Bronco Market Share down to 25%, while Jeep is 40% and 4Runner 35%

[SVBronco]

I am an offroad "Lite" type. Mostly dirt trails in Arizona. I have a 23 Badlands 2dr and a 23 Gladiator Mojave. On road ride I prefer the Ford. Off road is a bit of a toss-up. Daily driving the Ford is a constant irritant. Frameless windows that flop, SYNC Interface that blows chunks, Audio system interface with Android Auto that is terrible. The Jeeps UConnect system is so much better organized and laid out. Ford overloaded the Bronco with electronics that are more at home in a Cadillac. I am addicted to heated steering wheels and seats but all the adaptive cruise, lane keeping assist and such are such a waste. As for sales... Jeep has been offering up to 15% off MSRP in some markets since October 23 so that has to be helping sales. The market is saturated with Gladiators, my small town dealer has something like 15 23MY Gladiators on the lot.

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[mjohnso3]

I love what the Bronco was years ago and I love Ford powerplants, driving my 2.3 7 speed 2dr is a blast. But do I think the current Bronco has a reputation for being a long lasting rugged vehicle? Well perception is a huge part of this decline in sales, are people who are on the fence about spending a lot of cash on something they must depend on going to pick something that may lose steering on the trail or blow up a cv axle. I think Ford can salvage Broncos reputation but it may take some very creative thinking as well as a very robust vehicle to do it. I for one would love to see a 5.0 in a F150 size 2 door Bronco again, I guarantee that would sell like hot cakes. Beating Jeep at their own game will always be a tough challenge. Ford can do it, but they have to believe it first.

Good point and I would like to see the Bronco come standard with a solid front axle. That would be a game changer.

 

[mjohnso3]

It's because Toyota nuts are weird. They value reliability over tech. Based on Toyota's recent trends, the new one will finally be bought into this century but will also lose a lot of reliability.

Exactly, in order for Toyota to compete with Ford and Jeep they have to utilize the turbo charger for smaller displacement engines to squeeze more HP/TQ and better fuel economy. And everyone knows Toyota's secret was NA engines which equals longevity . Not true anymore

 

[Sjortiz]

Its almost like quality issues, huge price increases, shitty dealers, and changing market conditions are a thing

Quality issues 100%, I've broken my Bronco more than 7 times in a year, I beat the h$#l out of it tho, but my Bronco since stock till now has always been compared with my buddy's modded jeeps, sort of unfair but you never see the bronco compare with stock jeeps only fully built.

Besides that, mods are limited for the Bronco and cost way more than mods for Jeeps, I first did Camburg + fox 2.5 coil overs and that is around 6k with arms, and 8k with rear arms, you can take a Jeep and do the whole suspension with way less, now I'm doing a long travel setup because I got tired of lifting wheels on the trail and that ain't cheap either, another 6k, it'd be way more but I can reuse the same fox 2.5s by replacing the coils with higher rate ones... but overall I'm expending twice at much to do the same or less.

Not to mention a psc steering setup is around 1.5k on a Jeep, I went with the 74weld steering rack stage 3 and that was 6k with shipping, though the market right now for such an expensive toy... interest, money scarcity, and... lots of cheap factory parts that need replacing... tie rods, racks, upper arms, front bumper, sensor relocations, the computer freaking out if an abs sensor fails and shutting down lockers...

I haven't regretted my purchase because... I'm too deep already lol and this truck is getting to where I wanted since day one, so "all is well" now

 

[Dialtone]

Good point and I would like to see the Bronco come standard with a solid front axle. That would be a game changer.

Definitely need that death wobble, farm tool feeling to make it a better vehicle

 

[mjohnso3]

Definitely need that death wobble, farm tool feeling to make it a better vehicle

Yeah well you know the death wobbles is*mostly*(I say that with caution) a Jeep problem. To each their own but the SFA has far more pros than cons.

 

[mpeugeot]

Wait, so you're saying, Ford really does not want to be competitive with Jeep and 4Runner, so they will just leave money on the table of one model to chase another (Ranger)?

Are you forgetting, in 2020, Ford was projecting Bronco sales of 200,000 plus per year?

They blew that opportunity with the crap roll-out and the hardtop fiasco. They had a gold mine on their hands but decided to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory instead.

