Subaru Baja

The Subaru Baja is a car/truck hybrid. It is very similar to the Subaru Outback, except instead of a large wagon's cargo area, it has an open pickup truck-like bed, complete with a tailgate. The Baja was introduced in early 2002 and is attempting to fill a gap in the car industry that was left with the demise of the (larger) Ford Ranchero and the Chevrolet El Camino. In the 1980s, Subaru sold an even smaller version of this hybrid body-style named BRAT. A nice thing about the Baja is its ability to cary truck style loads, but get much better fuel economy. The Baja is targeted at young drivers, and suburbanites, who may need the cargo space once in a while, but don't want to drive a clunky SUV or full-sized truck.