I love it!! Who did your tint and how much? I moved from bd to basesquatch so I'm going to be in the market. I was debating going with that color since amb is gone but with you being so close, I may reconsider.....can't have twinsies so close....Well, after a lot of waiting, dreaming, and complaining it is finally here!
Reservation : 7/13 at 9:46pm EST
Converted : 2/2/21 at Preston Ford in Burton, OH
Build : 2 Door BaseSquatch Carbonized Grey with MIC top, 2.3L with 10 speed.
Options : HD front bumper and AUX switches
The dealership is prepping her today and I’ll be picking up tomorrow with my wife and son. I’ll start with the cell pictures I got from my sales guy and I will get some better ones when I bring it home.
UPDATE - INITIAL IMPRESSION
Before we get started, I want to thank all of the members of the forum for the love and support in taking delivery of this rig. I know that a lot of you are trying to stay patient. Let me say that all of the woes and angst that you are feeling while you wait are going to VANISH as soon as you pull off the lot. A couple of you have hit the nail on the head - It's a simple build for a simple man. I've scanned the pages of responses and made a list to hopefully answer all of the questions that you guys have. I will add more pictures for those that asked over the weekend while I play around with it a little more....here we go!
Size
The proportions of the Bronco make it look bigger than it is....let me explain. I have a 2018 Tiguan which is absolutely eclipsed by this thing. However, the width of the Bronco (mirror tip to mirror tip) is only 3.5" wider than my Tiguan. The height is obviously where the big differential comes in. I'm 5'9" and the step in isn't bad but I think a tube step would help me lol! The pictures we've seen do not adequately give you an idea of how large this thing is but I love it!
Driving
The 2.3 with the 10 speed should not be taken lightly. In the 2 door, it's a good match, it has good low-end torque and the 10 speed is surprisingly smooth. Coming from the 8 speed DSG in the Tiguan which was pretty incredible, I'm impressed with the 10 speed on this. It does learn the driver so sometimes it hunts for gears but that will sort itself out during the course of the break-in. The road noise is minimal, between the tires and the roof (I have the sound deadening liner), it's shockingly quiet. If you're coming from a luxury vehicle then it's probably going to take some getting used to. For those of you that owned vehicles with little insulation, I think you'll be impressed with the low amount of road noise. I have not had a chance to drive her in rain yet but I want to see what heavy raindrops are like on the MIC top and see if anything changes with the feel of the tires. On dry pavement, it handles nicely in turns with the short wheelbase but has a smooth ride at 50-60 mph. It's still body-on-frame so it's going to let you feel the road a little bit. I need a little more wheel time to get familiar with her but it'll be hard not to smile when you are cruising on a backroad to get to a trail.
The Territory MTs feel pretty sure of themselves during on-road driving in both wet and dry conditions. I have not mashed the throttle down beyond 3k rpm but, even so, going into corners does not feel sketchy. The short wheelbase makes it handle a little sharper than I anticipated which is great and the ride quality at cruising speed does not seem to be lacking due to the short wheelbase but I have spent all of my time in the front seat so I'll report back on the back seat feel on my upcoming road trip in August.
Exterior
The MIC top is darker than I thought it would be based on the pictures we've seen, it looks really good with the Carbonized grey and I think that perhaps the darker paint job makes the MIC look darker? I have nothing to prove my theory because I only saw soft tops at the Bronco events.
The Sasquatch badge is added with the SAS package, you do not need the HD Bumper.
There is no blind-spot monitoring on the base but it has the integrated blind spot mirrors, which I like a lot more because I have trust issues with technology.
I obviously didn't get the roof rails and I'm not sure I'm going to add them, I'm sure there are going to be some good aftermarket options coming by the end of this year. I am considering the external metal frame from @4 Wheel Parts Parts if they launch that for the 2 doors w/factory hardtop.
For those inquiring about tint, I'm going to investigate costs between ceramic versus regular and get back to you all. I may not even add tint but we'll see. I'm in Cleveland so we have about 4.7 days of sun per year. My appointment for tint is this Thursday (7/22/21) and I will include some after pictures here once the job is done.
