Badlands to Bronco Raptor review

[vrtical]

OP: Have you done aggressive off roading in BOTH rigs? If not then sorry but your evaluation isn't valuable to me.

I have done both but I am biased now

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[vrtical]

No I’m not as cool as the rest of you. Wont aggressively off-road a 100k vehicle

aggressively is subjective

 

[userdude]

It's very tough to damage these vehicles off road, even cosmetically, given a modest paint protection film application.

That's a bold statement.

 

[cbrenthus]

Transmission: raptors 10speeds transmission is quick, and manual snappy shifts are awesome but the sheer number of gears to choose from doesn’t make it fun in city driving in manual application.

lol, city driving is never fun, and certainly not in any type of manual shift regardless of true manual shifting or faux manual shifting

 

[ThatWilsonGuy]

I'll add my 2 cents in owning both, although our Badlands is a V6 2dr, and for context I'm coming off of a highly modified 2dr JK.

The Badlands is almost too refined on road compared to my Jeep, it borders on boring as a daily which is an extreme complement. It's got lots of power that almost creeps up on you and could really benefit from some Forscan Sport mode, Peddle Commander, or tune. The tune isn't even really necessary for more power but I imagine it also changes perceived throttle response. The 10r60 trans in non-raptor trims seems be a little smoother shifting as well.

The B&O sound system does a much better job filling the 2dr interior volume and sounds noticably better than the Raptor (2dr vs 4dr thing not Raptor thing).

The Raptor brings fanfare to the driving experience on and off-road while still being astonishingly good on road. A vehicle with this much suspension travel and off-road capable 37's(ish) should not drive this well on road. The adjustable steering, and exhaust modes are very noticable while the suspension requires hard off-road driving to really notice (to me). The interior changes make a huge difference even though they are laid on-top the same cheep materials. Except the seats, they are Raptor exclusive and amazing. Also Raptor exclusive is the gauge cluster and this is an area where most people probably just shrug but I really really dislike the standard bronco guage cluster. Mine has the upgraded leather and carbon fiber package which is minimal but really does change the feel of the interior in a transformative way.

"For the money" there is a party of me that wishes it had more power (can't give any examples where I actually needed it). A good tune would bring it up to Jeep 392 levels, hopefully Ford Performance releases one. That being said the different engine, trans, frame supports, suspension, tires, body panels, interior, seats, driving configuration, paddle shifting, and dash create an incredible machine all tuned to work together and justify the cost difference (+ resale value)

Any Bronco trim is tons of fun and gets you 90% of the smiles. I'm so glad Ford stepped up, generally hit it out of the park and created real competition to the Wrangler.

 

[Eroc88]

My badlands drives nowhere near like a jeep wrangler. It's one the reason why I sold my JL rubicon. The rubicon is great on the trails, not so much on the pavement.

 

[freebob]

Broncos are nothing like a jeep .I owned a 4 so far .The only oneclose on road to a jeep is my dr bronco.Yes it for offroad only.But sometimes you need somethingto eat..lol

 

[ElPasoBronc]

I disagree that a Badlands drives like a Wrangler. We have both a Rubicon and Badlands and they behave no where near the same on road.

 

[swamp2]

That's a bold statement.

Yeah, sort of. But based on my general experience and wheeling with friends with different vehicles - One generally has to do something pretty dumb to really do any damage, cosmetic or otherwise.

 

[Blairwarlock]

That’s why you don’t see convertible versions of 911 gt3…

Yes, it’s called the Speedster (991 gen).

 

[moniarafaleric]

I

Below is my comparison of the two models After driving the 2.3L MT badlands for almost a year and having driven the raptor for the last 2 weeks

Engine: although badlands 4 cylinder is significantly down on power compared with the raptor, it is by no means slow, feels peppy and never left me wanting for more power. On the other hand I’m somewhat disappointed by raptor acceleration at this price point, given that it shares the same engine with the f-150 raptor.

Transmission: raptors 10speeds transmission is quick, and manual snappy shifts are awesome but the sheer number of gears to choose from doesn’t make it fun in city driving in manual application.

