🏁 Acceleration Track Test : Bronco 2.7L and 2.3L versus Jeep Wrangler 3.6L [Car and Driver]

[kodiakisland]

Why do people keep looking at pavement performance? These are dedicated off road trucks not sports cars. I don’t get the fixation on 0-60 and cornering on a truck with 35s on it.

Because it's easy to do and fun. Ever take a track or strip day? Even more fun when it's someone else's vehicle.

So many test are subjective, but the track can be fairly objective if the same people take the same runs in the same lane. Just fun comparisons

If this was real life testing, it would be done in a WalMart parking lot to see how small a parking space you can get into and how many groceries fit in the back, or how many kid toys will fit and still make it through the McDonalds drive thru. Those tests aren't so much fun.

Do I care what my 0-60 time is? No. Do I care if I can safely merge onto a busy interstate with traffic going 80? You bet. Did I buy a 4WD SUV for speed and on road handling? Not by a long shot. I care how it handles off road, but it won't be trailered to get there, so on road handling is good to see as well.

Don't worry, there will be some awesome top truck challenges off road that the Bronco gets put to the test in as well.

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[Bodge Garage]

Looks like there is some payoff for the V6 equipped with the electric brake booster. Quite a few feet shorter stopping distance even on 35's.

 

[Bulletbill]

Too many words to read (to see if it was mentioned), but is the 2 door Bronco really comparable to a 4 door Wrangler? Maybe I'm missing something Just seems like why bother.

This.

 

[Bulletbill]

I don’t really prescribe to drag racing off road vehicles, but here’s another comparison that actually had both vehicles in it. Both 4 door, both on 35s.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

0-60 of 7.0 seconds and 1/4 mile at 15.5 for the two door Black Diamond with a 2.3 and a manual. That certainly respectable and quick enough for this type of vehicle. Looks good.

Yeah, (nods to user name) I remember when the Mustang GT and Iroc 5.7 battle was posting 14/15sec 1/4 mile times!
https://www.zeroto60times.com/

The 4 banger Bronco is faster than a 1993 454SS!!! LOL!!!

I wonder how my Base manual (4.46) on 30" tires will roll out? LOL

 

[mpeugeot]

I imagine it will be faster on the Base, Big Bend, and Outer Banks models without the extra body armor, smaller tires, and sport mod.

Exactly, the OBX is about 440 lbs lighter than the FE, has less unsprung weight, and should (with the 4.27:1 ratio) be the quickest of the Bronco family 0-60 and 1/4 mile (although the base V-6 with 3.73 might be faster assuming that the lower overall weight provides it with enough advantage - 540 lbs lighter than the FE). The gears are steeper on the base when compared to the OBX and the FE, a disadvantage. There is functionally no difference in gearing/MPH between the FE and OBX factory configurations.

Base I4 4286# 4.46:1 30 inch tire
23 MPH 1st @5000 RPM
41 MPH 2nd @5000 RPM
60 MPH 3rd @4489 RPM

Base V6 4458# 3.73:1 30 inch tire
25 MPH 1st @5000 RPM
39 MPH 2nd @5000 RPM
60 MPH 3rd @5553 RPM

OBX V6 4557# 4.27:1 32 inch tire
23 MPH 1st @5000 RPM
36 MPH 2nd @5000 RPM
60 MPH 3rd @5960 RPM

FE V6 4997# 4.70:1 35 inch tire
23 MPH 1st @5000 RPM
36 MPH 2nd @5000 RPM
60 MPH 3rd @5998 RPM

 

[mpeugeot]

Why do people keep looking at pavement performance? These are dedicated off road trucks not sports cars. I don’t get the fixation on 0-60 and cornering on a truck with 35s on it.

I don't know about you, but I am planning on putting some 25" Nitto drag radials on all 4 corners using stock OBX rims and then going street racing... Just because I can!!!! LOL.

Of course, my 33.5"x12.5" tires will still be my off-roading tires.

 

[Norm A.]

The test are carried out at sea level, 68 degrees ambient ,40% humidity. Two gallons of fuel in the tank, and a driver who weighs 138 pounds. Common owner who bitches about performance and fuel mileage, weighs 257 pounds on average. Lol

240#s but I'm working on it

 

[Jr87mustang]

If you had any long term relationship with a Ford Truck Ecoboost engine your expectations would be much much higher.

