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Anyone in a Big Bend regret their choice? Any Base model owners wish they upgraded?

ThisGuy611

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I’m going to start off by saying I’m horrible with commitment. Long menus are the bane of my existence as I’m stuck in limbo trying to decide what to get.
That being said, I have a couple decisions I’m really stuck on: base or big bend and 2.3 vs 2.7.
I currently have a 2 door base 2.3l manual on order. Has mod bumper, aux switches, and keypad, that’s about it. Came out to $32.5k and I’m going to toss some 33”s on it pretty quick.
Now probably a bad move, but I’ve been playing with the builder and have been really tempted by the big bend only because I can get the brown cloth interior and a locker. Really everything else I want I can get aftermarket (leather steering, sig lights, white bronco lettering on grill). Thing is, that build comes out to about $40k, and if I go big bend I would want the mid package with remote start (so auto), making it $42k. And at that point, if I’m getting an auto, it may as well be the 2.7l. So $44k.
It’s not easy to justify almost $12k over the base for maybe $7k worth of upgrades, but it would be a more comfortable daily driver. I don’t off-road often, so the locker is more “nice to have”.
The middle ground I’m debating is the base with auto and 2.7l so I get the power and it’s “only” ~$36k, but I know the 2.7l is constrained and I want a 22MY if possible.
Enough of my rambling, I’d appreciate any insight from whoever got this far. Would love some thoughts from any base or big bend owners as well.
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Trail_Runner

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I am very content with my base 4dr. I do have the 2.7l but do not miss most of the tech of the upgrade options.

My wife has a fairly loaded XLT F150 so I know what I would be missing. Adaptive CC is nice.

as far as off road and lockers. Not really needed for mild stuff but it is a nice to have if you need it. I also have a locked beeter Jeep so I don’t plan on heavy wheeling in the Bronco…for the time being
 
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Benzito

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I don't think the Big Bend alone gets you much other than the opportunity to include more add-on features (at $$$).

I got literally the most basic build Base (except I added $100 floor mats, which I could have skipped). Unless you are going with Sasquatch or really need the mid / lux packages, what are you getting for $12,000 that you can't add later and cater to exactly what you need? You can add lights, swap the grill letters, and do other small things for much less than getting the other stuff that you don't really want. No, you can't add an auto or remote start later . . . but you opted for the manual in the first place and if that suits your driving, why change?

Since I wasn't enthusiastic about an automatic, didn't need any packages (leather, heated this or that, lane control, etc.), the Base was a good fit. Added larger tires at a net $1,000 and a few aftermarket items that would go on any trim and I'm still at less than $30,000 all-in.
 

dgorsett

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I have the BB. I figure I got $3k worth of stuff for $5K but I'm happy with my choice. In order of importance to me I got: 4.27 locker, the best (I think) wheels and grille, tint, sandstone interior, access to A51 (available on all trims now), fog lights, 32" (almost adequate) tires.

Also, IMHO the 2.3 is more than adequate.
 

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Baseaf

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The rear locker is so vital. I would've done base sasquatch or big bend with rear locker only and brown interior if I could do it again.
 

MNBigfoot

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Leather wheel/shifter $100
Window tint $200
Useless passenger grab handle $60
Fog lights (only if sticking with plastic bumper)

So drop $5k on $500 worth of accessories, add the rear locker, and you aren't far from a Base Sasquatch price. Not a tough choice if you're going 2.7 auto.
 

uncledoodoo

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As a Base V6 Sasquatch buyer, I can't imagine ANY base-squatch buyer regretting not going with a Big Bend. That trim makes no sense to me. Option for option, it costs nearly the same as the Black Diamond. A better question, at least from my perspective, would be do I regret not getting the Black Diamond, and the answer is still "no". Remove the sasquatch from all three trims, and my answer would probably change to regretting not going to Black Diamond, but again, option for option, the Big Bend would still not even be a consideration for me.
 

AZ_Liberty

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IHMO, the only reason to get the BB is so you can pay even more to get the locker.

But, that's over $5k just for a locker. That isn't worth it to me.

Tires on the BB are the same soft mini-van tires as the Base, just a different size. So, no value there.

Tint on the clamshell. Might be worth a few dollars if you otherwise would not tint it, but I'm in Phoenix so the first thing I plan to do is a "max legal" tint. Which means if I bought the BB, I'd just be tinting over the existing tint to make it darker.

Leather wrapped shifter knob... again, not worth the $5k extra cost.

