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Hey All - been meaning to post about several things. All of the sudden we're at 3,000 miles and wanted to share a few things that may help other owners/shoppers. Picked up our Badlands back in August and immediately drove from OH to FL because we had just moved.
COMPARISON TO WRANGLER: We love them both. There are a couple things the Jeep did a little better and a couple things the Bronco did a little better. The Bronco soft top is a disaster compared to the Wrangler soft top (just our opinion). We leave the windows out all the time; they sag really bad. Our 2019 Wrangler Sahara had a sticker of $53K and our 2021 Bronco Badlands High package was $54K. The Bronco is a way better deal for what you get in our opinion. Apples to Oranges a bit since we didn't have a Rubicon. Our Wrangler had the 4cyl which was underpowered and had terrible turbo-lag. The Bronco has the 6-cyl and we're very happy that we went with the V6. Drove a 4-cyl Bronco demo and it seemed better than the 4cyl wrangler we had in terms of power, turbo lag and general responsiveness. The Bronco has more cargo space and more rear seating space but for some reason they didn't put rear vents in the Bronco like the Wrangler had. We live in south FL and have kids in the back and it gets a little hot when we're waiting in the school pick-up line sometimes. 3 Kids fit easily into the Bronco rear seats (1 toddler seat and 1 booster seat). Bronco has a strut on the tailgate that would have been nice to have on the Wrangler and also the Bronco is easier to load cargo into the rear but they didn't really give us a spot for that prop-rod that holds the soft top up back there. We are multi-generational Jeep people but we love this Bronco and are very happy to have it and intend to keep for a long time.
ROCK CHIPS/SPLASH GUARDS/MUD FLAPS: Shopped around and got a little duped by the stock photo for the Ford splash guards that show the upgraded Badlands wheels with the splash guards (suggesting they fit a Badlands). Bought them and then found the fine print that says they don't fit a Badlands (due to the rock rails). Shopped other products and wasn't happy with the look or the cost so I cut holes in the Ford pieces and they fit great and really do the trick. Have driven in multiple downpours in southwest FL and they've kept a lot of water (and sand) from being splashed up into the Bronco because we leave the doors off all the time.
SUN SHADE: Wish it fit as good as the bungee attached shades we had for the Wrangler. The Bronco doesn't have the cross bar in the middle, which gives better views but limits options for attaching a shade so that it won't get blown in the wind and flap all over the place. The shade we got will flip back at the very front at any decent speed. It does the trick but leaves us thinking there will be better shades coming out in the future. We love the sun and the air but need to protect our young kids from getting a sunburn since we leave the top down as much as possible.
FRONT HOOD GUARD: Bought and tried to install several times but it was flexed and just wouldn't sit down straight. Considered using a head gun but haven't gotten around to it. Edges are sharp and the molding seemed a little "off" and it wouldn't sit straight on the driver side.
DOORS: Quickly realized Ford should have supplied a gear-wrench instead of a ratchet and socket. Using the gearwrench is so much easier and we quickly got used to the different process for removing/install the doors. It was weird at first but now it seems just as easy as the Wrangler. When we turn the engine on with the doors off, we get a bunch of warnings about all sorts of stuff and I've quit paying attention to them. More than just "door electrical disconnected". I'll have to take pictures and maybe mention it to the dealer when we get our first oil change. Doesn't affect anything in terms of driveability and there is no check engine or anything but it says some other systems need checked if I remember correctly. Doesn't seem quite right.
WATER DRAINS and VINYL and SCREEN: We drove all summer (wet season) in southwest FL with the doors off and soft top windows removed. Got plenty of rain in the Bronco and it cleaned up really easily and drained easily. Marine grade vinyl is really nice and we've used some protectant on it by "303" brand and it is really good. So happy we got the Marine grade vinyl and it really makes it an "all weather" vehicle for us. We had leather in the wrangler and had to be conscious of getting it soaked. Ford was really smart to offer the Vinyl for those that drive it like we do.
Bought a matte computer screen protector 3-pack on Amazon for like $12 (made for a macbook) and cut it to the right dimensions to make our own screen protector and very happy with it.
PAINT/TINT: Got it ceramic-coated right after we bought it and very happy we did and highly recommend it for any vehicle. Had the front windows tinted and even the windshield slightly tinted, but we keep the doors off so the tint really didn't matter.
FUTURE MODS: Haven't had a lot of time as we've been developing our Console Cover for the Bronco and also our Outboard Engine Covers for boat engines, but we plan to eventually do a lift with 37s probably with Black Rhino wheels. When we have a little time we will hit some of the offroad parks down here in FL and see how that goes. Right now the only parts we have that need installed are a Homelink garage door opener (boring) and we need to get some fog lights as well.
