Bronco owner rents Jeep for 1200 mile trip, my comparison.

[CyberRox]

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.

I own a Badlands now, but owned a Gladiator Rubicon previously. I actually love both vehicles and each have their advantages and disadvantages. The interior on the Bronco has more storage space and has more room. If you are a big guy you will feel cramped in the Jeep because it is so narrow. My Gladiator had Falken Wildpeaks that were very quiet and absorbed bumps like they were nothing. My K02's on the Badlands are good as well. Interior noise is very similar in both. The steering is definitely better on the Bronco as the Jeep has more play in the wheel to keep straight, but it's not nearly as bad as some people make it out to be. The Gladiators stereo sounds better if you are into music and it also tow's 7000 lbs compared to the Bronco's 4000 lbs. Can't go wrong with either vehicle and it just depends on your needs.

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[JerseyMike]

Had both, multiple JLUR wranglers and a gladiator with MOPAR lift on 35's (easy to install lift myself with live axles)

While the bronco badlands I have now is awesome it really isn't that much different than the jeeps....highway driving at high speeds and handling are a bit better but the ride in the gladiator was actually awesome.....I did have a Willys with stock Mts and that was terrible but swapped out the tires to 285/70/17 ATs and it was great so I do suspect that the problem is the tires....MTs are really good in mud and look cool but bad on road

 

[Stomper]

Anybody care to compare the handling? I had a 4runner after my wrangler and ultimately couldnt stand the way cargo flung itself across the back all the time and everything slid off the seats. I live in a magical land full of roundabouts, so this is more important than you would guess.

 

[Morrisattack]

Having mud tires make a huge difference on how the vehicle drives. I'm curious how the Bronco would drive with the same tires but it would be much worst.

I have the same wheels and tires on both. The jeep has a nice BDS lift kit and the bronco is a Sasquatch . The bronco rides so much better, not even close

 

[ZipZit]

My question pertained to the SFA on the Jeep. Unless the Jeep has some messed up alignment it should be very similar to a SD.

Mystery abbreviations SFA and SD?

 

[s0m3th1ng]

Mystery abbreviations SFA and SD?

SFA: Solid Front Axle
SD: Super Duty

 

[JB 208]

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.

Thanks for the detailed review. I enjoy reading these. I’ve owned several Jeep’s. Last summer we sold our 2016 Wrangler Sahara Backcountry for a 2021 Gladiator Rubicon. The gladiator ride was night and day better. But the truck literally fell apart at 2500 miles! We sold it as soon as we got it back from the dealer. That was when we ordered our Bronco Big Bend Sasquatch. This Bronco handles SO MUCH better than the gladiator. That’s even with 35” tires. It has to do with the solid jeep front axle and narrow stance.
That is just one point though. The Bronco is just so much better mannered on the road, more comfortable to drive and very capable off road. We took it dispersed camping in CO this summer. It behaved beautifully! Plus the Bronco doesn’t hunt for power. The 2.7 is so much more powerful than the jeep 3.6. Both the wrangler and gladiator seemed under powered. The Bronco climbed out of the Missouri River Valley in SD (I know not mountains) loaded with five people and camping gear without downshifting. It held 10th gear at 75 mph. We used to joke that our Jeep’s had 285 of the smallest ponies on the planet .
Thanks for the review guys. I felt I had to comment cause’ you guys were talking about rigs that we’ve had too. Love the forum!

 

[Eyates]

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.

I totally dislike the Sync in the Bronco. It is quirky and speaking on blue tooth can be spotty. Now I only have a 2013 AudiQ5 to compare to. Bluetooth on the phone was great.

 

[OverDavidLand]

I am also a former Rubicon Gladiator owner turned Bronco Badlands Sasquatch owner. I tried to give the Gladiator a fair shot at being an often, but not totally, daily driver alternating between that and a sedan.

I had it for less than 8 months and really did not like how uncomfortable it was to drive (ride-handling.)

 

[omega145]

As a former Jeep owner who now owns a Bronco, surprised to hear someone say the Bronco interior is better. I do like the Black Diamond vinyl interior seats over the Wrangler seats both cloth and leather but the dash and surrounding materials were so much better and seemed much sturdier in the Wrangler. My biggest complaint in the Bronco besides the ZF 8 speed in the Wrangler being better IMO.

 

[JerseyMike]

As a former Jeep owner who now owns a Bronco, surprised to hear someone say the Bronco interior is better. I do like the Black Diamond vinyl interior seats over the Wrangler seats both cloth and leather but the dash and surrounding materials were so much better and seemed much sturdier in the Wrangler. My biggest complaint in the Bronco besides the ZF 8 speed in the Wrangler being better IMO.

completely agree, love the bronco over wrangler but the materials in the wrangler dash are lest plasticky (if that is a word)

I loved the 8 speed in the wrangler but the manual in the bronco is better than the 6 Spd manual in the wrangler

 

[JB 208]

I am also a former Rubicon Gladiator owner turned Bronco Badlands Sasquatch owner. I tried to give the Gladiator a fair shot at being an often, but not totally, daily driver alternating between that and a sedan.

I had it for less than 8 months and really did not like how uncomfortable it was to drive (ride-handling.)

Yep. I really wanted to like the Gladiator too. We have a 4,000 lb boat (and trailer) which the gladiator was supposed to trailer. It was rated for 7,000. It trailered the boat one time for four miles and the t-case fell apart. I did like the gladiator stereo and interior dash better. I agree Bronco is a little plasticky. But I’ll take it over the ride and lack of jeep power. I’ve read others have liked the 8 sp jeep tranny. For me, it was never sure if it should be in 7 or 8. It was always toggling back and fourth. Bronco doesn’t seem to have that problem.

 

[Cyber2D]

Can't believe you passed up *the* most comfortable full size truck on sale for a Jeep Gladiator.

Hertz would need to be paying me $150/day to drive one of those cross country.

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