Are G.O.A.T. modes a gimmick?

[pimpjuice]

I apologize if this is ignorance but are they really necessary?
Granted I haven't climbed rocks with my Bronco but I do live in Florida where it rains a lot and floods. I often forget to switch the G.O.A.T. mode in different conditions because it's so capable in 2h. When traveling in heavy rain, I feel in complete control. The thing is a tank. Wouldn't 4A save me from slipping?
I've even gone in sugar sand and only used 2h but if I had gotten stuck, wouldn't 4wd have done the trick?
The mode I use the most is Eco to try to save gas (not even sure if that helps) and then Sports to show my friends how much power the 2.7L has.

Again forgive my ignorance but is there things the G.O.A.T. modes do that 4A can't?

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[smahones]

Goat modes are absolutely for real….yes, you change the 4x4 settings and lockers manually, but the shifting and traction changes are unique to the mode.

 

[RagnarKon]

I would describe G.O.A.T. modes as 60% gimmicky, 40% completely worthwhile.

There are effectively five things the G.O.A.T. modes do:

• Transfer case presets
• Locker / Sway-bar presets
• Traction control
• Engine & transmission tuning
• Throttle & steering tuning

The first three items on that list you can obviously do entirely yourself with the hero switches on the dash and the transfer case buttons on the G.O.A.T. dial. Changing the behavior of the transmission, steering, and throttle you can ONLY do on using the G.O.A.T. modes.

Could Ford have allowed you to change them separately?? Probably, and on the Bronco Raptor they did. But on the normal Bronco you have to use the G.O.A.T. modes to change those behaviors.

 

[Razorbak86]

I would describe G.O.A.T. modes as 60% gimmicky, 40% completely worthwhile.

There are effectively five things the G.O.A.T. modes do:

• Transfer case presets
• Locker / Sway-bar presets
• Traction control
• Engine & transmission tuning
• Throttle & steering tuning

The first three items on that list you can obviously do entirely yourself with the hero switches on the dash and the transfer case buttons on the G.O.A.T. dial. Changing the behavior of the transmission, steering, and throttle you can ONLY do on using the G.O.A.T. modes.

Could Ford have allowed you to change them separately?? Probably, and on the Bronco Raptor they did. But on the normal Bronco you have to use the G.O.A.T. modes to change those behaviors.

They also turn on/off cameras and offer specific views. (I miss those, because my APIM is dead, so my 12” screen is inoperable. )

 

[LSU Jonno]

I always use GOAT modes for new terrain just to see what the default is. Last week while driving on the beach I threw it in sand mode just to see what it did. It threw me in 4H and turned on my rear locker. So after that first time I just switched those settings manually.

 

[Pit Bear]

Driving in rain isn't why the GOAT modes were created. They are specifically for offroading and rock climbing. If you aren't offroading, then you aren't using the modes for what they were designed for and are useless to you.

 

[RagnarKon]

They also turn on/off cameras and offer specific views. (I miss those, because my APIM is dead, so my 12” screen is inoperable. )

Eh, thought about mentioning that, but I don't like that "feature". Not sure if you can turn that off or not (didn't order High/Lux so never bothered finding out), but hopefully you can. If you are actively using a map application on your infotainment screen I'd rather have it stay on the map application than flipping immediately to the camera as soon as I put it in Rock Crawl mode.

BUT, personal preference I suppose. I specifically avoided the cameras to begin with so obviously I'm not the target audience for that feature.

 

[CheekyOldMan]

They were originally going to call them chicken modes, but it didn’t fit on the nameplate.

 

[Razorbak86]

Eh, thought about mentioning that, but I don't like that "feature". Not sure if you can turn that off or not (didn't order High/Lux so never bothered finding out), but hopefully you can. If you are actively using a map application on your infotainment screen I'd rather have it stay on the map application than flipping immediately to the camera as soon as I put it in Rock Crawl mode.

BUT, personal preference I suppose. I specifically avoided the cameras to begin with so obviously I'm not the target audience for that feature.

It’s pretty easy to switch between the camera view and mapping, and I miss both features. The front and mirror cameras are my electronic spotters off-road, and I miss not having Gaia GPS on my big screen. Never had those features before, and it’s amazing how quickly you come to appreciate them, but don’t really realize it until you lose them.

 

[Tricky Dick]

I would describe G.O.A.T. modes as 60% gimmicky, 40% completely worthwhile.

There are effectively five things the G.O.A.T. modes do:

• Transfer case presets
• Locker / Sway-bar presets
• Traction control
• Engine & transmission tuning
• Throttle & steering tuning

The first three items on that list you can obviously do entirely yourself with the hero switches on the dash and the transfer case buttons on the G.O.A.T. dial. Changing the behavior of the transmission, steering, and throttle you can ONLY do on using the G.O.A.T. modes.

Could Ford have allowed you to change them separately?? Probably, and on the Bronco Raptor they did. But on the normal Bronco you have to use the G.O.A.T. modes to change those behaviors.

I largely agree with this, and the ratio is pushing 70-80% gimmick with the 7MT. Everything useful that it does is mostly convenience and could be accomplished with some buttons pushed manually.

 

[j_4260]

I don't think the GOAT modes are gimmicky. I have some recency bias as I got back from the Off-Rodeo a week ago...

Some context:
- I'm a car guy through and through. I love everything about older cars where you have to be involved with the driving experience.
- I've done a lot of track days, autocross events, car control clinics, etc... I will always advocate for technique versus technology.
- I have zero off-roading experience until about 6 months ago, after bringing my Bronco home.

So with that all said, I took the Bronco to an off-road clinic to learn the fundamentals of handling this vehicle off road. I didn't use any of the GOAT modes (it wasn't necessary for the things we were doing).

After taking the Bronco camping (off road) and attending Off-Rodeo, here's what I can say - the modes let you focus on driving versus thinking about what you need to do when you're on a challenging part of the trail.

When doing things manually, I found myself forgetting to push a hero button, or doing something with the transmission. This is definitely my own inexperience but damn it was nice to toggle a mode and focus on going over an obstacle versus spending energy, "Did I disengage the sway bar?".

I fumbled with manually toggling the lockers, engaging 4L or 4H, etc... when I was out with my buddies.

The GOAT modes let me kind of "set it and forget" for some time. And for all intents and purposes, they're just shortcuts to things you'd do when hitting a specific part of the trail.

- If I'm going over high-speed scrub? Baja mode.

- Climbing up/down rocks? Rock-crawl (and may as well get hill-descent while I'm at it).

- Goofing off in the mud? Mud and ruts.

 

[Ksjrb03]

Driving in rain isn't why the GOAT modes were created. They are specifically for offroading and rock climbing. If you aren't offroading, then you aren't using the modes for what they were designed for and are useless to you.

You must of missed the Slippery when you were scrolling through all them GOAT modes every day on the trails.

 

[mgraced]

They also turn on/off cameras and offer specific views. (I miss those, because my APIM is dead, so my 12” screen is inoperable. )

I was wondering abut the cameras. What mode activates the cameras???

BTW: I had/rode a BMW 1150GS for 17yrs. Great bike!

 

[Dmorty217]

I also live in Florida and everyone drives like a dick weed, so sport mode is necessary at times. Like others mentioned unless you’re off roading, they’re mostly unnecessary

 

[VictoryLights]

They’re good for people like me who are light off roaders and don’t do it for a hobby. When I go off road I simply select whichever terrain I’m going into and have confidence that I’m in a decent setup.

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