Could an All-New Subaru Ascent Baja Truck Pose Digital Threat to the Mighty Tacoma?

The full-size segment – both the light- and heavy-duty sectors – is unequivocally administered by the eternal Ford F-Series, boss of the pickup truck show. And, after decades of holding the crown, it is hard to think that any of the rivals have a chance to dethrone it, no matter the General Motors (Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra), Stellantis (Ram Trucks), Toyota (Tundra), and Nissan (Titan and Titan XD) efforts.

On the other hand, the mid-size endeavors are all directed toward catching up with the ultra-popular, best-selling Toyota Tacoma. But so far, the Ford Ranger, Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon, Nissan Frontier, and Honda Ridgeline all fall short of the iconic Japanese pickup truck, of course, at least in terms of sales, if not of prowess.

Interestingly, it has also been almost a couple of years since customers have started rekindling their love for the abandoned compact segment, and pocket-sized unibody options like the ritzy Hyundai Santa Cruz and (above all) the electrified plus affordable Ford Maverick have started making their voice heard. So, would it be preposterous to think that more automakers would seek to join the workhorse and adventure/lifestyle towing companion party across different segments?

For example, the rumor mill claims that Toyota is deeply distressed by the Maverick’s success and is now considering a potential return to life for the compact Stout nameplate. And that, of course, gave a lot of people new reasons to think about the Japanese automakers and the U.S. pickup truck market. Some of them also took things into their hands. Or, rather, at the tip of their CGI brush, as is the case here with the imaginative realm of digital car content creators. As such, some of them thought that Subaru could do well to rejoin the fray with a modern version of their four-door Baja compact Ute based on the latest Crosstrek crossover.

But others – like Dimas Ramadhan, the virtual automotive artist behind the Digimods DESIGN channel on YouTube, have taken up the task of revealing a new Subaru Baja on different CGI coordinates. As such, the pixel master took some DNA from a posher Subaru, aka the $33,895 Ascent mid-size CUV with three-row seating. Thus, his version of the potential Baja reincarnation (in Onyx Edition, nonetheless) is much bigger and more pronouncedly rugged when compared to the compact original. And maybe that is a good digital thing, as it could give quite a few headaches to the upcoming fourth-generation Toyota Tacoma.

Speaking of the latter, just for fun and quick virtual comparison reasons, we also embedded below a second video feature from Marouane Bembli, the virtual artist tucked behind TheSketchMonkey moniker on YouTube. A little later than other CGI experts, he also noticed the ‘escaped’ design patent beauty shots of the fourth-generation 2024 Tacoma and proceeded to turn them into a more colorful digital reality. So, which CGI do you like best?