1250 Miles in 4-Door Badlands - Real World Owner's Thoughts

[sledboy]

So we drove off the lot with our new 4-door Bandlands with the 2.7 last Wednesday afternoon. It now has just over 1250 on-road and off-road miles on it. Two of our sons have also taken possession of new Jeep Wranglers, one a Rubicon and the other a Willys. The Rubicon is as close of a comparison to our Badlands as you can get. They even have exactly the same tires including the size.

EDIT... I forgot to mention that we measured the width (outside width of back tires) of the Bronco and Rubicon. The Bronco was only 1/4" wider. Other's have mentioned how much wider the Bronco is. This may be true for the Sas package but regular Badlands is about the same width as the Rubicon.

A big shout out to Ken Garff Ford in American Fork, Utah. Frank, our salesman is the best salesman we have ever worked with. He was more knowledgeable about the Bronco than every other salesman at any of the dealers we have visited. He is a Bronco enthusiast and even has a Bronco on order for himself. Best car buying experience we have ever had!

Just a little background. I grew up in Wyoming and my first vehicle was a 4-wheel drive and we have owned numerous 4-wheel drive vehicles since. All have had IFS and we have never owned a solid front axle. However, about two years ago, my wife and I rented a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon for a week and put 2,400 miles on it. We got a pretty good feel for its personality and capabilities.

Here are our thoughts so far...

Overall
We love it! It has met all our expectations! Nothing has malfunctioned and we have had no "quirkiness" from the off-road goodies. Everything has worked as expected. Here are the things we love most and some nit-picky things that we think can be improved upon. No deal-breakers but things I would change if I could.

What we love most

• Power - This is the most powerful engine that we have had in any of our vehicles. I have always wanted a vehicle that I didn't feel like I was killing the thing while climbing steep grades on road. All of our other vehicles have had 4-speed auto transmissions and once the hill gets too steep, they shift down and the engine revs way up. This Bronco is a dream on the hills! If it can't pull 10th gear, it just shifts to 9th, the revs increase a bit, the boost builds and it pulls like a freight train! On every hill we have been on so far, it will accelerate with relative ease! Hills are now fun! I can't say anything about the longevity or durability of the 2.7 (I'm hoping for +200,000 miles of trouble free operation like several of our past vehicles have done) but the performance is incredible. As others have pointed out, it's not the quickest but I didn't buy the thing to drag race. I bought it to pull and that it does in spades. The 2.7 torque reminds me of the Wrangler 3.0 diesel but without the diesel hassle and mess. My wife also thinks it's great that I no longer feel the need to turn off the AC while going up steep hills.
• Handling - All of our previous 4-wheel drive vehicles have handled very well. This handles as well or better than any of them. It is a dream to drive! I have to say that some people say the Jeep Wranglers have horrible handling and that you can't keep the things on the road. This has not been my experience. You do have to stay alert because it does wonder a bit but not as bad as some people would have you believe. Regardless, the Bronco handles better than the Wranglers and is one of the highlights of this vehicle.
• Looks - We love the looks of our Bronco! The back is very Jeepish but Ford knocked it out of the park with the front!
• Fuel economy - This may not make sense, but hear me out. Our son's Wrangler Rubicon is rated at 19/24 mpg. As far as I can tell, the Wrangler's mpg ratings are tested by engine and not trim. This means that the Sport model with the 3.6 Pentastar engine has the same mileage rating as a Rubicon with the same engine. I don't believe this is a very accurate way of measuring mpg. Our Bronco is rated at 17/18 so we were expecting to get less than the Rubicon. However, we went for a ride with our son last Saturday. We both filled up before we left and filled up again after our ride. We followed him the entire time and went the same speed. Our 165 mile trip included pavement, dirt and even some sections of rock crawling in 4-low. At they end, the Rubicon used .3 gallons more than the Bronco. And our Bronco has averaged 20.3 mpg for the entire 1,250 miles we have driven it. I know, it's not a fuel miser but it is better than we expected. A nice additional bonus!
• Love the large screen!
• Love wireless Android Auto!
• Love the extra cargo room over the Jeep Wrangler!

