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Bronco 1st Impressions

Beach_Bum

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It was definitely a 2.7 with 33"s. He showed me pics on his phone and I saw both pics of 22 & 23 mpg, so I'd say it's at least possible. I was surprised too.

But he was not pushing the engine hard at all. He said he wasn't going over 65. I took that to mean he was going as easy as possible to get the absolute highest MPG.

He said that wouldn't be possible on a Sasquatch, obviously.
Thank you for the follow up. It is fantastic news and I hope others picked up on it. Badlands with the extra armor is a heavy vehicle. And for it to get more than 20 mpg should be welcome news. It wouldn't be unreasonable to expect better mpg with the 2.3L.
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Eason

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Thank you for the follow up. It is fantastic news and I hope others picked up on it. Badlands with the extra armor is a heavy vehicle. And for it to get more than 20 mpg should be welcome news. It wouldn't be unreasonable to expect better mpg with the 2.3L.
He also said those were largely highway miles driving from Tenn to LA. He said he was trying to keep it under 60mph to get the best possible mpg. But still good to know. I wouldn't have thought that was possible either.
 

Rlack75

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I was able to see the Bronco in-person for the 1st time yesterday in West Monroe, LA. They had 2 Badlands Models on display. One had MGV and the other had the leather trimmed interior and neither were Sasquatched.

I ordered a Wildtrak in January and currently drive a 2019 F150 King Ranch. I usually lift my trucks a few inches and I had a couple of concerns about the Bronco:
1. Was the Sas package necessary for the height of truck I have become accustomed to?
2. Is the width of the truck on the inside going to feel cramped after driving full sized trucks for years?
3 Will I be disappointed in the 2.7 V6, coming from a 5.0 V8?

My initial 1st impressions:
As others have stated, the Bronco is bigger in person than it seems on screen. My 1st question to the Ford Reps: "Both of these are non-Sasquatched?" And I heard 3 other people ask the same question. I was shocked that neither of them were Sas'd.

I'll say this: from a guy that usually lifts his trucks, the standard Bronco with 33" tires has plenty of size. I prefer lifted trucks and still glad I ordered a Sas, but I would have also been content with a standard Bronco on 33"s. That was the biggest surprise to me.

The inside width of the Bronco was smaller than my King Ranch, but it was in no way uncomfortable. The steering wheel was slightly smaller than my F150 and the console was seriously smaller, like about half the size of my current console or more. There isn't room for 2 elbows on the console.

That being said, I can absolutely deal with it. It's a smaller width vehicle but I wouldn't say it was uncomfortable, which was my main concern.

The 12" touchscreen was huge!! But it does take a little while to load on startup.

They had the MGV and the leather trimmed version on display and both were cool. I would have been happy with either. The MGV is interesting. It's not exactly vinyl or leather but its very comfortable. It was fairly soft.

While I didn't get to drive either of them, everyone I asked said the same thing: there is plenty of torque in the 2.7. I don't think I'm ever going to be looking for power that it doesn't have. I'm rarely pushing my current engine over 3,500 rpms. I'd say 90% of the time I'm under 3,000 rpms. But based on conversations with people who are driving the Broncos around the country, I think it has plenty of get-up and go from 0-60 and plenty of power to pass vehicles on the road. One driver showed me that he had been driving in Eco mode and was getting 22-23 mpg. If I could get 17-18mpg, I be thrilled.

Overall: Ford hit it out of the park without a doubt! There were people of all ages there and everyone loved it. For me personally, there are some minor inconveniences coming from a full size truck, but the positives far outweigh the negatives. I can't wait to drive it!
Our main vehicle is my wife’s 2018 Audi Q5, from what I’ve read the pillar to pillar is within an inch or so of being the same as the Bronco. Nobody is sitting comfortably in the center back seat of the Q5.
And no adult is riding behind me in the Q5 without me moving my seat forward!

So, I think the Bronco size is fine for this type of vehicle!
 

