Sponsored

SuperFord

First Edition
Well-Known Member
First Name
Chris
Joined
Feb 7, 2021
Threads
36
Messages
515
Reaction score
1,835
Location
Virginia
Vehicle(s)
2013 Ford Fusion
Your Bronco Model
First Edition
Clubs
 
So I got finally got to see the Bronco in person today when they visited my hometown of Richmond, VA.

I’ve read a lot of these first impressions and some of the things I’ve read finally made sense. Reading is no substitute for seeing with your own eyes, so I suspect you’ll just need to see and feel it for yourself and formulate your own opinion.

I should say that I’m a die hard Ford fan and have owned several early and full sized Broncos along with a slew of other Ford products over the years.

My quick initial impressions:

1. Overall they look great in real life. I was giddy pulling the dealer and couldn’t stop grinning as I approached the tent and finally saw them.

2. 33” tires on the Badlands look very good and plenty big in person. Looking back at my pictures they look tiny, but they don’t look undersized at all when viewed in person. The 35’s do look better to me, but I would be fine with 33’s

3. The engine compartment certainly has a lot going on, but did not look as terrible as the photos may make it seem.

4. The interior had plenty of headroom and legroom both front and rear in the 4door, but was maybe tighter than I was expecting widthwise. Not uncomfortable, but certainly close quarters and nowhere near F-150 space. Similar to Ranger which is logical. I’m 6’1” & 225lbs. There was also easily another 5” of headroom in the soft top versions above my big head. There was a kid there who was 6’5” and he said he fit with no issues too.

5. The Sasquatch BD was very easy for me to get in and out of. I had expected it to be higher and more of a climb to get into.

6. As a huge Ford and Bronco enthusiast I really don’t want to be critical of anything, but to put it politely I feel that they chose function over form when it came to the interior. I do understand they designed this to be a serious top down off roader and prioritized the interior to be water resistant for off-roading and because folks will inevitably get caught in a downpour with the top and doors off. I liked the different feel of the “encapsulated” or rubberized switchgear on the dash and steering wheel and the seats were plenty comfy. Styling or design wise it all visually looks great, but the interior cargo area, dashboard, door panels, and center console were all hard, thin looking plastics. While this is probably the best option for not being damaged by water, to me the materials looked and felt kind of cheap, flimsy or chintzy. I noticed the center console grab handle was really flexy too. It pains me to type that stuff, but it was how I felt during the brief viewing. I’m just sharing my honest first impression. Just my .02

7. I wasn’t a huge fan of the marine grade vinyl. It was plenty soft and comfortable and again I’m sure it’ll do well serving the intended purpose of being water and mildew resistant, but it didn’t look particularly nice to me especially on a $50,000 or $60,000 machine. This is obviously a subjective thing.

8. The flip up feature of the soft top in the cargo area is brilliant. I briefly owned a ‘15 Wrangler with a soft top and HATED trying to load cargo in through the tailgate with the back window in place. A full bag of groceries would not go into the cargo area without turning it over on it’s side first. Rolling up the back vinyl window was tedious. The flip up clamshell top appears to address this problem very well.

9. As others have said, the factory soft top is not insulated and appears to be a single layer that leaves the metal framework exposed. The last time I looked at Jeep the base vinyl top is grey, looks cheap and doesn’t age well. While Bronco’s top looks far superior with the nice black cloth or twill exterior, it still looks a little utilitarian or unfinished on the inside. I suspect it’ll also be noticeably louder than a multi layer top. My wrangler had the optional “sun rider” top from Bestop that I think had 3 layers. Twill exterior which looks nice like the Bronco’s exterior, but with a layer of rubber presumably for insulation, noise deadening, and water proofing, and then an interior headliner layer to make it all look nice. I don’t remember any framework being visible.

10. I didn’t mind the “Bo” bar. Being OCD, it does bother me that it covers the Bronco on the grill but it still looks good. I think the redesign rumors are just rumor. I don’t see how they could lower it and not block the camera or raise it and not look goofy and/or still block some letters.

sorry for the long post. in summary, I’m still super stoked about the Bronco and can’t wait to take delivery of mine. Clearly the team at Ford put A LOT of thought into the details and succeeded in making significant and well thought out design improvements compared to the primary competitor. But a few aspects of the interior (and lack of a V8) were a little bit of a disappointment to me on what would otherwise be my dream vehicle.

here are the pics:
Ford Bronco Feedback & pics from  Bronco event in Richmond, Virginia: Badlands on 33's + Black Diamond DD4DD177-ABAE-4B7C-8655-DCEB7BC65B8A


Ford Bronco Feedback & pics from  Bronco event in Richmond, Virginia: Badlands on 33's + Black Diamond 327CCD58-CDF5-4B48-83E1-71E484ECB6D6