Sound: raptor sounds very much like the f150 raptor. Much sportier than the badlands

Driving dynamics: this is where the raptor Truly shines even in street driving. The truck feels planted, even in relatively high speed corners. The same bumps that upset the badlands are barely noticeable on the raptor. Pushing the truck in corners is fun and confidence inspiring. The badlands drives similar to a Jeep wrangler where as the bronco has a much more plush ride when needed and controlled dynamics through the corners. Driving comfort is easily on par with “normal” SUVs in daily application.

Mpg: same driver, same route, badlands on 35s, and raptor on 37s.
Badlands averaged 14.5 mpg
Raptor 13.5 mpg.

Interior design: raptor leather seats, dash stitching, gauge cluster, in my opinion are suited for a vehicle at this price point. The fit and finish is comparable to my wife’s Audi etron gt, and Atleast ro my eyes it looks fantastic. On the other hand, any other trim bronco interior is down right terrible. The guage cluster lesser trims is awful, the seats in wildtrack…. Loss for words… The interior on its own is atleast worth 10k-15k. upgrade. I can’t fathom how ford got this so wrong. Wrangler rubicon interior fit and finish is awesome and exciting area to spend time in where as you can’t wait to get out of the bronco, look at the exterior and remind yourself of why you chose to buy this truck.

Exterior design: Slight edge to the raptor. Both models look good. I was somewhat shocked when my coworkers didnot even notice it is a different truck, where as to us enthusiasts the differences are glaringly obvious.

Value: hands down Badlands. My Badlands MSRP was 48k. The bronco MSRP is exactly double at 96k. It is easily worth 20-25k more ( close to original msrp) but is significantly overpriced at this price point. Shock and disbelief is the common reaction of bystanders when they inquire about price.

Final thoughts: Bronco raptor is no doubt a special vehicle. With that said there is absolutely no reason for it to commands a 6 figure price tag without some version of v8 like the raptor R. A 5.0 cayote engine would have been superb and worth the money at this price point.

I believe the 37 tires are too big for this vehicle. I would have been happier with 35s on city driving, better gas mileage, quicker acceleration etc

Ford redesigned most body panels for raptor trim and I wish they didn’t stop at the removable top. I don’t think a raptor needs a removable top. A solid welded to chassis top not only would have looked more unique and purpose built, but it would have solved the major gripe with every bronco that is wind noise

I believe you have 3.0 eco under the hood, which is Explorer ST engine, F150 Raptor has 3.5

 

[BigMeatsBronco]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, especially now that the OPs proved my statement, you can buy two Broncos for the price of one ugly Braptor.

And for double the money it's a BAD deal, not enough power or suspension travel for the value.

 

[BigMeatsBronco]

OP: Have you done aggressive off roading in BOTH rigs? If not then sorry but your evaluation isn't valuable to me.

What a douchebag statement that is. How about none of your opinions matter at all until you finally get your beloved Braptor that you've been waiting for so long, only then with your statements and opinions matter to the rest of us. Kind of the same thing don't you think?

Untill you get your Braptor and have REAL experience, the rest is just a fantasy land of guesswork.

I guess if the Badlands keeps up with the Braptor off road then it's the drivers fault???

more hogwash

 

[BigMeatsBronco]

That's a bold statement.

ROFL especially from someone who has NEVER off roaded in a Braptor yet

 

[userdude]

ROFL especially from someone who has NEVER off roaded in a Braptor yet

That old lady Experience is a beeyotch.

Quick story: I had mainly a forum-driven conception of the Braptor as basically indestructible. No harm, it's not like a got one. Then one pulled up behind me (a 2dr BL Sas) for a blue run at Merus. When I talked to the guy, a late 20's bro dude (he was nice, don't get me wrong), spidey sense told me he didn't know as much as he thought he knew.

After driving on overinflated wheels, not knowing why we used walkies, and bashing everything in sight (while telling everyone he had plenty of experience!), he later rolled the truck on a bad line he spotted using his front camera.

Later, talking to the old timers who gathered around to gawk, they all told numerous stories of Braptor's having difficulties I'd never heard before. Apparently, Wolf Caves is not kind to any rigs, even Braptors. And Braptors aren't invincible.

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