 

[mpeugeot]

I think Ford should advertise the Bronco more. Ive seen it included with other Ford vehicles, but the full size Bronco should definitely have its own ad. They need more influencers on YouTube driving their products. That might be tough because most of the Jeepers are set in their ways and they get the most views. Rock crawling is what gets views on YouTube. Many of them used the Bronco to get views when it first came out and said how great it was, but later bashed it to appease their subscribers. I definitely saw that coming It will be interesting to see what Ford does with a refresh.

I think Ford is definitely paying the price from some of the negative press (some is legit and some not). Hopefully many of the bugs are worked out with the refresh and there are a few more hardtop options. Ultimately the Bronco needs to prove itself as a tough and reliable platform that they can trust like the F150 with trucks.

It takes time. The competition has been out for decades. The new Broncos have only been out for literally 3 years.

If Ford really wants buyers now they need to do something “big” with the Bronco very soon. V8 and they will come! Differentiate from the masses!!

It doesn’t have to be a 5.0. Think smaller peppy little V8.

A small 3.5 liter 5v 8500 rpm V-8 would be glorious...

 

[Laddyaddy19]

I built my exact Bronco I paid $52k for in summer of 2022 and it's currently around $65k. There is absolutely no way I would pay that for a Bronco. There are far too many options that are cheaper, better built and more reliable in the long run. The absolute top end on these things should be $50k with an entry price of about $32k.

I feel that way about the wrangler too though. Other than the 392 and raptor.

A small 3.5 liter 5v 8500 rpm V-8 would be glorious...

I agree!! I was even thinking a modern 289 or something. Would be a fun little freedom loving machine! Doesn’t need 500 hp or anything crazy. It won’t have much if any competition. Although I’m still not convinced that Stellantis won’t bring the 492 Wrangler back in a year or two.

 

[Brian_B]

I'm not sure which figures you are referring to? In the posted table, Bronco lost market share Q1 23 to Q1 24, from 35% down to 25%. Jeep lost 1% and 4Runner gained 12%. Also, the Q1 24 adds up to 100%, Bronco 25% + Jeep 40% + 4Runner 35% = 100%.

You are right - the chart is correct. I didn't see the chart on my phone, was just reading the article.

The wording isn't correct though, and if you just read it, something doesn't add up. So you found the discrepancy!

In terms of segment share, the Wrangler earned a 40 percent share, down one percentage point year-over-year. The 4Runner posted a 35 percent segment share, down a 12 percentage points, while the Ford Bronco held 25 percent share, down 10 percentage points.

 

[voxel]

Wasn't Q1 really the first time Ford didn't have their huge backlog of orders holding them up with customers willing to pay? Add that to inflation and interest rates taking their toll on disposable income and I'm surprised anyone is out there buying 50k+ toys in these numbers.

I do wonder why 4Runner sales were so strong with the redesign release just around the corner though, wonder if the faithful know something we don't? I still trust my FJC more over my HE for dependability/longevity, that's a hard stereotype to break for most people especially with issues Ford had out the gate that still persist.

As for Jeep, who knows, new refresh and discounts goes a long way for some and others will only ever have a Jeep no matter what.

The spike in 4Runner sales surprised me too because they are everywhere on dealer's lots in FL ... but I think it is the dealer discounts being offered. Toyota dealers are offering $3K off most 4Runners and so they are high-40s, low-50. What kinda of Bronco can you buy at that price? Not a great one... we all know Broncos are overpriced.

Ford needs to actually crack down on ADM.

Interest rates are too high, inflation is too high, people are not wanting to spend big money on a toy car.

The 4Runner is seen as a dependable family car here. IMO they are not true competitors.

Lol. ADM is long gone. 23 Broncos need $5-8K discounts to move. IMO Ford needs to cut production ASAP. The demand for Broncos even at the early 23 price point is probably only 100K-units per year.

Cheap Fords are flying off the lots compared to Bronco. Folks are buying cars... they just are buying expensive toys.

 

[mpeugeot]

Bronco was the shiny new toy which drove up demand and prices. Now it's yesterday's news. At heart the Bronco is an off road vehicle that has a rice crispies IFS, whereas the Wrangler has a proven drivetrain that is easy to lift, robust, and will get you home. When your brand ambassadors have all dumped $5k into steering upgrades and $20k in portals the average guy will never afford that's not a good picture. For mild wheeling or for looks the Bronco is great, but when the front end goes snap, crackle and pop with a lift and 37's that's a problem. As much as I like my Bronco I wish I'd kept my JL for ease of lifting it. I am saving up to do all the necessary upgrades but does suck knowing how much more bang for the buck I would have gotten putting the same money into the Jeep.

