Sponsored

2.3l w/manual. Overland thoughts.

Get In The Bronco

Badlands
Well-Known Member
First Name
Terry
Joined
Mar 17, 2020
Threads
5
Messages
117
Reaction score
290
Location
Colorado Springs
Vehicle(s)
19 F-150
Your Bronco Model
Badlands
I’m really stuck trying to figure out if the 2.3l manual will be enough for long road trips to national parks and carrying fridge/kitchen setup, plus RTT and all of the other stuff associated with camping, plus the pooch and the lady friend. I know i will be getting the 4 door, no idea what trim though. I really want the stick shift but don’t know if it will handle the load effectively to make it worth it. What are y’all’s thoughts on this? Any one going to be doing the same?
Sponsored

 

Beef78

Badlands
Well-Known Member
First Name
Joshua
Joined
Jul 18, 2020
Threads
9
Messages
143
Reaction score
339
Location
Connecticut
Vehicle(s)
Focus and 71 bronco
Your Bronco Model
Badlands
I have a family member that drove a geo metro to 30 something states over 15 months carrying everything he owned, his girlfriend and his best friend. The 2.3 will absolutely get the job done and probably be more than you need. You just won’t win any drag races. Unless, it’s against a geo metro.
 

MaverickMan

Black Diamond
Well-Known Member
First Name
Shane
Joined
Mar 13, 2020
Threads
41
Messages
3,432
Reaction score
7,050
Location
96708
Vehicle(s)
96 bronco sport 91 comanche eliminator 93 v8 zj
Your Bronco Model
Black Diamond
Go test drive a Ranger and bring a few fat guys. Should tell ya what you need to know. I myself am going manual or bust. There are always tuners. But as is it will out power a 90s 5.8 Bronco. I have had a rtt, a fridge, 2 60lb dogs, a popup, and 3 days of gear, food, water and a solar system. And a flat towed CJ7, did just fine with 205 hp, 328 lbft.
 

Sponsored

Cheshire

Banned
Base
Banned
Banned
First Name
Steven
Joined
Jul 13, 2020
Threads
31
Messages
1,571
Reaction score
3,756
Location
FL
Vehicle(s)
4Dr Bronco BaseSquatch 2.7L
Your Bronco Model
Base
I’m really stuck trying to figure out if the 2.3l manual will be enough for long road trips to national parks and carrying fridge/kitchen setup, plus RTT and all of the other stuff associated with camping, plus the pooch and the lady friend. I know i will be getting the 4 door, no idea what trim though. I really want the stick shift but don’t know if it will handle the load effectively to make it worth it. What are y’all’s thoughts on this? Any one going to be doing the same?
The 2.3L will get you and your stuff wherever you need to go. I am getting a 4dr with the 2.7L. I get satisfaction out of having more power, being able to pass easily, etc.

Second guessing yourself about the small engine is like buying beer before a party. You're with your friend discussing if one case will be enough. I learned years ago that even when you pony up and buy two cases, it's usually not enough. Few will be disappointed with the 2.7L decision long term, but many who opt for the small engine will regret it later.
 

Hkak45

Black Diamond
Well-Known Member
First Name
K
Joined
Aug 6, 2020
Threads
19
Messages
1,323
Reaction score
2,963
Location
Illinois
Vehicle(s)
21 Bronco Black Diamond
Your Bronco Model
Black Diamond
Clubs
 
The 2.3L will work fine. The 2.7 will pull better obviously but since us Manual owners are stuck with it the 2.3L will do well. Just remember to do maintenance items earlier than usually when the vehicle is under load like that. So don’t run out 10k miles oil changes when towing and packing to the Max lol
 
OP
OP
Get In The Bronco

Get In The Bronco

Badlands
Well-Known Member
First Name
Terry
Joined
Mar 17, 2020
Threads
5
Messages
117
Reaction score
290
Location
Colorado Springs
Vehicle(s)
19 F-150
Your Bronco Model
Badlands
you can go to national parks in a prius
Ya I know I can do that in any vehicle. I was just trying to give the readers an idea of what I will be doing.

The 2.3L will get you and your stuff wherever you need to go. I am getting a 4dr with the 2.7L. I get satisfaction out of having more power, being able to pass easily, etc.
Thanks! Ya we have different things that satisfy us, you like the power and passing, I am satisfied with rowing my own gears and don’t mind getting passed haha.

Also the vehicle will most only be in this heavy configuration when we plan on actually going out and camping or road tripping. Most of the time it will be unloaded and used as my daily driver. So thank you all for the replies.
 

WkndEpic

Badlands
Member
First Name
John
Joined
Jun 19, 2020
Threads
0
Messages
21
Reaction score
22
Location
Colorado
Vehicle(s)
Tacoma
Your Bronco Model
Badlands
I’m really stuck trying to figure out if the 2.3l manual will be enough for long road trips to national parks and carrying fridge/kitchen setup, plus RTT and all of the other stuff associated with camping, plus the pooch and the lady friend. I know i will be getting the 4 door, no idea what trim though. I really want the stick shift but don’t know if it will handle the load effectively to make it worth it. What are y’all’s thoughts on this? Any one going to be doing the same?
I see that you're in Colorado. What you'll need to figure out is not if it can haul the weight but rather how effectively it'll haul the weight in higher elevation. I currently drive a 19 Tacoma (auto on 31" AT tires) built out with all of the things you plan on carrying and more (i.e. RTT, awning, kitchen, cab and bed racks, rack mounted cargo boxes, 4 bikes on a hitch mount carrier, 4 iSUP) with 3 passengers and driving in the high county is an extremely poor experience. My truck will get me there but the overall driving experience (i.e. hunting gears every 3 seconds and cruising at 4-5K RPM on the hwy) is less than ideal. Before I decided to get the Bronco, I had planned on upgrading my tires to 33" and re-gearing this winter. The Bronco SQTCH with the 2.7L engine addresses the issues with my current rig by offering up more power and being geared properly from the factory. It also ensures I have enough power to tow an overland trailer when I ultimately move in that direction. I've not had the opportunity to drive the Ranger with the 2.3L/manual combo. That being said, I'm sure it'll be more than capable when paired with a manual trans and having proper gearing (FDR).
 