Things we would change

• Our biggest complaint is the amount of wind noise coming through the roof. Ours was supposed to come with the sound deadening headliner but it did not. Ford is fixing that. I hope it makes a difference because I like how the inside of the roof looks without the liner so I hope it makes a real difference in sound deadening once it is installed.
• Low speed off-road suspension is firm but not harsh. I was expecting it to be smoother riding than the Jeeps but it's about the same as the Rubicon. The Willy's is actually the smoothest of the three.
• The transmission has not had any shifting issues and has been great so far (and hopefully forever). But it is a "busy" transmission. For instance, it shifts from 1st to 10th (9 shifts) every time we go from 0 to 50 and then 9 more times as we come to a stop. I think 10 speeds may be a bit much. I actually like the Wrangler's ZF designed 8 speed auto a bit better. Nothing wrong with the Bronco's transmission... just being extremely nit-picky.
• Sway bar disconnect only works in 4H and 4L. One of the advantages of the sway bar disconnect is a more comfortable ride over rough terrain when disconnected. I wish it worked in 4A and also in 2H because many times we travel dirt roads that are rough but don't require 4 wheel drive. Why do I have to engage 4 wheel drive to take advantage of the sway bar disconnect? This is disappointing because the Rubicon's works in 4L, 4H AND in 4A.
• We have only been able to get the front camera to work at speeds lower than 6 mph. I thought it was supposed to stay on regardless of the speed. We have not tested to see if it stays on at speeds greater than 6 mph while in 4L but why doesn't it stay on all the time when in 4H? Please educate me if I am missing something.
• GOAT modes are kind of gimmicky to me. They take awhile to engage. I would just rather use the selector to shift into the 4-wheel drive mode I want to be in and then engage the other off-road goodies as needed.
• Trail turn assist also seems gimmicky. We measured the turning radius with it on and then off in a graveled parking area. It was only slightly reduced when it was on. For my use, I only see this feature being useful on sharp switchback trails. But since it requires more gas (power) to get it to go, I don't see myself using it because who want's to give your vehicle a lot of gas on the edge of a cliff?
• No gear selector indicator when the transmission is in auto mode. I would like to see what gear the transmission is in even when the transmission is in auto mode. The Jeep Wranglers have an option to show this info. Why can't the Bronco?
• How do we get the "tire view" in split screen? We have only seen this view available in full-screen mode but I remember seeing YouTube videos showing the "tire view" on a split screen.
• In my opinion, the analog speedometer is wasted space. I always look at the digital readout. I wish they would have used this space for a tachometer since the Bronco's tach is kind of hookey anyway.
• Interior surfaces are not as durable as I would like. Dash and plastics scratch and scuff easier than I expected.
• The lower shock mount and the front mount of the rear control arm is lower on the Bronco than the Rubicon. This translates into less ground clearance in these areas. I would like more ground clearance.
• Stock speaker, as mentioned many times, are OK at best.
• Where is the FordPass Performance app that has the off-road maps?

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[Monster1926]

Seems like a very honest/good review. Do the windows bother you at all? The speed of them and when you first open the door. I’ve checked out three separate Broncos and all of them got caught in the frame as I opened the door?

 

[sledboy]

Seems like a very honest/good review. Do the windows bother you at all? The speed of them and when you first open the door. I’ve checked out three separate Broncos and all of them got caught in the frame as I opened the door?

I wondered about this at first as well. But it does not seem to be an issue. When they are opened, it can't move down fast enough to not slightly catch on the weather stripping. But I think it was designed this way. It opens and hangs up just a little but must be down in order to close. We will have to see if it causes a problem long term but I'm not too worried about it.

 

[talbot]

Great write up
thanks for the comparison and thoughts
vb looks great on the 4dr and bl trim

 

[moejoe34]

@sledboy nice review, thanks! Do you have the high or lux package?

 

[BravoV4]

• No gear selector indicator when the transmission is in auto mode. I would like to see what gear the transmission is in even when the transmission is in auto mode. The Jeep Wranglers have an option to show this info. Why can't the Bronco?

While in drive, hit the + on the shifter. See if anything comes up on the screen and stays there. This is how if gets turned on in the F-150's.

Edit: This doesn't work as I just tried and found out.

 

[TimmH]

Seems like a very honest/good review. Do the windows bother you at all? The speed of them and when you first open the door. I’ve checked out three separate Broncos and all of them got caught in the frame as I opened the door?

My 2006 Mustang GT had windows that auto-up/down to clear the frame when opening. Never really had an issue with it getting caught up. But after a battery change they did act up. But deep in the owners manual you will find (at least on my Mustang), that if you roll the windows all the way up and then hold the window button up for 5 seconds once fully closed it resets the open/close point.