Interior
My initial impression of the cloth seats is that they are good quality fabric, the seats are supportive but soft. Not soft like you sink into them but the comfort level on a 50-minute cruise was great! They are far superior to the cloth seats in my Tiguan, I'm very pleased. The lumbar support is only on the driver's seat which is nice to have for sure. I think it would have been cool to throw the manual lumbar on the passenger side, just thinking that if you take this out on the trail, you usually don't go alone but not a deal-breaker since the seat comfort is good for the entry-level trim. The leg and hip room in the second row is great (remember I'm 5' 9") and those seats are just as comfortable as the front seats. Also getting into the second row from the front is best on the passenger side, I think that seat slides a little further forward just because the steering wheel is out of the way. The steering wheel has tilt and telescope so you can get it in just the right position based on the seat placement.
The visibility is good all the way around but the second-row headrests do cut into your view out the rear window a little bit so I dropped them down which is perfect for me. The space behind the second row is much larger than I expected, there is plenty of space back there to do what you need to do on the daily. The seat folding is intuitive and easy if you need additional space. I would imagine that @goosegear is going to drop a sweet rear seat delete kit at some point.
Infotainment
The 8" screen is all I need, it's big enough and I don't like to mess around with a lot while I'm driving. It looks proper in the dash compared to what surrounds it so I feel like it looks complete. For those of you that can afford the jumbotron, go big or go home! Sync 4 is smooth and I'm still getting used to where everything is at but it's very intuitive, the menus are simple and easy to navigate so you won't spend a lot of time getting all your settings locked in.
The dash is very cool, there are a ton of configurations that you can do there which is nice. I have to spend more time working on that before I give a more detailed review on that but it's also intuitive and easy to move through with the steering wheel controls.
The sound system - it's exactly what I was looking for but I will warn others if you're into big sound while driving, THIS IS NOT THE SYSTEM YOU WANT. I just like to have some background music on while I drive so this is perfect for me. It's 6 speakers and gets the job done. Mids and highs are decent enough but the low frequency is not there. If you're looking for more, plan on upgrading or if you have time to change your order, get the B&O. I liked the B&O when I tested it out in the first edition at an event but I knew it went beyond my desires and needs so I stuck with the standard system.
I found someone in a Facebook group I am in post up some information about how he upgraded the entry-level sound system that includes video, part numbers to the speakers, light mods needing to be done to the front kick panel speaker brackets, etc
()
I hope this is helpful for those that are looking to get a little more out of their base in terms of sound quality.
FordPass
Short story here, I don't have the points yet but working with my sales guy on that. Also, I'm having trouble getting the Bronco activated in the app which I know is 100% user error here. Once I figure out how to not be stupid, I will add my take on the FordPass features.
So I did receive my initial 42k points for taking delivery but I believe I'm missing on the 20k points and based on the emails and intel going around, I am not sure if I should be waiting on more points or not.
I will get to adding more pictures this weekend and I'm happy to answer any other specific questions you all have in the meantime. I feel that it is my duty to dispense information while others wait for their Bronco. I'm not going anywhere and I hope to find you guys and gals on the trails, don't be strangers!
Dealer Photos
BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE
My buddy Razor will be spending a lot of time in the passenger seat.
Didn’t see this feature in the brochure but yes you can secure your ridgeback to the front tow hooks!
No bottle opener on the 2 door, just beer
We baby we this thing and it’s easy. Snap-N-Go stroller fits perfectly in the back.
I can’t remember how many liters this is but it’s an 82 can igloo. It fits nicely, you could go slightly bigger with no issues.
I’m not tryin’ to brag but the cup holders in the second row are sooooo nice!
The glove compartment is decently sized
So is the center console. It’s pretty deep.
Front USB power, the area for the phone is pretty big so any phone would fit easily. Even if they keep making them larger.
Rear power off the back of the center console.
Some armor on the tank but not much else besides the front skid which is very thick.
My garage was built in 1930 it’s very tight. The opening is 84” tall and 96” wide. I don’t need to fold mirrors in with a few inches on each side.
