Compared to a Defender - some general thoughts and concerns.

[wrbix]

Damn if that dont look like a bronco !

Ouch!

Looks like a freakin’ Honda Element. See post #349, this thread

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[Xploit]

I was regretting liking the Defender because I doubt I could justify getting the one I would want (better engine, leather, moonroof, sound system, and the advanced four-wheel-drive stuff) and my builds always landed in the 70K range. I really love the Panega Green with a white roof but hated that you could not get the steel wheels with the better engine. Also, I did not want to drive a luxury brand associated with exclusivity, with a sparse dealer network, questionable reliability, and higher than average ownership costs.

I liked the idea of a boxy, rugged, large (but not huge) vehicle that is very good on the tarmac in addition to doing well on the trail. I now own a JK Wrangler, and don't like the narrowness of the cabin, the cheapness of the materials (a little better in the JL but nothing like the Defender), and the highway manners. I live on the east coast, and I want to explore North American with my vehicle, but I find this a little too taxing in the Jeep. I am not an extreme rock crawl kind of guy but want some ability.

I expect the Bronco will be better than the Defender on the trail, but I worry about a few things and would appreciate hearing from others.

1. Road Noise: My JK has the hardtop with the sound damping carpet which I am not sure how much it does. I hope Bronco does a better job than Jeep and get within the ballpark with Defender here.
2. Handling: Same as above in expect better than Jeep but hope close to Defender. I drove the Toyota 4 Runner before buying my 2016 JKU, and despite IFS, I found the drive worse than the JK in 2016. The 4-Runner felt crude. I have heard that driving the new Ranger will give someone a good idea of how the Bronco will drive. But I also heard that the Bronco has a different frame.
3. Cabin fit and finish. I really hate the interior of my JKU. The JLU is better, and I like the look of the Bronco as much as I like the Defender, which is saying a lot, but not sure about the touch and feel. Has anyone sat in both vehicles?

I too was waiting on the new defender.. I thought it would include a removable top. That for me was a deal breaker. I do think the two door Defender looks sharp, but only if its got the white top and steelies. The interior is tough to beat. If the Bronco ends up coming up short, and if Defender comes out with a removable top, I could see myself going that route in the future.

 

[Dads_bronze_bronco]

I test drove a Defender 90 today for something to compare to a Bronco at tomorrow’s Crossroads Apex event. It was a nice ride, and good space inside, but they lost me with this:

Automatic is bad enough. Limp wristed dash automatic shifter is just ... I mean WTF have they done?

Also 4:30 and 7:30 spokes on the wheel did not allow hands between spokes at 4 and 8. There was wind noise similar to my JK hard top, maybe from the snorkel accessory (like anyone in NC needs a snorkel).

 

[bluesun68]

I drove a two door defender. My build is about 10k more than my bronco build. I love all the exterior colors of the defender, and the interior is worlds better. I'm dreading the tan dash in the wildtrack, plus the off color interior trim. My main fear is wind noise. I often drive all day to get to an area. So anyway, I get on the freeway and am blasting along at 80 or so. There was more wind noise from the door mirror than there was from the fabric sun roof. Plus you could hit a switch and have direct sun. Not a removable roof, but honestly, you drive 8 hours to Colorado or death valley, where are you leaving the roof, who's helping you remove it, and how are you keeping all your stuff from being stolen? Or maybe most importantly, how do you keep all the dust out? I would have never considered that roof but I would now. Anyway, if the bronco is noisy on the road I will probably switch to defender.

 

[Bdisco]

 

[clyde]

If you are worried about depreciation and reliability with the Defender and want something else than the Bronco, consider a (used) Mercedes G-class. I am a fan of the more spartan models but would not consider one because I want to be able to drive without the top.

 

[NotaVegetarian]

I will fess up. Had to go look up a defender. Never even thought about one of those.

 

[Hoofnmouth]

Some of the best joggers i know are british car owners.

 

[Thed]

I'd be looking A LOT closer if it came in a dark red. I love these things for reasons I do not quite understand.

 

[drive21bronco]

Here's my base Defender 90.......got a $2,000 discount to boot. Love the Bronco but couldn't wait. When I turn the Defender in, I'll get a Bronco in a few years. Had an '85 Eddie Bauer.....it was great!!

ive seen some 4 doors on the road, they look ok. I’m digging your 2dr you got there tho. Like the color and steel wheels as well.

