Bronco Overlanding 6 months review + photos from Southern Utah, Colorado and Wyoming

[mcon33]

Not trying to be an ass, but what reliability issues have you had? The definition of reliability to me is being able to dependably get from point a to point b with no issues witch it sounds like you have. The other issues are related to build and qc.

That was my question too.. Which is it?

One time I did have to drive 5-10 mph for 2 hours to get to my campspot. Even though the SUV could make it there, it was very slow (adding the stressful to pop a tire). Came back with the Bronco and flew over that section at 50mph, with a smile on my face

or

Suspension platform when loaded. The Bilstein work really well when the vehicle is empty, but throw in overlanding gear and it will bottom out on mild bumps at 15mph.

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[tapritchettAREA51]

How do you like the roof top tent??

 

[splytsecond]

It works really well. Very stable and not too much noise added. However the tent is only 105 lbs so that helps.

hard to tell for sure in the pictures - do you have it mounted directly to the ford rack? all the info i find tells me i need the yakima crossbars on top of the ford rails which doesnt make much sense

How do you like the roof top tent??

also curious how you like it - i noticed it's one of the things you mentioned you'd change about your setup? just not a fan of RTT in general? or something about this one in particular? soft vs hard shell, etc?

thanks for the writeup - great info

 

[AZ_BRONC]

Any thoughts on sleeping in the Bronco while over-landing? I see you’ve got the fridges but would it be doable for those of us with 4 doors and an unobstructed rear cargo area?

 

[Fade5G]

Those are amazing pictures. What canyon is that with the drone pic?

 

[dejones64]

Awesome pics and trip. You could use these in marketing any of the products you’re using.

 

[buck_6G]

Both my best friend and I reserved our Broncos 7 minutes after the reveal and we both took delivery of our 2022 4D Badlands Sasquatch Lux on Feb 2022, the same day. Both same config except one is Cactus the other Area 51. After 6 months of use including several overlanding trips in Southern Utah, Colorado and Wyoming, I thought I would share my experience and share some cool pictures about those trips (more pictures and videos on our IG page @landscapturer).


I wrote an extensive report on the forum for both my experience at KOH last year, then at the Utah Offrodeo, so the information below is a complement to that.

Configuration:

Badlands 4D Sasquatch Lux hardtop

Look mods:

• Beauty rings powder coated black
• FE vinyls and mountain vinyls on rear windows
• Front Windows ceramic tinted

Accessories:

• Rigid Pilar lights
• Goose Gear cargo platform
• Goose gear fridge slide + Dometic Fridge
• Rokblokz mud flaps
• American Adventure Lab cargo shelf (to be installed next week, photos incoming)
• Ford roof rack
• Yakima Skyrise HD roof top tent
• Lots of various Ford accessories bought with points such as floor mats, air compressor etc
• Lots of overlanding gear

After a few issues with Rokblokz and Goosegear that got sorted out (I posted comments and reviews in dedicated threads here) I am super happy with all my mods and wouldn’t change a thing except the roof top tent.


Now about the Bronco itself:

Things I love:

• Comfort. Both on and off road this car is comfortable and it all starts with the seats. They are, in my opinion, with Volvo SUV seats the most comfortable seats I have ever tried, especially on long trips. That’s an important point because at the end of the day you spend huge amount of time on those seats…
• Ride and drive. When you think about the capability offroad, I believe Ford did an amazing job with on road behaviors. The body roll is reasonably controlled, the ride is comfortable, track straight, everything just feels right (steering,…). Even when compared to regular non off road SUVs, the Bronco still holds its own and that’s a huge achievement and miles ahead of the Wrangler.
• Engine. I drove the 2.3 and 2.7 a lot before ending up with the 2.7. I did write an extensive post on this but I strongly advice anyone with a heavy build (remember I have a Badlands with 4D, Sasquatch and Lux so basically the heaviest build) to go with the 2.7. The engine is super smooth and powerful, it’s just a joy to drive in any situation. Another excellent job from Ford
• Off road and overlanding. I wrote in length about that for my KOH and Offrodeo report, and the summary is it’s really excellent. I will add that the Bronco has been a fantastic vehicle for overlanding. I am not passionate about off-roading. I don’t do difficult trail because I love it. I do offroad because it takes me to remote beautiful places and amazing camp spots. And for that application the Bronco is excellent for 1 reason: you know it will take you there. I used to be stuck all the times in our adventures with our previous SUV because at one point in the road trip you needed a more capable vehicle. It’s been a hassle many times. The bronco completely changed that. Now I don’t sweat about trail planning. I know that if any stock vehicle including Jeeps can make it, I can make it no pbm. Another HUGE advantage is the speed to get there. One time I did have to drive 5-10 mph for 2 hours to get to my campspot. Even though the SUV could make it there, it was very slow (adding the stressful to pop a tire). Came back with the Bronco and flew over that section at 50mph, with a smile on my face. World of difference.
• Fun. Never a vehicle provided me with that amount of fun. That includes driving to the grocery store. It’s just a fun vehicle to drive all around and I am always smiling, 6 months after, whenever I put my ass in there.
• Look. One of the best looking vehicle on the road IMO. I never get tired to look at it.