But ultimately in the 13 years I owned the Mustang, I never had a real issue with it hanging up, and never had window motor issues either.

 

[sledboy]

@sledboy nice review, thanks! Do you have the high or lux package?

We got the High package.

 

[Monster1926]

My 2006 Mustang GT had windows that auto-up/down to clear the frame when opening. Never really had an issue with it getting caught up. But after a battery change they did act up. But deep in the owners manual you will find (at least on my Mustang), that if you roll the windows all the way up and then hold the window button up for 5 seconds once fully closed it resets the open/close point.

But ultimately in the 13 years I owned the Mustang, I never had a real issue with it hanging up, and never had window motor issues either.

They might be able to be retrained. Deff weird how they get caught makes me worried about shattering a window on a very cold morning.

 

[sledboy]

While in drive, hit the + on the shifter. See if anything comes up on the screen and stays there. This is how if gets turned on in the F-150's.

An indicator does come on the screen for just a couple of seconds after it shifts up or down (depending on if you hit the + or - button). But then auto takes back over, shifts back into the gear it thinks it should be in and the indicator on the dash disappears.

 

[Afro]

Front cameras are tied to GOAT modes. Gotta switch the modes if you want them to stay on above 6mph

 

[BravoV4]

An indicator does come on the screen for just a couple of seconds after it shifts up or down (depending on if you hit the + or - button). But then auto takes back over, shifts back into the gear it thinks it should be in and the indicator on the dash disappears.

Was just coming back to say this. I thought it would work, as that is how it does it in the F-150. It's a shame it isn't built in the Bronco like the F-150.

 

[TheWoo]

In regards to the off-road maps, they are coming this fall is the last I heard.

 

[_finack]

So we drove off the lot with our new 4-door Bandlands with the 2.7 last Wednesday afternoon. It now has just over 1250 on-road and off-road miles on it. Two of our sons have also taken possession of new Jeep Wranglers, one a Rubicon and the other a Willys. The Rubicon is as close of a comparison to our Badlands as you can get. They even have exactly the same tires including the size.

A big shout out to Ken Garff Ford in American Fork, Utah. Frank, our salesman is the best salesman we have ever worked with. He was more knowledgeable about the Bronco than every other salesman at any of the dealers we have visited. He is a Bronco enthusiast and even has a Bronco on order for himself. Best car buying experience we have ever had!

Just a little background. I grew up in Wyoming and my first vehicle was a 4-wheel drive and we have owned numerous 4-wheel drive vehicles since. All have had IFS and we have never owned a solid front axle. However, about two years ago, my wife and I rented a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon for a week and put 2,400 miles on it. We got a pretty good feel for its personality and capabilities.

Here our a thoughts so far.

Overall
We love it! It has met all our expectations! Nothing has malfunctioned and we have had no "quirkiness" from the off-road goodies. Everything has worked as expected. Here are the things we love most and some nit-picky things that we think can be improved upon. No deal-breakers but things I would change if I could.

What we love most

• Power - This is the most powerful engine that we have had in any of our vehicles. I have always wanted a vehicle that I didn't feel like I was killing the thing while climbing steep grades on road. All of our other vehicles have had 4-speed auto transmissions and once the hill is too steep, they shift down rev way up. This Bronco is a dream on the hills! If it can't pull 10th gear, it just shifts to 9th and pulls like a freight train! On every hill we have been on so far, it will accelerate with relative ease! Watch the boost climb and the thing just goes. Hills are now fun! I can't say anything about the longevity or durability of the 2.7 (I'm hoping for +200,000 miles of trouble free operation) but the performance is incredible. As others have pointed out, it's not the quickest but I didn't buy the thing to drag race. I bought it to pull and that it does in spades. The 2.7 torque reminds me of the Wrangler 3.0 diesel but without the diesel hassle and mess.
• Handling - All of our previous 4-wheel drive vehicles have handled very well. This handles as well or better than any of them. It is a dream to drive! I have to say that some people say the Jeep Wranglers have horrible handling and that you can't keep the things on the road. This has not been my experience. You do have to stay alert because it does wander a bit but not as bad as some people would have you believe. Regardless, the Bronco handles better than the Wranglers and is one of the highlights of this vehicle.
• Looks - We love the looks of our Bronco! The back is very Jeepish but Ford knocked it out of the park with the front!
• Fuel economy - This may not make sense, but hear me out. Our son's Wrangler Rubicon is rated at 19/24 mpg. As far as I can tell, the Wranglers are tested by engine and not trim. This means that the Sport model with the 3.6 Pentastar engine has the same mileage rating as a Rubicon with the same engine. I don't believe this is a very accurate way of measuring mpg. Our Bronco is rated at 17/18 so we were expecting to get less than the Rubicon. However, we went for a ride with our son last Saturday. We both filled up before we left and filled up again after our ride. We followed him the entire time and went the same speed. We went 165 miles that included pavement, dirt and even some sections of rock crawling in 4-low. At they end, the Rubicon used .3 gallons more than the Bronco. And our Bronco has averaged 20.3 mpg for the entire 1,250 miles we have driven it. I know it's not the best fuel sipper but it is better than we expected. A nice additional bonus!
• Love the large screen!
• Love wireless Android Auto!
• Love the extra cargo room over the Jeep Wrangler!

