? How do you balance out function and feature??

[stone_sloth]

If you have younger kids (side steps) and the most dirt your Bronco is gonna see is savage parking when going to lacrosse tournament, I’d go 1

If you plan on going to the beach, mountains, and want easier cleanupof floor and materials. Again if you are younger kids you still may want the step. go 2

if you want to have a cheap base and customize it go 3 regardless of what you do with it. It can become anything from a badass rock crawler to a more friendly family car

I do have younger kids, however my wife does a lot of the kid transporting. We live is South Haven, MI which is right on Lake Michigan so sand is everywhere in the summer and salt in the winter. The water resistant and washout interior is super appealing, even if I've got to walk away from the sasquach base. On the other hand you can always get seat covers for the kids and rugged floor mats. Honestly after all this conversation thats what it comes down to. BD with color options and wash out interior or bad ass base.

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[stone_sloth]

This is a sensible analysis. And I'm in the same boat as you. And I'm ALWAYS sensible. But this time I've decided to bump up to a Badlands and mentally offset the added cost with the money I've not spent this year (and likely next year) on vacations, camping, ski trips, etc.

Given this new world we live in, I plan to spend more time road tripping with my wife and exploring this glorious country of ours by land. I've built my rig (Cyber Orange 2 door Badlands, 2.7 Auto, non-Squatch, upgraded wheels) with this lifestyle in mind and with the expectation that we will get ourselves into situations where we may need/want the added capability, particularly since we plan to keep it 10+ years. Also, the Badlands is just badass and, I admit, that's also a factor for me.

EDIT: I have Z-plan, so that also makes the Badlands cost easier to swallow.

Yes! it is all round the best possible option. I could probably pull getting a base Badlands 4dr and hard top, but that is my max budget. Its definitely on the table still.