OP
OP
Get In The Bronco

Get In The Bronco

Badlands
Well-Known Member
First Name
Terry
Joined
Mar 17, 2020
Threads
5
Messages
117
Reaction score
290
Location
Colorado Springs
Vehicle(s)
19 F-150
Your Bronco Model
Badlands
I've not had the opportunity to drive the Ranger with the 2.3L/manual combo. That being said, I'm sure it'll be more than capable when paired with a manual trans and having proper gearing (FDR).
So are you saying that you think the 2.3L with manual will be more than capable with proper gearing? I’m thinking BD or BL, don’t remember the stock gears on those, but with that in mind would you still say it’s plenty capable? I live in the mountains just west of the divide. So I have to traverse either Vail pass or Loveland pass to go places.
 

Sponsored

ColoradoGuy

Badlands
Well-Known Member
First Name
Mike
Joined
Aug 6, 2020
Threads
8
Messages
2,015
Reaction score
7,319
Location
Colorado
Vehicle(s)
'21 4DR Badlands and a couple of Acuras
Your Bronco Model
Badlands
Clubs
 
I agree with @WkndEpic

I'm also in Colorado and need to account for higher elevation, mountain passes, and depending on where you want to be able to camp, some pretty rugged roads. The 2.3L may be capable but I'm not even considering less than the 2.7L V6. Especially since I plan to tow a camping trailer (albeit a small one).

What I haven't decided on is the squatch. I want more info on how that affects towing before I decide.
 

WkndEpic

Badlands
Member
First Name
John
Joined
Jun 19, 2020
Threads
0
Messages
21
Reaction score
22
Location
Colorado
Vehicle(s)
Tacoma
Your Bronco Model
Badlands
So are you saying that you think the 2.3L with manual will be more than capable with proper gearing? I’m thinking BD or BL, don’t remember the stock gears on those, but with that in mind would you still say it’s plenty capable? I live in the mountains just west of the divide. So I have to traverse either Vail pass or Loveland pass to go places.
I want to reiterate that I've not driven the Ranger (or any Ford vehicle) with the 2.3L/manual. I've formed my assumption based on what the Tacoma community have done to improve their driving experience and what I've read about Ford's 2.3L/2.7L engines.

Selecting the manual transmission ensures that you can select and stay in the right gear to tackle hills and other obstacle. Selecting a FDR that is appropriately matched to the tire size ensures that you're cruising at a reasonable RPM on the highway. I believe that the power of the 3rd gen Tacoma 3.5 V6 w/ 278 hp compares well with Ford's 2.3L Ecoboost w/ 270 hp. I also believe that my HP output is adequate and a re-gear (~$2,500) will improve the driving characteristic dramatically.

That being said, engines with forced induction fares better in Colorado's higher elevation. Additionally, turbo/super charged engines generally see higher hp gains with tuning than naturally aspirated engines. This is key if you are looking to perform modifications to tune for more power.
 

WkndEpic

Badlands
Member
First Name
John
Joined
Jun 19, 2020
Threads
0
Messages
21
Reaction score
22
Location
Colorado
Vehicle(s)
Tacoma
Your Bronco Model
Badlands
I agree with @WkndEpic

I'm also in Colorado and need to account for higher elevation, mountain passes, and depending on where you want to be able to camp, some pretty rugged roads. The 2.3L may be capable but I'm not even considering less than the 2.7L V6. Especially since I plan to tow a camping trailer (albeit a small one).

What I haven't decided on is the squatch. I want more info on how that affects towing before I decide.
I also plan on towing an overland style trailer and feel that the 2.7L/auto is a better suited to meet my needs. I've seen a ton of Tacomas and 4Runners running trails in CO (that I'm comfortable/capable of doing) with no issues. Although it's possible that they've added more power to their rig, I think for the most part, the increased capabilities comes down to suspension, tires, armor, and recovery. There is a lot to like about the Bronco with the SQTCH package, factory installed items w/ warranty that dramatically improves off-road capabilities is a major selling point for me. Installing 35" tires on my Tacoma will require a ton of upgrades and modification that I'm not willing to take on (i.e. cutting the frame/body).
 

qwertisk

Base
Well-Known Member
First Name
qwertisk
Joined
Jul 16, 2020
Threads
4
Messages
74
Reaction score
159
Location
California
Vehicle(s)
Ford
Your Bronco Model
Base
Clubs
 
To continue with the 2.3 manual overland topic, this is what I’m thinking:
2 door base
2.3l + manual
Sasquatch package (Yes I know)
2.3l ford performance tune
Rear seat delete
Roof rack
Steel front bumper with bull bar (aftermarket)
Steel rear bumper (aftermarket)

Once I decide to do some rock crawling,
Rock sliders (aftermarket)
Winch (aftermarket)
 

Chrome_Pony

Badlands
Well-Known Member
First Name
Chrome
Joined
May 20, 2020
Threads
12
Messages
645
Reaction score
1,406
Location
The Great Land
Vehicle(s)
2023 2.3L Badlands High, 2017 LWN Duramax Z71
Your Bronco Model
Badlands
Last edited:
 


Top