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Moab Ride Along in Bronco First Edition - My Thoughts

Mattwings

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This still makes no sense to me. The doors coming off isn't a reason to put the window switches on the console. You don't need the switches when the doors are off! Putting them on the console is just clutter.

Yet they put the lock switches on the doors. That way when the doors are off, you no longer have a button to lock your tailgate.

So you take the doors off, and now have a useless switch for windows you don't have, but lose the switch for the tailgate that you DO still have.

Jeep does the same thing and I've never been able to figure it out.

Maybe just maybe you want to remove only the front doors and still roll the rear windows down? Not sure why to would ever do that though.
I will likely have the front doors off and rear doors on at times. I need the controls on the console so the dogs get their proper window opening. I know it’s a small thing, but it makes sense and if I was confronted with the issue after the fact, I would be disappointed. Two door? They will make so few, makes no sense to have two completely different set ups. #2, weight. All small details but the switches and wiring add complexity and weight. Lighter doors is a competitive advantage over Jeep. If Ford doesn’t work hard to make the doors light, Jeep can counter more easily and eliminate the advantage. Thus, console window controls.
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ramblinwreck

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Had the privilege of doing my ride along with Brad Lovell this morning in a Rapid Red FE. Given his 4+ year history with the Bronco team during development it was really special to hear his thoughts about the vehicle during our ride. No videos or photos with this one, just the facts! :)
  1. Interior - I have a Lightning Blue FE on order with the black interior. But after seeing the Navy Pier in person...I'd be totally fine with it and kind of like it and might change my order so that I can get the car sooner. It is much more subtle and darker in person. The gray is not as light as it appears in most photos and the navy is fairly muted (more of a gray blue), so there really isn't a lot of contrast between the two colors - for the better. In a lot of the photos that have been posted by Bronco Nation and others the roof is off, so with direct sunlight perhaps there is more contrast? Our FE had the roof on but even with the doors open and the sun shining, the coloring was muted and darker than one would think. Hopefully that coloring makes it over to production.
  2. Exterior color - I'm not going to get it but I must say the Rapid Red was pretty nice! They had a few Area 51 Broncos out and it's still a chameleon color - one minute I love it, the next I'm not sure. No Cactus Gray, which I really wanted to see in person. One of the reps said that CG did in fact change its color formulation since the launch last year, which I hadn't heard before or maybe just missed. The ABR car on display was Velocity Blue so if I squinted enough I could imagine a deeper version of that for the Lightning Blue I'm getting...I think. (The painted gas cans really didn't help other than to show which colors will be dust magnets.)
  3. Highway ride - much smoother and quieter than I thought it would be. The MIC roof was making noise. But conversation was easy and nothing about the ride felt like it would be exhausting (ie, not a Wrangler.) I drove my Grand Cherokee down for the trip and the tire noise on that felt louder to my ears than in the Bronco.
  4. Off road - this is where the vehicle shines. As Brad explained, it was designed to make it easy for the every day driver to use (me) while still providing control for the professionals and enthusiasts. And Brad knows how to drive this thing and pushed it HARD. He showed off every mode, every driving feature. Going 40-60 on the flat trail was super smooth. Climbs over rocks easily, swims through sand. A comfortable off-road drive but with amazing capability. (Helps to have someone like Brad driving, obviously!) But a 10 out of 10 off-road.
  5. The trail turn assist has to be the coolest feature - literally spinning in circles without moving your positioning. So much fun.
  6. Roof noise and rattling - Brad felt pretty confident that the noise was due to the vehicle being pre-production and that those issues would be hammered out. Reading through the lines...I think all the supplier issues with roofs and whatnot are part of the problem. Hopefully that gets worked out in time. If not I can see a lot of roofs getting exchanged over the next year.
  7. Technology - the big touchscreen was very responsive. All the camera angles available are awesome, the front camera really helps when going up hills and over terrain where it's hard to see. The hood of the roof does impede visibility a bit, but YMMV based on your height (I'm 5'10".)
  8. Odds & ends - window controls on the center consoles will take some getting used to, but with the removable doors I understand the reasoning. Seats felt comfortable, leg room was solid. Didn't turn on the sound system. In my excitement I forgot to check out the trunk storage, size, utility...oh well. I didn't really pay attention to the cup holders. ;)
  9. "Everyday driving" - as this vehicle will be 98% on road for me a big question was how I thought it would handle that use case - daily driving, getting in/out of a Sasquatched vehicle with the family, etc. At 5' 10' I didn't have much trouble getting in and out, nor did my 12 year old son. With ski boots on in the winter...I could see the passengers having to be a little careful, you can't just step in. Not sure if my wife will enjoy driving it all the time - I can see the sight line over the hood possibly being an issue. But overall it felt very "easy" - comfortable, smooth ride, not too truck-like.
  10. After the ride my son said we are definitely getting the Bronco, so there's that. :)
I know it's easy to get caught up in the moment on a ride like this, so I'll let this digest a bit. But I'm definitely impressed with the Bronco! As an off-roader it's truly amazing. As a daily driver it seems like it would be pretty fun also. Hope this helps!
what do you mean by the MIC roof was making noise? Was it wind noise, vibration or what? Can you elaborate some? Also, did the top have the sound deadening headliner?
 

