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19-495: All BRAT's had four-wheel drive and the Subaru EA engine . Early models received the 1.6 litre EA-71, whereas 1981 and later models received a 1.8 litre EA-81 engine. The 1983 and 1984 models could be purchased with an optional 94 hp (70 kW) turbocharged engine. Manual transmissions were standard on all models, and an automatic transmission was available on turbocharged BRAT's. The 1980 and earlier models had

38-590: A 1978 BRAT until 1998, which he kept at his ranch near Santa Barbara, California . The vehicle has since been restored and returned to the ranch, which is now owned by the Young America's Foundation . There have been several private enterprises that have used the BRAT / Brumby / MV Pickup in Motorsport events: There were no third generation BRAT/Brumby/MV pickups as the range was discontinued after 1987 in

57-781: A single-range transfer case, while 1981 and later GL models had a dual-range transfer case (DL's still had single range), and all turbocharged models were equipped with a 3 speed automatic transmission with a single-range, push-button, four-wheel drive. Developed in Japan in 1977 at the request of the President of Subaru of America, the BRAT was introduced to match the demand for small trucks in North America, in order to compete against other manufacturers, such as Toyota , Nissan , and Mazda . Unlike trucks from other manufacturers, all BRATs had four-wheel drive, as they were developed from

76-412: A tow rating of 1,100 kg (2,400 lb), a rear seat center position rigid hinged storage compartment with integral twin cupholders, rear-seat power supply, rear-seat center storage net, map-pockets at rear of each front seat; an under-bed mounted spare tire, operable via a cable winch accessible from an access panel in the bed, and a fold-down license plate holder allowing the plate to be visible with

95-423: Is an all-wheel-drive , four passenger coupé utility manufactured from 2002 to 2006 by Subaru and marketed for model years 2003 to 2006. The Baja combines the handling and passenger carrying characteristics of a traditional passenger car with the open-bed versatility and load capacity of a very small pickup truck . The unibody design borrowed heavily from the existing mechanicals, platform and sheet metal of

114-736: The Subaru Legacy/Outback wagon. Production began on July 18, 2002 as a 2003 model at the Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. factory in Lafayette, Indiana . The name Baja derives from the Mexican peninsula of Baja California; home to the Baja 1000 off-road race. Working with technical support from Subaru Japan, a team led by Peter Tenn, Subaru senior designer, penned the Baja in

133-731: The 1985 model year. The BRAT was re-introduced with a rise in popularity of small trucks being sold in the United States, primarily from Toyota , Nissan , and Mazda . Production continued into 1994 but ceased to be imported to North America in 1987. It was also known as the Brumby in Australia and New Zealand and the MV Pickup / Shifter in the UK. Imports to Europe, Australia (from 1978), and New Zealand continued until February 1994. The BRAT

152-416: The 2000 Los Angeles International Auto Show and also designed by a special Subaru America design team. The ST-X offered a greater complement of features than the production Baja (power rear window, under floor storage compartment, tailgate cup holders), but nevertheless set the production groundwork for an Outback-based, four-door, car-truck hybrid. In a package 150 mm (6 in) longer than an Outback,

171-473: The Baja featured a four-door passenger compartment along with a 1,040 mm (41 in) open bed and drop-down tailgate. A system marketed as the Switchback allowed the rear passenger seat to fold down and a small hatch from the open bed to fold inward, allowing an extended length of 1,900 mm (75 in) to the end of the open tailgate. A light in the instrument cluster signaled an "open" status for

190-480: The Baja's introduction called it a "controversial fashion statement with limited utility". The Baja received the 2003 and 2004 J.D. Powers's APEAL (for Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout Study) Award—measuring owner satisfaction with the design, content, layout and performance of their new vehicles for "Most Appealing Compact Pickup" and the Consumer Reports 2006 highest score for reliability in

209-520: The Switchback. The design featured two stainless steel exposed buttresses behind the passenger compartment, marketed as Sports Bars , providing structural reinforcement for the open bed. Feature included tinted rear door windows and rear window; an integrated bed liner; a dual-illumination bed light; four bed tie-down hooks; molded-in recesses to receive standard 2x4's to enable customized (e.g., bi-level) storage; standard roof rails with cross bars;

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228-410: The United States. According to an August, 2002 interview with Tenn, "the Baja's jarring look is homage to rally-race trucks. It's supposed to look funky, look different. It doesn't fit any category, and we knew that going in. It's not like anything else on the road. And that's important to a lot of people." The Baja followed closely Subaru's ST-X (Sport Truck X-perimental) concept vehicle presented at

247-728: The United States. In Australia, the range was continued until 1994. Subaru did, however, reveal a concept pickup in 1993 called the Suiren and later on in 2002, the automaker released a similar pickup vehicle called the Baja . Subaru EA engine Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.226 via cp1108 cp1108, Varnish XID 256747696 Upstream caches: cp1108 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 10:54:06 GMT Subaru Baja The Subaru Baja

266-428: The cargo bed allowed Subaru to classify the BRAT as a passenger car, rather than as a light truck. This significantly reduced the costs of importing BRATS to North America, as passenger cars were charged a 2.5% import tariff, while light trucks were charged a ten times higher 25% import tariff. They were discontinued after the 1986 model year. The BRAT was restyled in 1981 and the jump seats were discontinued after

285-524: The existing Leone station wagon . When the Leone was redesigned in 1979 for the 1980 model year, the BRAT continued with the original Gen I body until 1982. North American and Canadian BRAT models featured carpeting in addition to welded-in rear-facing plastic jump seats in the cargo area. The seats were a ploy to circumvent a punitive tariff on light trucks known as the Chicken tax . The plastic seats in

304-542: The pickup truck category. With Subaru projecting to sell 24,000 per year, 30,000 were marketed over four and a half years. Subaru discontinued Baja production in April 2006. Subaru stock-piled an inventory of 2006 models before discontinuing production, allowing dealers to continue to sell 2006 models as late as February 2008. The Baja was removed from the Subaru USA website on July 31, 2007, following its removal from

323-408: The tailgate down. Subaru marketed the Baja in the United States, Canada and Chile. In the United States and Canada, Subaru marketed the Baja as a "multiple-choice vehicle." Limited advertising, late arrival of the turbo-charged model, heavily styled lower-body plastic cladding and a yellow-and-silver introductory color scheme discouraged broad appeal. James Healey, writing for USAtoday at the time of

342-729: Was an export-only model, never being officially sold in Japan. Due to this, the BRAT became a popular grey import vehicle in Japan . There were several locations that manufactured the vehicle: Subaru never considered marketing the BRAT in their home market , due to a truncating demand of pickup trucks that had been occurring since the late 1970s. The declining demand came as a result of Japanese customers shifting to station wagons at that time. In 1987, exports to North America ceased, but exports to Europe, Australia, Latin America, and New Zealand continued until 1994. President Ronald Reagan owned

361-438: Was not sold in Japan and was manufactured for export markets. The early 1980s saw the introduction of a second Gen Targa-Top version. It also had other features, such as: a spring-loaded hidden door, for a side step into the cargo bed; and a spare tire mounted under the hood. In Australia there were specialty features: Ag-quip / packages with graphics, Roo bar, sump guard & rear step bar. Wagon wheels were also optional. It

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