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Badlands vs Black Diamond

Gangstead

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Also as to the original posted question. I have had my Black Diamond for 3 months. At first I was having some buyer's remorse for not getting the Badlands, but I got my bronco out the door for $41,500. I got the one feature that was real important to me: manual transmission. And didn't get one feature that I really wanted: keyless entry.

Ford makes it real easy to pull at your heart strings and FOMO and I very easily could have ended up getting a Badlands, plus mid package and been almost $50k for practically the same car. Luckily for me they got a little too greedy and didn't allow manual with a lot of trim/package combinations so it was easier for me to say no to paying 20% more for the car to get the one feature I wanted. I am a little sad to see that 2022 buyers can get a Man-Squatch. I'm glad Ford saw the light, but shame it was too late for me to get it.

What got rid of my no-Badlands buyer's remorse was going to the Off Roadeo in Moab. We did some crazy stuff and I got through all of it with only a rear locker. I'm talking 3 wheels on the ground, one way up in the air, scaling up stuff that you'd never think a car can drive. I realized anything else I do will never be as crazy as the stuff I did with only a rear locker.

The problem with asking a car forum for buying advice is it is full of car loving people. I'm not surprised 80% of the advice is to get the more expensive option. The forum members definitely skew towards people who like spending money on cars. I just can't relate when members talk about how much they need their '21 Bronco to replace their '19 Raptor which was so much better than their '18 JK that they got a great deal on, etc. The Bronco is pretty mind blowing to someone who only gets a "new" car every 11 years (this was actually my first _NEW_ new car). Of course the Badlands is better than the Black Diamond, and the First Edition is better than the Badlands, and the Bronco Raptor will be better than that, and the Desert Runner Coyote or whatever it's called will be better than that. There's always a better option out there for more money.
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Colorado buff

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Also as to the original posted question. I have had my Black Diamond for 3 months. At first I was having some buyer's remorse for not getting the Badlands, but I got my bronco out the door for $41,500. I got the one feature that was real important to me: manual transmission. And didn't get one feature that I really wanted: keyless entry.

Ford makes it real easy to pull at your heart strings and FOMO and I very easily could have ended up getting a Badlands, plus mid package and been almost $50k for practically the same car. Luckily for me they got a little too greedy and didn't allow manual with a lot of trim/package combinations so it was easier for me to say no to paying 20% more for the car to get the one feature I wanted. I am a little sad to see that 2022 buyers can get a Man-Squatch. I'm glad Ford saw the light, but shame it was too late for me to get it.

What got rid of my no-Badlands buyer's remorse was going to the Off Roadeo in Moab. We did some crazy stuff and I got through all of it with only a rear locker. I'm talking 3 wheels on the ground, one way up in the air, scaling up stuff that you'd never think a car can drive. I realized anything else I do will never be as crazy as the stuff I did with only a rear locker.

The problem with asking a car forum for buying advice is it is full of car loving people. I'm not surprised 80% of the advice is to get the more expensive option. The forum members definitely skew towards people who like spending money on cars. I just can't relate when members talk about how much they need their '21 Bronco to replace their '19 Raptor which was so much better than their '18 JK that they got a great deal on, etc. The Bronco is pretty mind blowing to someone who only gets a "new" car every 11 years (this was actually my first _NEW_ new car). Of course the Badlands is better than the Black Diamond, and the First Edition is better than the Badlands, and the Bronco Raptor will be better than that, and the Desert Runner Coyote or whatever it's called will be better than that. There's always a better option out there for more money.
well said. For me the mid package and the mgv are really interesting for me. As well as Sasquatch as I like the lift and suspension. Would love a Sasquatch on 33’s vs 35’s.

agreeit also amazes me how often people switch cars. Whatever makes people happy though. I agree the black diamond is a great option.

when you mean keyless entry, is that the touch pad thingy? I like using the fob to open the vehicle so that doesn’t bother me. If they didn’t have the fob that would bother me.
 

AcenTitus

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well said. For me the mid package and the mgv are really interesting for me. As well as Sasquatch as I like the lift and suspension. Would love a Sasquatch on 33’s vs 35’s.

agreeit also amazes me how often people switch cars. Whatever makes people happy though. I agree the black diamond is a great option.

when you mean keyless entry, is that the touch pad thingy? I like using the fob to open the vehicle so that doesn’t bother me. If they didn’t have the fob that would bother me.
Intelligent access comes with mid package. Lets you leave the key fob in your pocket and unlocks the door with the proximity. I don’t know why more people don’t talk about this. it’s a major reason I got the mid pack. After having it on my last car, I don’t want to not have it again. Simple little thing, but I really like it.
 

