Haven't 100% decided on a Bronco yet, but we really want one...

[Splattered23]

Alrighty so back story... i drive a '22 F150 Tremor and my wife WAS driving a '23 Kia Telluride EX X-Line. We originally wanted a Bronco for her but some of her friends had the Telluride and it was cheaper so she went with the Kia. Absolutely NO mechanical issues with the Telluride. Well about a week ago she got rear ended by a Ram HD Dually and it totaled the Kia. So... we are in the market for a replacement vehicle again but are extremely torn on what to buy next. We live outside of town in Arkansas with three kids and a dog and do go to areas to camp etc that are much easier to navigate in the truck. Some rough roads here.. lots of rain, mud, sometimes snow etc. We are wanting something at least somewhat off-road capable and my wife has absolutely fallen in love with the Orange Metallic color on the 2022 Broncos.

So Bronco seems logical choice for us, but that being said... we seem to be reading nothing but problems about the Broncos and it's making the decision extremely difficult now. Researching pretty much ALL current vehicles seems like nearly everything has reliability issues. Or the engines are tiny and lack oomph. Or the cabin/cargo space sucks.

The Mazda CX-5 or CX-50 with the turbo seem like one of the best choices if she decides against the Bronco but it's small compared to what we are used to now. She doesn't want another Telluride or a Palisade.

Are the odds pretty high if we get a Bronco that we're going to have issues with water leaks, window noises/alignment, etc? We WANT the Bronco but we don't want to deal with the headaches. We had a 2015 Ford Exploder Sport before the Kia and it was great until it developed pretty bad leak problems with the sun roof and the tailgate. Had to get the drains cleaned out multiple times and the tailgate seal kept leaking and the carpet got moldy and musty and it drove us crazy, we hated it.

Feel free to talk us into the Bronco or OUT of the Bronco, we just want to hear opinions while we are trying to decide on what to do.

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[broadicustomworks]

Overall you have to ask yourself (and your wife) what you expect the Bronco to be and to do for your needs.
I love mine.
But it is pretty much exactly what I imagined it would be (and better in some ways), coming from a soft top Jeep owner.
It drives better than a Jeep, rides better.
It will not be nearly as "cushy" or quiet as a solid-roofed SUV, no matter what top you go with or what you do. It is not the intended purpose of it TO be that.
A lot of used ones are hitting lots now because of several reasons that we can all speculate and agree/disagree on.
MY opinion is that it is the "new and shiny thing that is hard to get" period is over, and it is definitely not some luxury-brand ultra-plush and quiet SUV.
I think more than a few assumed it was more quiet and such solely based on demand and pricing of the upper models.
Have you driven a Bronco yet?
If not, I would suggest starting there vs. asking opinions on here, of which you will get a large variance of.
And I'm not talking a guided 5 minute jaunt down a 45mph street and back.
Take it for an hour or more.
Side streets, streets that are in some disrepair, interstates at speed.
Put all 3 kids in the back seat and see how they fit and how they feel about the time spent back there.
Then make your decision based on your experience, or at least it being the largest factor in your decision. Not others' opinions that may not equate to your use-case and/or expectation.

EDIT: All that said, my OPINION here is that I love mine. Still do, wish I had the stronger steering components and the better Soft top now on the 24's, but such is life. I'd make the same decision to buy it now that I did a couple years and 45K trouble-free miles back.

 

[Brian_B]

I think it boils down to how much you value fit& finish over raw ability.

The Bronco, as an offroader or all purpose vehicle, is excellent. Top notch. There isn't much you can't do with a Bronco.

That said, fit and finish is .. not good. I'm assuming it's to keep costs down, all that engineering on the mechanical side, something had to give. And it's the interior. Now, some people will take objection to that, and that's fine. It's my opinion.

The thing has a fully removable roof. Removable doors. The floorboard on some models is made of rubber with drain plugs. It's understood that some water is just going to get in, rather that's you crossing a river and flooding the thing out, using a hose to wash mud out, leaving the top off in a rain storm, or a seal dribbling a bit here or there. It's a lot of seals that could potentially leak, but a leak probably won't ruin the vehicle - it's made for it (more or less).

The frameless windows are another interesting design choice. It makes for a clean removable door. And it looks sharp. But it has other issues, like rattling, or requiring frequent "calibration". Or whistling at high speeds.

