2 Door Dilemma

[UrbanBigfoot]

I live in southwest ohio, so its a mix of rural and urban. But I dont plan on getting married anytime soon (pets are just as fun lol), and my family has one 4 dr toyota highlander for now. Its just me, myself and I 99% of the time. There are some places that are a PITA to park with my truck (boonie territory only with it).

RE: PITA to park: According to specs, the 4 dr is almost exact to Ford Edge. Parallel parking in SF on a hill is not big deal. If you have 360, even easier. Adjust your mirrors correctly, you'll be parking the beast with no issues.

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[jimmy234]

Life is sumply easier with 4 doors ard more room. Ride quality is also noticably improved.

That's true about the ride quality that doesn't get mentioned a lot.

I just think a lot of people are gonna need to test drive to make their decision. In the wrangler world people like to toss around some kind of stat like half of people who buy a 2-door trade it in for a 4-door within a year or something, but I can't find anything official on it. I just think people get really caught up in the look and hype of owning a 2-door, especially people totally new to this type of vehicle, that they bring it home and quickly find out it's more limiting than they thought.

 

[BroncoJay]

I had originally thought 2 door. Just me and the misses- son is off to college, but the more we discussed what our plans are with the bronco, we made the decision to move up to the 4 door. We camp a lot and the little extra bit of cargo space will be a huge plus. Don’t get me wrong the 2 door is completely bad ass and prefer the looks slightly over the 4 door but most likely you won’t ever regret having the extra space...

 

[timhood]

Nobody ever said I have too much cargo room, but there is such a thing as too little.

There's a reason why I never bought an Excursion or Expedition.

 

[Gotdesl]

For the doors part I would get a seatbelt harness leash or heavy duty carabiner with paracord to one of the tie down points if possible lol its not highly recommended with the 2nd option but its better than nothing. That would be only if I took the doors off. Every other situation would be her freely roaming the cabin haha

You've got the right idea and you're on the right track. Keep the pup secured (just in case). If the 2 door is what you want, and you have nothing glaringly obvious that is telling you that only the 4 door works, you'll be happy with the 2. For the rare occasion that you will find the 4 door convenient, you will figure out a way to make the 2 door work. Been there, done that... multiple times over. Between Broncos and Wranglers, this will be my sixth 2 door. I can't tell you that I've never had a situation where I didn't wish for two more doors, but those moments are singular and passing. I've never NOT done something due to having too few doors. I have definitely gotten places and done things in a 2 door, where a longer wheelbase wouldn't have gotten. Buy what you like and don't look back...

 

[RBF 1401]

Is the difference in total length between the 2-door and 4-door really only 15 inches? I did a search and that seems to be the most updated numbers I could find. That's really not much. I think the JLs differ by just shy of 2 feet.

The guy at the 4x4 expo this weekend said the 4-door cargo area was 13" deeper than the 2-door.

 

[timhood]

Funny, when I think of parking difficulties, I think of trying to get in and out of the vehicle while parked in a lot where the spacing between cars is way too small (too often here in my home town!) And in that situation, the four door (with its shorter front door) is much easier for getting in and out of the vehicle.

The longer door of the two-door only means you can open it wider. But it doesn't need to go any further away from the vehicle to squeeze in. Regardless of which door you have, if you can only open it a foot, either door will only open a foot and you'll have the same space to squeeze into

 

[Philly]

I saw the Cyber Orange Badlands the other day and took this picture of the interior... it is a lot bigger than most people realize.

Here is the thread.

 

[ZipZit]

The longer door of the two-door only means you can open it wider. But it doesn't need to go any further away from the vehicle to squeeze in. Regardless of which door you have, if you can only open it a foot, either door will only open a foot and you'll have the same space to squeeze into

Not really. Yes, both doors open exactly 12" when there is a 14" gap between cars.... but...
the long door doesn't swing as large an angle as the short door.

And that means, when I turn in the driver's seat to put my foot down on the ground, I have 11" of room between the door and the rocker panel on the short door, but only 7" of room on the long door. That sucks. And I have big feet. (edit... and yeah, I did make up those numbers... but tendency in a direction. You can see where I'm going with this.)

No way can I reach my left foot aft towards the ground far enough to take advantage of the space you are talking about. The rear end of the long door is too far behind the side bolster of the seat.

Check out the photo.

I will say, I've really been debating the issue 2 door vs 4 door. It's not exactly an apples to apples comparison, but my heavy duty off-roading friends doing the comparison of two door vs four door Jeep Wranglers are really pushing me towards a four door Bronco order.... Sigh....

My heart wants the two door, other folks (wife included) are pushing for four door. No particular reason, its just a nod to 1965 origins, and a commitment that less is more. Big sigh.

 

[MyFirstBronco01]

The only other reason I'd get the 4 door is for the soft top ??‍ its so easy to take a soft top off than it is a hard top lol

 

[bloominguez]

Not really. Yes, both doors open exactly 12" when there is a 14" gap between cars.... but...
the long door doesn't swing as large an angle as the short door.

And that means, when I turn in the driver's seat to put my foot down on the ground, I have 11" of room between the door and the rocker panel on the short door, but only 7" of room on the long door. That sucks. And I have big feet. (edit... and yeah, I did make up those numbers... but tendency in a direction. You can see where I'm going with this.)

No way can I reach my left foot aft towards the ground far enough to take advantage of the space you are talking about. The rear end of the long door is too far behind the side bolster of the seat.

Check out the photo.

I will say, I've really been debating the issue 2 door vs 4 door. It's not exactly an apples to apples comparison, but my heavy duty off-roading friends doing the comparison of two door vs four door Jeep Wranglers are really pushing me towards a four door Bronco order.... Sigh....

My heart wants the two door, other folks (wife included) are pushing for four door. No particular reason, its just a nod to 1965 origins, and a commitment that less is more. Big sigh.

ZipZit is correct, for a given amount of room on the side of the car in which to open the door, it will be easier to get in and out of a 4-door (shorter door) vehicle. Simple geometry, draw some examples and see for yourself.

On the other hand, and more importantly in my opinion, a 2-door (longer door) vehicle is way better for a tall person most of the time (not the limited door opening space case, though). This is because a taller-than-average person would put the seat back farther. When he/she does so, it's a pain in the ass to look at a pillar when looking to the side, or constantly bumping your elbow into a pillar or not having a way to rest your arm easily on the arm rest.

2-door all the way, even if it is a little harder to get in and out of in narrow parking spaces. Easy choice, for me. If Ford didn't have a 2-door, manual transmission Bronco, I wouldn't buy one.

 

[MyFirstBronco01]

If the rumors are true, then the 2 door will get a soft top from Bestop and I wont have to compromise for it ? I'd be switching between both tops seasonally

 

[DrewBronc21]

This is a great point, the 2 door wrangler is the best comparison you cant look at a truck and get an accurate impression since they are nothing alike

and keep in mind that the 2 door Bronco is about 8 inches longer than the Wrangler

 

[Jpeyer]

For me it’s easy. Practicality and functionality equal the 4 door. A slightly bigger gas tank helps with 4 more gallons and 60-80 miles extra range. You aren’t going to feel the extra 180 pounds of vehicle weight. It’s like comparing getting a 6’ bed or an 8’ bed pickup.

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