Current Baja:

http://members.aol.com:/rshollanddesign/Baja/Baja.jpg

Suggested "tweaking:"

http://members.aol.com:/rshollanddesign/Baja/BajaRevise.jpg

• New tail lights that work better with the other visual elements. The current tail lights look like they were "rubber-stamped," with no thought given to how they would look. The new light design has the clear area (backup light & turn signal) starting where the silver cladding meets the body. This helps with the "wraparound" look of the cladding, as the clear area is similar in "tone" to the silver that surrounds it. It helps unify the design, which is totally absent now.

• The word "Baja" on the tailgate has been raised up higher on the tailgate.

• The black "seam" on the "C" pillar was removed.

• Revised gas cap. No longer is it goofy looking.

• Wheels & tires were scaled up 106% to become 17" units. Tires are now close to 235/60x17. The MDX and Grand Cherokee use 235/65x17" tires.

• If you look closely, you'll notice the wheel cut outs have also been increased to match the larger tires. The result is the tires and the cladding now work better together.

• Tires are now raised black-lettered, and not white-lettered.

Bob

It's possible, that the 2005 model Baja won't have the cladding anymore.

I don't want to start another rumor though.

I like the gas door revision but everything else merits and "Ehh...." from me. I don't like 17's on the Baja. It's not a sports car.

It needs to have a 4 inch body and 2 inch suspension lift as factory options, as well as the H6. 15x9 wheels with 29x9.5 in MT Baja Belteds.

I recently saw a Silver Baja locally in a parking lot. The silver made the cladding less of a visual impact. Even Chevrolet got the picture and pulled the cladding off of the Avalanche. Either offer it body color or don't do it.

Even on the silver car, the fuel filler door stood out like a sore thumb. Right there in the cut line of the cladding, and it was a different texture/color than the rest of the car. Looked like a Pep Boys add on.

Current Baja:

http://members.aol.com:/rshollanddesign/Baja/BajaFront2.jpg

Suggested "tweaking:"

http://members.aol.com:/rshollanddesign/Baja/BajaFront2revised.jpg

• The chrome ring that surrounds the grill is now silver to match the bumper.

• The two horizontal chrome strips in the middle of the grille, that flank the logo, are removed. The entire inside of the grille is now black.

Both these changes, while rather subtle, "pops" the logo and simplifies the front end a bit.

Bob

and suspension lifts will never happen as a factory option. SOA is just not into that.

The 17" wheel/tires don't have to be "sports car" tires.

There will be turbo, not an H-6, but a turbo, available this summer.

Bob

it's a f'in truck,

i needs higher displacement Low end torque...

you can't climb over a rock in a low compression turbo engine at 2000 rpm before the turbo kicks in, and it would be a disaster if you were climbing over the rock as you hit the turbo spool point you're nice and controlled, all of a sudden the car's HP and torque jump in quantity, and BAM you need a new undercarage

hnmm... maybe we should just put a front end that looks like the forrester on the baja, take off the cladding, give it a supercharger, and then we will start to make a nicer car. :alien:

There are lots of "trucks" out there that NEVER see off-road, and Subaru isn't blind like US auto makers in this respect. Since most Bajas will never see a two-track, let alone rocks that need to be crawled over, a Turbo 2.0 is a viable engine that will probably boost sales to the younger crowd.

This isn't a Jeep Rubicon, it's a Subaru Baja.
-Brad


Originally posted by nomadtw
it's a f'in truck,

i needs higher displacement Low end torque...

you can't climb over a rock in a low compression turbo engine at 2000 rpm before the turbo kicks in, and it would be a disaster if you were climbing over the rock as you hit the turbo spool point you're nice and controlled, all of a sudden the car's HP and torque jump in quantity, and BAM you need a new undercarage

if it's a light-pressure turbo, not a WRX-tuned turbo, you'll get good power down low, where it's needed. Even more so if it's a light-pressure 2.5 turbo.

Bob

This isn't a Jeep Rubicon, it's a Subaru Baja.

