• In 2003, Subaru introduced a new vehicle, based from an Outback's platform. This vehicle was known as the Subaru Baja and showed a striking resemblance to the Subaru Brat, which was removed from the American market in 1987. This Subaru Baja is what is known, to some, as a mini-truck. This style of vehicle is based on a regular car, but a small truck bed is added to the rear. The Subaru Baja was a short-lived idea, as Subaru cut it from its lineup after 2006.
  
  

Internals

• The Subaru mini-truck was powered by a horizontally-opposed four-cylinder (H4) -- commonly referred to as a flat-four or boxer engine -- which means, the pistons travel horizontally instead of at a 90-degree angle. The H4 had a bore (cylinder width) of 3.92 inches and a stroke (distance piston travels inside the cyliner) of 3.11 inches, creating a total displacement of 2,457 cubic-cm (2.5 liters). It had a compression ratio of 10.0 to 1 as naturally aspirated (non-turbo) and 8.2 to 1 with a turbocharger.
  
  

Configuration

• The 2.5-liter H4 had two different configurations. The naturally aspirated engine was a 16-valve single-overhead-cam (SOHC) configuration. This means that there were four valves per cylinder and that there was a single cam that sat at the top of the cylinder head. The turbocharged version -- available from 2004 through 2006 -- also had 16 valves, but it was a double-overhead-cam (DOHC) configuration.
  
  

Output

• The Baja's naturally aspirated H4 engine produced 165 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 166 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm. The turbocharged version of the 2.5-liter, H4 produced 210 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 235 pound-feet of torque at 3,600 rpm.
  
  

Economy

• The naturally aspirated 2.5-liter, in 2003, got 20 to 21 miles per gallon (mpg) in the city and 25 to 26 mpg on the highway, depending on the transmission selected. From 2004 through 2006 the non-turbocharged 2.5-liter got 21 mpg in the city and 27 to 18 mpg on the highway, depending on the transmission. The turbocharged H4 engine got 18 to 19 mpg in the city and 23 to 25 mpg on the highway, depending on the model-year and transmission.