So, I ended up ordering a Base. My #1 requirement was a Stick-Shift, #2 was Cloth interior. MGV and Leather is just too damn hot in Phoenix.
 

dadjoke

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BB, 4-Door, 2.7 Auto, Sasquatch, Mid, Upfitter switches, Keypad.

If I was to call anything a regret it would be not getting the Modular Bumper, but I like the factory fog lights.

I got the 2.7 because I've owned three Fords previously and they were all base model/base engine and simply put - underpowered. The caveat to this is that I've driven the 2.3L also (off road only, at a local Ford event) and it did not seem underpowered...still happy with my 2.7 ;)

Auto because I'm a Chicken lol

I went 4-door because I'm 6'10" and I have a kiddo who is going to be just about as big. We wouldn't make it on a 2-door very long before it's outgrown.

Sasquatch because of the upgraded gears and lockers...my original build was non-Sas with rear locker added. That lasted a day and I called the dealer to add Sas haha

Mid package - THIS is 90%+ of the reason it's a BB and not a Base. My Wife and I are almost constantly at odds temperature-wise, and by a wide margin. The dual zone HVAC was a huge part of the decision.

Upfitter switches because they run the wires and that's friggen priceless to me and my huge hands and limited experience in wiring

Keypad...just didn't wanna get locked out.

Good luck with your choice, OP. Build your best Bronco
 

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TripleB

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sasquatch is a must. I love my base sas by the way. zero desire for a big bend.
 

RCVBAF

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I’m going to start off by saying I’m horrible with commitment. Long menus are the bane of my existence as I’m stuck in limbo trying to decide what to get.
That being said, I have a couple decisions I’m really stuck on: base or big bend and 2.3 vs 2.7.
I currently have a 2 door base 2.3l manual on order. Has mod bumper, aux switches, and keypad, that’s about it. Came out to $32.5k and I’m going to toss some 33”s on it pretty quick.
Now probably a bad move, but I’ve been playing with the builder and have been really tempted by the big bend only because I can get the brown cloth interior and a locker. Really everything else I want I can get aftermarket (leather steering, sig lights, white bronco lettering on grill). Thing is, that build comes out to about $40k, and if I go big bend I would want the mid package with remote start (so auto), making it $42k. And at that point, if I’m getting an auto, it may as well be the 2.7l. So $44k.
It’s not easy to justify almost $12k over the base for maybe $7k worth of upgrades, but it would be a more comfortable daily driver. I don’t off-road often, so the locker is more “nice to have”.
The middle ground I’m debating is the base with auto and 2.7l so I get the power and it’s “only” ~$36k, but I know the 2.7l is constrained and I want a 22MY if possible.
Enough of my rambling, I’d appreciate any insight from whoever got this far. Would love some thoughts from any base or big bend owners as well.
I went with a 2021 Big Bend, 2.3, auto, Oxford White, Sandstone interior with the mid package and a rear locker. I couldn’t be happier. Moving up to the BB gives you a lot more for the money.
 

eander

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I don’t regret my BB purchase at all. My biggest priorities were 7MT, 4 door to have room for my asshole dog + gear, hard top, cloth (or vented katzkins - basically no MGV/swamp ass for me in the south), and rear locker. I do some off-roading but not hardcore rock crawling, so a rear locker and the gearing with the manual should be plenty sufficient and practical.

I wasn’t sure about the sandstone, but took a chance and it looks SO much better than any pics that I’d seen beforehand, totally blew my expectations out of the water. Being able to option the sig lights and have fogs was an upside to me as well. Could I have added all these items after the fact and gone down to base? Sure. But it’s worth the money to me to save the time and hassle to do those upgrades (and have them potentially not work as well as from the factory).

My alternate build would’ve been BL with mid or high to be able to get some of the extras with the manual, but still needing to change out the seats/covers after the fact. Basically the BB checks all my boxes without having a lot of extra costs or weight that didn’t add much utility for my needs. I admittedly have a visceral hatred of the factory BB wheels and tires, so I immediately put a set of BL takeoffs on there, which were my favorites of the trim levels. Otherwise, I couldn’t be happier with my build.

I agree, build what is best for your needs and you can’t go wrong. Ford really hit it out of the park with the Bronco.

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broncocoy

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Base 2 door 2.3L manual owner with 33's on stock rims... simply put its awesome, tons and tons of power and its been a blast the manual fits the truck so dang well just a fun fun car. It comes with so many things as standard. I thought I would be missing stuff coming from a 60K Audi... I miss nothing honestly. I love the iconic steelies and the grill of the base. Been off roading a few times. missing a locker I thought would be a big deal... this think has got more capability then I do bravery/experience as is.
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