Could the Subaru Baja Return?

Could the fan favorite, Subaru Baja, return? Subaru of Rochester speculates over the possibility of a return of this exciting Subaru. We will state, however, that we are just discussing a rumor that has cropped up in automotive circles. Rumors are usually triggered by something; in this case, the trigger is the Ford Maverick.

The Ford Maverick is a Sales Success

The Ford Maverick is a small unibody built on the same unibody and front-wheel drive platform as the Ford Escape and Bronco Sport. The truck is smaller than the midsize Ford Ranger and is available as an all-wheel drive, front-wheel drive, and front-wheel drive hybrid. With 94,058 deliveries in 2023, the Maverick sold almost three times as much as the Ranger or the similar-in-concept Hyundai Santa Cruz. The hybrid model was particularly popular, outselling the F-150 Powerboost hybrid. Such a success does not go unnoticed in the industry.

The Rumor Starts with Toyota

The story takes us to Toyota, which seldom hesitates to fill a popular category. With their best-selling mid-size pickup in the U.S. that has just had its first redesign in eight years, they must wonder how many of those Maverick buyers would have otherwise purchased a Tacoma. So this rumor starts with speculation of Toyota bringing back the Stout. The Stout name dates back to 1954, preceding the Tacoma and the Hilux. When it was sold alongside the Hilux, it was the bigger and more heavy-duty of the two and was eventually replaced by the T-100 mid-size truck. The T-100 was replaced by the full-size Tundra, and Toyota increased the size of the Tacoma to fill the gap. That leaves some room below for a compact-sized truck in the same class as the Maverick. 

Another Subaru / Toyota Joint Venture?

The case for a compact unibody Stout could be stronger if it were to become another joint venture similar to the BRZ and Toyota GR86, in which both companies shared in the cost of development. If Subaru were to have its own version of the Stout, it would very likely bring back the Baja name. 

For those without a long history of Subaru in their brains, the Baja was a 4-door pickup that was essentially a 2nd generation Outback with a pickup bed instead of an enclosed cargo area. This Subaru was sold in model years 2003 – 2006. In concept, it actually wasn’t far at all from the Maverick, except it was all-wheel drive only and had no hybrid version. A new Baja will likely have its own sheet metal from front to back. 

Again, this is all speculation, but that hasn’t stopped the graphic design team at Q-Cars from rendering speculative images of a new Baja using recent Subaru design cues. Unlike the Subaru-powered BRZ and GR 86 twins, the new Baja would likely have a Toyota hybrid drivetrain. That would likely be a transverse engine layout since that is how Toyota configures its compact hybrid drivetrains. Thus, the platform is more likely to be derived from the RAV4 than the Forester simply because it is already compatible with a Toyota hybrid drivetrain. Subaru could be responsible for the all-wheel drive system, though that would also have to be modified to accommodate a transverse engine.

While this is nothing but speculation, we can assure you that if things start to become official, and Subaru is part of it, you will hear about it here on the Subaru of Rochester Blog.