I am not trying to talk you out of a Bronco. Don't get me wrong. They are an absolute blast to drive around. Just making sure you have your eyes open on the compromises that are made. They are a great off road piece of equipment. They can be good daily drivers. But they are absolutely not posh luxury vehicles.

The Bronco will drive circles around the Kia, and the Explorer for that matter. But I suspect both of those will have better fit and finish.

The Bronco Sport - as much as people here don't care for it - is a much more polished vehicle, and even with the 3 cylinder drives more like a sports car than an SUV. It's smaller than your Explorer/Telluride, but the fit and finish is much closer to those, and it's still a capable vehicle in it's own right. And I would say the Explorer (in certain trims) lines up well as the BSport's direct step up, whereas the Bronco is the rough-around-the-edges but much more capable upgrade.

 

[Tdub0527]

Coming to this site you’ll certainly hear/read the doom and gloom that people have experienced. I’d say if you’re on a forum for anything odds are you like it more than your average person. Take what you read here as a data point but not the end all be all.

That said, the Bronco is my favorite vehicle I’ve ever owned. It is loud but if you have a realistic expectation going into it then it likely won’t bother you. I’ve never had any issues with leaking or being too cold or hot. I have a softtop and it’s held up amazingly during heavy rainstorms, blizzards and below 0 weather.

If you want a fun vehicle that will create differentiated memories with your family and provide unlimited smiles per gallon this is a good vehicle for you. If the tiny details about plastic scratching or wind noise bother you, well then you might be better off in another vehicle.

 

[RagnarKon]

You have to keep in mind that the people who are having trouble with their vehicles are more likely to jump online and start complaining about it. Very few people actually will jump online and say "No problems here, everything is perfectly fine."

So I will join @LC84 in saying "No major problems here, everything is fine, and love it." Seriously though, it is easy my most favorite vehicle I've ever owned.

---

Anyway, the Kia Telluride is more of an everyday family-oriented SUV that has some off-road capability. Very similar to many SUVs on the market, including the Ford Explorer, Jeep Grand Cherokee, etc.

The Bronco is definitely more of an off-road focused vehicle, similar to the Jeep Wrangler. So a lot of the creature/everyday comforts you would expect in a modern SUV are lacking or missing completely on the Bronco. Lots of hard easy-to-clean plastics on the interior, kind of noisy to drive, lacks refinement, not very luxurious, etc. etc.

BUT what you gain in return is a LOT more off-road capability, an aftermarket upgrade community that is growing by the day to customize the vehicle how you want, and of course unique features such as the removable top.

So you have to decide if it is worth it to give up those everyday comforts. If not, perhaps a different vehicle is a better choice.

My parents were recently in a similar spot. Shopping for a vehicle, have lots of dogs, and needed something that could travel off the pavement. The Bronco was one of the vehicles they were considering. After they saw my Bronco, they went home and bought a Ford Explorer Timberline instead.

 

[JT58Bronc]

It's luck of the draw. Some have had problems. The issues are posted- all the details may or may not be there. I have had my 2 door Sasquatch since April of 2022. Other than the recalls for windshield, back up camera and wipers I have only had a defective front driveshaft, which the dealer addressed by replacing it. No issue at all other than that and we both love it.

 

[PWillette]

I love my Bronco for what it is but it isn't in the same class as the KIA or the Mazdas you mention. It has some bells & whistles and very capable but it's not a luxury SUV by any means. As others have mentioned, you really need to spend some time behind the wheel to decide if it fits your needs.

 

[Callelk]

You have to keep in mind that the people who are having trouble with their vehicles are more likely to jump online and start complaining about it. Very few people actually will jump online and say "No problems here, everything is perfectly fine."

True that, just as it is on any forum regardless of the product. There is what, a few dozen complainers out of the tens-of-thousands of Broncos sold.

As others have said, what is your next vehicles main function? 5% off-roading then buy an SUV or crossover. If you are like me that spends 50% of my time on trails between May 1 and Feb 1, then the Bronco will be great. If you are somewhere in between, better drive one as stated above with the wife and kids and let them make the decision.