That is the whole problem from my point of view. I wanted Subaru to make a serious off road truck like the BRAT.

Originally posted by Pipercub


That is the whole problem from my point of view. I wanted Subaru to make a serious off road truck like the BRAT.

I did too, but I don't think it's in the cards. :( Especially after seeing the concept STX, the production version has been flat out castrated!

I'm just hoping they'll make it a bit more "capable," using items found in their international parts bin. I would love to see the dual-range tranny brought back. I would also love to see the self-levelling rear suspension offered and made standard. Both these features are on Subies in other markets. I would also like to see a full-size spare being used. We know the turbo is coming, so at least that's good news.

Bob

allright here's my list of requests that would make me even close to willing to pay that much for it...

first off, more GC... they're marketing the thing as something to take to places your car can't go, but right now i'd be more comfortable taking my friend's oldsmobile off the road than that thing... the ground clearance is about the same, but the olds weighs less...

second, less weight, it's heavy, heavy equals more body drop when you come down from a bump, and also makes it harder to descend less than high traction down grades.

third, more power, i want to be able to actually tow something other than a 500lb generator w/ the thing, and i want to be able to go over things that i can't go over in my OBS

the overall apperance, i agree they should've made it mroe forester looking, less outback looking, but somewhere inbetween...

i want it to be able to score at least a 65 or better on a flex ramp.

the body cladding doesn't btoher me that much.

dual range gearing. nuf said.

solid rear axle, i don't want CV joints, CV joints are weak. and limit any sort of lifting much more than 2 inches w/o sereously causing tire clearance and camber issues.

the bed is just a huge issue, it's narrow, its short, and the passthrough is all but worthless..

i want to be able to carry a 4x8 sheet of plywood in it, otherwise i'd get something non truck, like a jimmy or something...

and on that note, the STX had the rear seats that folded down and the seat bottom came up and became the front of the bed, thereby allowing for a 4x8 sheet, but now it just has a passthrough. i also liked the window rolling into the seat back to fold down.

the leather is just counterproductive...
leather is no good for anythign messy, i'd be afraid to take it offroad in case (and likely) that it got stuck and i had to climb out into the mud to unstick myself...

there should be a trim level with the interior sripped... the uppolstry should be a sealed foam inside and the cloth covers should be easily removed with a zipper or snaps., the floor should not really even be carpetd in my mind, perhaps a nonslip rubberized spray on plastic coating, and while i'm at it, a drain plug. this trim level should sell for around 17K or so to make it available to the people who would get use out of it...

it should also be very easy to mount a functional stump/brush guard that guards the headlight as well as the raditor

bassically i want it to be 2x more capable to do things that i can't do in my OBS, because it's 2x the price, and a truck

when the STX concept came out i was raving about it, even w/ the SC 2.5 although i'd rahter see the h6, or even the rumored H8, mmmmm H8

oh yeah, one more thing...



light bar.

We won't see a low range.

How do I know?

Well, look at the JDM models - they have a different center console. On the US models, the dual cup holders occupy the space for the low range lever.

Cup holders are more important in this market, sad but true.

I would like to see a midgate and more power, though.

You'll get your wish for no-leather, I think as early as january they'll start making cloth models.

-juice

Anybody have a pic of the new body cladding free Avalanche?? I have yet to see one. Could you possibly be confusing it with the redesigned Silverado? It has the same front end look sa the Avalanche.

The Baja's cladding doesn't really bother me. It is an off shoot of the Outbacks cladding, much like the Baja is intended to be.

Doesn't the Baja have the same ground clearance as the Outback? If it does, it should be more than enough for what most will see. I've never had any issues with ground clearance on my wifes '97 Outback. Goes through 8 or so inches of snow and climbs over medians and parking bricks with no problems as well as confidently handing heavily rutted fire roads.

As noted on the door jamb label, the Baja's payload is only 800 pounds. My '96 Impreza Outback and '01 Forester both have 900 pound payload ratings!

Bob