 

[centra28]

Here's my base Defender 90.......got a $2,000 discount to boot. Love the Bronco but couldn't wait. When I turn the Defender in, I'll get a Bronco in a few years. Had an '85 Eddie Bauer.....it was great!!

I really like that blue with the white top!

 

[Zeno]

So, we just got this 90 for my wife today. While I wouldn’t trade my incoming Badlands for it, it is perfect for my wife and she loves it. Very solid vehicle and it drives great!

Just to give you an idea how the car market is now, this was the only Defender that they had. 90 or 110. They held at MSRP at $66,400, BUT!

Now this is what should blow you away. They gave us 35k for our trade in. A 2016 LR4 with 64,000 miles that they just gave us a quote of $2,640.88 to repair a coolant leak that required a new water pump, coolant manifold and Y pipe connector. Get ready for the kicker. We got the same dealership to appraise the LR4 in January of 2020, because we were looking at possibly getting something else. They offered us 28k trade in. Yep. A year and 5 months later, $2,640.88 in verified necessary repairs, and 12,000 more miles on the LR4 and the offered us $7,000 more for it. Just crazy.

 

[computertom]

I've been looking seriously at a Defender 110. One of the main reasons is it can actually tow. The Bronco just can't (covered in so many other threads) as 3,500 is just not enough to tow real things that I might want to tow, like a 911 on a nice trailer and that's a bummer. My order for my Badlands still stands, but at the rate we're going, my early order will be here right before the cows come home...

 

[NickyP]

I've been looking seriously at a Defender 110. One of the main reasons is it can actually tow. The Bronco just can't (covered in so many other threads) as 3,500 is just not enough to tow real things that I might want to tow, like a 911 on a nice trailer and that's a bummer. My order for my Badlands still stands, but at the rate we're going, my early order will be here right before the cows come home...

I’m in the same spot you are. I also have a 911 race car and knowing that the Bronco can’t tow it I just bought a 96 Chevy K1500 pickup which is rated for 6500 pounds of tow capacity.

 

[Springbok]

Got my Defender last week, lifted it in my garage this weekend and slapped on some bigger tires. Love how it's coming a long, looks great on the road and I've been stopped multiple times by onlookers etc.

What a terrific vehicle. I'm surprised how big it feels both while inside the cabin, and while walking around it. Quite a bit taller and wider than a Bronco, with a lot more room on the inside. It's significantly larger than a Jeep or a 4Runner as well - it has presence closer to a full size pickup truck actually which is both good and bad. Visibility can be awkward in spots, and it's a pita to get into. It has a 3rd row, that is basically pointless and only functions to say "3rd row" in the marketing materials.

That said, it's not without it's warts. I have the dreaded A-Pillar sound, driving at highway speeds it sounds like a bunch of sand hitting the windshield, and will require the trim on the A pillar to be repaired or replaced. Also, at very low speeds (sub 30MPH) there is a distinct rattle on the driver door/B Pillar area. Sounds like it needs to be tightened or something there, perhaps inside the plastic shroud where the seatbelt mechanism rests.

Love the interior, and really like the virtual dash and materials. Almost everything is soft touch and very compliant. The Clear Sight rear view camera in the mirror is interesting, but it's almost too realistic and not sure how much it's needed. I got the advanced off road package, and am putting that through it's paces out at the black mesa this weekend. The surround cameras, particularly of the tires in off-road camera view are particularly impressive. The entire thing looks and feels very premium, and the interior is one of the best I've sat in. Very airy, bright and classy looking. That's why the rattles are so obnoxious, because every thing else has been very well thought out and designed. Heading out to the mesa's this weekend with a new lifted Gladiator, a few Wranglers and a Raptor and I suspect this truck will perform well, but will report any issues or complaints.

Overall, very impressed but the build quality is light years off of Porsche, BMW in terms of fit/finish. The rattling is especially annoying given the location of the rattles and the cost of the vehicle ($75k). Not enough to make me want something else, mind you, as I think this is my favorite looking vehicle I've owned, but something to consider if you're looking for one. That coupled with JLR's "legendary" reliability should give some food for thought.

Below pics are factory with the "normal" tires, and then the after with the newer tires and small Johnson Rod lift.

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