2.3 Shaping up to be the better Engine?

[LowerSlowerDelaware]

My Bronco is everything I thought it could be and so much more.

You do you, I'll do me and I don’t know about you but I'm Happy with my Bronco 2.3 MT

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[The Driving Viking]

I don't understand people coming on a forum and thinking that the 14 people who have their vehicle represent the general population of vehicles. Now do F150s with 2.7 engines. Get the small engine if you want it. I am doing fine with my 2.7, so there's some anecdotal evidence for you.

I don't think you understand the point. Nobody is saying the 2.7 is a bad engine. It's been proven in the F 150. The problem is you can't go buy the 2.7 in the F 150 from years past. The problems with the current 2.7 coming off the line is new. Most likely caused by the pandemic and the parts shortage and Ford switching 3rd party suppliers.

So the question and thought process is for now is the 2.3 a better option? Especially since the 2.7 is now considered a constraint most likely because of thos issue. A lot of people want to get their Broncos before Summer and not wait another year. And switching to the 2.3 can make that happen. And it's a good engine. That's all.

 

[The Driving Viking]

Here is what I read and it confirms that the 2.3 in not the engine of choice...


Although the four-pot emits a less-than-invigorating thrum and is easier to catch off boost, particularly with the manual, it only gives up 30 horses to the V-6.


CAR and DRIVER





Both engines provide adequate response and low-end torque once geared down in four-low, but the 2.3-liter needs time for the turbo to wind up in daily driving.


HAGERTY





The rest of the transmission's gearing is excessively tall, and we had to change gears later than we normally would lest low revs magnify whatever turbo lag the 2.3-liter engine exhibits. As we charged up the steep inclines that give Texas Hill Country its name, we found we often had to downshift to fifth or fourth to maintain our mile-a-minute pace.


MOTORTREND





The clutch is somewhat vague, which combined with the 2.3's less-predictable throttle tuning made for a rather disappointing experience.


motor1





The 2.3-liter turbo-four seems to have enough grunt on paper, but it felt a bit sluggish in spots, especially when climbing a grade. I found myself downshifting more than I expected to, and it wasn’t until I hit some open highway late in the drive that I found myself using fifth and sixth gears. I wonder how the four-cylinder can handle the extra weight of the four-door – and how it works in concert with the 10-speed, regardless of door count.


The Truth About Cars





The 2.3-liter turbocharged engine definitely needs boost to have any amount of low-end torque. Starting off in first gear, I found myself lugging the engine a bit as the motor began building boost, taking a moment to accelerate out of the hole.


jalopnik





I went with the Bronco my id would want: a loaded, red, two-door Badlands trim model with a seven-speed manual transmission (only available with the smaller but still capable 2.3-liter inline-four engine). It was not the ideal choice for Austin, which was much hillier than I anticipated


GEAR PATROL

What's funny is now go read all these Jeep fan boys reviews on the Jeep with the 2.0 T They glow over it. And it has less power. Most are in Mopars back pocket. And I guarantee they weren't running the 2.3 testers with 93 Octane and getting the higher power numbers.

Also I'm telling you now from experience with my Ecoboost Mustang. The 2.3 Turns into a Monster with a Tune. And Ford already said they are coming out with a Tune for the 2.3 through Ford performance that will be covered under a warranty. You'll have the same or more power then the 2.7 and I lighter engine and front end.

All I'm saying is it's a viable option to get the 2.3 over the 2.7 if you want your Bronco faster. That's all. Just something to consider.

 

[Mr. Nice]

I will believe a compiled list of expert automotive journalists long before hearsay opinions from layman's...

 

[basetaco2.7]

Just curious. What are the issues that the 2.7 engines are having?

 

[SGT_Bronco]

I was given a mannequin to use with the 2.7 while the mach e was getting fixed and the dealership end up asking for it early back due to issues pushed down from higher about the 2.7 so there's definitely something not right with it

 

[MrOzMan]

What's funny is now go read all these Jeep fan boys reviews on the Jeep with the 2.0 T They glow over it. And it has less power. Most are in Mopars back pocket. And I guarantee they weren't running the 2.3 testers with 93 Octane and getting the higher power numbers.

Also I'm telling you now from experience with my Ecoboost Mustang. The 2.3 Turns into a Monster with a Tune. And Ford already said they are coming out with a Tune for the 2.3 through Ford performance that will be covered under a warranty. You'll have the same or more power then the 2.7 and I lighter engine and front end.