Ford Bronco Feedback & pics from  Bronco event in Richmond, Virginia: Badlands on 33's + Black Diamond 7DA5AFE3-18F1-44E2-AB3C-C1DF0EDD02AC


Ford Bronco Feedback & pics from  Bronco event in Richmond, Virginia: Badlands on 33's + Black Diamond D414520A-5F64-4978-AFA3-482524CB106C


Ford Bronco Feedback & pics from  Bronco event in Richmond, Virginia: Badlands on 33's + Black Diamond 56535AC7-74A9-49A3-BB94-5ADB2BCA579A


Ford Bronco Feedback & pics from  Bronco event in Richmond, Virginia: Badlands on 33's + Black Diamond 8F686CF0-1D0D-418A-BB95-5740085BED66


Ford Bronco Feedback & pics from  Bronco event in Richmond, Virginia: Badlands on 33's + Black Diamond F1ADEFF4-869C-44E2-8E24-2E410E656972


Ford Bronco Feedback & pics from  Bronco event in Richmond, Virginia: Badlands on 33's + Black Diamond 3B647017-ECEE-4A85-96FA-F4770AAAB445


Ford Bronco Feedback & pics from  Bronco event in Richmond, Virginia: Badlands on 33's + Black Diamond 63DCCC9A-9BE2-444C-A945-71DEF262F80E


Ford Bronco Feedback & pics from  Bronco event in Richmond, Virginia: Badlands on 33's + Black Diamond A5DC7EC2-55DD-4B2F-9E95-5043ED03EA4D


Ford Bronco Feedback & pics from  Bronco event in Richmond, Virginia: Badlands on 33's + Black Diamond 12EA6A84-7D80-4604-8189-B3710A623904


BD drive away after the event:
Sponsored

 
Last edited:

Jr87mustang

Black Diamond
Well-Known Member
First Name
Josh
Joined
Aug 24, 2020
Threads
19
Messages
2,307
Reaction score
6,311
Location
Northern Cali
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ford Expedition, 1987 5.0 GT Convert
Your Bronco Model
Black Diamond
Clubs
 
Nice write up and pictures! BD looks awesome. 33's look good too.
 

MyATV

Wildtrak
Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2021
Threads
20
Messages
830
Reaction score
2,507
Location
ATL
Vehicle(s)
Bronco
Your Bronco Model
Wildtrak
Clubs
 
So just two 4-door models? Hardly worth it.
 

Sponsored

xcxv

Heritage
Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2021
Threads
14
Messages
884
Reaction score
2,460
Location
hmm
Vehicle(s)
Jeep Bronco
Your Bronco Model
Heritage
Looks like No 2 door for NOVA/MD. boo.

Did they give you points or goodies?
 

Toccoa

Big Bend
Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2020
Threads
82
Messages
6,001
Reaction score
30,398
Location
USA
Vehicle(s)
Isuzu Rodeo Sport
Your Bronco Model
Big Bend
So just two 4-door models? Hardly worth it.
I feel ya. At least they have a Squatch, the more Southern tour looks to have an OBX and BB 4DR soft-tops. 🙁
 

Beach_Bum

Black Diamond
Well-Known Member
First Name
Ken
Joined
Aug 12, 2020
Threads
28
Messages
6,143
Reaction score
19,260
Location
St. Augustine, FL
Vehicle(s)
2022 Black Diamond Bronco, 2023 Outerbanks Bronco
Your Bronco Model
Black Diamond
Clubs
 
Thanks for taking the time to write-up your observations and experience. Was that the Bronco's horn on the first video or was that another vehicle saluting the Bronco?
 

Sponsored

Erock

Badlands
Well-Known Member
First Name
Eric
Joined
Jan 30, 2021
Threads
1
Messages
2,171
Reaction score
5,104
Location
US
Vehicle(s)
2018 F150 Alpine edition
Your Bronco Model
Badlands
Clubs
 
Thanks and congrats
 

Beach_Bum

Black Diamond
Well-Known Member
First Name
Ken
Joined
Aug 12, 2020
Threads
28
Messages
6,143
Reaction score
19,260
Location
St. Augustine, FL
Vehicle(s)
2022 Black Diamond Bronco, 2023 Outerbanks Bronco
Your Bronco Model
Black Diamond
Clubs
 
that was the Bronco’s horn. The Bronco people saying goodbye.
Fantastic. It is the details such as this that aren't revealed by others. We have all heard horns that don't match a vehicle, but hearing this is a relief. I don't make a habit of using the horn indiscriminately, but when I do, I want the horn to sound purposeful.
 

The Driving Viking

Base
Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2020
Threads
79
Messages
1,441
Reaction score
3,100
Location
Northeast
Vehicle(s)
2022 Bronco Sasquatch 2022 Willys Xtreme Recon
Your Bronco Model
Base
If they do a Northeast tour I hope they include some 2 door Sasquatch rigs. 🙏
Sponsored

 
 


Top