Power in the rear and a convenient cubby for storing small things you don’t want rolling around the tailgate area.
The storage area under the floor is small but good enough to hide some things. I just keep straps and a couple spare towels for the dogs down here.
An up-close of the light controls which default to auto the next time you start the vehicle even if you manually turn them off. The dash light dimmer is just to the right which controls all dash lights (screens, buttons, and knobs). The parking brake is electronic and very quiet.
A couple of additional underbelly shots. The armor you see in the back of these pictures is on the tank. As someone suggested, buying the OEM armor where it is missing for install on the BaseSquatch would be a great way to keep your drivetrain and case safe.
BAJA DESIGNS S2 PRO DRIVING/COMBO LIGHTS INSTALLED 7/21/2021
The BD Lights were delivered, I have them mounted to the location I want but not wired up just yet. See below for part numbers and some preliminary install shots before completing the wiring.
Because this isn't an official kit offered by Baja Designs and I pieced this together, I would recommend using a lock washer to install the metal mounting bracket with the OEM screw for your desired mounting location. It didn't seem like the screw would vibrate out but using a lock washer will give you the extra security and if you throw a little Loctite on there, you'll be in good shape.
There is a perfect opening to tuck the wiring under the cowl without having to notch anything out or drill a secondary hole.
I chose the outside location because it's further from the hood and I'm going to keep running the antenna so this just seemed logical to me.
Here is a quick shot of what the headlights look like pulling into the back part of my driveway. The headlights themselves are pretty strong.
This is with the headlights on low beams and the S2s on. You can see in the bottom left corner there is a bit of hood glare but it's not enough to change the orientation or use a space to raise them, it's minimal. The domed part of the hood also protects the glare from creeping towards the center of the hood which is nice. These lights are small but they are really powerful!
HOOD STRUTS INSTALLED 7/31/2021
Spent about 20 minutes getting the @Redline Tuning QuickLIFT Plus hood struts installed this evening. It would have taken 10 but I fumbled a bolt so I had to peel back part of the fender liner. The instructions that are provided with the struts are very clear and have good images to help you out.
Installing these ball studs is pretty simple, it slips into the second opening from the hinge and you just pull back and turn it clockwise to tighten it. Then finish it off with a 13mm deep well socket or an open end 13mm wrench.
Attaching the ball stud bracket near where the hinge meets the cowl is where I lost the bolt you need to remove and then re-install to mount the needed bracket for the strut. Once it’s re-installed it’s rock solid.
Here is a detail shot of where the bracket for the rod end mounts to the vehicle. This is a tricky spot to work in. You could remove the front fender body panel and it would be much easier but it would take a lot longer to complete.
Once installed it opens the hood much wider than the prop rod which is really nice. You could complete the install by yourself but it would be nice to have a helper on stand-by just in case.
You can see in the video below how well it operates. I may need to adjust my hood latch because it takes some force in order to get it closed. I cannot push mine shut from the initial release position that I opened it from. To clarify, I had this issue before the hood struts were installed. This was not a result of the installation. These hood struts give a nice premium feel to the rig.
WINDOW TINT COMPLETED 8/2/2021
Just got home from the tint shop and boy am I happy! Did the 3M ceramic IR crystalline film, 15% on the clamshell and 35% on the front windows. Visibility is very marginally changed, if at all. I can tell there is a drastic reduction in temperature inside the vehicle after sitting in the sun for several hours.
I liked the no tint look for sure but this keeps the car more comfortable and gives us a little privacy.
From the right angles, I think the varying percentages blend pretty nicely. The pictures don’t really do it justice. It has a 3-5 day cure period where the windows cannot be rolled down. The minor lowering of the window upon opening the door will not impact the installation. The edges of the film are filed down so that a factory look is achieved.
thank you! I had Nathan’s Auto Detailing do my window tint, they did an excellent job. I’m super happy with it. It was $649 for 5 windows using 3M ceramic film. Some folks thought it was pricey but you can barely tell it’s film.
