Car and Driver Review: 2021 Bronco Wildtrak Tested: The Ultimate Bronco (for Now)

[broncobase1]

In before all the badlands owners

Seriously, you would let some lame review decide which one to get?

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[Ducati1098]

Seriously, you would let some lame review decide which one to get?

No not at all. I don’t understand why anyone would care what the top or “ultimate” bronco model is anyway. People should just buy whatever suits their needs. That’s the whole point of having different models/packages. It’s just funny to watch people freakout because someone calls a certain model better, which is why I commented that. Because I knew some badlands owner would come in here crying that their bronco is more ultimate.

 

[broncobase1]

Well, I still think the 4 door looks awesome.

The fact Motor Trend listed 4 Door as a "low" is proof how lame some of these reviews can be. Do they really think we don't know the difference between a 2 and 4 door? Silly! I have not read this new review, but Motor Trends first one was obviously biased to plug their choice for SUV of the year, which was a car based platform that practically rides on its rims. For example they made much ado of the windows catching the weather stripping when opened. While a real issue, there are reasons why it works this way and after owning for several months I appreciate this design decision. The windows fit into a groove on top when fully up, which does an excellent job of sealing. Many of the most loved cars of the 60's had frameless doors, and while cool sealing was always a problem. The workaround is super easy, simply pop the door handle and wait a few milliseconds before opening, I do it from muscle memory now. Could it be improved? Perhaps but its always going to be a compromise. I don't have a problem with reviews pointing this out like many have, but to chock it up to "poor quality" without explaining the reasons behind it demonstrates a poor quality review more than anything else. Sure, Ford could have given the Bronco conventional doors and a fixed roof, heck they could have made it unibody. But what would it be then? Just another SUV like Range Rover Discovery designed to drive like a sport sedan like very other SUV.

 

[JPye]

2021 Ford Bronco Wildtrak Tested: The Ultimate Bronco (for Now)
The four-door Wildtrak is the burliest Ford Bronco you can get until the new Raptor model arrives.

The Ultimate Bronco? We are all entitled to our opinions. If everyone agreed it was the ultimate, there would be no need for the 8 trim models in the Bronco lineup. One of the reasons I have a Badlands, non-Sasquatch is I didn't like the 35" tires from a milage and safety viewpoint. Badlands Lux has all the options that are standard in the Wildtrack. Plus, I get 20 mpg on highway and 18 mpg around town with the 33's.. Sasquatch package also removes structural elements that help protect the passengers in a crash. Sure, having bigger tires could be help, but IMHO 35's are not required.

I wanted the sway-bar disconnect, marine grade vinyl seats and rubber floor with floor drains. I think the MGV looks great, and I found them to be very comfortable on a 3,500 mile 9 day road trip last month. I can honestly say that driver fatigue was on par with my 2012 BMW X5 with premium leather 7 way power seats. YUK, Wildtrack comes with cloth seats and MGV are not available. The driver assist features available with the LUX package may have a positive affect on driver fatigue, but I can say I had not discomfort sitting for 4 hours at a time in these seats, and I am not so sure the cloth seats would have been as comfortable.

 

[broncobase1]

No not at all. I don’t understand why anyone would care what the top or “ultimate” bronco model is anyway. People should just buy whatever suits their needs. That’s the whole point of having different models/packages. It’s just funny to watch people freakout because someone calls a certain model better, which is why I commented that. Because I knew some badlands owner would come in here crying that their bronco is more ultimate.

Agree. Any review should be taken with a grain of salt. Some reviews seem to completely ignore cost and value. They think everyone wants things like heated & cooled seats, leather, automatic HVAC, ETC. We don't. With the Bronco there are compelling reasons the lower models are a great choice, especially considering you can get sasquatch on the Base. I get it these magazine reviews are going to concentrate on the top models, but to simply check off the top model as the one to get is out of touch.

 

[broncobase1]

The Ultimate Bronco? We are all entitled to our opinions. If everyone agreed it was the ultimate, there would be no need for the 8 trim models in the Bronco lineup. One of the reasons I have a Badlands, non-Sasquatch is I didn't like the 35" tires from a milage and safety viewpoint. Badlands Lux has all the options that are standard in the Wildtrack. Plus, I get 20 mpg on highway and 18 mpg around town with the 33's.. Sasquatch package also removes structural elements that help protect the passengers in a crash. Sure, having bigger tires could be help, but IMHO 35's are not required.

I wanted the sway-bar disconnect, marine grade vinyl seats and rubber floor with floor drains. I think the MGV looks great, and I found them to be very comfortable on a 3,500 mile 9 day road trip last month. I can honestly say that driver fatigue was on par with my 2012 BMW X5 with premium leather 7 way power seats. YUK, Wildtrack comes with cloth seats and MGV are not available. The driver assist features available with the LUX package may have a positive affect on driver fatigue, but I can say I had not discomfort sitting for 4 hours at a time in these seats, and I am not so sure the cloth seats would have been as comfortable.