Things we would change

• Our biggest complaint is the amount of wind noise coming through the roof. Ours was supposed to come with the sound deadening headliner but it did not. Ford is fixing that. I hope it makes a difference because I like how the inside of the roof looks without the liner so I hope it makes a real difference in sound deadening once it is installed.
• Suspension is firm but not harsh. I was expecting it to be smoother riding than the Jeeps but it's about the same as the Rubicon. The Willy's is actually the smoothest of the three.
• The transmission has not had any shifting issues and has been great so far (and hopefully forever). But it is a "busy" transmission. For instance, it shifts from 1st to 10th (9 shifts) every time we go from 0 to 50 and then 9 more times as we come to a stop. I think 10 speeds may be a bit much. I actually like the Wrangler's ZF designed 8 speed auto a bit better. Nothing wrong with the Bronco's transmission... just being extremely nit-picky.
• Sway bar disconnect only works in 4H and 4L. One of the advantages of the sway bar disconnect is a more comfortable ride over rough terrain when disconnected. I wish it worked in 4A and also in 2H because many times we travel dirt roads that are rough but don't require 4 wheel drive. Why do I have to engage 4 wheel drive to take advantage of the sway bar disconnect? This is disappointing because the Rubicon's works in 4L, 4H AND in 4A.
• We have only been able to get the front camera to work at speeds lower than 6 mph. I thought it was supposed to stay on regardless of the speed. We have not tested to see if it stays on at speeds greater than 6 mph while in 4L but why doesn't it stay on all the time when in 4H? Please educate me if I am missing something.
• GOAT modes are kind of gimmicky to me. They take awhile to engage. I would just rather use the selector to shift into the 4-wheel drive mode I want to be in and then engage the other off-road goodies as needed.
• Trail turn assist also seems gimmicky. We measured the turning radius with it on and then off in a graveled parking area. It was only slightly reduced when it was on. For my use, I only see this feature being useful on sharp switchback trails. But since it requires more gas (power) to get it to go, I don't see myself using it because who want's to give your vehicle a lot of gas on the edge of a cliff?
• No gear selector indicator when the transmission is in auto mode. I would like to see what gear the transmission is in even when the transmission is in auto mode. The Jeep Wranglers have an option to show this info. Why can't the Bronco?
• How do we get the "tire view" in split screen? We have only seen this view available in full-screen mode but I remember seeing YouTube videos showing the "tire view" on a split screen.
• I my opinion, the analog speedometer is wasted space. I always look at the digital readout. I wish they would have used this space for a tachometer since the Bronco's tach is kind of hookey anyway.
• Interior surfaces are not as durable as I would like. Dash and plastics scratch and scuff easier than I expected.
• The lower shock mount and the front mount of the rear control arm is lower on the Bronco than the Rubicon. This translates into less ground clearance in these areas. I would like more ground clearance.
• Stock speaker, as mentioned many times, are OK at best.
• Where is the FordPass Performance app that has the off-road maps?

Thanks for the honest review. I love the pics! It looks great!

• Interior surfaces are not as durable as I would like. Dash and plastics scratch and scuff easier than I expected.

I remember myself and others getting a bit of heat for saying the interior is disappointing and cheap. We were told that what we thought were cheap plastics were actually good materials selected for ruggedness and durability. Sounds like that isn't the case at all. Can we safely call it what it is now? It's a cheap, disappointing interior.

 

[Tdifonzo]

Are you using regular or premium gas to get that mileage?

I believe the front-facing camera only stays on at higher speeds in certain GOAT modes. Ford should update it to show in just plain Jane 4H and 4L as well.

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