Things I don’t like:

• Noise. It’s factually quite noisy on the highway and it gets tiring for long road trips. I don’t remove the hardtop much so I wish they had a non removable top version.
• Interior build quality. Plastics are flimsy. Non premium materials for a premium price.
• Reliability. Despite being a 2023 both my best friend and I got our Broncos at the same time. We both got several issues including rattling from the windows and wheel wells, weather strips that get unglued, bugs with the media system, 12V plug not working, body panel alignment issues, rear doors that can’t be open properly due to window not coming down, etc. Looking at the forum, those are not one time events. I have never had that many issues in vehicles I drove for 50,000 miles (including first model year), let alone 6000 miles like this Bronco. It’s really a shame.
• Suspension platform when loaded. The Bilstein work really well when the vehicle is empty, but throw in overlanding gear and it will bottom out on mild bumps at 15mph. That’s expected though for a stock vehicle, and it still is miles better than most vehicles money can buy, and the easy fix will be stiffer springs and compression adjustable coilovers.
• Lux package is a bit lacking. I am glad I got it, but I wish there was an option for ventilated front seats which would make a huge difference especially in warm states. Hard to understand why a lot of the tech from the F150 is not available as well.

I wish the Bronco was built properly, with the right materials and the right QC but those negatives don’t prevent me from enjoying this vehicle that provides us massive joy and fun. Most of the cons are relatively minor except reliability. I accept the reliability trade off though thanks to the warranty and I would much rather do that than having a really boring and less capable and less comfortable and less technologically advanced but more reliable 4Runner. To each his own!

Now time for some photographies, if you would like to see more in the future don’t hesitate to follow along on our IG page clicking here: @landscapturer

Where did you order the First Edition body graphics for your Badlands? I have a BL scheduled to be built in just over a week, and was searching for this graphics kit yesterday without much luck. I've seen third party vinyl sites offering a chunkier imitation of the FE decals, but yours look OEM.

 

[highrez]

Thanks for the writeup! I'm really interested in the Goose Gear system and would love to see more pictures of your setup. I'm thinking about doing a similar thing. Any changes you would make in hindsight?

 

[DA JUICE]

Any comment on your RTT? Which one would you go with instead?

 

[broncosor]

That was my question too.. Which is it?

One time I did have to drive 5-10 mph for 2 hours to get to my campspot. Even though the SUV could make it there, it was very slow (adding the stressful to pop a tire). Came back with the Bronco and flew over that section at 50mph, with a smile on my face

or

Suspension platform when loaded. The Bilstein work really well when the vehicle is empty, but throw in overlanding gear and it will bottom out on mild bumps at 15mph.

there has been several issues with tie rods breaking, 2.7 engine issues, and myself have experimented a few such as the 12V that failed during one trip and left me with a battery that couldn’t recharge and therefore couldn’t power my fridge.

