2,500 mile road trip with 2-Door Bronco experience: cargo space, fuel economy, issues

[Rick Astley]

A couple of points:

ACC and lane centering: Absolutely not a "must have" and no reason for it. Sure, an 18+ hour drive day can be tiring. Plan your breaks or a nap. Somehow our grandparents were able to drive post-WWII vehicles cross country without a wet nurse on rotary dial.

While @talbot did the Alberta-Moab-Alberta trip and mine was only Seattle-Moab-Page-Boise-Seattle (approx 42 hours and 3,250 miles in total). We had enough room for 3 adults and 3 adults gear plus cooler, recovery gear and a bonus item of each person's choice.

Assuming you pack like somebody from pre-2010 and not whatever it is American consumers have turned into here in the 2020's, the 2-door Bronco has ample space.



Note 1: Badlands, 2.3, manual transmission, high package, no auto-driving features, mother on speed dial

Note 2: My bonus item was 6 lbs of bacon (wet cured and dry smoked at home) plus 18 logs of cold-smoked and cured cheeses to hand out to the other B6g folks on the trip. Yes, it was an incredibly eccentric bonus item and unnecessary, but it was appreciated.

Note 3: JCR cargo tray in place, no external storage beyond spare tire on tailgate

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[jbellousux]

Heading to Moab in a week with my daughter who just graduated college. I’ve made a couple of Austin-CO road-trips already and looking forward to getting back to Moab…this time in the Bronco.
I’m planning on doing Elephant Hill and White Rim Trail in the Needles and Islands in the Sky sections of Canyonlands. Sounds like I may not be able to do the whole White Rim Loop because of flooding, but I plan on at least driving the eastern half.

 

[Squatch]

A couple of points:

ACC and lane centering: Absolutely not a "must have" and no reason for it. Sure, an 18+ hour drive day can be tiring. Plan your breaks or a nap. Somehow our grandparents were able to drive post-WWII vehicles cross country without a wet nurse on rotary dial.

While @talbot did the Alberta-Moab-Alberta trip and mine was only Seattle-Moab-Page-Boise-Seattle (approx 42 hours and 3,250 miles in total). We had enough room for 3 adults and 3 adults gear plus cooler, recovery gear and a bonus item of each person's choice.

Assuming you pack like somebody from pre-2010 and not whatever it is American consumers have turned into here in the 2020's, the 2-door Bronco has ample space.



Note 1: Badlands, 2.3, manual transmission, high package, no auto-driving features, mother on speed dial

Note 2: My bonus item was 6 lbs of bacon (wet cured and dry smoked at home) plus 18 logs of cold-smoked and cured cheeses to hand out to the other B6g folks on the trip. Yes, it was an incredibly eccentric bonus item and unnecessary, but it was appreciated.

Note 3: JCR cargo tray in place, no external storage beyond spare tire on tailgate

Any chance to talk about your meat...

I blame the overlanding fetish AKA homeless cosplay for the gripes about lack of space.

 

[Gray_Ghost]

what side step/slider are you running?

RTR

 

[Gray_Ghost]

Hey, that Badlands performed exceptionally well in Moab and you destroyed Hells Revenge. Good meeting you and Drea.

Hell's Revenge was a blast! We enjoyed spending the weekend with y'all on the trails.

 

[Bdisco]

My experience with our ‘21 4dr Wildtrak road trip from Northeast CT to Naples Fla. was similar to the OP. It can be done. It is not a vault like experience. Lots of wind noise from pushing a brick shaped object with an upright windshield at 80mph. The knobby tires will emit a growl on all but the smoothest of pavement. 3 people + luggage mabett rear seat protectors are great. Tetris skills put to use for packing. We left In early January it started raining when we hit the NY border and poured all the way to Tampa. At times I switched to 4A to help with hydroplaning. The wipers were burning themselves onto the windshield leaving rubber streaks (I have since installed silicone ones). The rear seat can be a bit of a penalty box little recline and thinner cushions compared to the fronts. Subwoofer transfers bass through the b pillar and seatbelt. One overnight hotel stop along with frequent stops for gas and pee breaks, food and stretching legs. Averaged 17.5 mpg of 93 octane according to trip computer. The return trip home early this month the weather was much nicer. We also had an additional passenger

and after 1400 miles he had enough of car rides for a while.

