We all remember the legendary Baja ute from the early 2000s. Even though it wasn’t in production for too long, it left a big mark in the world of Subaru enthusiasts. Therefore, it’s no wonder that the same group of people has received rumors about the new Subaru pickup with huge excitement. According to these rumors, the Japanese manufacturer is working on a pickup, which could come this year in a concept form, as the 2021 Subaru Truck Concept, while the serial production could start in a year or two.
At this point, we are talking about pure speculation, so you should take the following paragraphs with a big reserve. Still, the lack of official information won’t stop us from speculating about the design characteristics of the rumored concept. In our opinion, there are two possible directions for the 2021 Subaru Truck Concept and we will briefly elaborate on both of them in this article.
2021 Subaru Truck Concept: Unibody Design
In our humble opinion, chances to see the original ute design approach are really small, as such layout probably wouldn’t be too appealing on today’s market. Instead, one of the possibilities is to see a more conventional design, though in a modern way. We are talking about a typical pickup truck shape but also about a not so typical unibody platform.
Such an approach may be untypical but definitely isn’t something new on the market. The Honda Ridgeline has been around for more than 15 years with such a design and it’s doing pretty well on the market. With all the pros and cons, such a layout would definitely be appropriate for the 2021 Subaru Truck Concept.
If this happens, we presume that the Ascent would serve as the basis. The company’s biggest SUV competes in the mid-size segment and has all the characteristics to get a pickup iteration. In that case, the two models would use the same mechanics and share a lot of styling elements, particularly at the front. Of course, the rear end would come with a cargo bed, which would replace the third row and cargo area. A crew cab layout would be the only version in the offer.
2021 Subaru Truck Concept: Body on Frame Design
Although Subaru currently doesn’t have such a vehicle in its portfolio, nor such a platform, that doesn’t mean it can’t get it in the future. It’s not a secret that Subaru works on many joint projects with Toyota, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if we see the same thing in the case of the 2021 Subaru Truck Concept. This would mean a body-on-frame version of Toyota’s new TNGA platform, and the specific version for the next-generation Tacoma, which is expected in the next couple of years.
This means that the 2021 Subaru Truck Concept would share a lot of things with the most popular mid-size pickup in North America. It would use the same chassis and probably the same dimensions. On the other side, it would come with its own styling, based on the brand’s current design language. In this case, the interior may be designed by Subaru but could be shared with the next-generation Tacoma as well.
Of course, the biggest question is the engine placement. More precisely, we don’t believe that such a platform would be able to accommodate a boxer engine.
2021 Subaru Truck Concept Engine
When it comes to the powertrain, things will largely depend on the platform. If Subaru is about to present a unibody pickup truck, which sounds more likely to us, the 2021 Subaru Truck Concept would come with a familiar 2.4-liter turbo-four engine, which powers the Ascent. The engine is good for about 260 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque and comes in pair with a CVT gearbox. Of course, the all-wheel-drive would be standard.
On the other side, Toyota’s platform would probably mean Toyota’s engine as well. That could easily be the familiar 3.5-liter V6 from Tacoma, though we would rather expect a turbocharged engine, with either four or six cylinders, something that would be used for the next generation of Tacoma as well.
2021 Subaru Truck Concept Release Date
The 2021 Subaru Truck Concept is just a rumor, for now, so you should take it with a big reserve. All we know at this point is based on rumors, which may or may not happen. If you want to trust these rumors, you may hope for the premiere in the second half of the years. Still, we would rather take all this with a big reserve and wait to hear something from the officials.