Great Analysis. I have a 4Dr Wildtrak but it is a hardtop. I am coming from an F-150 and agree on the ride and seat comfort. I share your concern on the windows. Have to be careful not to pull door handle too fast. It will be interesting to see how the windows perform over time.I've had my 2022 Eruption Green Wildtrak with Lux and Leather for about 2 weeks now. I have put about 800 miles on it, including interstate driving, around town driving, and some off roading as well. I thought I'd put my initial thoughts down for those that are still waiting on their order, or those that are trying to decide what to order.
Just so you know where I am coming from, I have had 3 Jeep's in my life. I still own a 2021 Wrangler Rubicon 4xE. I also have owned multiple F150s, an Explorer Limited and a Porsche Cayenne. I just sold the Porsche and Explorer, and still own the Rubicon, so I can compare directly to those two models.
Overall Impressions (A) I really like the Bronco. It's drive-ability compares more to an F150 than it does the 2021 Wrangler. The improvement from the IFS really shine at highway speeds or during long distance driving. The Bronco interior is comfortable and well designed to me, and the exterior is very well designed and great looking. It feels almost larger than life in person. The Sasquatch package, imho, is a must buy. It really makes the truck. For those
Eruption Green (A+) This color was a great consolation prize for getting bumped to a 2022. It really is fantastic. I have had more people comment on the color than on the Bronco. I have even had a Cactus Gray Bronco owner stop me just to comment on the color. It really looks great in person when the Sun hits it.
Soft Top (B+) Overall I am happy with the soft top. I did measure the decibels, and at 80mph the cabin had 71-74 decibels. Thats a bit louder than my Porsche Cayenne(67-70) but quieter than my Hard Top Rubicon(75-78 decibels). The whipping wind noise on the Jeep hard top makes it feel even louder than the Bronco. The Bronco soft top generally just has more of a background noise to it. It is easy to have a conversation with your kids in the backseat at 80mph. At speeds below 70mph, I could hardly hear any background noise. As for ease of operation, you can open up the main part of the top in about 15 seconds from the drivers seat. It takes about 2 minutes to fully drop the top. The only part I am not a fan of is how the implemented the flip up rear portion. It still stretches the rear windows when you do it, and I cannot imagine they won't look pretty damaged after a year or two of use. Overall, the quality to me compares with the jeep soft tops, but the design is different.
One big thing to note here, is that my Sasquatch Bronco will NOT fit into a standard height garage with the top folded back. It's about 2" too tall. I envision this causing more than one top to get ripped off before its over with. If you want to leave the top flipped back all the time, and park in a garage, you might consider a standard height model(Outer Banks or Black Diamond).
Interior (B+) I got leather, and I am happy with it. Is it as nice as the leather in my Porsche? No, but it is close. And the Porsche stickers for $120k these days, so for what it is I think Ford did a good job. The rest of the interior is well designed, comfortable and well laid out well for a ruggedized off-road vehicle. The seats are very comfortable(better than the Rubicon's seats), and the buttons and controls are of good quality and appropriate for the class. I have seen a lot of complaints of lower quality plastics, and honestly I don't really see it. The plastics quality is similar to the Jeep. My biggest complaint on the interior is the instrument cluster, which is just poorly thought out and not nearly as nice as the Jeep's.
One thing to note, my kids have already complained about a lack of airflow in the back due to the missing A/C vents. I honestly thing its ridiculous that this was missed by the designers. The missing cupholders on non-leather models can easily be mitigated, but the A/C vents are tougher. You either turn the fan speed way up and flow the front passengers out, or the rear seat passengers basically deal with static air. It's not the end of the world, but its certainly not ideal.
Sync 4 /B&O Sound (B+) Overall I am fine the infotainment system. I feel like it could do more than it does, but it does work well for what it does do. I have exclusively used Apple Carplay, and it has been flawless. The B&O sound system is fine, but not as good as the premium alpine system in the Jeep. I really like the 360 surround camera though, and use it all the time. Overall, I am satisfied with the system, but it could be better for what it costs.
Ride quality (A-) My Bronco came from the dealer with a very stiff ride. I checked the tire pressure, and the dealer had the tires way overinflated. I dropped them down to a more reasonable number, and I am very happy with the ride quality. The fox racing suspension on my old Rubicon I think was a bit better, but I would say the ride quality is a bit better than my current stock 2021 Rubicon. Overall, I am pleased with the stock Goodyears and suspension. I have not really had any rock throwing issues, and the tires aren't noisy on the road.
Exterior (A+) It looks great. The size of the Bronco, dimensions, etc are very well done. Theres no other way to put it. Sasquatch, imho, is a must buy. It really sets the truck off, and you can tell it was always intended to look this way.
Problems Encountered The only real issue I have so far is the frameless windows. My passenger side one does not seem to drop quickly enough, and when we open the door it shakes. Only the one door seems to have the problem, as the other 3 doors don't do this. I tried the calibration procedure I saw on the forums, but it did not help. I may have to take it to the dealer and see if they can adjust it.
I am driving a bit more than you. I will cross 2000 miles today in just 3 weeks. I am pleased to be averaging 18 mpg with those big 35s, and it has very good power. Fun to switch it into Sport mode.
Be happy that you got running boards. Those goodyear tires really pick up the small rocks and throw them at the body. I have side steps on order now.
Sponsored
