Advice Needed on Bronco Purchase: Badlands 7MT or Stroppe 2.7L?

[Gopher]

2.3L is a joy to do maintenance and future repairs look easy. If you plan to do any work yourself it is absolutely the long term maintenance/repair winner. Just less parts and much easier to get around especially with the manual transmission. We love our 2dr 2.3L for that. Our Raptor is a mess and purchased a warranty and let the dealer work on it (2.7L is similar).

I do wrench on all my vehicles, so this is important.

Would love to hear more on reliability of 2.7L vs. 2.3L. I thought the second-gen 2.7L is better/good but maybe not?

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[Oldhippie]

No contest for me; The 2.7 has nearly 100 extra ft lb toque and the auto is way better off road (two must haves for me) plus the Stroppe is a nice tribute…

 

[MWILD]

The 2.7L is still the better motor, but the new 2.3L MPC is impressive. Do you plan to add a Ford ProCal tune or custom tune at some point?

One issue I dislike about the 7MT is that 5th and 6th (with 4.7 gears in the Badlands) don't seem terribly well thought out. 6th only seems to be useful above 80mph. Below that the turbo is working pretty hard going down even a flat road. I get better mpg (and likely less stress on engine) staying in 5th as long as I am below 80.

That’s interesting to hear. Are you running the OEM 35" Wranglers? I have the 4.46 gears with the factory 35" Goodyear Territory RTs and experience the exact same thing. I only use 6th gear at 80 MPH or higher; otherwise, I'm in 5th for everything else. I thought difference with 4.70s would be a bit better, but since it’s only a 5% difference, it doesn't seem worth it. Guessing 5.13s are the real answer here lol

 

[MilesTeg]

The 2.7L is still the better motor, but the new 2.3L MPC is impressive. Do you plan to add a Ford ProCal tune or custom tune at some point?


That’s interesting to hear. Are you running the OEM 35" Wranglers? I have the 4.46 gears with the factory 35" Goodyear Territory RTs and experience the exact same thing. I only use 6th gear at 80 MPH or higher; otherwise, I'm in 5th for everything else. I thought difference with 4.70s would be a bit better, but since it’s only a 5% difference, it doesn't seem worth it. Guessing 5.13s are the real answer here lol

I have the stock 33" K02s

 

[KreeHBronco]

Hello. I am considering purchasing one of two models, both 2-door:

2025 Stroppe
2026 Badlands 7MT

For those who have or have had these, what do you think?

Thanks!

I bought a 2026 Badlands 4-dr non-SAS 2.3L Manual Lux package, Leather seats (special ordered it last year) in Carbon Grey w/colored roof. I love it and am very happy with my decision -> zero regrets. The manual is awesome and is pretty peppy for a 2.3L. It drives like an oversized sports car!! I got the Lux package to get the 360deg camera and the leather seats to get more adjustment for my wife (Yes, she drives a manual but she is short). Going manual with 2.3L saved me close to $5K and not going SAS saved me another $6K. Also I am good with 33" tires and but upgrade as some point to 34"-35" tires (pizza cutters). My mileage is pretty decent 20-22mpg which is good since gas here in California is over $6.50/gallon. So, since the Badlands comes with pretty much everything you need (F/R lockers, skid plates, upgrade suspension, ... I would go with it.

 

[Harry The Heritage]

My vote would be for the Stroppe model. More unique and different than every bronco on the road. I’ve only seen one stroppe so far and that was at a dealership lol.

 

[Gopher]

The 2.7L is still the better motor, but the new 2.3L MPC is impressive. Do you plan to add a Ford ProCal tune or custom tune at some point?


That’s interesting to hear. Are you running the OEM 35" Wranglers? I have the 4.46 gears with the factory 35" Goodyear Territory RTs and experience the exact same thing. I only use 6th gear at 80 MPH or higher; otherwise, I'm in 5th for everything else. I thought difference with 4.70s would be a bit better, but since it’s only a 5% difference, it doesn't seem worth it. Guessing 5.13s are the real answer here lol

I would add the Ford pro tune to the 2.3. Would consider it for the 2.7.but the gain is not that great for the $, so not sure. Am interested in feedback from anyone who has done the Ford tune on the 2.7. I have read lots of good feedback on the 2.3 tune.

