Subdriven | The Subaru Enthuisast Website

I’m going to toot my own horn here for a few minutes. For those who are the least bit interested in who I am, and/or how I got here, read on. For those who couldn’t care less, or who think I’m an idiot, please move further on down the page, or, better still, to another page altogether.

What got me thinking about this was Jean Jenning’s ‘Vile Gossip’ editorial column in the April 2005 issue of Automobile magazine. In it she’s got some pretty good advice for all those aspiring to be automotive writers out there. Rather timely I thought, as I’m feverously typing away here trying to be just that. Her editorial lead me to think—how did I get here in the first place, and why me? Especially me, who absolutely hated English in high school; in fact I hated most classes in high school, grade school and junior high. I was always a pretty good athlete, and I was always very good in art.

In any event, somehow I made it to college, and eventually graduated from Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore (MICA). I’ve survived 30+ years of working in the graphic design field, mostly in the corporate and institutional design arena; corporate identity, marketing brochures, annual reports, education, health care, senior-related marketing, and so forth. I’ve had my own design business for almost 15 years, and I also teach part time at MICA. So, yeah, I’ve been around a while. Last month I entered my sixth decade on this planet—and while the bones may be old—the spirit is young—or so I like to think.

While at MICA I had to take a lot of art history courses. In doing so I found that studying art history was actually an interesting way to study just plain old regular history. By that I mean if you’re studying the art of Jacques-Louis David and Neo-Classical Art, you’re also studying the French Revolution, as well as the customs, political, social and economic climate of that era. So I generally approach my writing with that art history/history analogy in mind. By that I mean writing is as much of a creative process, as is graphic design. In writing I go through the exact same creative and thought processes as I do in designing a logo or a marketing brochure. The only difference is one product is visual and the other is verbal, but the steps used from getting from Point A to Point Z are pretty much the same. So the transition has really been pretty easy.

“C’mon! Enough, already! Cars? What about CARS? When did cars—more specifically Subarus—enter the picture?” I can hear at least one of you out there asking…

Well, as I used to joke, my parents swore that the first word I ever uttered, was not “ma-ma” or “da-da.” No, the first word I spoke reportedly was “Buick!” It seems I was born with an automotive gene, as I’ve been an automobile addict ever since… well… “Buick!” Must have gotten that gene from dad, as he was Acting Dean of Mechanical Engineering at Rutgers University some 50-odd years ago, and a car guy too. So the long and short of it is that I’ve been a certified car nut ever since I was knee-high-to-a-grasshopper.

Five or six years ago I became a regular poster over at Edmunds.com, in the Subaru Crew area. At some point someone recommended that I co-host that site along with AJ Teixeira (AKA “juice” and also a Vortex Media Group contributor), which eventually resulted in getting invited by SOA to several Subaru-related trips; twice to the NAIAS at Detroit, and one trip to Las Vegas to test the new Legacy GT at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It was on a couple of these Subie trips that AJ and I hooked up with Jacoby (Coby) here at Subdriven. After several back and forth e-mails, Coby and the other Subdriven/Vortex folks asked if we (AJ and I) would consider also being contributors here, and the rest is history as they say.

Oh yeah, there are a couple of Subies in the family too: a dark blue ’96 Impreza Outback (son’s car) and a white ’01 Forester S Premium (wife’s car), named the “Toaster,” all bought new. Also in the current Holland automotive stable are a black ’04 CRV (daughter’s car) and a dark blue-gray ’98 Explorer (my daily driver, I’m sorry to say). I also have a 3K GVW, 5’ x 8’ utility trailer (hence the Explorer, and my passion for work-capable vehicles), so you can expect to see some towing/hauling comments here from time-to-time.

Besides the above listed vehicles, and for those who must know every motor vehicle I’ve ever owned: '63 VW sunroof, '65 Honda 305cc CB77 Super Hawk, '68 Chevy Camaro, '69 Honda CL-350, '70 Kawasaki Mach III 500 triple, '72 Chevy G-20 Beauville van, '72 Kawasaki Mach II 350 triple, '74 Austin Marina, '74 Honda CB550 four, '76 Honda Accord, '80 Honda Accord 4-door sedan, '81 Honda Civic Wagon, '84 VW Quantum wagon, '84 Honda Civic S, '86 Saab 9000 Turbo, '87 Ford F-150 4x4, '88 Honda Accord LXi, '91 Ford Explorer, and a '86 Honda HR214 lawn mower.

In any event, I think you will find, for a geezer, I have some pretty young, if not rather unusual, ideas pertaining to motor vehicles. I’m sure it has to do with my creative background, as I’m often all over the map thinking about new and better ways of doing things. I am definitely not one of those who subscribes to “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” type of thinking. So don’t expect business as usual here. I could be writing about the Oshkosh HEMTT A3 severe-duty military tactical truck with all-around independent suspension, or a John Deere 9020 4x4 tractor, as easily as writing about the 1991 Subaru Amadeus concept (Anybody remember that one? Hint: think SVX Shooting Brake), or an Outback Sport. So anything’s fair game as far as I’m concerned.

Hold the presses! This just in! Maybe great minds do think alike. I just noticed that SOA, on their recently updated web site, is also now using a variation of my column title as the headline for the Baja homepage: “Choose the road less traveled” (http://www.subaru.com/shop/model_consideration.jsp?model=BAJA). Hmmm…

Okay, enough about me; back to our regularly scheduled program...

…And speaking of the Baja: someone over at NASIOC.com, who works at a Subaru dealer, recently posted an image of a SOA-sourced bulletin regarding 2006 Subaru emission systems, and the Baja was listed, so there will indeed be a 2006 Baja. Even more interesting, on side two of that bulletin, it listed 2007 and 2008 models—including the Baja; so unless something drastic happens between now than then, it sounds like there is still life left for that model.

If this turns out to be true, I think that’s great news. I have always loved the concept of the Baja. I’m just not crazy about the execution, but the concept is spot on in my opinion. I’m hoping that the ‘07/’08 Bajas will be Tribaca-based. If that’s not possible, base it again on the Outback, but use heavy-duty Tribeca parts wherever possible, and obviously address as many of the current vehicle’s shortcomings as possible.

I have been stating for some time that Subaru needs to find a “convincing” argument for people to buy the Baja, and to date that hasn’t happened. Ironically the new Honda Ridgeline may actually have helped here. The Ridgeline has been getting rave reviews in the automotive press for its 2-way tailgate and in-bed trunk. That should not be lost on Subaru. I have said many times before that if Subaru, on the next-generation Baja, incorporated a lockable, roll-top, retractable, hard bed cover, as standard equipment on all Bajas, that feature would become the HUGE selling point.

Not sure what I mean by a lockable, retractable, roll-top, hard bed cover? Check out the center front console cupholder cover now found on new Outbacks and Legacys, then take that same concept, and scale it up so that it would fit the Baja’s pickup bed. This cover would retract, window shade-like, into a compartment on the center bulkhead, below the rear window but above the switchback. Having this feature would give the Baja Ridgeline-like secure storage capability, which is sorely lacking now. Finally add the Ridgeline’s 2-way tailgate and—BINGO—the Baja would instantly become a far more appealing vehicle to customers. I guarantee it. Thank you Honda.


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