2003 Subaru Baja Reviews, Pricing & Specs

I put most of my comments up above, all I can say is I enjoy this little car/truck immensely. I find it a real shame that the general public did not catch on more to these fantastic little rides. Only now are they in much bigger demand nearly a decade after they stop production due to lack of interest and overstock. I'd love to see Subaru bring them back one day and put the bigger engine in them. I'll miss my little "Baja-Breez" Fair thee well...May 16, 2015

All around great truck. Great trail clearance. Very stable platform. Comfortable passenger cabin. Rear seats are adequate for taller passengers. Baja's were well built and ours always received positive remarks. The 4 seating option is the only negative. The pass through was very helpful especially when I had to run to Lower for plumbing or the occasional lumber related projects.Apr 27, 2015

Excellent reliability, low maintenance costs, and subaru handling in the rain / snow! This is an all around great vehicle with a number of creature comforts (leather, power everything, decent stereo). Also, gets excellent gas mileage to boot! This car had a unique look and is perfect for getting you and three of your friends up to the mountain for a snow day or on a weekend camp out!Oct 26, 2012

Performance is nominal because of the four-cylinder engine but it's still deccent, the manual transmission helps some. Quality is great, the only maintenance was the recommended brake job around sixty-five thousand miles. Appearance is decent, it's no Lambo or anything like that, but it's unique. Interior is dated but not bad looking, all Baja's come standard with sunroof and leather seats so it's comfortable. Gas mileage is supposed to be around 26 mpg because of the AWD. Overall it's a good, fun utility vehicle that's guaranteed to get a lot of attention.May 19, 2010

Cute car, but when someone describes it as a four seater, believe them! For a small car there is a lot of storage, though--INSIDE. Outside, unless you have a hard cover for the pick up, there is NO storage once the soft cover rips, which it will. Finding a hard cover is, well, hard, and when you do, you find out it cost over $600. Also, although the Boxer engine is strong, we've been told by our mechanic that if we don't replace the timing belt and it breaks, it will wreck the engine. Fuel economy is so/so.Jan 08, 2010

I Love the car, though I wish I had the Turbo model. I'm having problems with O2 sensors although I believe the catalytic converter is the root of the problem. The '03 being the first year the suspension was built more like the Outback than than new models, which have better ground clearance and a more off road look. The rear springs should be stiffer but over all the suspension setup is rock solid, not too much body rollOct 12, 2009

I love the performance of the car. While it's not as fast as other cars, it has good acceleration and handling. I didn't buy it when it was new, so I can't say anything about the braking. You could just as well buy aftermarket ceramic brakes and say it works like a charm. The build quality is poor because the driver's side door doesn't rest in the frame properly. I have troubles shutting the door sometimes. This was a manufacturing error and cannot be fixed, meaning that my car frosts up on the inside in the winter. My car has leather seating, which is very nice. Aside from that, it's no different interior-wise from a Subaru Legacy. The exterior styling is great, and the ladies love the pickup bed. Although gas mileage is dependent on your driving style, I get about 37 MPG. It's six years old, and I haven't had to replace anything on it yet. The car is very fun to drive. It corners well and has good acceleration. And like any truck, the wind tunnel pushes against the cab, giving you an extra boost of speed.Jul 07, 2009

When I first say these cars I was not sure about the looks. Didn't give them much thought. I was set on getting a Toyota MR2. Then reality hit. What was I going to do with a 2-seater that didn't even have room for groceries! Suddenly I thought of the Baja. The more I looked the more I fell in love with it. Two test drives later, one with a standard shift base model and one with an automatic sport model. Later that afternoon I was an owner of a sporty silver number. Love it! Now there are drawbacks to the car but those drawbacks are evened out by some great advantages. The mileage is down a bit due top the all wheel drive, but when you are the only one making it up a steep hill in 8 inches of snow you forgive the 22 mpg city. (It will get a good 29-30 on an open highway trip.) The bed may be too small for some but having a full back seat that can fit adults is a very nice feature. Great fold down backseat and bed pass thru and bed extender makes up enough of the room. I would classify this car as the perfect suburban pick-up. Not the quickest off the line but the flat 4 engine has plenty of go once you get it up to highway speed. Solid and steady acceleration.Dec 31, 2008