All I'm saying is it's a viable option to get the 2.3 over the 2.7 if you want your Bronco faster. That's all. Just something to consider.

The advantage of the 2.7 isn’t speed, it’s torque. Almost an extra 100 LB-ft. Better for holding higher gears / lower rpm and less turbo lag. Effortless turning of the wheels at higher speeds. The 0-60 times on both engines are pretty close.

 

[Southern Girl]

I don't think you understand the point. Nobody is saying the 2.7 is a bad engine. It's been proven in the F 150. The problem is you can't go buy the 2.7 in the F 150 from years past. The problems with the current 2.7 coming off the line is new. Most likely caused by the pandemic and the parts shortage and Ford switching 3rd party suppliers.

So the question and thought process is for now is the 2.3 a better option? Especially since the 2.7 is now considered a constraint most likely because of thos issue. A lot of people want to get their Broncos before Summer and not wait another year. And switching to the 2.3 can make that happen. And it's a good engine. That's all.

I understand your point. You can't use anecdotal stories from a forum to form a generalization about this engine.

Preferring the 2.3, or wanting to order one for faster delivery is a common discusson here. However, you did include the "biggest and most important" question about the 2.7:

The biggest and most important reason I ask this is because of the recent issues with the 2.7s dieing... Plenty of people on this very forum had their 2.7 engines fail.

Relying on forum information is your choice, but it can be incorrect. It seems you have made your decision. Good luck with your purchase.

 

[The Driving Viking]

I understand your point. You can't use anecdotal stories from a forum to form a generalization about this engine.

Preferring the 2.3, or wanting to order one for faster delivery is a common discusson here. However, you did include the "biggest and most important" question about the 2.7:


Relying on forum information is your choice, but it can be incorrect. It seems you have made your decision. Good luck with your purchase.

You're right you can't go buy what people say all the time on a forum. You never know. But I doubt all if these people are lying.

Either way I have not made my decision as of yet. I ordered the 2.7 and as of now I have not changed my order. But the the 2.3 is a really good engine and can be tuned for monster power and I may switch to it in the end. I don't know.

 

[BroncocnorB]

I’ll just sum this all up for everyone. The 2.7 is the better choice

 

[Drex]

You're right you can't go buy what people say all the time on a forum. You never know. But I doubt all if these people are lying.

Either way I have not made my decision as of yet. I ordered the 2.7 and as of now I have not changed my order. But the the 2.3 is a really good engine and can be tuned for monster power and I may switch to it in the end. I don't know.

You are completely missing what everyone is telling you; Nobody is saying the folks with problems are lying about it. Just that their experience is in no possible way usable to get any sort of statistically valid generalizations of the relative reliability of the two engines.

I got the 2.3 because I did not want to be dealing with a 10R60 transmission in the long run. I don't trust it in a heavy ass Bronco with the 2.7's torque.

 

[GT500]

I’ll just sum this all up for everyone. The 2.7 is the better choice

I'd rather push a 2.7L than drive a 2.3L!

 

[deanfromkelowna]

Just curious what people think about both the 2.3 and the 2.7 since the Broncos release out into the wild.

I have no first hand experience with driving either engine in the Bronco but I did own the 2.3 in my Ecoboost Mustang. In short it was great in the Mustang.

So I ask this for a couple of reasons. It's seems in a lot of You tube reviews both the 2.3 and the 2.7 get similar 0 to 60 times when testing acceleration. Of course the 2.7 is a little faster but not by much. The reason being even though the 2.7 is more powerful it also weights more which negates the power advantage and makes the front end heavier. So it makes sense.

Another reason I ask is because for some still waiting for their Broncos order to be filled it seems the 2.7 is a major constraint and is the hold up. Switch to the 2.3 and boom your order will be filled faster and your Bronco will get built.

The biggest and most important reason I ask this is because of the recent issues with the 2.7s dieing. I don't know if this is because of the pandemic and Ford had to switch to a different 3rd party supplier for critical parts or what but it seems it's definitely a thing. Plenty of people on this very forum had their 2.7 engines fail. Reliability is pretty dam important when it comes to your engine.

I should note that my Bronco reservation and order is for the 2.7 as of now so I'm not cheerleadering the 2.3 or biased.

So with all this in mind is the 2.3 shaping up to be the better choice for the Bronco?

I have driven the 2.3 in Exploder and own the 2.7 in my Bronco. In sport mod with Premium Fuel, the 2.7L is wonderful. 2.3 in Exploder... not so much.

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