Wanted33

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I saw the Rapid Red OBX, and the Velocity Blue BB that has been cruising the southeast in Huntersville, NC yesterday. The OBX had the NP leather, and the BB had the sandstone cloth. My wife has nerve damage in her hip and left leg from a car accident, and is very sensitive to seating in a vehicle. She was very pleased, as I was, with the comfort of both. With the Navy Pier I was surprised it wasn't as blue as I thought. It is actually quite nice looking with the the dark navy blue inserts, and the gray trimming. The only thing that left me baffled (not a deal breaker though) is the 4 inch rise in the cargo area with the rear seat backs down. It just doesn't make any sense to me that Jeep can design a relatively flat floor, and Ford couldn't. I didn't post any pics as everyone has seen every picture of every traveling Bronco out there. Overall I am quite impressed, and can't wait to get my new OBX home.
 

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Same thing happened when I when I saw them. (regular badlands and FE) people kept asking if they were sure the Badlands wasn’t squatchEd. It was very hard to see the difference
 

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Wanted33

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No need to worry about the 2.7. My last F150 (2016) had it and it was quicker off the line and had more pulling power and got better mileage (even towing) than my previous V8 F150s (a 2000 and a 2008).
I ask the young lady that was driving the 2.7L OBX (in Huntersville, NC) what the mpgs were were. She smiled (through her mask, damnit), and said "more than 10, less than 30". Made me giggle......:)

I think we can expect the Bronco with the 2.7L and 3.73 gearing to get within a gnats hair of what the F-150 Crew with the 2.7L with 3.55 gearing gets. Of course this is just a SWAG at best. I wouldn't make any bets on what a 4 door squatched Bronco w/4.27 or 4.76 gearing will do.
 

kodiakisland

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Funny how everyone's perspective is different. I saw the same two Broncos in Arkansas and thought they were smaller than expected. Looks bigger on my computer than in real life.

Not that I think they are too small. Just that I was expecting a bit bigger. I guess I've been in too many lifted full size 4WDs.

I think my 2dr will be the perfect size.
 

Mattwings

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I saw the Rapid Red OBX, and the Velocity Blue BB that has been cruising the southeast in Huntersville, NC yesterday. The OBX had the NP leather, and the BB had the sandstone cloth. My wife has nerve damage in her hip and left leg from a car accident, and is very sensitive to seating in a vehicle. She was very pleased, as I was, with the comfort of both. With the Navy Pier I was surprised it wasn't as blue as I thought. It is actually quite nice looking with the the dark navy blue inserts, and the gray trimming. The only thing that left me baffled (not a deal breaker though) is the 4 inch rise in the cargo area with the rear seat backs down. It just doesn't make any sense to me that Jeep can design a relatively flat floor, and Ford couldn't. I didn't post any pics as everyone has seen every picture of every traveling Bronco out there. Overall I am quite impressed, and can't wait to get my new OBX home.
I think a couple of factors were in play, not the least of which is the Bronco started as a Ranger. I believe the rear suspension and shocks were also a factor in the final floor design. There have been a couple of threads that discussed that aspect, but I am to frustrated by the search function to find them. 🥵 Once you drive it, you will forgive the 4” bump I think!
 

Wanted33

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I think a couple of factors were in play, not the least of which is the Bronco started as a Ranger. I believe the rear suspension and shocks were also a factor in the final floor design. There have been a couple of threads that discussed that aspect, but I am to frustrated by the search function to find them. 🥵 Once you drive it, you will forgive the 4” bump I think!
Oh yeah Matt, I can work around it for sure. And I've been driving a Jeep so you know I'll be really happy with the way the Bronco will drive. :) If it's anywhere close to the way my Ranger drives it will be great.
 

Mattwings

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Oh yeah Matt, I can work around it for sure. And I've been driving a Jeep so you know I'll be really happy with the way the Bronco will drive. :) If it's anywhere close to the way my Ranger drives it will be great.
My son has a 2019 FX4. I would describe the driving experience between the two as familiar. They definitely share DNA but maybe a good description is they have different fathers? 😯 You will be happy, if you like the Ranger.
 

KKCrunch

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