2 Door Black Diamond Review & Road Trip: Maine to Utah

[Bdockins]

From someone that drove a '94 Miata for years I love the comparison photo! Good writeup, I'm still torn about the manual and wish Ford would offer at least mid pkg on their lower trims. Currently I'm 99'd waiting on a sas mid BD with white top but a standard high BL with manual and 33s is always tugging at me.

Go for it. It’s 2025 (that’s at point of refresh) minimum, IMO before you see that white top. It’s almost like you don’t have an order in at all if that’s your 99er..

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[TCPR46]

Thank you again for the write up - curious there have been multiple reports of getting much better mileage on premium vs regular gas- was that last tank you filled up on non ethanol premium? In my own experience with turbo charged cars in particular you could definitely tell the engine was running better and I ended up getting about 10% better fuel economy.

It was 10% ethanol 91, I also was doing 70mph instead of 75mph.

 

[sgraing1]

You can’t use stick on weights inboard? NM, guess not.

Probably could.
However, the further outboard on both sides of the wheel to balance the tire/wheel assembly the better.

 

[BroncocnorB]

Probably could.
However, the further outboard on both sides of the wheel to balance the tire/wheel assembly the better.

I was just impressed by how obvious the weights were. Maybe paint them black.

 

[Lowcountry Bronco]

Go for it. It’s 2025 (that’s at point of refresh) minimum, IMO before you see that white top. It’s almost like you don’t have an order in at all if that’s your 99er..

You're right, it's not an order and won't be until I'm happy with what's offered, if that's '25 then so be it. Right now Ford is offering me price protection and my spot in line with the carrot of a white top so I have nothing to lose and not in a hurry.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

Background:
I reserved and ordered a 2 door Black Diamond in Area 51 with the manual transmission, advanced 4x4, and roof rails in the first 12 hours. It was originally scheduled to be built the week of August 9th After being pushed back several times, it was finally built October 26th, shipped on the 30th, and arrived at my dealer in Maine on November 11th.
I ordered with Wiscasset Ford in Maine, and while there was basically a communications blackout with them for nine months, they were a pleasure to work with and I drove off the lot for MSRP ($38,866).
The reason I will be driving my brand new Bronco from Maine to Utah is because I moved to Salt Lake City after placing my order, and I didn't want to deal with transferring dealerships.

First Impressions:
There was never any doubt in my mind about getting a 2 door. I have driven a '91 Miata for years, and had an '06 Xterra for the last five and I found I didn't need all that space (I will miss being able to sleep in the back of the Xterra, and the way the seats actually folded flat).
I went down to Moab this past April and got to do a ride-along in 2 door Sasquatch Badlands. To be completely honest, I'm glad I didn't go Sas (mostly because of the manual), but also at just 5'-4" I think it would be annoying to get in and out.

The front roof panels are very easy to take off, though I'm sure it is even easier without the roof rails. I also took the doors off with no issue, I'm not a particularly strong or tall individual but was able to get them off and back on no problem.

First 500 Miles:
I haven't started my road trip yet, but have done some day trips around Maine and went to New Hampshire, so I've already clocked 500 miles.

Everything works great! The ride is very comfortable both on highways and country roads. The manual is very nice, it's a nice (relatively) short throw and each gear has good feedback and a distinct position. I don't care for where reverse is, but it makes sense with the granny gear. The 2.3L pulls great and I have had no issue with it being under powered or not having enough get-up-and-go.
Driving 70-75 on the highway it does great, 2.5 hours of driving and I wasn't fatigued. The seats are a good high sitting position, and the steering response is great. There is quite a bit of noise from the roof rails, but you can easily hold a conversation and hear your music/podcasts.
My trip to NH was 90% highway driving, and with 87 octane I averaged 22.9mpg, and was getting 23.4mpg on the highway itself (not bad for a box doing 75mph).
A short day trip on back country roads in Maine was also very pleasant. Surprisingly good visibility on the tight curves and hills doing 50mph. Decent engine braking, and a nice responsive throttle.
My average MPG for the first 500 miles has been 21.9mpg.

Drove a short off-road trail in Maine that was some deep water, rutted mud, and light rocky hills. The Bronco did great. I didn't play with the GOAT modes, just put it in 4A and 4H. I'm not going to be doing anything crazy with my Bronco, though I will eventually do a 1" lift and put 33" tires to get a little more ground clearance. I was getting 12mpg unloaded, so with the small tank I highly suggest having extra fuel.

I got the Aeroskin II hood deflector, and I highly recommend it. While it's not bug season, it kept some light rain/snow off the windshield. I will be getting some soft mud-flaps before too long, as I was constantly kicking stones.

Maine to Utah:
I just got back to Salt Lake City after driving cross country from Maine. I drove through Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and finally Utah.
Overall it took 61 hours of actual driving time, 3396.5 miles, and 172 gallons of gas, and I averaged 20.5mpg using 87 octane (the last day I used 91 and was getting 24.6mpg).

The Bronco did really well the entire time. I was doing roughly 550 miles a day, with about eight hours in the drivers seat, and I have no complaints about the ride, seats, or way it tracks on the highway doing 75. The road noise wasn't bad at all, though it is a lot better at 65-70 as opposed to 75-80.

I drove in some snow in New York, and there is yet another reason to have mud flaps for the front wheels. The snow spray was all up the doors and all over the door handles, which was a real pain at the gas station.

I did a mix of hotels and camping, and it is when I camped that I found some small annoyances with the Bronco. Obviously I didn't have it outfitted with anything, it was stock aside from some MOLLE bags and the MOLLE bag organizer on the rear swing gate. The two door does not have very much cargo space behind the rear seats, it was just big enough for a couple of plastic bins where I had my gear.
My plan from the beginning was to remove the rear seats, and put in a drawers for more storage, and this trip really made it clear that is the right move. It is kinda a pain to get to stuff from behind the front seats without crawling in. The interior lighting is also limited, especially in the back cargo area, so I'm going to add some more lights.
The other issue I noticed was with ice. I drove in the rain to a campsite and then the next morning it was 19F when I woke up. Needless to say the Bronco was covered in ice. The issues were with the rear glass gasket, water had built up behind it and froze, actually pushing the gasket off the MIC top. Also, the ice kinda froze the passenger door window, so that it wouldn't roll down properly when the door was opened (thankfully it didn't cause any major issues).

All in all the Bronco was amazing! I would strongly recommend using premium fuel (yeah it hurt paying $4.55 a gallon but it really improved the mileage). Also, if you care about mileage, doing 65-70mph really improved it, you take a major hit doing 75mph.
If you have a two door and won't be using the rear seats, take them out! I think the one major improvement for the two door would be getting those seats out to have a better cargo area.

Thank you for sharing, Thomas! You've given us a lot of valuable insights about your Bronco's performance. What an incredible trip, so glad you got to enjoy it in your Bronco!

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