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jasonkosi

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I couldn’t agree more about the window switch position. I’ve always thought anybody who complains about them in the Bronco have clearly never driven a Jeep.
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the poacher

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Hey all,

I was fortunate to drive a Badlands at the Off-Roadeo in Moab, and the even better aspect was that I got to drive a buddies 2020 Rubicon to the Off-Roadeo. The nice thing about the Moab location is that you have to drive a few miles on the highway to get to the dirt, and the difference between the two vehicles on the roads is very, very noticeable.
I found the Jeep to wander continuously, with constant adjustments needed to keep it driving between the lines. The Bronco on the other hand, was steady and did not need any adjustments to keep it tracking straight.
I also let my buddy drive the Bronco back on the road and he too commented on how much better its road handling was.
As most Bronco owners will do most of their driving on pavement, this is a huge difference between to the two.
 
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broncobase1

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Nice to know. I'm in a Gladiator now, as I thought my Bronco would NEVER be started. Thank goodness, before I put wheels and tires on it, I got the build email from Ford. So now, I wait. I must say, the Gladiator ride is MUCH better than my previous Wranglers but maybe that's due to stock wheels/tires (yawn). Anyway, I'm anxious to see and feel the differences in the Bronco vs. the Gladiator for myself. I miss the storage of an SUV. We have plenty of trucks at home for that kind of stuff. I've never been a fan of fancy finishes inside a vehicle anyway! Simple and rugged are more fun! I'm thrilled to know that the ride is even better than the Gladiator BUT I did own a Willys and those tires are awful for on-road manners.
The Firestone mud tires on this Gladiator are some of the most aggressive I've seen, and I'm sure is part of the reason for the handling difference. That said I'm sure IFS and rack and pinion steering are factors too.
 
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broncobase1

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Nice to know. I'm in a Gladiator now, as I thought my Bronco would NEVER be started. Thank goodness, before I put wheels and tires on it, I got the build email from Ford. So now, I wait. I must say, the Gladiator ride is MUCH better than my previous Wranglers but maybe that's due to stock wheels/tires (yawn). Anyway, I'm anxious to see and feel the differences in the Bronco vs. the Gladiator for myself. I miss the storage of an SUV. We have plenty of trucks at home for that kind of stuff. I've never been a fan of fancy finishes inside a vehicle anyway! Simple and rugged are more fun! I'm thrilled to know that the ride is even better than the Gladiator BUT I did own a Willys and those tires are awful for on-road manners.
It will be fun to read your review when you finally get your Bronco.
 

indio22

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I have owned my 4Dr Base for 6 months. Last week I needed something with a truck bed for a 1200 mile trip. I rented a regular truck, but when I checked in they said I could choose between a Ram 1500 and a new Gladiator. I jumped at the chance drive a Jeep.

First let me say the Jeep has its own character, but the difference in road manners is night and day. The Bronco is composed over bumps, tracks straight and has good steering response. Bumps that unsettle the Jeep, I don't notice in the Bronco.

I like the interior of the Bronco way better. Both are hard plastic, but the Bronco is more modern and refined. The feel and placement of the switchgear is perfect in the Bronco. Traditional HVAC controls without involving the touchscreen is a big plus. I vastly prefer the location of the window controls in the Bronco, as they are at your fingertips with your arm on the center console (its beyond me why some reviews zonk this position). I also like the Sync4 screen better in the Bronco, as well as the digital instrument panel. All this chatter of a cheap hard plastic interior, for me its spot on and I like it ever better after spending 4 days in a Jeep. They put the quality where it really matters, like switchgear that feels great and in the right place.

My soft top Bronco is much quieter on the freeway, but most of this is probably attributed to the mud tires on the Jeep.

I'm not hating on Jeep and this is just my opinion. I'm not an off roader, and unlike the Jeep I'm not giving up anything in terms of road manners with the Bronco over my Mazda6 Sedan. The Bronco actually has nicer steering response than my sedan. Jeeps are cool and may have advantages off road, but not for me.

P.S. Notice the red writing on the windshield. That wasn't me! The previous renter got pulled over for DUI!

IMG_20220711_092416092_HDR.jpg


IMG_20220925_075121483_HDR.jpg
Definitely those little road tires on your Bronco, compared to the larger mud Jeep tires, compromises the comparison.

For example, my leaf spring CJ with mild 31"AT tires, rode and tracked significantly better, than my coil sprung TJ with larger 33"M tires.
 

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broncobase1

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I was going to say I had a Willys Gladiator and took it on a 1500 mile drive and it was chore. Far worse than any Wrangler I have owned. The tires had a lot do with it, making it hard to track and road bumps made it wander. I imagine a base Bronco would be a much nicer road vehicle. I did like the Uconnect radio nicer than the radio in my Mav. I'm hoping the Sync in the Bronco is good.
Uconnect is okay, but it seems to have a lot of small menus. I like the blue & white theme of Sync4 and its large menus.
 

