- The Outback’s boxy SUV styling upset fans but fits better as a pickup transformation.
- Independent renderings by Digimods Design bring back the spirit of the Subaru Baja.
- An Outback-based pickup could challenge the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz.
The 2026 Subaru Outback made its debut earlier this month at the New York Auto Show, and reactions have been, to put it kindly, mixed. While many fans are still trying to process the shift not just in design but in overall bodystyle, an independent artist has shown that the polarizing look might actually work better if Subaru leaned into it and built a pickup instead.
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Subaru has faced criticism for steering the Outback away from its raised wagon roots and turning it into what many see as a clumsy, boxy SUV. Despite the backlash, the taller body and upright nose of the new generation make it surprisingly well-suited for a truck conversion.
More: New Subaru Outback Finally Comes Out As An SUV
Digital artist Dimas Ramadhan, known online as Digimods Design, found inspiration in the new Outback for his latest set of renderings. He chose to label the creation as a Subaru Brat revival, although the design arguably looks closer to a modern interpretation of a soft-roading pickup, something along the lines of the Honda Ridgeline.
The fictional double-cab pickup could give Subaru a much-needed entry into the compact pickup segment, where models like the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz are currently thriving.
Screenshots: Digimods Design / YouTube
The front end remains largely unchanged from the Outback SUV, but an extended wheelbase and a longer rear overhang create space for a properly sized truck bed. Fortunately, this rendering uses the standard Outback front bumper instead of the more polarizing grille from the rugged Wilderness trim.
Revisiting the Subaru Baja Playbook
If such a model were ever produced, it would likely share the Outback’s unibody platform. Power would come from the turbocharged 2.4-liter flat-four engine that produces 260 horsepower, which seems a better fit for a pickup than the base naturally aspirated engine. In the Outback, the turbo mill is paired with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and sends power to all four wheels through Subaru’s Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system.
The original Subaru Baja, based on the Outback and Legacy, was offered in the United States from 2003 to 2006. Despite its cult following today, it struggled to find buyers at the time and quietly disappeared from the lineup without a successor.
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More: Could A 2025 Subaru Forester Baja Challenge The Hyundai Santa Cruz And Ford Maverick?
In recent years, unofficial renderings of Subaru-branded pickups have become common. Some creations were based on the Crosstrek, others on the Forester, all feeding into a persistent nostalgia for a Subaru pickup. In 2023, Subaru even played along by posting an Outback-based Baja rendering on social media as an April Fool’s joke.
The question remains: should Subaru seriously consider resurrecting the Baja nameplate for the modern era? With compact trucks on the rise, it may not be the worst idea.
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