Wow glad you are OK. I was once run off the road by a trash truck who merged into my lane while I was in his blind spot (pre-Bronco). It's scary stuff when you're in that situation. Thankfully I was able to gun it and pull into the shoulder but he still nailed my rear quarter panel.
Sorry to hear about your bad experience with the Bronco. Looks like you made a good choice with the Outback, particularly if you aren't doing extreme off-roading. I have a '22 Bronco OBX and a '21 Outback (not Wilderness). I like them both for different reasons.
Very cool. I was at Assateague last weekend with our Bronco. FYI it's my understanding that the fence is there to keep the horses from crossing over due to differences in how VA and MD manage them.
I would not describe my Bronco as "slow". Not sure what's going on with yours? Or maybe our definitions aren't the same. I have the 2.3 engine. It'll throw me back into the seat if I floor it, and that's not even in sport mode. I do keep it in 4A.
Since it sounds like 4A isn't an option for you (I leave mine in 4A all the time), highway tires should improve traction on wet roads compared to the stock tires. I switched to Continental Terraincontact H/T and have been quite happy with them.
We took a trip to NC over the summer, cruising at 70-75mph the Bronco feels good, planted. Didn't have the top down at those speeds since I do value what little hearing I have left 😀. I may be in the minority but after switching from the Bridgestone A/T to a Continental H/T there is a noticeable...
I did have a random stranger give my the finger while we were driving our Bronco on vacation. Not a Jeep, I think it was a Nissan Rogue 🤣 . Maybe a reservation holder who bailed and is upset at Ford? Who knows.
Tough decision but I get it. I've toyed with selling my Outback but ultimately decided to keep it as my car for long commute days (1 hour each way) and use the Bronco for my shorter commute days which are mainly country roads, fun family trips and weekends. They both serve a purpose.