Great and sensible post. I went all the way to the bottom with Base non-sasquatch and have no regrets, but my idea of off roading is getting to the ski area or trailhead. These reviews especially from major magazines seem to ignore the value aspect, although MT seems to be worse than others in this respect.

 

[JPye]

Great and sensible post. I went all the way to the bottom with Base non-sasquatch and have no regrets, but my idea of off roading is getting to the ski area or trailhead. These reviews especially from major magazines seem to ignore the value aspect, although MT seems to be worse than others in this respect.

These Magazines are supported by motor company marketing departments. I wouldn't be surprised of the manufactures provide large swaths of text for the writers to paste into their articles. That said, I doubt very much I would be a Badlands owner if it weren't for motor company marketing departments. I would probably be just a happy having not read anything about the Bronco and continued driving my bullet proof 2012 BMW X5 35d until if fell apart. Both are great rides. I have to admit that it took a 3,500 mile road trip for me to fully appreciate the Bronco though. The performance and handling of the Bronco are not the same as the X5, but the performance and handling on highway is a totally acceptable for the off road market that the Bronco supports. They hit a home run IMHO.

 

[Joey.calc]

anyone else ignore articles that are only text? nothing against reading but I'd rather see a vehicle being driven and tested for what it was designed for than read about it

It's okay, I used to be the same way - always needed pictures so I could understand something. Then I turned 5 and started school... words are better now.

 

[Headless Horseman]

Dunno if you are referring to ford accessories at time of order placement vs Aftermarket goodies, but I stripped my WT Lux order to the bone in order to get a VIN ( which worked btw), then geared back up with aftermarket stuff, that turned out to be superior imho and also at greatly reduced prices in comparison to the ford options.

Can you give examples of which goodies you changed? I'm only going by what is on the Ford site...so, the tube doors, 2400 soft top, etc...

 

[Headless Horseman]

The Ultimate Bronco? We are all entitled to our opinions. If everyone agreed it was the ultimate, there would be no need for the 8 trim models in the Bronco lineup. One of the reasons I have a Badlands, non-Sasquatch is I didn't like the 35" tires from a milage and safety viewpoint. Badlands Lux has all the options that are standard in the Wildtrack. Plus, I get 20 mpg on highway and 18 mpg around town with the 33's.. Sasquatch package also removes structural elements that help protect the passengers in a crash. Sure, having bigger tires could be help, but IMHO 35's are not required.

I wanted the sway-bar disconnect, marine grade vinyl seats and rubber floor with floor drains. I think the MGV looks great, and I found them to be very comfortable on a 3,500 mile 9 day road trip last month. I can honestly say that driver fatigue was on par with my 2012 BMW X5 with premium leather 7 way power seats. YUK, Wildtrack comes with cloth seats and MGV are not available. The driver assist features available with the LUX package may have a positive affect on driver fatigue, but I can say I had not discomfort sitting for 4 hours at a time in these seats, and I am not so sure the cloth seats would have been as comfortable.

Thank you for the great info and your honesty. What does SAS do that effects passenger protection. Also, the mileage is better on the 33s...does this also lead to less noise when on the highway? I've heard different opinions on road comfort with the 33s vs. SAS...some say the 33s better, others say the improved suspension and other SAS changes actually make the ride more comfortable on the road.

I'm stuck between the BL and the WT so trying to get all my ducks lined up. Also, deciding what to do with the top is tough...go hardtop and soft top? sigh...

 

[ET13]

The Ultimate Bronco? We are all entitled to our opinions. If everyone agreed it was the ultimate, there would be no need for the 8 trim models in the Bronco lineup. One of the reasons I have a Badlands, non-Sasquatch is I didn't like the 35" tires from a milage and safety viewpoint. Badlands Lux has all the options that are standard in the Wildtrack. Plus, I get 20 mpg on highway and 18 mpg around town with the 33's.. Sasquatch package also removes structural elements that help protect the passengers in a crash. Sure, having bigger tires could be help, but IMHO 35's are not required.

I wanted the sway-bar disconnect, marine grade vinyl seats and rubber floor with floor drains. I think the MGV looks great, and I found them to be very comfortable on a 3,500 mile 9 day road trip last month. I can honestly say that driver fatigue was on par with my 2012 BMW X5 with premium leather 7 way power seats. YUK, Wildtrack comes with cloth seats and MGV are not available. The driver assist features available with the LUX package may have a positive affect on driver fatigue, but I can say I had not discomfort sitting for 4 hours at a time in these seats, and I am not so sure the cloth seats would have been as comfortable.

Lol you Badlands guys really get your panties in a wad when Wildtrak is referred to as the top of the line.

 

[Sledge]

Can you give examples of which goodies you changed? I'm only going by what is on the Ford site...so, the tube doors, 2400 soft top, etc...