Wanted33

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Thanks for the writeup Michael, and in an effort to help you out here's a couple pics of Lightning Blue all cleaned up under the sun. It is a bit darker than the VB. That's what I like about the color.

Ford Bronco Moab Ride Along in Bronco First Edition - My Thoughts 100_5257.JPG

Ford Bronco Moab Ride Along in Bronco First Edition - My Thoughts 100_5258.JPG
 
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what do you mean by the MIC roof was making noise? Was it wind noise, vibration or what? Can you elaborate some? Also, did the top have the sound deadening headliner?
Wind noise more than vibration. It did have the headliner. Just seemed like it wasn't all fit together tightly. Hopefully by the time production rolls around they have that ironed out.
 

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This is the Navy Pier in the 2 door I rode in. I thought it looked pretty okay when matched with the rest of the interior...

I agree with every one of your points. BTW, there was no buffeting with the front panels off, it was just fine, we didn't get dusted out, and although there was some wind noise, it was really pleasant. It (the seating) was also comfortable and I didn't feel like it was going to tire me out like my Wrangler used to.

Ford Bronco Moab Ride Along in Bronco First Edition - My Thoughts 100_5258.JPG
Glad to hear it sounded good with the panels off. To your eyes do the colors appear lighter in the photo as you posted here than what you see in person? You have more sun on it than I did with the panels off. I just remember it feeling a little darker in person.
 
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Congrats... especially getting to experience it with your son.
His tune changed from "why are we looking at cars" before the ride to "I'm not going to talk to you if you don't get this Bronco" afterwards. He had a blast.
 
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Thanks for the writeup Michael, and in an effort to help you out here's a couple pics of Lightning Blue all cleaned up under the sun. It is a bit darker than the VB. That's what I like about the color.

Ford Bronco Moab Ride Along in Bronco First Edition - My Thoughts 100_5258.JPG

Ford Bronco Moab Ride Along in Bronco First Edition - My Thoughts 100_5258.JPG
Very helpful, thanks! It's a good looking color.
 

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Wind noise more than vibration. It did have the headliner. Just seemed like it wasn't all fit together tightly. Hopefully by the time production rolls around they have that ironed out.
Ahh,so by wind noise, you mean like leaks or whistles. That they can fix. I was sort of worried the MIC plastic would be flimsy and that would allow buffeting to happen, which is probably not fixable.
 

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Very helpful, thanks! It's a good looking color.
It really shows off in the sun because of the metallic. In the shade, or at night it calms down to a bit darker blue. But, no where near the AMB. If I had the option for LB on my OBX it would be hard to turn it down. :)
 

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Ahh,so by wind noise, you mean like leaks or whistles. That they can fix. I was sort of worried the MIC plastic would be flimsy and that would allow buffeting to happen, which is probably not fixable.
Definitely not buffeting, just leaks that they need to clamp down.
 

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Ahh,so by wind noise, you mean like leaks or whistles. That they can fix. I was sort of worried the MIC plastic would be flimsy and that would allow buffeting to happen, which is probably not fixable.
Comparing the hard top on my Jeep to the MIC/MOD top I don't think we will have to worry about wind leaks, whistles, etc. But, one thing I have with mine is a cold weather creaking noise (not loud, but there". I know it's got to be the seal between the top and the body, because I've treated every rubber seal I can get too. There's just no way I can think of to stop it without completely removing the top. It's there, but it doesn't bother me anymore. I've just gotten used to it. Hopefully the Bronco won't have that.
 