 

[Draughon]

Great post! You give me hope. I'm on day... hell I dunno...690? Of waiting for my exact same build as yours. Reserved 6/21.

I was planning on getting mudflaps from day 1 due to the stories I've heard of the stock SAS tires throwing every rock they can find at you.

Thanks again for your thoughts!

Ya i know..that was quite a read. if you made it this far, thanks for your time! I hope I was helpful and gave you some positive insight! I'll probably drop another post with my experience in Moab on the trails in the future if y'all are interested to hear about it.

Stay classy!

 

[Ninjak]

Nice post and writes ups.

 

[dwbronco]

2500 miles in 20 hours????

Great gas mileage, considering the speed. I'd figure on about 6mpg at 125mph.

 

[Gotchaa]

While we are on this topic, I wanted to bring up the ford performance tune. I do not have it and I'm sure some of you have it or thought about getting it. I believe the tune requires premium fuel only? Well...from what I've seen, once I left a major city, I did not come across premium fuel. So if you plan to take long road trips that take you across small towns or areas where you are pretty much in the middle of nowhere, the tune is probably not a good idea. Only gonna find 87. Correct me if i'm wrong but i dont think 87 is premium fuel? Imo, amount of hp and torque is not justified to get it. Ya some people want it to fix the turbo lag, mostly for 1st to 2nd gear. If you are gonna trailer it, ya seems acceptable to get it.

87 is regular unleaded, it can work just fine on the tune, you just wont get the peak performance from it. Premium unleaded is 91-93, most gas stations offer it if they have unleaded. The tune can also be flashed back to stock in 5 minutes if you are worried. It is the best upgrade for the engine/transmission. IMHO its how the engine should have left the factory. If your happy with how it drives now then don’t bother with it.

 

[the paws]

My grand average fuel economy around south bend in is 19.9. 2 dr, OB, 2.7, no mods, high pkg.

No issues so far except for an annoying click coming fron the engine. Probably a lifter or injector. I’ll ignore it until it gets pretty bad.

Having the side and front surround vision turned off in reverse is really stupid. In my dark garage, I need yo see things!

Making a platform for use with the rear seats down is the cat’s meow.

Pressing the + - buttons on the shifter will tell you what gear you’re in.

Rear compartment lighting is marginal at best.

 

[Karl_in_Chicago]

My grand average fuel economy around south bend in is 19.9. 2 dr, OB, 2.7, no mods, high pkg.

No issues so far except for an annoying click coming fron the engine. Probably a lifter or injector. I’ll ignore it until it gets pretty bad.

Having the side and front surround vision turned off in reverse is really stupid. In my dark garage, I need yo see things!

Making a platform for use with the rear seats down is the cat’s meow.

Pressing the + - buttons on the shifter will tell you what gear you’re in.

Rear compartment lighting is marginal at best.

I'll admit my unfamiliarity with Ford motors in general (more of a bowtie guy, my 2.3L Bronco is my first Ford) . . . but the 2.7 has lifters?

 

[Patrickgault]

Hey Y'all! I'm sure there are plenty of threads on here about road trip experiences with the Bronco. For the small percentage of us that have a 2 door, or will soon be joining the 2 door club, I wanted to share my experience and thoughts with you on what to expect and try to alleviate any concerns you might have with the 2 door.

So quick info about my build: 2.7L, badlands, SAS, with Lux. Pretty much stock haven't done any crazy mods. Only swapped out them horrendous goodyear tires for BFG's. (More on that later)

#1 cargo space

First thing I want to mention is cargo space. This might be the #1 concern for most people thinking about getting a 2 door, which is why i wanted to talk about it first. Is it enough space? Is it manageable? The answer to both of these questions is, YES! BUT! (Yep there's a "but"..) but it is only enough cargo space for 2 people. Obviously the 2 door is not practical for a family. So if you are a couple, or hittin the road solo! The 2 door has plenty of cargo space.