How do you like the roof top tent??

hard to tell for sure in the pictures - do you have it mounted directly to the ford rack? all the info i find tells me i need the yakima crossbars on top of the ford rails which doesnt make much sense

also curious how you like it - i noticed it's one of the things you mentioned you'd change about your setup? just not a fan of RTT in general? or something about this one in particular? soft vs hard shell, etc?

thanks for the writeup - great info

It’s mounted directly. No need for crossbars at all. The main thing I like about this tent is the way (I set it up with my wife on the roof easily) and the clamp system that is lockable and tool less. Much better system than anything else in the industry.
I don’t love it for several reasons:
It’s the 2 person model and being 6’6” it’s too small for me. The mattress is quite uncomfortable. The fact it’s a soft shell, it takes longer to open and close. Also, it’s bulky.
my 2 favorite tents are the James Barroud (excellent quality, better mattress, available in XXL), and the iKamper 3.0 (almost king size mattress). Both set up instantly and take a min to take down. The reason I don’t own them is at 160 lbs my wife cannot put it on the roof with me. And because we can’t clear the garage door, we do have to set it up each time.
For now on I will use the ground tent (it’s a Decathlon 2 seconds easy, best tent on the market because it sets up in 20 seconds, faster than a RTT in fact.)
In the future I will maybe getting a small trailer that can accommodate a nice RTT on top that i

Any thoughts on sleeping in the Bronco while over-landing? I see you’ve got the fridges but would it be doable for those of us with 4 doors and an unobstructed rear cargo area?

in my previous SUV we were doing just that. Not super practical in the bronco. It’s shorter so I don’t fit at 6’6”, the cargo area is not flat, and there is the fridge.
plus what I always hated anyway before was that you have to put all your gear somewhere when you sleep.
but doae

Where did you order the First Edition body graphics for your Badlands? I have a BL scheduled to be built in just over a week, and was searching for this graphics kit yesterday without much luck. I've seen third party vinyl sites offering a chunkier imitation of the FE decals, but yours look OEM.

It’s not OEM. I won’t post the website as there were the worst business I have ever dealt with but it’s one you already saw mostlikely

Thanks for the writeup! I'm really interested in the Goose Gear system and would love to see more pictures of your setup. I'm thinking about doing a similar thing. Any changes you would make in hindsight?

I had issues with it initially. I posted about it here on the forum. Their customer service was excellent.
Some of the issues I had to fix myself. In hindsight I love it. Having the fridge slide and now with the shelf I just received it’s going to be so practical.

Any comment on your RTT? Which one would you go with instead?

Yes, see above comment

 

[jbellousux]

Thanks for the write-up.

I’m happy with my vehicle but agree that the plastics inside are laughably bad. Knock on wood, no reliability issues at >4000 miles.

The windshield chips very easily. Hopefully, Ford will add a “Gorilla Glass” option soon, like Jeep.

 

[R11]

Love these pics!

 

[splytsecond]

It’s mounted directly. No need for crossbars at all. The main thing I like about this tent is the way (I set it up with my wife on the roof easily) and the clamp system that is lockable and tool less. Much better system than anything else in the industry.
I don’t love it for several reasons:
It’s the 2 person model and being 6’6” it’s too small for me. The mattress is quite uncomfortable. The fact it’s a soft shell, it takes longer to open and close. Also, it’s bulky.
my 2 favorite tents are the James Barroud (excellent quality, better mattress, available in XXL), and the iKamper 3.0 (almost king size mattress). Both set up instantly and take a min to take down. The reason I don’t own them is at 160 lbs my wife cannot put it on the roof with me. And because we can’t clear the garage door, we do have to set it up each time.
For now on I will use the ground tent (it’s a Decathlon 2 seconds easy, best tent on the market because it sets up in 20 seconds, faster than a RTT in fact.)
In the future I will maybe getting a small trailer that can accommodate a nice RTT on top that i

with it mounted directly to the oem rack - is there enough room to shift it to one side and put the yakima awning on the other side? that's our preferred setup just not sure on spacing.

appreciate the review - we're both 6' and under so hopefully its just enough room - i've seen mixed reviews on the mattress so we'll have to look into options. no tent will fit in/out of our garage while mounted so the lighter weight of this one is definitely a positive

 

[broncosor]

with it mounted directly to the oem rack - is there enough room to shift it to one side and put the yakima awning on the other side? that's our preferred setup just not sure on spacing.

appreciate the review - we're both 6' and under so hopefully its just enough room - i've seen mixed reviews on the mattress so we'll have to look into options. no tent will fit in/out of our garage while mounted so the lighter weight of this one is definitely a positive

There would be room to shift it right or left but I haven’t tested the awning with it. Also, I personally wouldn’t like to shift it fully left or right for stability offroad. I know someone has done it with the Yakima crossbars though.

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