I’m so glad I went with carb grey, it’s so ominous looking!
Picked my Base Sasquatch yesterday. Love it! Have enjoyed watching your build now I can't wait to start making this my own. If I see you on the streets in Cleveland I will be sure to wave.
Well, after a lot of waiting, dreaming, and complaining it is finally here!
Reservation : 7/13 at 9:46pm EST
Converted : 2/2/21 at Preston Ford in Burton, OH
Build : 2 Door BaseSquatch Carbonized Grey with MIC top, 2.3L with 10 speed.
Options : HD front bumper and AUX switches
The dealership is prepping her today and I’ll be picking up tomorrow with my wife and son. I’ll start with the cell pictures I got from my sales guy and I will get some better ones when I bring it home.
UPDATE - INITIAL IMPRESSION
Before we get started, I want to thank all of the members of the forum for the love and support in taking delivery of this rig. I know that a lot of you are trying to stay patient. Let me say that all of the woes and angst that you are feeling while you wait are going to VANISH as soon as you pull off the lot. A couple of you have hit the nail on the head - It's a simple build for a simple man. I've scanned the pages of responses and made a list to hopefully answer all of the questions that you guys have. I will add more pictures for those that asked over the weekend while I play around with it a little more....here we go!
Size
The proportions of the Bronco make it look bigger than it is....let me explain. I have a 2018 Tiguan which is absolutely eclipsed by this thing. However, the width of the Bronco (mirror tip to mirror tip) is only 3.5" wider than my Tiguan. The height is obviously where the big differential comes in. I'm 5'9" and the step in isn't bad but I think a tube step would help me lol! The pictures we've seen do not adequately give you an idea of how large this thing is but I love it!
Driving
The 2.3 with the 10 speed should not be taken lightly. In the 2 door, it's a good match, it has good low-end torque and the 10 speed is surprisingly smooth. Coming from the 8 speed DSG in the Tiguan which was pretty incredible, I'm impressed with the 10 speed on this. It does learn the driver so sometimes it hunts for gears but that will sort itself out during the course of the break-in. The road noise is minimal, between the tires and the roof (I have the sound deadening liner), it's shockingly quiet. If you're coming from a luxury vehicle then it's probably going to take some getting used to. For those of you that owned vehicles with little insulation, I think you'll be impressed with the low amount of road noise. I have not had a chance to drive her in rain yet but I want to see what heavy raindrops are like on the MIC top and see if anything changes with the feel of the tires. On dry pavement, it handles nicely in turns with the short wheelbase but has a smooth ride at 50-60 mph. It's still body-on-frame so it's going to let you feel the road a little bit. I need a little more wheel time to get familiar with her but it'll be hard not to smile when you are cruising on a backroad to get to a trail.
The Territory MTs feel pretty sure of themselves during on-road driving in both wet and dry conditions. I have not mashed the throttle down beyond 3k rpm but, even so, going into corners does not feel sketchy. The short wheelbase makes it handle a little sharper than I anticipated which is great and the ride quality at cruising speed does not seem to be lacking due to the short wheelbase but I have spent all of my time in the front seat so I'll report back on the back seat feel on my upcoming road trip in August.
Exterior
The MIC top is darker than I thought it would be based on the pictures we've seen, it looks really good with the Carbonized grey and I think that perhaps the darker paint job makes the MIC look darker? I have nothing to prove my theory because I only saw soft tops at the Bronco events.
The Sasquatch badge is added with the SAS package, you do not need the HD Bumper.
There is no blind-spot monitoring on the base but it has the integrated blind spot mirrors, which I like a lot more because I have trust issues with technology.
I obviously didn't get the roof rails and I'm not sure I'm going to add them, I'm sure there are going to be some good aftermarket options coming by the end of this year. I am considering the external metal frame from @4 Wheel Parts Parts if they launch that for the 2 doors w/factory hardtop.
For those inquiring about tint, I'm going to investigate costs between ceramic versus regular and get back to you all. I may not even add tint but we'll see. I'm in Cleveland so we have about 4.7 days of sun per year. My appointment for tint is this Thursday (7/22/21) and I will include some after pictures here once the job is done.