I hit the road with my GF and with our luggage, recovery gear, tool bag, cooler, and other Misc items, I was able to fit everything with no issues. I have no plans to delete the rear seats, and folding them down provided me with enough space. Yes you gotta learn how to stack it all up to make it all fit nicely but it is doable. I do have the cargo basket from JCR and the ceiling net from Raingler and these additions really helped me with my organization.

Organization is key. Remember that.

So what about the weight? All that gear adds up pretty quickly eh? So with the SAS, bronco has a 1" forward rake. It was designed like this for a reason. After I finished loading up everything, the vehicle leveled out. So for those of you that want to do a 1" leveling kit in the front, just remember when you load down your rig, ass end gonna sag..so if you want it to look cool as a DD, and have no plans to gear up, go ahead and level it guess. If you do gear up, leave it stock.

#2 Fuel economy and range.

I traveled from Houston to Moab. Round trip (roughly 2500 miles, 20hrs) My range on a full tank fluctuated between 200-280 MTE. 10-18 mpg, avg 15mpg. Since the 2 door has a smaller tank, I had to plan my stops accordingly. Pretty much stopping from gas station to gas station in order to make it. I do have a Jerry can, but that was for emergency in case one of these smalls towns didn't have fuel. Perhaps that's me being overly cautious but there's no such thing as overkill in my book.

While we are on this topic, I wanted to bring up the ford performance tune. I do not have it and I'm sure some of you have it or thought about getting it. I believe the tune requires premium fuel only? Well...from what I've seen, once I left a major city, I did not come across premium fuel. So if you plan to take long road trips that take you across small towns or areas where you are pretty much in the middle of nowhere, the tune is probably not a good idea. Only gonna find 87. Correct me if i'm wrong but i dont think 87 is premium fuel? Imo, amount of hp and torque is not justified to get it. Ya some people want it to fix the turbo lag, mostly for 1st to 2nd gear. If you are gonna trailer it, ya seems acceptable to get it.

#3 vehicle issues

So how did she perform? Did I have any issues with the 2.7? Was she buggy? How was it being in driver seat during those long hours? Any body damage from them tires slinging up rocks? Whats that B&O sound system been like? How about that hardtop?

Well I'm happy to report I did not have any issues. She was an absolute champ. No issues with the 2.7. Engine preformed flawlessly. Android auto was awesome, no issues. Once I learned how to go full screen, the experience was even better. I've read some people having issues getting Google maps to show up on the screen. (Check on your updates?) Once I started her up, already on the screen setting up the route for my next stop.

Lane keeping and ACC. I think it comes with high package as well not sure, but is an absolute must for long distance driving. Ya it can get annoying at times in the city but on the open road it is f'in fantastic...pardon my french...

I have the MGV seats. Super comfortable. No complaints and didn't hear any complaints from my passenger either.

Goodyear tires that come with SAS are crap. They pick up every single rock and sling them up on the vehicle. It's not from the lack of coverage from the fender Flares. It's the tires and the tread design. I have BFG KM3's now. Far superior tire in every way imo and they also do not sling up rocks. I haven't had any chips in the paint since i swapped. Not one. I moved to a 0 offset and that hasn't created and problems either. My advise, avoid the SAS package or get rid of the goodyear tires immediately.

Ah yes.. the audio and the sub...bang bang! screech screech! Ratte rattle! I have the B&O system and yes i do have issues with the sub at low frequency bass. It does rattle. So I've been trying to fix it and so far no success. Pretty much gave up...but on this trip something was different. So the back was loaded up with gear, luggage and hard cases pushed up against the trim panels near the folded down seats and the back near the sub. While on the road, I noticed the rattling was gone. So I was like, "hmm..let me turn up that bass and see what happens" still no rattle! Praise the Lord! What a relief! So it appears..well for my bronco..pushing in the trim panels in the back or having a force applied to them stops the rattling. When I got back home and unloaded all the gear, the rattling returned. I was like, "well...that sucks..." but now at least I have something to go by and try to fix it for good.

