2024 Badlands - to SAS or Not

[HoosierDaddy]

I don’t even know what we’re talking about at this point, but now I want some burnt ends.

...... with Bar-B-Q SAS.

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[Agswin]

Sounds like you want street comfort, nice interior, and are willing to spend some $$ and only ever expect to do light wheeling.

May I direct you to Range Rover Defender my good gentleman.

Had one, 2020. Don't look really good lifted.

 

[Agswin]

Drove a 24 BL Non-SAS today and a Braptor back to back.....now thinking maaaybe a used braptor??

Not in love with the Braptor fenders but interior is definitely more plush and cozy.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

.....now thinking maaaybe a used braptor??

Actually, sounds like a good match for what you're looking for.
Lifted, 37's, more power, more plush .... more winning.

I hated the fenders at first, but they seem to be growing on me because .... Braptor..... hello....

Lot's of ideas out there for taming the fenders. I saw where they have painted them body color now and that did a lot to bring them back into proportion.

 

[hemiblas]

I think the 4.7 gearing and those super light weight stock 35s is sluggish enough, especially off the line. I wouldnt want to do 37s and 4.46. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Agswin]

Actually, sounds like a good match for what you're looking for.
Lifted, 37's, more power, more plush .... more winning.

I hated the fenders at first, but they seem to be growing on me because .... Braptor..... hello....

Lot's of ideas out there for taming the fenders. I saw where they have painted them body color now and that did a lot to bring them back into proportion.

i just hate the color options, not even Carbonized. Shelter looks like dog

 

[cbrenthus]

Didn’t read past the first few posts, but I say to get the Sasquatch if you like everything and plan to stay stock. But if you’re going to lift and swap wheels/tires, then save your money on the Sasquatch

 

[Kevin Scarbel]

So here is where I am at, would love others input as it has been awhile since I have had a truck.

After researching the Hoss 3.0 and reading your comments, I will never be doing high speed desert off roading. I may be doing Moab/Big Bend sort of things, light trails, small boulders etc. It appears the WT is designed for high speed Baja.

My only real concern is street comfort (I know the Bronco is not built for comfort but also don't want it to ride like a Wrangler) and being able to fit 37's.

The only thing I am "missing" from a 24 Badlands build to a 23/24 WT is the Hoss 3.0 and the price difference in those builds for me is $3820 MSRP.

My thoughts are that I want the 24 Badlands, mostly because of the new interior and the upgraded front parts that are standard. Read that the Bilsteins are more for rock crawling too. And if the Bilsteins aren't comfy enough then I can get the Eibachs for $1900 or something nicer for $4000 right?

So the 2nd question is that if I do get the 24 BL, do I get the SAS on the 24 for an extra $3245? The only thing I would be getting is the 4.7, diff wheels/tires and slightly different fenders correct? So for me it is really just the 4.7 and fenders if I am keeping them since wheels/tires will be replaced.

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The SAS on my 2024 Heritage rides like a dream. Handling is superb and it rides smoother than many cars.
You’re making a mountain out of a mole hill.
With a great ride, a far broader capability spectrum and better resale value, opting for SAS is the prudent choice.

 

[mpeugeot]

I think the 4.7 gearing and those super light weight stock 35s is sluggish enough, especially off the line. I wouldnt want to do 37s and 4.46. Just my 2 cents.

Going from a 32" light highway A/T tire to a 33.5" heavy E-load M/T tire with the 4.27 did impact acceleration some (roughly the same as going from 33's to 35's with a 4.46), but my Bronco is far from sluggish.

 

[hemiblas]

Going from a 32" light highway A/T tire to a 33.5" heavy E-load M/T tire with the 4.27 did impact acceleration some (roughly the same as going from 33's to 35's with a 4.46), but my Bronco is far from sluggish.

Agreed, but you are running the same gearing the op is talking about with a 33. A 37 will have much greater weight and much larger diameter than a 33. Turbo's are amazing though and they can compensate for larger/heavier tires but only once the car is going and not from a standstill. So 0 to 20 would get hurt where 55 to 75 won't be as noticeable. It would depend on what the OP wants to do with his rig.

For any type of rock crawling you want the better gearing. I remember with my xj keeping the stock gearing with 32s made it more difficult to control going over the rocks. For slow rock crawling you really want the shortest gearing possible. For high speed baja...it wouldnt matter much.

 

[murphtron]

So here is where I am at, would love others input as it has been awhile since I have had a truck.

After researching the Hoss 3.0 and reading your comments, I will never be doing high speed desert off roading. I may be doing Moab/Big Bend sort of things, light trails, small boulders etc. It appears the WT is designed for high speed Baja.

My only real concern is street comfort (I know the Bronco is not built for comfort but also don't want it to ride like a Wrangler) and being able to fit 37's.

The only thing I am "missing" from a 24 Badlands build to a 23/24 WT is the Hoss 3.0 and the price difference in those builds for me is $3820 MSRP.

My thoughts are that I want the 24 Badlands, mostly because of the new interior and the upgraded front parts that are standard. Read that the Bilsteins are more for rock crawling too. And if the Bilsteins aren't comfy enough then I can get the Eibachs for $1900 or something nicer for $4000 right?

So the 2nd question is that if I do get the 24 BL, do I get the SAS on the 24 for an extra $3245? The only thing I would be getting is the 4.7, diff wheels/tires and slightly different fenders correct? So for me it is really just the 4.7 and fenders if I am keeping them since wheels/tires will be replaced.