Interior
My initial impression of the cloth seats is that they are good quality fabric, the seats are supportive but soft. Not soft like you sink into them but the comfort level on a 50-minute cruise was great! They are far superior to the cloth seats in my Tiguan, I'm very pleased. The lumbar support is only on the driver's seat which is nice to have for sure. I think it would have been cool to throw the manual lumbar on the passenger side, just thinking that if you take this out on the trail, you usually don't go alone but not a deal-breaker since the seat comfort is good for the entry-level trim. The leg and hip room in the second row is great (remember I'm 5' 9") and those seats are just as comfortable as the front seats. Also getting into the second row from the front is best on the passenger side, I think that seat slides a little further forward just because the steering wheel is out of the way. The steering wheel has tilt and telescope so you can get it in just the right position based on the seat placement.
The visibility is good all the way around but the second-row headrests do cut into your view out the rear window a little bit so I dropped them down which is perfect for me. The space behind the second row is much larger than I expected, there is plenty of space back there to do what you need to do on the daily. The seat folding is intuitive and easy if you need additional space. I would imagine that @goosegear is going to drop a sweet rear seat delete kit at some point.
Infotainment
The 8" screen is all I need, it's big enough and I don't like to mess around with a lot while I'm driving. It looks proper in the dash compared to what surrounds it so I feel like it looks complete. For those of you that can afford the jumbotron, go big or go home! Sync 4 is smooth and I'm still getting used to where everything is at but it's very intuitive, the menus are simple and easy to navigate so you won't spend a lot of time getting all your settings locked in.
The dash is very cool, there are a ton of configurations that you can do there which is nice. I have to spend more time working on that before I give a more detailed review on that but it's also intuitive and easy to move through with the steering wheel controls.
The sound system - it's exactly what I was looking for but I will warn others if you're into big sound while driving, THIS IS NOT THE SYSTEM YOU WANT. I just like to have some background music on while I drive so this is perfect for me. It's 6 speakers and gets the job done. Mids and highs are decent enough but the low frequency is not there. If you're looking for more, plan on upgrading or if you have time to change your order, get the B&O. I liked the B&O when I tested it out in the first edition at an event but I knew it went beyond my desires and needs so I stuck with the standard system.
I found someone in a Facebook group I am in post up some information about how he upgraded the entry-level sound system that includes video, part numbers to the speakers, light mods needing to be done to the front kick panel speaker brackets, etc
()
I hope this is helpful for those that are looking to get a little more out of their base in terms of sound quality.
FordPass
Short story here, I don't have the points yet but working with my sales guy on that. Also, I'm having trouble getting the Bronco activated in the app which I know is 100% user error here. Once I figure out how to not be stupid, I will add my take on the FordPass features.
So I did receive my initial 42k points for taking delivery but I believe I'm missing on the 20k points and based on the emails and intel going around, I am not sure if I should be waiting on more points or not.
I will get to adding more pictures this weekend and I'm happy to answer any other specific questions you all have in the meantime. I feel that it is my duty to dispense information while others wait for their Bronco. I'm not going anywhere and I hope to find you guys and gals on the trails, don't be strangers!
Dealer Photos
BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE
My buddy Razor will be spending a lot of time in the passenger seat.
Didn’t see this feature in the brochure but yes you can secure your ridgeback to the front tow hooks!
No bottle opener on the 2 door, just beer
We baby we this thing and it’s easy. Snap-N-Go stroller fits perfectly in the back.
I can’t remember how many liters this is but it’s an 82 can igloo. It fits nicely, you could go slightly bigger with no issues.
I’m not tryin’ to brag but the cup holders in the second row are sooooo nice!
The glove compartment is decently sized
So is the center console. It’s pretty deep.
Front USB power, the area for the phone is pretty big so any phone would fit easily. Even if they keep making them larger.
Rear power off the back of the center console.
Some armor on the tank but not much else besides the front skid which is very thick.