So some of you might wanna hear about the hardtop due to the horrendous QC issues since it's been out. It's hard to give you a definitive response because sadly each hardtop is not built the same. Either you are fortunate to get a top quality hardtop, or it's is..well...just bloody awful. I'm fortunate that my hardtop has been flawless. Wind noise is barley noticeable. Only had wind noise in west Texas goin 90 with a crosswind. Rest of the time is was great, very quiet. QC been great from delivery. No honeycombing, cracks, panels not matching, no creaks or popping noises inside, no water leaks. I know people love to talk smack about the MIC top and yes they should! If you got issues, send it in and get it fixed. It's unacceptable. I'm not going to say I'm lucky, just blessed and I feel it's best to keep an open mind and stay positive about these hardtops. 2 door production is on hold right now I think and it's probably because of the hardtop. Hopefully they are taking the time to build them right, and if so I would be thinking about that in a positive way if my order was on hold.

Ya i know..that was quite a read. if you made it this far, thanks for your time! I hope I was helpful and gave you some positive insight! I'll probably drop another post with my experience in Moab on the trails in the future if y'all are interested to hear about it.

Stay classy!

Nice review, I appreciate it. I have a 2 door, 2.7L as well. I'm getting 20+ Mpg on a road trip. I do have wind noise with the hard top though. My previous car was a Telluride, which was super quiet. Not comparable, but just saying. When you say " wind noise is barely noticeable " is it actually, quiet? I've had passengers look for an open window when riding in my

Hey Y'all! I'm sure there are plenty of threads on here about road trip experiences with the Bronco. For the small percentage of us that have a 2 door, or will soon be joining the 2 door club, I wanted to share my experience and thoughts with you on what to expect and try to alleviate any concerns you might have with the 2 door.

So quick info about my build: 2.7L, badlands, SAS, with Lux. Pretty much stock haven't done any crazy mods. Only swapped out them horrendous goodyear tires for BFG's. (More on that later)

#1 cargo space

First thing I want to mention is cargo space. This might be the #1 concern for most people thinking about getting a 2 door, which is why i wanted to talk about it first. Is it enough space? Is it manageable? The answer to both of these questions is, YES! BUT! (Yep there's a "but"..) but it is only enough cargo space for 2 people. Obviously the 2 door is not practical for a family. So if you are a couple, or hittin the road solo! The 2 door has plenty of cargo space.

I hit the road with my GF and with our luggage, recovery gear, tool bag, cooler, and other Misc items, I was able to fit everything with no issues. I have no plans to delete the rear seats, and folding them down provided me with enough space. Yes you gotta learn how to stack it all up to make it all fit nicely but it is doable. I do have the cargo basket from JCR and the ceiling net from Raingler and these additions really helped me with my organization.

Organization is key. Remember that.

So what about the weight? All that gear adds up pretty quickly eh? So with the SAS, bronco has a 1" forward rake. It was designed like this for a reason. After I finished loading up everything, the vehicle leveled out. So for those of you that want to do a 1" leveling kit in the front, just remember when you load down your rig, ass end gonna sag..so if you want it to look cool as a DD, and have no plans to gear up, go ahead and level it guess. If you do gear up, leave it stock.

#2 Fuel economy and range.

I traveled from Houston to Moab. Round trip (roughly 2500 miles, 20hrs) My range on a full tank fluctuated between 200-280 MTE. 10-18 mpg, avg 15mpg. Since the 2 door has a smaller tank, I had to plan my stops accordingly. Pretty much stopping from gas station to gas station in order to make it. I do have a Jerry can, but that was for emergency in case one of these smalls towns didn't have fuel. Perhaps that's me being overly cautious but there's no such thing as overkill in my book.

While we are on this topic, I wanted to bring up the ford performance tune. I do not have it and I'm sure some of you have it or thought about getting it. I believe the tune requires premium fuel only? Well...from what I've seen, once I left a major city, I did not come across premium fuel. So if you plan to take long road trips that take you across small towns or areas where you are pretty much in the middle of nowhere, the tune is probably not a good idea. Only gonna find 87. Correct me if i'm wrong but i dont think 87 is premium fuel? Imo, amount of hp and torque is not justified to get it. Ya some people want it to fix the turbo lag, mostly for 1st to 2nd gear. If you are gonna trailer it, ya seems acceptable to get it.

