"Advanced" Sasquatch package - what does it mean?

[JimmyZ]

Looking to buy another Bronco the one I'm looking at says it a 2023 2-door with the Big Bend Advanced Sasquatch package? What does the Advanced mean?

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[RagnarKon]

Advance 4x4 refers to the "Advanced 4x4 transfer case". The Advanced 4x4 transfer case has a 4-Auto mode, which behaves very similarly to All-Wheel Drive. Standard option on some trims and packages (including the Sasquatch package).

4x4

• 2-High
• 4-Low
• 4-High

Advanced 4x4

• 2-High
• 4-Low
• 4-High
• 4-Auto

 

[JediMcMuffin]

Advance 4x4 refers to the "Advanced 4x4 transfer case". The Advanced 4x4 transfer case has a 4-Auto mode, which behaves very similarly to All-Wheel Drive. Standard option on some trims and packages (including the Sasquatch package).

4x4

• 2-High
• 4-Low
• 4-High

Advanced 4x4

• 2-High
• 4-Low
• 4-High
• 4-Auto

Worth noting too, that 4-Auto is primarily an on-road mode, though it has the ability to engage 4-High as needed. If you're going to be off pavement for significant stretches, its better to go into 4-High or 4-Low.

 

[MotoFish]

Ive said it before Ill say it again: 4 auto works excellent on icy/snowy conditions. I was trying to fish-tail one afternoon on a snow packed road and was having a heck of a time getting the vehicle to respond like Im use to. Well, I did some quick troubleshooting and discovered it was in 4Auto. It kicks in so smoothly I honestly didnt notice in the heat of the moment.

It makes a difference for sure, I could not find a fault in it when driving it normally. It is like a safety feature for folks not ready to break loose in slick conditions.

 

[Bigmoose]

Worth noting too, that 4-Auto is primarily an on-road mode, though it has the ability to engage 4-High as needed. If you're going to be off pavement for significant stretches, its better to go into 4-High or 4-Low.

I don’t believe this is true. Do you have a link saying this somewhere?

4A is like AWD as mentioned above, it adjusts torque bias on the fly and has “slippage”. Totally different than 4H where its fully locked.

Bronco 4A is not like the 4A of old that just sensed slipping and engaged 4H.

 

[BobbySaggz]

I don’t believe this is true. Do you have a link saying this somewhere?

4A is like AWD as mentioned above, it adjusts torque bias on the fly and has “slippage”. Totally different than 4H where its fully locked.

Bronco 4A is not like the 4A of old that just sensed slipping and engaged 4H.

I can't see why it wouldn't be true. 4A will bias towards 2WD, only engaging the front axle via a clutch pack when slippage is detected. Off road it seems you'd generate more high slip conditions which will cause greater clutch wear and subsequent heat buildup, leading to possible damage in the worst case, or eventually a required cool-dopppwn period in which 4x4 is unavailable in the best. Why not lock the transfer case into the most suitable of either 4-H or 4-L and be done with it?

 

[JediMcMuffin]

I don’t believe this is true. Do you have a link saying this somewhere?

4A is like AWD as mentioned above, it adjusts torque bias on the fly and has “slippage”. Totally different than 4H where its fully locked.

Bronco 4A is not like the 4A of old that just sensed slipping and engaged 4H.

It's stated quite clearly in multiple points of documentation that 4A is for on-road use. It's locked out of Baja mode, and the default option for Sport mode.

 

[JediMcMuffin]

 

[jtgensler]

I used Sport mode & 4A for a rally across West Virginia last month & I was very impressed with it.
We were primarily on back roads or unimproved forest roads & some pure off road trails. I kept it in sport mode all day (1 exception when I needed 4 Low) and just used 4H as needed in muddy areas. But the response & pull up out of switchbacks on gravel/dirt roads was awesome. As soon as you had the front end pointed right, you could plant the throttle & it just hooked up without any slipping.

 

[Bigmoose]

Im not disagreeing that its for on road use at all. It is. My point is that is distinctly different than 4H. It also won’t automatically change to from 4A to 4H when the system determines it needs to. It only does this when the driver selects a goat mode as noted in the docs you posted.

 

[BroncoChallenger]

For most people, 4A is going to be primarily an on-road system. However, as noted above, running in something like a rally would make good use of 4A as it is MUCH faster in the Bronco than any other 4A system I've ever used in the past - it engages VERY smoothly, to the point I can't even feel it engage. Yes, it likely could lead to increased clutch wear, but heavy usage of any clutched system causes increased clutch wear. It comes with the territory.

Of note, I remember reading that 4A won't actually engage over a certain speed...I don't recall what the speed is, I think it's over 50 mph but again I'm not certain.

 

[Dral97]

Ive said it before Ill say it again: 4 auto works excellent on icy/snowy conditions. I was trying to fish-tail one afternoon on a snow packed road and was having a heck of a time getting the vehicle to respond like Im use to. Well, I did some quick troubleshooting and discovered it was in 4Auto. It kicks in so smoothly I honestly didnt notice in the heat of the moment.

It makes a difference for sure, I could not find a fault in it when driving it normally. It is like a safety feature for folks not ready to break loose in slick conditions.

Agree. This last winter when the roads were slick, I just switched to 4A and never had any issues.

 

[jtgensler]

For most people, 4A is going to be primarily an on-road system. However, as noted above, running in something like a rally would make good use of 4A as it is MUCH faster in the Bronco than any other 4A system I've ever used in the past - it engages VERY smoothly, to the point I can't even feel it engage. Yes, it likely could lead to increased clutch wear, but heavy usage of any clutched system causes increased clutch wear. It comes with the territory.

Of note, I remember reading that 4A won't actually engage over a certain speed...I don't recall what the speed is, I think it's over 50 mph but again I'm not certain.

Agreed. And most of the rally was spent between 35-50mph. A few spots on blacktop where we could stretch our legs for a couple miles & hit 65, but mostly slower. They actually had a capped average pace of 40mph for the overally event. I averaged right around 29.63 mph - 600miles in 20hrs 14 minutes.

 

[JediMcMuffin]

Im not disagreeing that its for on road use at all. It is. My point is that is distinctly different than 4H. It also won’t automatically change to from 4A to 4H when the system determines it needs to. It only does this when the driver selects a goat mode as noted in the docs you posted.

You're saying it will only do the auto-switch if you access 4A through a GOAT mode? Or that it won't do it at all? Because mine absolutely has done it before, I just can't remember how I got there.

EDIT: These are the exact message I saw. I had come off the main road in Anza Borrego in Normal / 4A, air down and just got after it. I wasn't too far into the wash when this came up. It stayed in 4H for quite some time, then back to 4A on its own. I then just went into Baja mode anyway.

 

[SierraBronco]

If anyone is curious what the clutch looks like-

Currently getting one repapered with a more aggressive paper and using as much of the friction area as possible.

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