Sure, i went soft top on the theory that none of the current hard top versions are satisfactory at the moment; i am certain after-market will produce a superior solution somewhere here. I eliminated the running boards, and replaced them with Go Rhino boards that i caught on sale for less that $400, they are much wider and have a better look for way cheaper than ford; no door bags; no floor mats - went with Husky and am super pleased; i eliminated the modular bumper and the brush bar - i eventually couldn't resist and went for a DV8 MTO winch bumper, but the discount from dropping the modular bumper and basically non-functional brush bar made a truly substantial contribution to my winch bumper budget; i dropped the ford mesh bimini and instead spent a fraction of the cost on a Gearshade mesh bimini, which is nice and taught and works super well at speed (it also doesn't interfere with Exposed Racks); having a soft-top has required some security measures - Koons Ford in Baltimore tossed in a Console Safe for free; also went with rear seat back covers from Mabett (look on Amazon - tis a super product and is dirt cheap for protecting the seat backs when you have the seats folded down); mud flaps from Recgen.com - way less expensive than Ford and they look great plus they are designed to fit SAS with no modifications - phone them for the new ones that don't have the metal flag - they aren't advertized yet but they'll ship them to you regardless; overhead grab handles from Hunter Safety Products (these things are super nice! highly recommend! I am surprised don't cost more); i pretend that somehow i'm deflecting bugs and rocks over my windshield with a hood deflector, but that one is in fact a ford accessory but it doesn't cost much at all; and lastly i did splurge and purchased a Diabolical Slipstream for the cargo area. The blogs complain about the cost of the Slipstream but i gotta say that in this case you really do get what you pay for - the Slipstream is super high quality product and its versatility can't be beat. That's what i did!

 

[mpeugeot]

The Ultimate Bronco? We are all entitled to our opinions. If everyone agreed it was the ultimate, there would be no need for the 8 trim models in the Bronco lineup. One of the reasons I have a Badlands, non-Sasquatch is I didn't like the 35" tires from a milage and safety viewpoint. Badlands Lux has all the options that are standard in the Wildtrack. Plus, I get 20 mpg on highway and 18 mpg around town with the 33's.. Sasquatch package also removes structural elements that help protect the passengers in a crash. Sure, having bigger tires could be help, but IMHO 35's are not required.

I wanted the sway-bar disconnect, marine grade vinyl seats and rubber floor with floor drains. I think the MGV looks great, and I found them to be very comfortable on a 3,500 mile 9 day road trip last month. I can honestly say that driver fatigue was on par with my 2012 BMW X5 with premium leather 7 way power seats. YUK, Wildtrack comes with cloth seats and MGV are not available. The driver assist features available with the LUX package may have a positive affect on driver fatigue, but I can say I had not discomfort sitting for 4 hours at a time in these seats, and I am not so sure the cloth seats would have been as comfortable.

Agreed on the lux making it much easier to put a lot of miles on the road. The OBX cloth seats however, are a total win, exceptionally comfortable seating (and won't cause a burn in the summer heat here in South Texas).

 

[Headless Horseman]

Sure, i went soft top on the theory that none of the current hard top versions are satisfactory at the moment; i am certain after-market will produce a superior solution somewhere here. I eliminated the running boards, and replaced them with Go Rhino boards that i caught on sale for less that $400, they are much wider and have a better look for way cheaper than ford; no door bags; no floor mats - went with Husky and am super pleased; i eliminated the modular bumper and the brush bar - i eventually couldn't resist and went for a DV8 MTO winch bumper, but the discount from dropping the modular bumper and basically non-functional brush bar made a truly substantial contribution to my winch bumper budget; i dropped the ford mesh bimini and instead spent a fraction of the cost on a Gearshade mesh bimini, which is nice and taught and works super well at speed (it also doesn't interfere with Exposed Racks); having a soft-top has required some security measures - Koons Ford in Baltimore tossed in a Console Safe for free; also went with rear seat back covers from Mabett (look on Amazon - tis a super product and is dirt cheap for protecting the seat backs when you have the seats folded down); mud flaps from Recgen.com - way less expensive than Ford and they look great plus they are designed to fit SAS with no modifications - phone them for the new ones that don't have the metal flag - they aren't advertized yet but they'll ship them to you regardless; overhead grab handles from Hunter Safety Products (these things are super nice! highly recommend! I am surprised don't cost more); i pretend that somehow i'm deflecting bugs and rocks over my windshield with a hood deflector, but that one is in fact a ford accessory but it doesn't cost much at all; and lastly i did splurge and purchased a Diabolical Slipstream for the cargo area. The blogs complain about the cost of the Slipstream but i gotta say that in this case you really do get what you pay for - the Slipstream is super high quality product and its versatility can't be beat. That's what i did!

Apple Ford is right down the road from me but I purchased my wife's Mach-E from Bob Davidson (story behind this). Regardless, did you do most of these mods yourself, or go to a fabrication shop (like Wit's End Fabrication) to get them done? Can you post a pic of your truck? It must be awesome looking!

 

[Sledge]

I have done / am doing the installs myself. That's half the fun! Flip side to doing it yourself is that i'm not done yet.... still have the winch bumper to do. Targeting completion by the end of the weekend. Will share pics, including scrapes and bruises acquired along the way (none yet...).

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