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Interior should be expected in off road vehicle

BackcountryBirds

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I keep reading folks say that the interior is "what we should expect in an off road vehicle". My question is what are you comparing that too?

I saw it in person and I am definitely not saying the interior is awful or anything. I describe it as average, adequate, utilitarian. But I do think they pinched a few pennies there to beef up profit margin assuming the roadshow vehicles end up being close to production quality.

My wife is next up for a new car so
I really want her to love the bronco and choose it, so not offering a true high end interior package impedes my ability to pitch it to the wife and by default no future off-road toy for me if I can't convince her!!

My Power Wagon was in the mid $50s and has decked out leather, 12 inch screen premium feeling materials, heated seats/steering wheel, cooled seats, etc. It's like a dang luxury car in there. That's on an HD pickup with all the off-road goodies, winch, sway bar disco, lockers, cameras, etc. It's incredible getting in the truck after a workout, cold morning, hunting trip, etc. Sometimes when I'm camping alone in the backcountry I just sit inside my truck and drink beer (not driving anywhere), relax listening to music or nature, watch the stars, etc because it's like a damn couch as far as comfort. Of course you can do all that in the bronco (especially with the top off!!!) but I just didn't feel the same level of comfort from what I saw.

Raptor and most modern trucks is a similar story these days, so I'm not just pumping up my truck or anything.

Yet a lux badlands is similarly priced, more in some cases yet pretty far behind on the interior from what I saw. This is on a much smaller vehicle, smaller engine, etc. Granted the bronco does have a little more new tech I suppose than the premium off-road trucks, but not by a ton.

I also get the removable top and rain argument, but it's not like it's truly waterproof anyways from what Ford has said. I just wish Ford would offer a premium interior similar to their trucks for those of us willing to pay for it and let me worry about keeping it out of the rain.

Anyone else feel this way? I think it's probably us newer truck owners that have been spoiled by recent upgrades to pickup interiors, but I got some selling ahead of me to convince the wife to buy a vehicle with a lesser interior than my muddy, pin-striped hunting truck.
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broadicustomworks

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To be honest and play devil’s advocate I see both sides of this latest disagreement.
Bone-hard facts are that you can’t have both. Either it is plush and comfy or it is rugged and (assumed) made to withstand the elements within reason.
I feel ok with the interior in the short span of time I got to see it. But I am comparing that to a Jeep TJ-level interior and even the JL era. It is far above and better.
However:
I also don’t see why Ford couldn’t have made the Lux pkg. exactly that. Outdoor-capable be damned, give it extra soundproofing, plush seats, soft touch dash stuff.
I wouldn’t do it because of my intended use but I can respect and see why some would want it.
I guess to keep it reasonably simple on a production line it is what it is.
Maybe at the end of the day to have a top-off capable vehicle you have few choices. Of the two 4WD SUV styles the Bronc is nicer, plusher, more comfortable.
it’s a call y’all are just going to have to make.
I wish ya luck!
 

BroncoJay

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The bronco for me is to make life adventures in. Meaning I will be trail running, mountain biking, camping, overlanding which will will include tons of of mud, sand, dirt and grime... so I could really care less if the bronco has premium high quality leather, I want it to clean up, be durable because I’m not drinking wine in it, I’m sipping whiskey and smokin’ Cubans in it...

if it holds up for that, then ford did it’s job...
 

Broncolli

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So you all are saying it is better than the JL ? Last time I sat in a JL, I though the cloth seats were fine and felt durable, the leather was nicer. I also sat in a Defender and loved the interior - so I am hoping the Bronco is somewhere in between. I get to see it in a couple of days.
 

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Personally, I'm kind of tire of trucks feeling like a Mercedes. I'm excited for a simple feeling truck. Between the lux interiors and 22" wheels on 4x4's, they are becoming a joke. This is literally why mall crawler became a thing. I get where your coming from, but I love that Bronco is a real modern wheeler and not another grocery getter with 35's. When I get in my daughters Nissan Frontier, its almost a stress relief to feel simple again.
 

Wide Open Roads

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Hmmmm. I hear the OP’s argument and the counter argument for a simple wheeler. @BackcountryBirds — is the issue the cost of this simple vehicle or maybe the value you feel you’re getting? Like. You’d put up with “simple” if it were $35k?
 

Mac n Nevada

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I wanna understand.... maybe there could be a true “lux” package and a real tow package . They might introduce those at a later date...?

For me personally, I’m more interested in what’s underneath and so far, I am stoked..👍
 

vrewald14

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I’m sipping whiskey and smokin’ Cubans in it...
Knowing you’re a fellow Iowan and enjoy a good Cuban here and there, we have got to get together man! I’m in Ames.
 

HoosierDaddy

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This is SOP for a new vehicle launch. They dropped some MAJOR COIN to get it engineered.
At some point, they have to stop adding things and engineering things and just get the damn thing built.

A lot of stuff that is extra now, will be standard in 2 or 3 years and even more stuff in 5 to 7 years, when the first big refresh will probably happen.

LOADED vehicles now, that under go a MAJOR ground up redesign often go through something similar. The little things get left off in the name of cost cutting, only to re-join a few years later.
 

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NotApplicable

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I do agree that consumers should be able to expect an interior in their off road vehicles. Otherwise it would just be a hollow shell rolling down the road, and who wants that?
 

ScrunchFace

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Feel exactly like you OP. The interior may drive me away from the Bronco if it is unbearably cheap feeling.

I may wait a few years until they figure that part out 🤷‍♂️
 

LostInArizona

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I'm not arguing with the OPs point. He's right. However, personally I would rather pay what I'm paying for the off-road tech, and not have the price increase that comes with not just the cost associated with the materials but also the tooling required at the factory, and everything else. I.e. the price would increase across-the-board, due to the additional cost of supporting more options.

If I feel like driving on a plush interior and being fancy, I'll drive the fiancés Mercedes. This bronco on the other hand is 100% going to be seeing some dirty, dusty, wet, grimy, action. As long as shit isn't crumbling to pieces in the AZ heat I'm good as far as the quality is concerned.
 

rmc523

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As others have said, I understand both sides after seeing it. I get that it was designed to be easily cleanable/utilitarian, and I also understand at the upper end that people want "modern day niceties". A "simple" solution for this is a standalone/optional package as mentioned above.

I've said something similar in a few other threads - They could have called the current "lux" package a "tech" package, and had a separate "lux" option with some upgraded components with softer touch materials, nicer surfaces, etc. They could throw cooled seats in here too. Mustang has an option like this that upgrades the materials on the dash, door inserts, and around the console area.

I will not at all be surprised to see something like this appear on the refresh in a few years.
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