 

[frdfan]

I'm in the "no problems here" boat..like others have said, there will always be issues and they'll be amplified in owner forums. I would suggest asking her if she likes driving your F150...I came from a 2019 F150 and feel the ride quality and visibility of the Bronco is nearly the same, the F150 is a better overall ride, both suspension wise and interior comfort. If she doesn't like driving the truck, I doubt she'll like driving the Bronco.

 

[Splattered23]

Loving the replies so far guys keep em coming! To be honest the Bronco being a bit rough around the edges but off-road capable and customizable is a big part of what we find appealing about them. we expect to get them really dirty and have water coming in here and there but I've seen videos of water pouring in through the A-pillar(s) where it can hit unprotected wiring and stuff and that's what freaks us out because that's the sort of thing we experienced with our explorer that absolutely sucked. We already expect a bit of issues with seals and windows and stuff but on a smaller level that can be addressed easier. We have not driven the bronco yet as the kids have been out of school for winter weather AND we got hit with COVID at the same time haha

I think we would be perfectly fine with either a more luxury oriented or off-road oriented vehicle, but we WANT to want the Bronco. Just torn because of all the issues we're seeing online.

We will definitely test drive one ASAP.

Oh another question.... If we aren't going to be doing any EXTREME off-roading are there any reasons to shoot for the 2023 model over the '22 besides the HOSS 3.0? I mean outside of the fact that the 23 doesn't offer cyber orange anymore. any other "fixes" in newer models that we should know about? Trying to stay used if we can so we can keep payments down...

 

[Splattered23]

I'm in the "no problems here" boat..like others have said, there will always be issues and they'll be amplified in owner forums. I would suggest asking her if she likes driving your F150...I came from a 2019 F150 and feel the ride quality and visibility of the Bronco is nearly the same, the F150 is a better overall ride, both suspension wise and interior comfort. If she doesn't like driving the truck, I doubt she'll like driving the Bronco.

Yeah actually we both love driving the truck. When I first met her she had a tiny Hyundai Accent bubble of a car and had never driven a bigger vehicle before but she got used to driving my trucks over time and enjoys it now. She backs up our boats/trailers into the lake every year like a champ haha

So the size/visibility/ride quality I don't think would be as much of an issue her her/us.

 

[PWillette]

She backs up our boats/trailers into the lake every year like a champ haha

No matter your decision she's a keeper!

 

[pappacrunch]

We have a 2023 Wildtrak and a 2024 BMW X5. The kids prefer the X5 when going places for 3 reasons. Ventilation to the back seats in the Bronco is utilitarian at best. This is the biggest complaint from the back seat riders. I just added a couple of battery powered 5 inch fans that hook onto the headrest hoping that helps them out. Second complaint from the back seat is that it is loud. The road noise (above 45mph) is significantly more than the X5 and all of our friends and family SUV's. Drink holders is the 3rd complaint. We have the Lux so there are drink holders in the arm rest but they are not very deep and drinks tend to fly out of them. Added the Mabett drink holder on the floor which helps but they want to lift up when they pull the drinks out. Personally, I prefer to drive the Bronco. I like being up and above seeing what is going on. The Hoss 3 sucks up all of the ugly roads that California seems to test us with. The Infotainment system on the Bronco is spot on easy to use. The seat warmers (only in the front) work great (this is a complaint from the back seat that they don't have seat warmers). Under 45 mph the road noise isn't that big of a deal. Above 45 and you know you are in an off road vehicle. Parking is easy in the Bronco. It could use more lighting inside the cabin when it is dark outside (gonna add LED's inside of mine hooked to an upfitter). It could also use more lighting when you put it in reverse, but this will be solved with a trailer hitch light. Your F150 probably has more creature comforts than the Bronco but you can go more places in your Bronco. Your backseat passengers will probably appreciate a loaded Mazda but the driver will probably enjoy the Bronco more. Anyway you look approach it, it is a lot better than a 68 Dodge Coronet Station Wagon. .

 

[JerryC]

My 2 cents, if you are thinking Bronco, get a Wildtrak, it has the best ride off/on road.

Staying Ford, as mentioned, look at the Bronco Sport. I prefer the Badlands for the bigger engine and better driveline.

If you want stone cold reliable, look at a 4 Runner.

 

[kdubb143]

I love my Wildtrak But have decided to upgrade to the Raptor Bronco

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