Rick Astley

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Badlands and Base are pretty far apart. Tires, axles, shocks and springs are all different. That being said, I drove 350 miles to Drummond Island MI, wheeled from 10AM to 7PM and then spent 12 hrs driving home in my Badlands on Sunday. It conquered almost everything I threw at it on the trail (33” tires will only go so far when others are on 37s 😉) and Inwas I was comfortable and in control the entire time. My 06 LJ? 4hrs. on the road and I was exhausted. I loved it, but as soon as it was my daily driver, I sold it. The Bronco driving comfort and dynamics are in a completely different league than the comparable Jeep.
Okay, do tell, was the Bronco as comfortable as a Lexus ES or not?
;)
 

Mattwings

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Okay, do tell, was the Bronco as comfortable as a Lexus ES or not?
;)
What year? I have been in many Lexus vehicles. I always found them well built, have not found them particularly comfortable (very subjective obviously). The LS400 was actually horrible for me. the worst? the last navigator I rented. People often rave about the seats, but it killed me.
 
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broncobase1

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My only complaint is I can't find them there when I switch to my truck and have to relearn the door location. :ROFLMAO:
Oh yeah, ain't that the truth, muscle memory. I will say it didn't take me long to feel at home in the Bronco.
 
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broncobase1

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How odd that the rental company wouldn't clean that off the windshield prior to renting it out again. Who the hell wants to be driving around in a vehicle with a big red (literally!) indication that there may be a drunk driver at the wheel? Thanks, though, for sharing your honest impression of your extended trip and providing great context for the comparison.
Yeah that crossed my mind, and also what would happen if I got stopped? Most likely the driver got hauled to jail, and they vehicle either towed or driven by the rental company back to the lot. The car was showing 11 MPG when I picked it up!! I averaged 19 for the trip, about 80% highway miles going 70-75.
 

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indio22

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This all went so wonky once the Bronco was compared to the on-road manners of a Mazda6.

Please note that I say this as the owner of a 2018 Mazda6 grand touring reserve. Maybe with the base Bronco tires/suspension this is a comparison to make. It's just odd and so massively opposite of what I've experienced in driving the Mazda6 to the dealership for test drives of a Badlands Bronco.

One of these years a VIN will come through and a more thorough back-to-back comparison can be made.... If there's much of a market for a Bronco Badlands Vs. Mazda6 head-to-head challenge?
Well it's Bronco 6G, so reality/perception take your pick. ;)

For the record, I drove my friend's JK Rubicon 4-door with 32" MTs from Chicago to Chattanooga and back last summer, and the accounts some people give about JK/JL all over the road or even dangerous, not sure what they are smoking. Trip was fine at over-posted speeds and uneventful. (MT tires were dumb for pavement and added some noise.) My friend was driving up to 90mph in that tank. Mainly I noticed some tracking issues a few times where pavement was cupped.

I also test drove in a Wildtrack 2-door on pavement, and it was good, for a 4x4. But not some kind of revelation compared to the JK. It's still a ladder frame lifted 4x4 with a relatively lot of sidewall rubber in the mix. The idea that it competes with a vehicle better designed for pavement, again not sure where people are coming up with that. Physics. I was more than happy after riding in the JK and Bronco, to hop back in my BRZ (for pavement).
 
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broncobase1

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A WILLYS???? This is a Willys.
BE4D6ACD-4D3A-4CAF-A880-1109EB739341.jpeg


Better have good hand and arm strength to drive it.

It irritates me that they resurrected the Willys name…..
That is cool -- V8 and sealed beam headlights! In the Philippines they build a lot of jeeps like this, sometimes as a family business. Far cheaper to buy than an imported car.
 
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broncobase1

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This all went so wonky once the Bronco was compared to the on-road manners of a Mazda6.

Please note that I say this as the owner of a 2018 Mazda6 grand touring reserve. Maybe with the base Bronco tires/suspension this is a comparison to make. It's just odd and so massively opposite of what I've experienced in driving the Mazda6 to the dealership for test drives of a Badlands Bronco.

One of these years a VIN will come through and a more thorough back-to-back comparison can be made.... If there's much of a market for a Bronco Badlands Vs. Mazda6 head-to-head challenge?
Of course nobody is going to cross shop a Bronco to a Mazda6, that is not the point. I drive both the Bronco and Mazda6 every day, and honestly I don't feel like I'm sacrificing in terms of road manners with the Bronco, that was my point. This is with everyday "normal" driving, if you're pushing things to the limits I'm sure the car will have advantages. My Mazda is a base 2012 2.5L automatic. For what its worth, in a back to back comparison with a Camry at the time, I thought the Mazda was a nicer handling car -- never regretted my decision and its been flawless. Just put new brakes and rotors on it for the first time a few weeks ago, which is the only thing I've done to it.
 

Summit981

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Nice to know. I'm in a Gladiator now, as I thought my Bronco would NEVER be started. Thank goodness, before I put wheels and tires on it, I got the build email from Ford. So now, I wait. I must say, the Gladiator ride is MUCH better than my previous Wranglers but maybe that's due to stock wheels/tires (yawn). Anyway, I'm anxious to see and feel the differences in the Bronco vs. the Gladiator for myself. I miss the storage of an SUV. We have plenty of trucks at home for that kind of stuff. I've never been a fan of fancy finishes inside a vehicle anyway! Simple and rugged are more fun! I'm thrilled to know that the ride is even better than the Gladiator BUT I did own a Willys and those tires are awful for on-road manners.
The Gladiator’s ride feels better over the Wrangler’s because it has a longer wheelbase.
 
 


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