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Yesterday evening my son and I finally saw a 2-door Bronco in person, and even got a short test drive! (Thanks forum member Will2497 for cluing me in about a local dealership having one.)
A couple months ago after a 4-door viewing event, I wrote Ford hit a home run. After now viewing and driving in the 2-door - that assessment still stands. In my opinion Ford hit it out of the park. What an awesome vehicle!
The version was a 2-door Wildtrack with 2.7L, automatic and hardtop. I'll add some further thoughts here later about particular items related to rear seat room, ingress/egress, hardtop, etc. But for now here is a shot of my son next to the Bronco. Man that blue is real nice in person!
Ok, had a chance to write down some of my thoughts after seeing the vehicle:
Velocity Blue: I failed to check the data sheet, but I think VB is the primary blue color available on the Wild Track? It looked really good on the 2-door! Like "near top of my list" good, particularly because it's also available on the base. Color is such a personal preference type item, but blue vehicle folks I think will be happy with this color. It just seems to suit the vehicle and says to me "fun".
MIC Hardtop (part 1): I like the gray color, maybe more than if it were straight black. Again personal preference. On the other hand, the inner cloth lining, is not my cup of tea. I'm fine with extra echo or an interior top finish that might not be considered upscale. Storing my Jeep top in the yard, rain and dirt and insects crawling on it, a smooth interior surface is a better match for my usage. So I'll be ordering without the cloth lining. Otherwise people getting the cloth lining will probably like it - and apparently it's free.
MIC Hardtop (part 2): The top seemed secure and well built, given the production difficulties we've heard. I climbed up an inspected the top surface. I pressed down on the top panels and there was some give, but nothing that seemed problematic. It is three pieces, so there will be some movement compared to a one piece top. Don't know how it performs at highway speed or in the rain. Inside the top is bolted down (going from memory) along the side rails by torx bolts. Interestingly, there is one bolt close the front on the rail, then a long distance without a bolt, and then 2 or 3 bolts near the rear. Not sure why Ford didn't put evenly spaced bolts. The section without a bolt raises up ever so slightly, but still seemed secure. Overall I have no qualms with the hardtop. Leastways it made no noise and had no issues on the short drive.
35" Tires: I thought Sas and 35" tires would be a possible issue for regular folks for pavement use. That was based on my CJ-7 with 31's and no lift, which drives like a Cadillac compared to my later model TJ with 2" lift and 33" mud terrains that rides and handles markedly worse. Well, my concern was unjustified, because at least around town, the Sas and 35" tires did fine. Better than fine, Ford did their homework, and designed a high clearance 35" tire vehicle that rides and handles nicely. Good job Ford.
Passenger In/Out: This has been a big question for me on the 2-door. I found the seats move forward just enough to make entering the rear seat easy enough. But getting out is a bit more difficult. This is where Ford in my opinion should have designed a more trick passenger seat, to allow for sliding further forward out of the way. (Future improvement Ford, or maybe I break out the welder and make a seat bracket change?) That said, getting in/out was ok and not a show stopper.
Passenger Room In Back: There was plenty of room for the knees, even when I told my son in the driver seat to put his seat back far. And there is enough of a floor drop so the rear passenger knees are not up at the chest, which was also nice. The one downside of the 2-door vs the 4-door, is the area for the feet. If the front passenger puts the seat further back and lower, the rear passenger feet will be under the front seat (see photo). And the heal cannot move under the rear seat, due to design of the floor. Hard to describe, but maybe you can get an idea from the photo. Well there is a compromise to get a shorter wheelbase nimble and sportier 2-door version. Overall it was not a show stopper, and since I sat in the rear seat for the test drive (because epic fail, I forgot to bring my license, and so my son drove) I felt comfortable and would have no issue in the back seat (I'm 5'10" as is my son who drove).
Space Behind Rear Seat: The 4-door space behind the seat was a revaluation. Well, so is the 2-door space. Yes, it's significantly less space than the 4-door. But it's significantly more space than my CJ/TJ. You can actually fit a couple of carry-on sized suit cases, or some groceries, or stuff sleeping bags or camping gear back there. You will still have to be creative compared to the 4-door. But the extra 10 or so inches of space for the 2-door Bronco compared to my older Jeeps, in my opinion will make quite an improvement. I can barely fit a sandwich behind my TJ rear seat, lol. In comparison the Bronco has more usable space.
Ease Of Driving: As mentioned above, I had a brain freeze and forgot to bring my license. But this turned out not a bad thing, because I got to take things in, as my son drove, and got a good feel for the back seat area. My son is what I would call an "adequate" driver.
I mention this because he fired up the Bronco, drove down the curb it was parked on, and drove the vehicle around as if he had been driving it all his life. The Bronco was that easy to drive - a surprise to me. At one point my son took a turn down a street under construction, narrow with torn up pavement and flashing horses. I was concerned he would clip one of the horse or hit something when trying to turn around in a driveway. My worries were unfounded. This is one agile and easy to maneuver vehicle. And it rides well on pavement even with the big tires.
The Camera Thing: I work in IT but am a luddite when it comes to vehicle electronics. But I want to make special mention of the camera maneuvering thing. At one point my son engaged reverse and had to back out of a driveway and avoid construction items. Suddenly this display image appeared, kind of like an overhead view of the vehicle and all around the vehicle. Got to admit it was cool tech, and for those into that sort of thing, you might want to get that feature.
