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Bronco Big Bend vs Jeep Wrangler Willy's

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Clubs
 
You should buy the Jeep and drop your Bronco reservation :)
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Milamdj

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My beef with Wrangler is that you have to go all the way to Rubicon to get lockers and then you get both lockers. Why does Jeep not offer maybe a rear locker on the Sahara and both lockers on the Rubicon? There is no middle ground. Huge allure with Bronco for that. Agree that the Jeep is easier to lift and modify with the solid front axle, but because the Jeep is not offered in 35's and really the gearing sucks for the stock 33s, you have to (need to) re-gear to run bigger tires and appreciate the stock performance. I still think the better value is the Bronco to get it all from the factory. With the Jeep, you need suspension lift, bigger tires, and then to re-gear and you have to go Rubicon to get any lockers at all. Plus you may want to to reconsider a beefier front axle on the Jeep if going with 35s.
 

ramblinwreck

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I thought a Willys had a rear locker....
Anyhow, it compares more closely with a Black Diamond than a Big Bend. I’d think Big Bend is closer to Sport S.
 

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rand442002

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Very true. At that price range, I think you'd be way happier and get more bang for your buck in the Willys than the Bronco, if you're just looking at 2-door.

IMO, the way I see it, the Wrangler starts lower priced and better valued than the bronco, but goes way higher and decreases in value whereas the bronco increases in terms of how much value you're getting. The problem about all of the a-la-carte options Jeep offers, that Ford bundles in packages and frustrates many buyers on this forum, is that in some cases specing out an equivalent Jeep adds up very quickly. I haven't ventured to try it yet, but I feel like if I were to build a Rubicon with every comparable feature to a lux Badlands, I would end up with something way more expensive. On the other hand, you can grab a totally capable 2-door Willys with exactly the features you want to pay for. In a Bronco, you will have to either spend more on wheels/tires/level/lift aftermarket to get the capability on the Base, andor step up a lot to the BB to get the better packages.
It really depends on which options are important to you. For me, I really want heated seats and steering wheel while I could not care less about the nanny systems or extra large displays or fancy audio. To get the heated wheel on the bronco I have to get the Lux package while on a wrangler, I only have to add the $700 cold weather package. I REALLY want the bronco but pricewise, the wrangler would be better for me.

But that's probably just me because my current truck has hand crank windows, no working radio and no working heater and it's winter in Montana ?
 

MannyG20

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..... no working heater and it's winter in Montana ?
Reminds me of the first brand new car my wife and I bought in the 90’s. Her car had no working AC and it was summer in Texas. ?
 

Coldsmoke

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I love Jeeps and have had two BUT, I've also owned four F150's and I am kind of banking on Ford to keep the "Ford tough" in the Bronco. However, the real selling point to me on the Bronco over the Jeep is the hip room. The design of the Bronco makes the cabin a bit wider, and therefore more roomy and comfortable. The basic design of the Jeep has been the same since the TJ. Not that its bad, but I am looking forward to something different. That being said, to all my cohorts in crime holding a Bronco reservation: Buy Jeep! (and I'll let you know how the Bronco is) ?
 

rand442002

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Reminds me of the first brand new car my wife and I bought in the 90’s. Her car had no working AC and it was summer in Texas. ?
Hahaha, that was me driving this truck 2 summers ago in the Florida summer. At least my teuck has wing windows to channel air directly at me.
 

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wylieone46

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Great timing that this thread started as I'm a four door base Bronco guy but with the automatic price increase, I too this morning started looking back at the Wrangler, Willys specifically.

Can someone please elaborate what their "anti-slip (rear) differential" is? I'd guess a clutch type but wanted to learn more. I was leaning towards putting a helical front and rear for the base Bronco as lockers don't hold that much appeal to me.

From what I can tell, the Willys looks like a great bang for the buck for someone like me. The diesel option is interesting too.

I feel like the Bronco reliability will overall be better and is better suited for me (IFS daily driver), but I'm still frankly pissed at the price increase for the base four door and am reconsidering my options.

And wow are Jeep colors better.
I agree that the IFS is the biggest plus for a daily driver. My Bronco will be my daily driver. I took a test drive in a Wrangler last year and I personally couldn't deal with how it felt on the highway. I understand the off road benefits of the solid front axle - I just know that won't be how I use my Bronco most of the time. I test drove a Ranger last month and I can deal with the suspension set-up just fine.
 

Clint

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I can get a well equipped 2 door Rubicon for right at $40K before taxes. I'd go with it, but the cargo space isn't there compared to the 2 door Bronco.

Plus, Ford isn't making me pay extra for F**king LED lights!! It's 2020 for god's sake, every new car over $30K should have them by now.
 

NoDoorsNoProblem

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I agree that the IFS is the biggest plus for a daily driver. My Bronco will be my daily driver. I took a test drive in a Wrangler last year and I personally couldn't deal with how it felt on the highway. I understand the off road benefits of the solid front axle - I just know that won't be how I use my Bronco most of the time. I test drove a Ranger last month and I can deal with the suspension set-up just fine.
For me, the bottom line on Bronco vs Wrangler. I'll never wheel it hard enough to need a SFA, and people have been tackling trails way harder than I'll ever do with IFS midsize trucks and 4runners for years, with only basic suspension mods like coilovers and control arms. The bronco, especially in sasquatch, will meet or exceed a lot of IFS rig's capabilities, right out of the gate. And I want the composed manners of the IFS when I'm commuting or driving multiple 12+ hour treks across the country.
 
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FATHORSE

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I thought a Willys had a rear locker....
Anyhow, it compares more closely with a Black Diamond than a Big Bend. I’d think Big Bend is closer to Sport S.
I am give and take on both builds. And believe me, I have built each model several times. These are simply the two I would chose.
 

NoDoorsNoProblem

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I can get a well equipped 2 door Rubicon for right at $40K before taxes. I'd go with it, but the cargo space isn't there compared to the 2 door Bronco.

Plus, Ford isn't making me pay extra for F**king LED lights!! It's 2020 for god's sake, every new car over $30K should have them by now.
HUGE for the 2-door crowd. Before the reveal, based on the 2-door wranglers and even the 4-door models I've seen, I didn't even consider the 2-door. My buddy's lifted JK on 37s is a dope rig, but he's got about 8 inches between the rear seat and the tailgate, it's laughable. Seeing the 2-door bronco space impressed me a LOT, I've been tempted to go 2 door many times because I think it would be livable. Then I factor in the dogs and numerous situations where the 4 door just makes more sense every time, and it brought me back to reality.

If I was in the market for a 2-door, outside of the SFA vs IFS, the engines, the features and packages, the pricing, I think room alone would convince me to go for Bronco over Wrangler based on the amount of vehicle you get in a small package.
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