Bronco Owners Going Soft?

[Bronco4me]

As I spent some time perusing the site this weekend I was taken aback by some things.

To me (as a 47 year old guy) the Bronco harkens back to the rugged individualists like our fathers and grandfathers. A tough as nails ride that could do things unheard of at the time for a commercially produced vehicle.

But are we too modern? Are we too soft?

I see threads complaining about not being able to get air conditioned seats at a certain trim level. Do you think your grandad was worried about cold air blowing up his rear end while he ran his Bronco down to the lake to go fishing? If cold air up the backside is so important then just maybe a vehicle designed to have the top and doors off may not be right for you.

Lots of complaints about vinyl seats being too hot and sweaty. Basically, see the above comments. Some of y'all never rode around on vinyl bench seats in your grandmas old car without air conditioning back in the day and it shows. I can remember peeling myself off the vinyl/pleather seats in an old VW my aunt drove back then. No permanent harm. You too shall survive.

I saw some nit picking about not having built in garage door openers in the visors at some trim levels. Really? Are we really this needy? Is the indignity of having to carry around a garage door opener just going to be a deal breaker? It's possibly the most capable off road vehicle straight off the showroom floor ever produced. . . but we're going to stress no opener. C'mon man.

Complaints about not being able to get a 12 inch screen at some trims abound as well. You're driving a vehicle, not watching netflix. You don't need a giant flat screen planted in the middle of your dash in order to properly operate your rig. Look out the window. See the world around you. Pay attention to the idiots driving around looking at their screen(s) and take evasive action. Stop staring at the thing parked in your dash. It's overkill.

I think some here may be better serviced by getting something like a Land Rover/Range Rover or other luxury SUV. There you can ride around pampered, cold air blowing up your arse, as you push the button to open the garage to park your ride in so it won't dare get dirty. I've owned those. They are great. But they are a FAR cry from their off road/rugged heritage. If that's what you want or need, go get it.

A Bronco is going to be many different things to many different people but the breed/brand is hard and outdoorsy. It's not refinement and luxury. It's rugged and rough around the edges. It is not skinny jeans sipping a latte on the way to spin class . . . it's wearing carharts with some black coffee on the way to spend time in the outdoors on a mountain bike. So behave accordingly.

Just one grumpy old man opinion. Rant is over. Now, get off my lawn. ;-)

I'm the same age as you. I think in general, as technology has made doing things more convenient and comfortable, such as keyless entry and autoclimate, we get used to it. Once you get used to it, it's hard to go backwards.

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[MCG DAWG]

Sounds like you want an early bronco not the 2021.

I'm abiding by the new bronco. can't afford the old bronco of my dreams!

 

[FLSTFI Dave]

One you would be shocked at the off road capabilities of my wife’s Range Rover. Sure it won’t do huge mud holes. Or extreme rock crawling. But I’ve shocked lots on where we have gone in it.
I do not expect my Bronco to have the luxury that the RR does. But at around 55K it should have soMe comforts. Excited about marine grade vinyl, if it’s as nice as my boats it will be great. Garage door open or in visor so I don’t have stuff to loose in vehicle.

 

[Mine]

Yea and while we're at it, electric starters are for sissies. Did my great-grandfather complain about breaking his wrist trying to get his old Model T going? I for one think that every advancement in comfort and capability has ruined us and made us soft. Shoot, why don't we just go back to living in caves and killing antelope like real men? Or perhaps it's these very advancements that propel society forward. You can complain about "how things used to be" and "you don't need that to survive" but at the end of the day it's about what we *want*. And if I'm paying $40k+ for a vehicle I *want* lots of nice things to go with my rugged outdoor vehicle. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going back to laughing at the FE people moan about their interior choice.

 

[MCG DAWG]

And I bet our great grand fathers made the exact same points when his son came home with the families first automobile. "Bah, whats wrong with the horses in the barn.?!?!?"

And I bet I will make the same points when my great grandson comes home with the families first hybrid-hover-drone-crossover thingy-ma-gig.

Until then, its my $60k, my Bronco and I will outfit it as I see necessary.

Edit. And by your logic you should be writing this to the opinion pages of your local newspaper and not posting it on the internet. Or have you gotten to soft??

Read the paper cover to cover this morning. Love the ink on my fingers. I'm sending this rant in as a letter to the editor as well. ;-)

 

[THOMASO1371]

Base model in '66 cost about 17K in todays money. I bought a cheap Kia compact car in 2014 for 18K. That car came with heated steering wheel, heated front and rear seats, ventilated front seats, back up camera with a 5" display before they were required, the garage door opener on the visor, and a 10 yr 100k mile warranty. To want those features on a vehicle that starts at 30k seems pretty reasonable to me. But I'm also just a self entitled Millennial raised by GenX.

 

[Hey19]

The most important items, the "must haves" for my Bronco are the locking diffs and the manual. As I mentioned in other posts, they can keep the rest. My '19 Mustang GT has one option, the GT performance pack, and that's perfect for me.

But yeah, to each their own. Ford can't possibly make everyone happy, nor should they try.

 

[Carolina Jim]

But are we too modern? Are we too soft?

....and you can add - "too expensive". Which is why a 6-year term is most common today.

