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Compilation of 2.3L Reviews!

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BaseSquatch

BaseSquatch

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Yeah, and the 3.3 F-150 still gets to 60 more than a second quicker than the 4cyl Bronco. I don't know what's wrong with the 2.3 or its calibration in the Bronco but the performance is BAD.
I’ve been seeing pretty bad times across all Broncos. Not sure if they’re actually being limited, or if the weight of the vehicle is just that impactful.

lol you're one of those people
...One of those people who cares about torque rating? Yes. I’ve blown transmissions before with aggressive tuning/driving. Probably my fault more than anything else. But either way, I got the less torquey engine to be careful. I don’t trust myself.
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I'm coming from a 2004 Nissan Xterra, 180bhp/202ft/lbs torque, 5sp.

After driving that since '06, I welcome 300bhp/325ft/lbs torque. I added over 400lbs of steel (front/rear bumpers, sliders, winch and roof rack) to it plus 33" tires and it never had any major issues moving. The only problem I had was trying to overtake cars on the highway, needed a lot of road to accelerate. It was also kinda slow up hills.

At any rate, the 2.3L is a vast improvement over what I have now.
Those Xterras run forever! My brother had one for the longest. Honestly, one of the best vehicles Nissan ever produced.
 

Ecobeast

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I certainly can’t speak for the manual but most of those negative comments seem to be coming from the 7mt and 2.3 combo.

The 2.3 in my ranger pulls hard and fast. I don’t go drag racing around town but have driven multiple Tacoma’s and owned an FJ previously. The 2.3 in the ranger will easily blow past all of those NA v6’s out there. I’m not sure if the 10spd does a better job of keeping it on boost or what but I really like that combo in my truck. The bronco is also heavier so maybe it’s a combination of factors.
 

11Bronco1776

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Here is what I read and it confirms that the 2.3 in not the engine of choice...


Although the four-pot emits a less-than-invigorating thrum and is easier to catch off boost, particularly with the manual, it only gives up 30 horses to the V-6.


CAR and DRIVER





Both engines provide adequate response and low-end torque once geared down in four-low, but the 2.3-liter needs time for the turbo to wind up in daily driving.


HAGERTY





The rest of the transmission's gearing is excessively tall, and we had to change gears later than we normally would lest low revs magnify whatever turbo lag the 2.3-liter engine exhibits. As we charged up the steep inclines that give Texas Hill Country its name, we found we often had to downshift to fifth or fourth to maintain our mile-a-minute pace.


MOTORTREND





The clutch is somewhat vague, which combined with the 2.3's less-predictable throttle tuning made for a rather disappointing experience.


motor1





The 2.3-liter turbo-four seems to have enough grunt on paper, but it felt a bit sluggish in spots, especially when climbing a grade. I found myself downshifting more than I expected to, and it wasn’t until I hit some open highway late in the drive that I found myself using fifth and sixth gears. I wonder how the four-cylinder can handle the extra weight of the four-door – and how it works in concert with the 10-speed, regardless of door count.


The Truth About Cars





The 2.3-liter turbocharged engine definitely needs boost to have any amount of low-end torque. Starting off in first gear, I found myself lugging the engine a bit as the motor began building boost, taking a moment to accelerate out of the hole.


jalopnik





I went with the Bronco my id would want: a loaded, red, two-door Badlands trim model with a seven-speed manual transmission (only available with the smaller but still capable 2.3-liter inline-four engine). It was not the ideal choice for Austin, which was much hillier than I anticipated


GEAR PATROL
FAKE NEWS! It's ALL FAKE NEWS! Jeep is Paying them off! It's a Bronco Hunt!

*hope they aren''t right. really want to be happy with my 7sp badlands on trails and hwys
 

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Another new video!! He doesn’t have a timer... but WOW! Looks much faster than the other videos we’ve seen so far.

Nice find. I tried to look at the timer at the bottom of the video to guesstimate - looks to be in 7 to 8 second range to 60 mph? Note that the speedo in KPH, not miles - must be one of our Canadian brethren!
 

Tricky Dick

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Another new video!! He doesn’t have a timer... but WOW! Looks much faster than the other videos we’ve seen so far.

The kph got me, I thought wow, that blows the doors off anything I've had with 4 wheels.

Still, plenty fast.
 

Semaj

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Here is what I read and it confirms that the 2.3 in not the engine of choice...


Although the four-pot emits a less-than-invigorating thrum and is easier to catch off boost, particularly with the manual, it only gives up 30 horses to the V-6.


CAR and DRIVER





Both engines provide adequate response and low-end torque once geared down in four-low, but the 2.3-liter needs time for the turbo to wind up in daily driving.


HAGERTY





The rest of the transmission's gearing is excessively tall, and we had to change gears later than we normally would lest low revs magnify whatever turbo lag the 2.3-liter engine exhibits. As we charged up the steep inclines that give Texas Hill Country its name, we found we often had to downshift to fifth or fourth to maintain our mile-a-minute pace.


MOTORTREND





The clutch is somewhat vague, which combined with the 2.3's less-predictable throttle tuning made for a rather disappointing experience.


motor1





The 2.3-liter turbo-four seems to have enough grunt on paper, but it felt a bit sluggish in spots, especially when climbing a grade. I found myself downshifting more than I expected to, and it wasn’t until I hit some open highway late in the drive that I found myself using fifth and sixth gears. I wonder how the four-cylinder can handle the extra weight of the four-door – and how it works in concert with the 10-speed, regardless of door count.


The Truth About Cars





The 2.3-liter turbocharged engine definitely needs boost to have any amount of low-end torque. Starting off in first gear, I found myself lugging the engine a bit as the motor began building boost, taking a moment to accelerate out of the hole.


jalopnik





I went with the Bronco my id would want: a loaded, red, two-door Badlands trim model with a seven-speed manual transmission (only available with the smaller but still capable 2.3-liter inline-four engine). It was not the ideal choice for Austin, which was much hillier than I anticipated


GEAR PATROL
I'd love to see what these guys thought about the Wrangler. I've had several and all felt under powered on the street.
 

Derby

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I had originally ordered the 2.3l but switched to the 2.7 when I changed to the 4 door. Both engines are a good choice. I did like the multi port injection on the 2.7 to keep intake valves clean.
My question to the one reviewer is "what is eco mode?"
 

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ugafan706

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had a 3.6 jl rubicon 4 door, now have a 2.3 auto four door badlands, badlands would win easily in a race,
 

Gpscharron

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Clubs
 
One other interesting tidbit. As you switch from the 2.7L to the 2.3L you lower the front axle weight by approximately 139 pounds which you might apply to a winch on the front bumper. For me, that is a benefit I plan to realize. (It is all about intended use.)
You might want to update signature.. to read 2.3L. I also changed my mind and went back to 2.3L / Manual. I just love the total control of a manual..
 

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I have yet to drive the 2.7 but I have driven the 2.3 And I can’t say that it lives up to these reviews. It’s not terrible but it’s no where near impressive. I opted to upgrade to the 2.7
 

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Anyone remember this car. I once asked an acquaintance that built fox body mustangs what he thought of the engine. He said when the turbo goes out, it turns into a pinto. Got to make sure my turbo is ALWAYS working on my 2.3 : )

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