 

[Sitruc_btb]

I have a 2022 7mt Badlands and I love it. It's a blast to drive anywhere. The crawl ratio is off the charts slow. Glacial in 4lo. The 2.3 is solid, plenty of power for me. I wanted the cool guy off-road gear with the manual, so it was a no brainer for me. But if you're looking for something to cruise around and such, maybe the stroppe will suit you better. The manual bronco is real easy to live with though. Ford knocked it out of the park with that clutch setup. I think it has the right amount of feel. The gearing paired with the 4.7 final drive is pretty short though. I'll be in 3rd by the time im through an intersection sometimes, and 6th is pretty low.

 

[Bronco21Maybe]

I'm heavily biased towards the 7 speed. Call it a midlife crisis, call it what you will. If the Stroppe had a 2 door 7 speed, I'd want one.

 

[Brian_B]

I'm heavily biased towards the 7 speed. Call it a midlife crisis, call it what you will. If the Stroppe had a 2 door 7 speed, I'd want one.

This.

The 2.7 is the more “fun” engine but the 7Mt is more funner

 

[Bronco21Maybe]

This.

The 2.7 is the more “fun” engine but the 7Mt is more funner

It's like I'm 16 all over again. Mine is horribly slow of the line, but oh so fun!!

 

[dpAtlanta]

You and I both have GT350’s which only come in manual…. You also have additionals Manuals.
The acceleration difference was noticeable enough to make me get the 2.7 auto over the 2.3 manual due to test driving both back to back.
You can fill you need to row gears in the others. The 2.3 manual is very sluggish compared to your Mustangs.
We own the greatest manual gear box connected to the Ford Philharmonic 32-Valve Flat Planed Orchestra with Chewbacca gargling on lead vocals engine ever made.
I enjoy the 2.7 auto knowing I have other cars to row gears.

 

[Gopher]

You and I both have GT350’s which only come in manual…. You also have additionals Manuals.
The acceleration difference was noticeable enough to make me get the 2.7 auto over the 2.3 manual due to test driving both back to back.
You can fill you need to row gears in the others. The 2.3 manual is very sluggish compared to your Mustangs.
We own the greatest manual gear box connected to the Ford Philharmonic 32-Valve Flat Planed Orchestra with Chewbacca gargling on lead vocals engine ever made.
I enjoy the 2.7 auto knowing I have other cars to row gears.

Indeed!

As you know, I was going to trade in my GT350, but in the end cannot do it.

I am going to trade in my pickup instead.

 

[Old Codger]

I would add the Ford pro tune to the 2.3. Would consider it for the 2.7.but the gain is not that great for the $, so not sure. Am interested in feedback from anyone who has done the Ford tune on the 2.7. I have read lots of good feedback on the 2.3 tune.

On the 2.3 MT the Ford Performance tune primary impact is on the engine. with the 2.7 AT the tune impacts the engine and the transmission. Remapped and smoother shifts. Better value / more bang for your buck on the 2.7 IMO.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Hello. I am considering purchasing one of two models, both 2-door:

2025 Stroppe
2026 Badlands 7MT

I have test driven both along with a Big Bend 7MT.

For those who have or have had these, what do you think?

I know the manual-vs-automatic debate can get heated, so here goes!

My impressions:
The 2.7L Stroppe is much snappier off the line vs. the Badlands 2.3L 7MT. Interestingly, the Big Bend 2.3L 7MT felt closer to the Stroppe in acceleration, likely due to the smaller tires. The larger tires, I suspect, made the Badlands feel relatively sluggish to me at least below 3,000 RPM.

While I love manual transmissions and thought I wanted it in my Bronco, the 2.7L auto felt much better. Also, I have three Mustangs all with manual transmissions, so have plenty of other time rowing my own gears. Since the Bronco is not an on-road performance vehicle, the stick shift is becoming less important to me.

This will be just a fun vehicle for me, not a daily driver. I will use it for a mix of on- and off-road uses, including some road trips. I have a cabin in the woods, so it will spend a lot of time there running around the wilderness and going into places devoid of people.

I realize that only I can make this decision, but am just curious how others have approached this tradeoff and open to any words of wisdom based on actual usage.

Thanks!

Do you ever tow? I've towed 3000lb with the 2.3L auto and manual.
The automatic is magic. The 2.3/manual, gets it done, but with more effort and far less grace.
The 10spd made that 4cyl pull better than the GM 5.3L that we have towed that boat with for years.

I can't imagine how much better the 2.7 would be with that same tranny. I definitely want to give it a try someday though.

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