Keep an eye on Ineos Grenadier....off to a slow start - but more the utilitarian vehicle you describe

 

[Treeza61]

Totally understand where you're coming from, but everyone has their own reasons.

You are correct in that many years ago the luxuries people expect in modern-day vehicles were never even an option or something you cared about. There is one difference though, the money . Ford thankfully has a Bronco for everyone. The trim levels from base to wildtrak offer the features you dont want or do want based on your preference. Seeing as the First Edition and Wildtrak and many more of the Broncos are going to range from 40 to 60 grand, I could understand people wanting certain features at a price that steep.

To each their own

For the money these vehicles cost these days it should have all the bells and whistles.

 

[MCG DAWG]

One you would be shocked at the off road capabilities of my wife’s Range Rover. Sure it won’t do huge mud holes. Or extreme rock crawling. But I’ve shocked lots on where we have gone in it.
I do not expect my Bronco to have the luxury that the RR does. But at around 55K it should have soMe comforts. Excited about marine grade vinyl, if it’s as nice as my boats it will be great. Garage door open or in visor so I don’t have stuff to loose in vehicle.

I've owned a Disco, LR3, and LR4 (both LR's were my wifes). The old Discovery II was plenty capable. Honestly hated I ever sold it. Should have kept it as a hunting truck. The 4dr Bronco reminds me of those old boxy discoveries. No one has the as strong an off road pedigree as Range Rover/Land Rover. They'll always retain some capability but it's definitely a luxury brand now.

Saw an old Defender 90 ride through town this weekend. I drooled a bit in envy.

 

[ZackDanger]

Eh.

Not only do I have nothing to prove to others or myself, I actually believe it's okay to "pamper" one's self... *especially* if they've put the time in.

Counter point: For people who have stayed up late way too many nights, slept on the wet ground enough times, carried their weight and sweat through protective equipment often enough, even just worked their butts off to put food on the table and keep a roof over their head... it's actually okay if they want a heated seat, or a 12" nav screen with SiriusXM radio and Apple Car Play... and even complain about seat coverings in a vehicle.

I don't believe that the uncomfortableness of a driver's seat is the measure of how "tough" a person is. I think it's appropriate that people manage their expectations about what the Bronco is (and is not) designed to be, but I'm not passing any judgment on someone who wishes it had ventilated seats.

As far as I'm concerned, I'm saving up to splurge for the Lux package, because life is too short to torture yourself.

$0.02

 

[rjkmoto]

As I spent some time perusing the site this weekend I was taken aback by some things.

To me (as a 47 year old guy) the Bronco harkens back to the rugged individualists like our fathers and grandfathers. A tough as nails ride that could do things unheard of at the time for a commercially produced vehicle.

But are we too modern? Are we too soft?

I see threads complaining about not being able to get air conditioned seats at a certain trim level. Do you think your grandad was worried about cold air blowing up his rear end while he ran his Bronco down to the lake to go fishing? If cold air up the backside is so important then just maybe a vehicle designed to have the top and doors off may not be right for you.

Lots of complaints about vinyl seats being too hot and sweaty. Basically, see the above comments. Some of y'all never rode around on vinyl bench seats in your grandmas old car without air conditioning back in the day and it shows. I can remember peeling myself off the vinyl/pleather seats in an old VW my aunt drove back then. No permanent harm. You too shall survive.

I saw some nit picking about not having built in garage door openers in the visors at some trim levels. Really? Are we really this needy? Is the indignity of having to carry around a garage door opener just going to be a deal breaker? It's possibly the most capable off road vehicle straight off the showroom floor ever produced. . . but we're going to stress no opener. C'mon man.

Complaints about not being able to get a 12 inch screen at some trims abound as well. You're driving a vehicle, not watching netflix. You don't need a giant flat screen planted in the middle of your dash in order to properly operate your rig. Look out the window. See the world around you. Pay attention to the idiots driving around looking at their screen(s) and take evasive action. Stop staring at the thing parked in your dash. It's overkill.

I think some here may be better serviced by getting something like a Land Rover/Range Rover or other luxury SUV. There you can ride around pampered, cold air blowing up your arse, as you push the button to open the garage to park your ride in so it won't dare get dirty. I've owned those. They are great. But they are a FAR cry from their off road/rugged heritage. If that's what you want or need, go get it.

A Bronco is going to be many different things to many different people but the breed/brand is hard and outdoorsy. It's not refinement and luxury. It's rugged and rough around the edges. It is not skinny jeans sipping a latte on the way to spin class . . . it's wearing carharts with some black coffee on the way to spend time in the outdoors on a mountain bike. So behave accordingly.

Just one grumpy old man opinion. Rant is over. Now, get off my lawn. ;-)

You wrote all that on a computer (or a smart, mobile device). ?

JK

 

[MCG DAWG]

You wrote all that on a computer (or a smart, mobile device). ?

JK

Not only that, it's a computer with a video camera that I practice telemedicine on several times a day. The smoke signals got to be a bit of a bother so I conceded to allow this tech.

But my seat is not heated/cooled. There's not even a wrist pad for the keyboard. #hardcore

 

[Hkak45]

And while we are at it lets rip out the Radio since we want to hear the beautiful outdoor noises! ?

 

[ATLBronco75]

Sounds like you want the 1g forum. This is 6g. We have a lux package.

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