The Subaru Baja is a light-utility, all-wheel-drive, four passenger, four-door crossover manufactured from 2003-2006 by Subaru. The production of Subaru Baja started in 2002 at the Lafayette, Indiana, factory (Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc.,). The Subaru Baja was received well in most of the markets as a good competitor for the larger Chevy Avalanche and Ford Explorer Sport Track. The Baja received the 2003 and 2004 J.D. Power's APEAL (for Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout Study) Award measuring owner delight with the design, content, layout and performance. Subaru Baja was awarded the "Most Appealing Compact Pickup" and the Consumer Reports 2006 highest score for reliability in the pickup truck category.
The high lighting features of the Subaru Baja include the perfect combination of handling and passenger carrying characteristics of a car with the open-bed versatility, and to a lesser degree, load capacity of a pickup truck. The "Switchback" feature allowed the rear passenger seat to fold down and a small thru-hatch to fold inward, allowing an extended length of 75 inches (1900 mm) to the end of the open tailgate.