that they want to sell the most vehicles to as many people as possible, no matter how boring. Therefore, a functional and generalized design might potentially do the best in the market.

However, we have to admit that it’s a lot of fun to see some of the quirky creations come to light that we weren’t expecting. Run-of-the-mill automobiles can only keep us so interested for so long. When a manufacturer really goes off-the-wall and comes out something different, we can really sink our teeth into it. The Subaru Baja was certainly one of these vehicles. It didn’t really fall in line with much of anything from Subaru or the market in general back in 2003.

Feeding off of the success of the Subaru Outback wagon, the Baja tried to do something different on the same chassis. Essentially, the car would act as a chopped off Outback turned pickup truck. I guess that one could say that it’s kind of a modern-day rendition of an El Camino, except in crew cab fashion.

Eventually, the folks at Subaru even took of the tame four-cylinder application and turbocharged it. This would really crank the numbers up and make the Baja even more interesting to folks like ourselves. Long-term, the platform didn’t really work out for the brand. However, as we look back, we certainly can appreciate the effort that went into making this thing come to life. It’s these sorts of chances that can really keep folks like us interested in a brand. – Doug DeMuro.