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Comparing the hard top on my Jeep to the MIC/MOD top I don't think we will have to worry about wind leaks, whistles, etc. But, one thing I have with mine is a cold weather creaking noise (not loud, but there". I know it's got to be the seal between the top and the body, because I've treated every rubber seal I can get too. There's just no way I can think of to stop it without completely removing the top. It's there, but it doesn't bother me anymore. I've just gotten used to it. Hopefully the Bronco won't have that.
Yeah, to be honest, after having a hard top on my Sahara, I got a sailcloth top on my Rubicon, and it is actually very quiet for a lot of use cases. some noises, like the engines of semi trucks, come right through the plastic windows on the soft top like they aren't there. Wind noise, however was not something I had issues with either top.

The mud tires humming up through the floor pan once they got broke in was what drove me crazy.
 

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Had the privilege of doing my ride along with Brad Lovell this morning in a Rapid Red FE. Given his 4+ year history with the Bronco team during development it was really special to hear his thoughts about the vehicle during our ride. No videos or photos with this one, just the facts! :)
  1. Interior - I have a Lightning Blue FE on order with the black interior. But after seeing the Navy Pier in person...I'd be totally fine with it and kind of like it and might change my order so that I can get the car sooner. It is much more subtle and darker in person. The gray is not as light as it appears in most photos and the navy is fairly muted (more of a gray blue), so there really isn't a lot of contrast between the two colors - for the better. In a lot of the photos that have been posted by Bronco Nation and others the roof is off, so with direct sunlight perhaps there is more contrast? Our FE had the roof on but even with the doors open and the sun shining, the coloring was muted and darker than one would think. Hopefully that coloring makes it over to production.
  2. Exterior color - I'm not going to get it but I must say the Rapid Red was pretty nice! They had a few Area 51 Broncos out and it's still a chameleon color - one minute I love it, the next I'm not sure. No Cactus Gray, which I really wanted to see in person. One of the reps said that CG did in fact change its color formulation since the launch last year, which I hadn't heard before or maybe just missed. The ABR car on display was Velocity Blue so if I squinted enough I could imagine a deeper version of that for the Lightning Blue I'm getting...I think. (The painted gas cans really didn't help other than to show which colors will be dust magnets.)
  3. Highway ride - much smoother and quieter than I thought it would be. The MIC roof was making noise. But conversation was easy and nothing about the ride felt like it would be exhausting (ie, not a Wrangler.) I drove my Grand Cherokee down for the trip and the tire noise on that felt louder to my ears than in the Bronco.
  4. Off road - this is where the vehicle shines. As Brad explained, it was designed to make it easy for the every day driver to use (me) while still providing control for the professionals and enthusiasts. And Brad knows how to drive this thing and pushed it HARD. He showed off every mode, every driving feature. Going 40-60 on the flat trail was super smooth. Climbs over rocks easily, swims through sand. A comfortable off-road drive but with amazing capability. (Helps to have someone like Brad driving, obviously!) But a 10 out of 10 off-road.
  5. The trail turn assist has to be the coolest feature - literally spinning in circles without moving your positioning. So much fun.
  6. Roof noise and rattling - Brad felt pretty confident that the noise was due to the vehicle being pre-production and that those issues would be hammered out. Reading through the lines...I think all the supplier issues with roofs and whatnot are part of the problem. Hopefully that gets worked out in time. If not I can see a lot of roofs getting exchanged over the next year.
  7. Technology - the big touchscreen was very responsive. All the camera angles available are awesome, the front camera really helps when going up hills and over terrain where it's hard to see. The hood of the roof does impede visibility a bit, but YMMV based on your height (I'm 5'10".)
  8. Odds & ends - window controls on the center consoles will take some getting used to, but with the removable doors I understand the reasoning. Seats felt comfortable, leg room was solid. Didn't turn on the sound system. In my excitement I forgot to check out the trunk storage, size, utility...oh well. I didn't really pay attention to the cup holders. ;)
  9. "Everyday driving" - as this vehicle will be 98% on road for me a big question was how I thought it would handle that use case - daily driving, getting in/out of a Sasquatched vehicle with the family, etc. At 5' 10' I didn't have much trouble getting in and out, nor did my 12 year old son. With ski boots on in the winter...I could see the passengers having to be a little careful, you can't just step in. Not sure if my wife will enjoy driving it all the time - I can see the sight line over the hood possibly being an issue. But overall it felt very "easy" - comfortable, smooth ride, not too truck-like.
  10. After the ride my son said we are definitely getting the Bronco, so there's that. :)
I know it's easy to get caught up in the moment on a ride like this, so I'll let this digest a bit. But I'm definitely impressed with the Bronco! As an off-roader it's truly amazing. As a daily driver it seems like it would be pretty fun also. Hope this helps!
Extremely excited about getting my new truck! thanks for posting your test ride! well done!
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