Hope some of this helps current or future owners! For those still waiting: Hang in there! It is worth the wait.
COMPARISON TO WRANGLER: We love them both. There are a couple things the Jeep did a little better and a couple things the Bronco did a little better. The Bronco soft top is a disaster compared to the Wrangler soft top (just our opinion). We leave the windows out all the time; they sag really bad. Our 2019 Wrangler Sahara had a sticker of $53K and our 2021 Bronco Badlands High package was $54K. The Bronco is a way better deal for what you get in our opinion. Apples to Oranges a bit since we didn't have a Rubicon. Our Wrangler had the 4cyl which was underpowered and had terrible turbo-lag. The Bronco has the 6-cyl and we're very happy that we went with the V6. Drove a 4-cyl Bronco demo and it seemed better than the 4cyl wrangler we had in terms of power, turbo lag and general responsiveness. The Bronco has more cargo space and more rear seating space but for some reason they didn't put rear vents in the Bronco like the Wrangler had. We live in south FL and have kids in the back and it gets a little hot when we're waiting in the school pick-up line sometimes. 3 Kids fit easily into the Bronco rear seats (1 toddler seat and 1 booster seat). Bronco has a strut on the tailgate that would have been nice to have on the Wrangler and also the Bronco is easier to load cargo into the rear but they didn't really give us a spot for that prop-rod that holds the soft top up back there. We are multi-generational Jeep people but we love this Bronco and are very happy to have it and intend to keep for a long time.
ROCK CHIPS/SPLASH GUARDS/MUD FLAPS: Shopped around and got a little duped by the stock photo for the Ford splash guards that show the upgraded Badlands wheels with the splash guards (suggesting they fit a Badlands). Bought them and then found the fine print that says they don't fit a Badlands (due to the rock rails). Shopped other products and wasn't happy with the look or the cost so I cut holes in the Ford pieces and they fit great and really do the trick. Have driven in multiple downpours in southwest FL and they've kept a lot of water (and sand) from being splashed up into the Bronco because we leave the doors off all the time.
SUN SHADE: Wish it fit as good as the bungee attached shades we had for the Wrangler. The Bronco doesn't have the cross bar in the middle, which gives better views but limits options for attaching a shade so that it won't get blown in the wind and flap all over the place. The shade we got will flip back at the very front at any decent speed. It does the trick but leaves us thinking there will be better shades coming out in the future. We love the sun and the air but need to protect our young kids from getting a sunburn since we leave the top down as much as possible.
FRONT HOOD GUARD: Bought and tried to install several times but it was flexed and just wouldn't sit down straight. Considered using a head gun but haven't gotten around to it. Edges are sharp and the molding seemed a little "off" and it wouldn't sit straight on the driver side.
DOORS: Quickly realized Ford should have supplied a gear-wrench instead of a ratchet and socket. Using the gearwrench is so much easier and we quickly got used to the different process for removing/install the doors. It was weird at first but now it seems just as easy as the Wrangler. When we turn the engine on with the doors off, we get a bunch of warnings about all sorts of stuff and I've quit paying attention to them. More than just "door electrical disconnected". I'll have to take pictures and maybe mention it to the dealer when we get our first oil change. Doesn't affect anything in terms of driveability and there is no check engine or anything but it says some other systems need checked if I remember correctly. Doesn't seem quite right.
WATER DRAINS and VINYL and SCREEN: We drove all summer (wet season) in southwest FL with the doors off and soft top windows removed. Got plenty of rain in the Bronco and it cleaned up really easily and drained easily. Marine grade vinyl is really nice and we've used some protectant on it by "303" brand and it is really good. So happy we got the Marine grade vinyl and it really makes it an "all weather" vehicle for us. We had leather in the wrangler and had to be conscious of getting it soaked. Ford was really smart to offer the Vinyl for those that drive it like we do.
Bought a matte computer screen protector 3-pack on Amazon for like $12 (made for a macbook) and cut it to the right dimensions to make our own screen protector and very happy with it.
PAINT/TINT: Got it ceramic-coated right after we bought it and very happy we did and highly recommend it for any vehicle. Had the front windows tinted and even the windshield slightly tinted, but we keep the doors off so the tint really didn't matter.
FUTURE MODS: Haven't had a lot of time as we've been developing our Console Cover for the Bronco and also our Outboard Engine Covers for boat engines, but we plan to eventually do a lift with 37s probably with Black Rhino wheels. When we have a little time we will hit some of the offroad parks down here in FL and see how that goes. Right now the only parts we have that need installed are a Homelink garage door opener (boring) and we need to get some fog lights as well.
Hope some of this helps current or future owners! For those still waiting: Hang in there! It is worth the wait.
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