I have had two different 3.5 Ecos in F-150s, so yes, I expected much more from the Bronco than what I am seeing. Seems pathetic to me. I have driven a few F-150s with 2.7s and while not quite as fast as my 3.5s they are much better than what I am seeing from the Bronco. AND they get decent mileage. I am starting to wonder why Ford just didn't put the older N/A 6 cylinder they were putting in the F-150s into the Bronco.

 

[Moabbob]

I don't know about you, but I am planning on putting some 25" Nitto drag radials on all 4 corners using stock OBX rims and then going street racing... Just because I can!!!! LOL.

Of course, my 33.5"x12.5" tires will still be my off-roading tires.

Crap I need to lift my Golf R and put some 35s on it. Bet it would rock crawl it's got 300 hp and all wheel drive, now where did I put that sawzall.

 

[mjohnso3]

If your going to introduce the complexity/hazard of turbos AND worse gas mileage I would like to see a benefit to the engine, even if it is just faster. If we gained nothing I would rather have the reliability of a N/A engine. I am really not digging these numbers Ford is putting out. Not worth having a turbo engine for this, kinda like Jeeps 2.0 engine.

I think you have a good point. When the mileage was reported for that 2.3 4 cylinder only getting low 20s upper teens for gas mileage that certainly raises an eyebrow. Normally an engine that small should be getting mid 30s so that tells me when you're cruising down the highway at 70 for hours on end what is the boost? Probably higher than I would like for the purpose of longevity of the engine. I think I would have been happier with a NA V8 with a little less HP and torque.

 

[Demoncleaner]

You know….
I think a lot of this has to do with test drives….or lack thereof. Internet racing is pointless. I was concerned about the 3.6 pentastar in my Mojave with a 6 speed and 4.10s rolling 33s. I actually found one to test drive, and thought “heck yes” this’ll be fine. Problem solved.

 

[motocane]

"dedicated off road"? hardly. this is a street-legal vehicle that is going to be used for primarily daily driving by most owners. I'd be surprised if 0.5% of people kept it as a 'dedicated' off-road vehicle that NEVER sees pavement. Acceleration is a huge factor when buying any vehicle, you need to be able to safely get on highway on-ramps, pass slower traffic, accelerate up steep grades, etc - so while nobody's expecting the Bronco to be as quick as a McLaren, it should not be as slow as a bulldozer either.

Exactly. Same people that would whine like crazy if a Raptor was slow as sh*t. We know it’s not a road racer but anymore a complete dog is just a liability anywhere. And certainly no rule that any off road capable vehicle cant also be quick. MPG does seem to be lacking though since it isn’t a tire burner.

 

[da_jokker]

All these comments about how the Bronco isn't for racing and you don't care about its 0-60...you are all missing the point.

It's not about who wins the race. It's about the "all new Bronco" (aka Jeep Killer) that even with it's higher numbers on paper, only managest to match the Jeep and does so WITH WORSE MPG.

I've read people with Jeeps and 35s, both 2.0t and 3.6 getting low 20's to even mid...and Ford come out with a 17 mpg eco motor that doesn't even wipe the floor with the jeep? You can have power, or you can have MPG, but you normally can't have both.

These videos are simply saying with Ford, you can't have either.

 

[Potatomafia]

I figured the numbers would be similar. My 2012 JK Sport with the 6 speed was measured at 6.7 seconds 0-60. It weighed in at around 3,780 lbs. Of course, it got a lot slower when I put 33" Duratracs on it without changing the 3.21 gears lol.

Either engine in the Bronco has more torque and when using premium in the 2.3L, more HP than the Pentastar V6.

But the Bronco is significantly heavier. The lightest trim is the 2 door base, weighing in at 4,319 lbs. That's almost 540lbs heavier.

My Bronco will be my daily driver, just like my JK was. Sure, the numbers don't tell the whole story but they can give us an idea of the vehicle dynamics. I have a 60-mile per day commute that includes 70+ mph freeways and 45mph surface streets. Punchy merging power is crucial.

I think the manbasesquatch I want will be fine with a mild tune. Will it be a racecar? Absolutely not. But it should do just fine.

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