Jason hamilton

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I’m bias towards the “upper middle class” bronco, the Black Diamond as that’s what I ordered! I went through this exact decision making process as MGV seats and washout floors were a must (beach sand problems)!
For me it boiled down to what you’re actually going to do and what will get it done or the least amount of cash! If you plan on being a rock crawler and running big oversized tires then maybe BL is the way to go? But if like me you see a slight 2” lift and some decent (and modest) 33” MT tires then BD is probably enough?
I’m building mine into an overland ring and really just want a bit more ground clearance and tires with a decent load rating for carrying gear. Although very cool I don’t need disconnecting swaybar, would love front lockers but I’ve driven many a truck without and always got where I need to go on 4x4, clearance and quality tires.
Where I did “invest” was the advanced 4x4, the 2.7L and in some really nice 33” grabberx3 tires (grabber ATX will be my winter set)

Either way the choice is yours either way you win!
^^^ I guess I am in the upper middle Class. I went with BD 2.7, adv 4X4 and rear lockers for the same reasons. Most off road use for me will be getting to ski slopes.
 

NotGuilty

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Had a BL order changed it after driving a SAS Black Diamond at an Off Roadeo. Absolutely no regrets in the change.
 

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Bronco 09

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I'm with you on this regarding options, not so much on equipment. Not much risk with BL over BD, just front locker, position sensitive shocks, and sta bar. I took a drive in the dealer demo again yesterday to let my wife have some time in it, and started thinking about at least getting Mid pkg, might like more features since spending this much on a new vehicle (haven't bought myself a new car since 1980). Then I reviewed what was in all the packages and again thought that I want to keep this simple and keep it easier and less to repair down the road. I plan to keep this thing a very long time, and would be totally fine with virtually no options. Not sure at this point.

Of course, I don't think any of the options in those packages are new to Bronco, that stuff has been out there in other Fords and other brands. Still gives me pause.
Get the badlands Sasquatch with the high package and tow package and you got the best of the bronco’s as the 12 inch screen is worth the money.
 

RhodeIslandRed

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Looks like you got plenty of guidance on the lockers and sta-bar disconnect above, so the only other thing that I'd add is that when I did the Moab Off-Roadeo in a Badlands, it didn't have the optional front facing cameras that's only available on the High and Lux packages. Not something I thought I'd need that bad, but on the trails, I could really see the use for it. Badlands, with High+ just has so much going for it.
I have had my non-Sas manual badlands, high pkg for about a month. I have been wheeling a few times and I have really adopted the front camera when on-trail.

I just did the Off Roadeo in NH and no front cameras on any rigs. I think it was intentional as spotting was part of the course. But man, did I miss the camera. I can't believe how dependent I've become on it.

Even on pavement, like parking, I hit that camera button with my index finger when shifting from R to 1. -See what the hell's going on down there.

If the camera worked at speed, I'd stop looking out the windshield altogether. Jk.
 

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Intelligent access comes with mid package. Lets you leave the key fob in your pocket and unlocks the door with the proximity. I don’t know why more people don’t talk about this. it’s a major reason I got the mid pack. After having it on my last car, I don’t want to not have it again. Simple little thing, but I really like it.
Perfect that’s what I want.
 

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I have had my non-Sas manual badlands, high pkg for about a month. I have been wheeling a few times and I have really adopted the front camera when on-trail.

I just did the Off Roadeo in NH and no front cameras on any rigs. I think it was intentional as spotting was part of the course. But man, did I miss the camera. I can't believe how dependent I've become on it.

Even on pavement, like parking, I hit that camera button with my index finger when shifting from R to 1. -See what the hell's going on down there.

If the camera worked at speed, I'd stop looking out the windshield altogether. Jk.
Don’t do that, windshields are important :)
 

Crazyhorse8889

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Not that my opinion matters. I have no real off road experience other than some drunken nights in my younger years and some mud bogs but for me it was the Black Diamond and sasquatch with the 2.7 and mid package. I drove a 2 door with MGV and liked it. I have two kids under 3 so I like knowing I can pull the carseats out and hose the bronco out. As they get older we will go camping and some light trails here in Missouri but it's more or less just gonna be my Dad mobile
 

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Ahauser2010

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I just got my BL and love it!! I was between the BL and BD and I am so happy I went with the BL without a doubt!
 

mdepll

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I initially reserved a BD, but did some more digging to figure out the ground clearance and realized it's the same/less than my stock Xterra. My X does okay on trails here, but not great at almost 9". The lockers on the BD would be a game changer, as would full skids, but that was really it.

I wanted a BL from the start but the cost was a bit too much for me. 4A was a must have feature because I hate dealing with a manual transfer case during winter here- anyone that's driven on 36 or 70 can speak to how quickly roads will change from totally clear and you can go highway speeds to snowpack/ice and you need more traction, especially in the mountains. My Xterra also couldn't go faster than 45 in 4H.

I thought you couldn't get a manual with 4A, but that turned out to be wrong, and a BL MT was about as much as a Sasquatch BD, and reports are coming in that the stock BL ground clearance is just about 10", so I changed my order.

Depending on what kind of trails you want to off road here, most stock Broncos will do well if you go easy moderate to solid moderates, but you're gonna be working a bit harder and really picking your lines with anything more challenging. Yankee Hill is a "rite of passage" trail, moderate difficulty, but the absolute hardest trail I'd wheel my Xterra on. A BL is gonna let me tackle harder stuff IMO.

@Chase Gentry posted a video on his YT of a stock OBX doing Tincup that I think will give you a decent idea of the capability of stock trims on a more difficult trail here.
I thought stock BD non sas was near 10” ground clearance??
 

annieVonBebop

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annieVonBebop

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