The Bronco is not all that tough to lift, as long as you don't go full BroncBuster on it. With a 2" body lift and a set of Eibach Pro Truck 2.0 struts, I am pretty sure that 37s are not a problem. If you want to run 40s that's another story.

You don't have to dump $5k into the steering solution (but $5k will make it bulletproof). You can certainly get away with $1k for the HOSS 3.0 rack. I would not run 40s on the HOSS 3.0 rack, but 37s, sure.

The $20k portals are really nice and not completely out of the question for serious off-roaders who spend almost that much on a standard lift, rims, and tires. I would rather spend $20k on portals vs $8k on a whole suspension system... Especially when you consider the brake upgrade and rear axle upgrades included with the 74Weld portals. That said, you don't need portals to run 37s.

Personally, I consider myself to be a pretty average guy. My plan (as soon as I get back to Texas) is to install the Eibach Pro Truck 2.0 struts ($930) and 2" body lift ($150), and Upper Control Arms ($300), a small diff drop ($110), which along with my HOSS 3.0 rack ($1000). Should be most everything I need to run 37s and it wasn't $25k, it was 1/10th of the price ($2500).

No, it's not as "tough" as a solid front axle, but it's hardly snap, crackle, and pop. You just need to have some mechanical empathy. I see people beat on their rigs in ways that I know are not going to end well. If you beat it hard enough, it will break, even a solid front axle wrangler.

 

[Surfnbike]

Ford produced ~20k less Broncos in Q4 2023 when compared to Q4 2022. Of course they sold less Broncos the following quarter.

It doesn't matter how many Broncos Ford produces if the dealer lots are stuffed full of 'em like a Thanksgiving turnkey. Around here 75% of dealer inventory are '23 models with around 12-18 units each. They just are not moving with the crazy MSRPs and 9% auto loan rates. Oh and gas is $5.50/gal right now in socal and the Bronco gets terrible MPG.

 

[Surfnbike]

I am an offroad "Lite" type. Mostly dirt trails in Arizona. I have a 23 Badlands 2dr and a 23 Gladiator Mojave. On road ride I prefer the Ford. Off road is a bit of a toss-up. Daily driving the Ford is a constant irritant. Frameless windows that flop, SYNC Interface that blows chunks, Audio system interface with Android Auto that is terrible. The Jeeps UConnect system is so much better organized and laid out. Ford overloaded the Bronco with electronics that are more at home in a Cadillac. I am addicted to heated steering wheels and seats but all the adaptive cruise, lane keeping assist and such are such a waste. As for sales... Jeep has been offering up to 15% off MSRP in some markets since October 23 so that has to be helping sales. The market is saturated with Gladiators, my small town dealer has something like 15 23MY Gladiators on the lot.

My Jeep dealer has 30% off MSRP for this Jeep Gladiator...

https://www.hbchryslerdodgejeepram....e-county-1fe81d2f0a0e0a9147f2ea988e8cb288.htm

I can see this type of discount coming to Ford sometime this year for the '23 Broncos. All auto makers are going to continue to be vying for business until rates come down, especially the ones like Ford that ran up their prices.

 

[GroovyGeek]

This thread is really entertaining to read.

Most posters seem to think that the average Wrangler buyer gives a shit about tierod issues. Or that these issues are as prevalent as this forum makes them out to be. Or that a loaded JLUR costs substantiallynless than an equivalent Badlands. Or that your typical buyer puts on 37s and wheels them. Or that they even know what a portal is.

The truth is that the vast majority of Jeeps sold are Sports and Saharas who rarely go off road or get any substantial mods... Just like most Broncos. Jeep is a brand with international recognition while the average buying public has mostly heard of the Bronco in relation to O.J.... if they are old enough. On the basis of that alone the Bronco will never outsell the Wrangler unless Stellantis does something truly stupid. And they are unlikely to outsell the 4runner based on general usability. The Bronco simply does not have a unique angle to play relatively to those two.

My first true off-roader was a 2014 JK, which I sold when I bought the 2023 Bronco BD. From the point of view of the occasional weekend warrior who does not do more than 4-5 rates trails the Bronco is better than the Wrangler in every possible way. But had the new 4runner come out in 21-22 I would have been driving a Toyota instead of a Bronco.

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