A couple months ago after a 4-door viewing event, I wrote Ford hit a home run. After now viewing and driving in the 2-door - that assessment still stands. In my opinion Ford hit it out of the park. What an awesome vehicle!
The version was a 2-door Wildtrack with 2.7L, automatic and hardtop. I'll add some further thoughts here later about particular items related to rear seat room, ingress/egress, hardtop, etc. But for now here is a shot of my son next to the Bronco. Man that blue is real nice in person!
Ok, had a chance to write down some of my thoughts after seeing the vehicle:
Velocity Blue: I failed to check the data sheet, but I think VB is the primary blue color available on the Wild Track? It looked really good on the 2-door! Like "near top of my list" good, particularly because it's also available on the base. Color is such a personal preference type item, but blue vehicle folks I think will be happy with this color. It just seems to suit the vehicle and says to me "fun".
MIC Hardtop (part 1): I like the gray color, maybe more than if it were straight black. Again personal preference. On the other hand, the inner cloth lining, is not my cup of tea. I'm fine with extra echo or an interior top finish that might not be considered upscale. Storing my Jeep top in the yard, rain and dirt and insects crawling on it, a smooth interior surface is a better match for my usage. So I'll be ordering without the cloth lining. Otherwise people getting the cloth lining will probably like it - and apparently it's free.
MIC Hardtop (part 2): The top seemed secure and well built, given the production difficulties we've heard. I climbed up an inspected the top surface. I pressed down on the top panels and there was some give, but nothing that seemed problematic. It is three pieces, so there will be some movement compared to a one piece top. Don't know how it performs at highway speed or in the rain. Inside the top is bolted down (going from memory) along the side rails by torx bolts. Interestingly, there is one bolt close the front on the rail, then a long distance without a bolt, and then 2 or 3 bolts near the rear. Not sure why Ford didn't put evenly spaced bolts. The section without a bolt raises up ever so slightly, but still seemed secure. Overall I have no qualms with the hardtop. Leastways it made no noise and had no issues on the short drive.
35" Tires: I thought Sas and 35" tires would be a possible issue for regular folks for pavement use. That was based on my CJ-7 with 31's and no lift, which drives like a Cadillac compared to my later model TJ with 2" lift and 33" mud terrains that rides and handles markedly worse. Well, my concern was unjustified, because at least around town, the Sas and 35" tires did fine. Better than fine, Ford did their homework, and designed a high clearance 35" tire vehicle that rides and handles nicely. Good job Ford.
Passenger In/Out: This has been a big question for me on the 2-door. I found the seats move forward just enough to make entering the rear seat easy enough. But getting out is a bit more difficult. This is where Ford in my opinion should have designed a more trick passenger seat, to allow for sliding further forward out of the way. (Future improvement Ford, or maybe I break out the welder and make a seat bracket change?) That said, getting in/out was ok and not a show stopper.
Passenger Room In Back: There was plenty of room for the knees, even when I told my son in the driver seat to put his seat back far. And there is enough of a floor drop so the rear passenger knees are not up at the chest, which was also nice. The one downside of the 2-door vs the 4-door, is the area for the feet. If the front passenger puts the seat further back and lower, the rear passenger feet will be under the front seat (see photo). And the heal cannot move under the rear seat, due to design of the floor. Hard to describe, but maybe you can get an idea from the photo. Well there is a compromise to get a shorter wheelbase nimble and sportier 2-door version. Overall it was not a show stopper, and since I sat in the rear seat for the test drive (because epic fail, I forgot to bring my license, and so my son drove) I felt comfortable and would have no issue in the back seat (I'm 5'10" as is my son who drove).
Space Behind Rear Seat: The 4-door space behind the seat was a revaluation. Well, so is the 2-door space. Yes, it's significantly less space than the 4-door. But it's significantly more space than my CJ/TJ. You can actually fit a couple of carry-on sized suit cases, or some groceries, or stuff sleeping bags or camping gear back there. You will still have to be creative compared to the 4-door. But the extra 10 or so inches of space for the 2-door Bronco compared to my older Jeeps, in my opinion will make quite an improvement. I can barely fit a sandwich behind my TJ rear seat, lol. In comparison the Bronco has more usable space.
Ease Of Driving: As mentioned above, I had a brain freeze and forgot to bring my license. But this turned out not a bad thing, because I got to take things in, as my son drove, and got a good feel for the back seat area. My son is what I would call an "adequate" driver.
I mention this because he fired up the Bronco, drove down the curb it was parked on, and drove the vehicle around as if he had been driving it all his life. The Bronco was that easy to drive - a surprise to me. At one point my son took a turn down a street under construction, narrow with torn up pavement and flashing horses. I was concerned he would clip one of the horse or hit something when trying to turn around in a driveway. My worries were unfounded. This is one agile and easy to maneuver vehicle. And it rides well on pavement even with the big tires.The Camera Thing: I work in IT but am a luddite when it comes to vehicle electronics. But I want to make special mention of the camera maneuvering thing. At one point my son engaged reverse and had to back out of a driveway and avoid construction items. Suddenly this display image appeared, kind of like an overhead view of the vehicle and all around the vehicle. Got to admit it was cool tech, and for those into that sort of thing, you might want to get that feature.
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