My garage was built in 1930 it’s very tight. The opening is 84” tall and 96” wide. I don’t need to fold mirrors in with a few inches on each side.
Power in the rear and a convenient cubby for storing small things you don’t want rolling around the tailgate area.
The storage area under the floor is small but good enough to hide some things. I just keep straps and a couple spare towels for the dogs down here.
An up-close of the light controls which default to auto the next time you start the vehicle even if you manually turn them off. The dash light dimmer is just to the right which controls all dash lights (screens, buttons, and knobs). The parking brake is electronic and very quiet.
A couple of additional underbelly shots. The armor you see in the back of these pictures is on the tank. As someone suggested, buying the OEM armor where it is missing for install on the BaseSquatch would be a great way to keep your drivetrain and case safe.
BAJA DESIGNS S2 PRO DRIVING/COMBO LIGHTS INSTALLED 7/21/2021
The BD Lights were delivered, I have them mounted to the location I want but not wired up just yet. See below for part numbers and some preliminary install shots before completing the wiring.
Because this isn't an official kit offered by Baja Designs and I pieced this together, I would recommend using a lock washer to install the metal mounting bracket with the OEM screw for your desired mounting location. It didn't seem like the screw would vibrate out but using a lock washer will give you the extra security and if you throw a little Loctite on there, you'll be in good shape.
There is a perfect opening to tuck the wiring under the cowl without having to notch anything out or drill a secondary hole.
I chose the outside location because it's further from the hood and I'm going to keep running the antenna so this just seemed logical to me.
Here is a quick shot of what the headlights look like pulling into the back part of my driveway. The headlights themselves are pretty strong.
This is with the headlights on low beams and the S2s on. You can see in the bottom left corner there is a bit of hood glare but it's not enough to change the orientation or use a space to raise them, it's minimal. The domed part of the hood also protects the glare from creeping towards the center of the hood which is nice. These lights are small but they are really powerful!
HOOD STRUTS INSTALLED 7/31/2021
Spent about 20 minutes getting the @Redline Tuning QuickLIFT Plus hood struts installed this evening. It would have taken 10 but I fumbled a bolt so I had to peel back part of the fender liner. The instructions that are provided with the struts are very clear and have good images to help you out.
Installing these ball studs is pretty simple, it slips into the second opening from the hinge and you just pull back and turn it clockwise to tighten it. Then finish it off with a 13mm deep well socket or an open end 13mm wrench.
Attaching the ball stud bracket near where the hinge meets the cowl is where I lost the bolt you need to remove and then re-install to mount the needed bracket for the strut. Once it’s re-installed it’s rock solid.
Here is a detail shot of where the bracket for the rod end mounts to the vehicle. This is a tricky spot to work in. You could remove the front fender body panel and it would be much easier but it would take a lot longer to complete.
Once installed it opens the hood much wider than the prop rod which is really nice. You could complete the install by yourself but it would be nice to have a helper on stand-by just in case.
You can see in the video below how well it operates. I may need to adjust my hood latch because it takes some force in order to get it closed. I cannot push mine shut from the initial release position that I opened it from. To clarify, I had this issue before the hood struts were installed. This was not a result of the installation. These hood struts give a nice premium feel to the rig.
WINDOW TINT COMPLETED 8/2/2021
Just got home from the tint shop and boy am I happy! Did the 3M ceramic IR crystalline film, 15% on the clamshell and 35% on the front windows. Visibility is very marginally changed, if at all. I can tell there is a drastic reduction in temperature inside the vehicle after sitting in the sun for several hours.
I liked the no tint look for sure but this keeps the car more comfortable and gives us a little privacy.
From the right angles, I think the varying percentages blend pretty nicely. The pictures don’t really do it justice. It has a 3-5 day cure period where the windows cannot be rolled down. The minor lowering of the window upon opening the door will not impact the installation. The edges of the film are filed down so that a factory look is achieved.
It’s a great combo! I have about 4,500 miles on it already and it’s plenty of power. The ride quality for being on 35s is exceptional. I was super tempted to go with the 2.7 but I’m glad I didn’t.