#3 vehicle issues

So how did she perform? Did I have any issues with the 2.7? Was she buggy? How was it being in driver seat during those long hours? Any body damage from them tires slinging up rocks? Whats that B&O sound system been like? How about that hardtop?

Well I'm happy to report I did not have any issues. She was an absolute champ. No issues with the 2.7. Engine preformed flawlessly. Android auto was awesome, no issues. Once I learned how to go full screen, the experience was even better. I've read some people having issues getting Google maps to show up on the screen. (Check on your updates?) Once I started her up, already on the screen setting up the route for my next stop.

Lane keeping and ACC. I think it comes with high package as well not sure, but is an absolute must for long distance driving. Ya it can get annoying at times in the city but on the open road it is f'in fantastic...pardon my french...

I have the MGV seats. Super comfortable. No complaints and didn't hear any complaints from my passenger either.

Goodyear tires that come with SAS are crap. They pick up every single rock and sling them up on the vehicle. It's not from the lack of coverage from the fender Flares. It's the tires and the tread design. I have BFG KM3's now. Far superior tire in every way imo and they also do not sling up rocks. I haven't had any chips in the paint since i swapped. Not one. I moved to a 0 offset and that hasn't created and problems either. My advise, avoid the SAS package or get rid of the goodyear tires immediately.

Ah yes.. the audio and the sub...bang bang! screech screech! Ratte rattle! I have the B&O system and yes i do have issues with the sub at low frequency bass. It does rattle. So I've been trying to fix it and so far no success. Pretty much gave up...but on this trip something was different. So the back was loaded up with gear, luggage and hard cases pushed up against the trim panels near the folded down seats and the back near the sub. While on the road, I noticed the rattling was gone. So I was like, "hmm..let me turn up that bass and see what happens" still no rattle! Praise the Lord! What a relief! So it appears..well for my bronco..pushing in the trim panels in the back or having a force applied to them stops the rattling. When I got back home and unloaded all the gear, the rattling returned. I was like, "well...that sucks..." but now at least I have something to go by and try to fix it for good.

So some of you might wanna hear about the hardtop due to the horrendous QC issues since it's been out. It's hard to give you a definitive response because sadly each hardtop is not built the same. Either you are fortunate to get a top quality hardtop, or it's is..well...just bloody awful. I'm fortunate that my hardtop has been flawless. Wind noise is barley noticeable. Only had wind noise in west Texas goin 90 with a crosswind. Rest of the time is was great, very quiet. QC been great from delivery. No honeycombing, cracks, panels not matching, no creaks or popping noises inside, no water leaks. I know people love to talk smack about the MIC top and yes they should! If you got issues, send it in and get it fixed. It's unacceptable. I'm not going to say I'm lucky, just blessed and I feel it's best to keep an open mind and stay positive about these hardtops. 2 door production is on hold right now I think and it's probably because of the hardtop. Hopefully they are taking the time to build them right, and if so I would be thinking about that in a positive way if my order was on hold.

Ya i know..that was quite a read. if you made it this far, thanks for your time! I hope I was helpful and gave you some positive insight! I'll probably drop another post with my experience in Moab on the trails in the future if y'all are interested to hear about it.

Stay classy!

Bronco. Do you think that maybe the roof rack weight is helping to seal the roof? I do not have the rack on my truck. I kind of feel like a brick going down the road sometimes. Wind is certainly a challenge for the Bronco. Many thanks!

 

[Broncoup]

Thank you for your informative posting. We'll be making our 1st trip to Moab from South Dakota. We'll be in our WT Lux 2dr. Packing--Yes, Tetris for sure!!
We'll be joining a group from the Colorado Bronco Owners group. Then, follow the Rimrock trail from Montrose, CO to Moab.

 

[the paws]

Re: lifters. Sorry, I just group bucket tappets and lifters together. For 40 years I was Bow Tie. But the Bronco is the only vehicle on the market that fits my needs. Overall, the Chevy products are far superior, tho.

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