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IMO you are seriously overthinking this. I did the same when I ordered in 2021. Back & forth. Changed order, then changed back. Blah blah.

I received 2023 Badlands non-sas. Have driven 23k miles in 11 months. Nearly 1k miles off-road. Most recently several hundred miles off-road in Baja with Jeeps on 37s. The Bronco on 33s did 90% of the stuff the Jeeps did.

it drives very well on & offroad. Yeah it’s loud as hell on the freeway. But comfortable. On the desert flats I can go faster than the jeeps. Crawling isn’t a speed contest and it does exceptionally well.

After this last trip with jeeps the only thing I wish for is more clearance. Stock jeeps have a bit more clearance than Broncos for the same tire size. I dragged a lot in Baja. But that’s what the skids are for and the factory skids are perfectly adequate and far lighter than aftermarket.

My advice. Get the Badlands. Sas or non-sas. Drive it for awhile. Then decide how you want to modify it. No sense in throwing money away before you even know how it performs stock.

I’d also watch the Chase Gentry video (professional driver) who gives a brief review of his first Bronco when he needs to return it to Ford. He swears up & down there’s no reason to get aftermarket skids. He didn’t even mod his Hoss 2.0 steering rack. Nor have I (although I do plan to eventually).

After my experience in Baja I’ll probably go to 35s and add a small lift. That will make modding the steering rack required. Or I’ll do a diff drop. Or both. I’ll keep the stock Bilsteins for now. Maybe I’ll add coilovers later for the flexibility of being able to raise/lower and compensate for loads. I do want a winch for self recovery when I’m alone.

I travel light. No roof rack (well a crappy one in winter only for skis then I remove it). A backpacking tent. Cheap crappy (and very light) Amazon fridge that has survived a lot of bounce but have no expectation it will last for years and years. I carry recovery gear and tools. Aftermarket rear bumper that I regret as all it adds is weight (looks good though).

it’s easy to overthink this. I did (still do, that’s why I’m on Bronco6g). I have a google sheet of several hundred items that are all good ideas. I have minor interior mods and a transmission skid. And that damn rear bumper.

haven’t done the Rubicon yet. I want to. And I want to try on 33s even though most advice says to not do that. But I wanna do it anyway cause I’m stubborn. And I’m not afraid to drag it in the rocks.

 

[Ninjak]

I think the 4.7 gearing and those super light weight stock 35s is sluggish enough, especially off the line. I wouldnt want to do 37s and 4.46. Just my 2 cents.

I run 37's on my BL and it is non SaS. My Bronco is nowhere near sluggish, and a few V6 Mustangs and F150's have found out the hard way. Now admittedly I have the Ford tune, and I have a full intake system, down pipe, and exhaust. So yeah, not stock. But as I said, def not sluggish, not in the least.

 

[Zeaks]

My opinion is if you are going to 37s and not planning to regear then go Sas, as the 4.7 gears will give you the best performance possible for stock drivetrain. I know others have said they are satisfied with 37s and 4.46 but that doesn’t change the fact that 4.7 will perform better. Selling the factory suspension and wheels/tires may not get you all of the Sas money back but if it gets you half of it then I think that the remaining is worth the upgrade for gearing, not to mention a wider fender for those 37s.

If you plan on regearing to 5.13s or something else anyway then non-Sas would be the most economical.

 

[Zeaks]

Double post but I’ll just add that I had planned on a BD Sas because I knew I would always want 35s and getting the full set up from the factory would be the best way to go. Most on the lots around me are Wildtraks and then Badlands. Similarly equipped BLs were slightly more than the WT and my wife preferred the WT interior. The WT ride is great but I didn’t do a big comparison on feel vs the BL I test drove. Any pothole or imperfection in the road disappears with the WT, I’m not sure how the BL compares. I was prepared for an off-road first type of ride but wound up with something so much better. I don’t think I’ll ever go 37s and the only mods I’d likely do if I felt it was needed are the rock jock sway bars or the BL sway bar wired to an aux switch.

 

[Utah Todd]

From your original question...
I did the same thing you were thinking about. Since you are going to do more rock crawling and off-roading than high speed Baja type driving I would go with the following:
2024 Badlands, that way you get the newer style stitched interior along with the improved HOSS 3.0 items.
Non Sasquatch 4.46 gears, better mileage, but still off road capable.
2.7 with the 10 speed Auto.
I never planned on 37's, if you are then I believe a 2" lift would be needed anyway.
From measuring another 22' Wildtrack Sasquatch compared to my 23' non Sasquatch Badlands.
Both had the same 35" Sasquatch rims and tires, there was only .6" difference in the front which I will make up with a 1" leveling kit.
Sounds like you will be changing your wheels and tires anyway.
I added everything a Sasquatch has only I got the 4.46 gears I wanted.
I am yet to see a 2024 Badlands. Not sure if they still come with the Bilstein shocks or if they've actually converted those over to coming with the fox shocks. I have driven both and I have not been able to tell the difference. Both on road and off-road in Moab.

Through buying takeoffs from other Bronco owners. I was able to pick up all the Sasquatch options to get that look but saved around $3,200 after doing so.
35" Sasquatch Wheels & Ties $1500
Sasquatch wider fender Flares $100
$1600 total compared to the $4800 option from Ford.
HTH....

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