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Bronco vs Wrangler: Which is best? (MotorTrend)

wny pat

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What a broad statement with zero support. What substandard and not well executed??? The peanut gallery is waiting with baited breath to hear you expert opinion.
Well, for a “clean sheet” design with “no budget” and “no interference from management” AND the JK / JL to copy, Ford got a lot wrong. Then again, the reality is that everything about the underpinnings of the Bronco was constrained by the fact Ford chose to share a platform with the global Ranger, so at its heart, it’ll always be a Ranger and those parts bins they’re forced to choose from are a limiting factor. That’s why there’s no solid axle heritage edition, which IMO would have been something real Wrangler owners would actually cross shop. And how amazing would it have been to have the H2 sized Bronco with much lower NVH, a more family friendly interior, and an unapologetic on road focus (think full size Bronco Sport) for family use and mall crawling. Then Ford could have made a hard core Heritage edition that was true to the early Bronco roots… slightly smaller than the JL, more Spartan, solid axles, and entirely designed to excel in the most severe off road conditions imaginable. That would have made a splash and been awesome.

But so much of what Ford failed on was entirely preventable and their own fault. I get the IFS. I don’t think it should be on the “real” Bronco, but whatever. If the IFS was well executed it could have been more comfortable on the highway and still fairly robust off road. But judging from the real world trails pics making the rounds, now that the Bronco is in consumer hands, it’s simply not up to the task of more difficult trails with 33”+ tires. So, the advent of aftermarket companies now rushing SFA conversion kits to market tells the tale of how well executed that IFS is. Also, with 35s at least, several professional independent reviews have noted any advantages of the IFS on road manners vs the SFA on the JL disappear. So, what’s the point? The Bronco wants to be king of the everything, but ends up just a compromise vehicle that doesn’t even outperform the vehicle it was supposed to “kill” and that’s with their team standing in Jeep’s shoulders and using the JK/JL as a starting point. It’s not an impressive result.

The entire interior is “cheap looking and feeling” save for the 12” sync screen. Motor Trends words, not mine. No usable grab handles. Weak front end components. No quieter on the highway than the JL. No better driving experience than the JL with 33s or 35s (with any of the “off toad” biased versions) but all the drawbacks of IFS off road. A top design that literally resulted in sales delayed months and months. And the top is still an issue. Frameless doors that multiple professional reviewers literally make “boing” cartoon jokes about given how much these doors flex and wiggle when opened or closed. Access to the rear is demonstrably worse than the JL. Inexplicably: no rear heat vents so rear passengers freeze. The dash materials are awful and the rest of the interior panels don’t match, and look “low rent” (again, professional reviewer’s words, not mine). You can’t remove the roof panels with the roof rack installed. Even after Ford “fixed” the Hard top, people are still having problems. Did I mention the highway noise? Because apparently you can’t even have a conversation on the phone at highway speeds. Ford could have done so much better, and I wish they had.
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Axe

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Well, for a “clean sheet” design with “no budget” and “no interference from management” AND the JK / JL to copy, Ford got a lot wrong. Then again, the reality is that everything about the underpinnings of the Bronco was constrained by the fact Ford chose to share a platform with the global Ranger, so at its heart, it’ll always be a Ranger and those parts bins they’re forced to choose from are a limiting factor. That’s why there’s no solid axle heritage edition, which IMO would have been something real Wrangler owners would actually cross shop. And how amazing would it have been to have the H2 sized Bronco with much lower NVH, a more family friendly interior, and an unapologetic on road focus (think full size Bronco Sport) for family use and mall crawling. Then Ford could have made a hard core Heritage edition that was true to the early Bronco roots… slightly smaller than the JL, more Spartan, solid axles, and entirely designed to excel in the most severe off road conditions imaginable. That would have made a splash and been awesome.

But so much of what Ford failed on was entirely preventable and their own fault. I get the IFS. I don’t think it should be on the “real” Bronco, but whatever. If the IFS was well executed it could have been more comfortable on the highway and still fairly robust off road. But judging from the real world trails pics making the rounds, now that the Bronco is in consumer hands, it’s simply not up to the task of more difficult trails with 33”+ tires. So, the advent of aftermarket companies now rushing SFA conversion kits to market tells the tale of how well executed that IFS is. Also, with 35s at least, several professional independent reviews have noted any advantages of the IFS on road manners vs the SFA on the JL disappear. So, what’s the point? The Bronco wants to be king of the everything, but ends up just a compromise vehicle that doesn’t even outperform the vehicle it was supposed to “kill” and that’s with their team standing in Jeep’s shoulders and using the JK/JL as a starting point. It’s not an impressive result.

The entire interior is “cheap looking and feeling” save for the 12” sync screen. Motor Trends words, not mine. No usable grab handles. Weak front end components. No quieter on the highway than the JL. No better driving experience than the JL with 33s or 35s (with any of the “off toad” biased versions) but all the drawbacks of IFS off road. A top design that literally resulted in sales delayed months and months. And the top is still an issue. Frameless doors that multiple professional reviewers literally make “boing” cartoon jokes about given how much these doors flex and wiggle when opened or closed. Access to the rear is demonstrably worse than the JL. Inexplicably: no rear heat vents so rear passengers freeze. The dash materials are awful and the rest of the interior panels don’t match, and look “low rent” (again, professional reviewer’s words, not mine). You can’t remove the roof panels with the roof rack installed. Even after Ford “fixed” the Hard top, people are still having problems. Did I mention the highway noise? Because apparently you can’t even have a conversation on the phone at highway speeds. Ford could have done so much better, and I wish they had.
Meh, as someone who had 3 JKS, Wranglers no longer exist to me. Granted I never owned a JL, but did rent one in Colorado with less then 500 miles that threw 3 different codes in a day, but Ill take my Badlands with 33s, and hard top, even if it does start leaking - all day everyday. And theres plenty of reviews that say the Bronco interior is nicer than the JLs - we can all find Websites That Fit Our Agenda. For many people like myself, the Wrangler is just Yesterdays News.
 

wny pat

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The good news is, the front tires of your Bronco will look like just these after about an hour playing in the rocks. Lol
 

wny pat

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Meh, as someone who had 3 JKS, Wranglers no longer exist to me. Granted I never owned a JL, but did rent one in Colorado with less then 500 miles that threw 3 different codes in a day, but Ill take my Badlands with 33s, and hard top, even if it does start leaking - all day everyday. And theres plenty of reviews that say the Bronco interior is nicer than the JLs - we can all find Websites That Fit Our Agenda. For many people like myself, the Wrangler is just Yesterdays News.
I’m not searching out websites, I’m reading Motor Trend articles linked on this site. There’s a lot to like about the Bronco, it you saying a leaking top is somehow acceptable Just shows how poorly Ford brought this to market, I don’t this aiming for a top that keeps the interior dry is an unrealistic goal.. Neither my JK nor my JL has ever leaked at all. Not a bit.

And for the record, I hoped against hope the new Bronco would be awesome. If I had to get rid of my Tundra and choose a compromise vehicle, a 2 door Badlands Bronco with very good road manners, an upscale interior, a usable rear seat, usable storage with the rear seat installed and really good ability off road would most certainly be on the list of vehicles I would have seriously considered. And as I keep saying, a “modern” Heritage Edition hard core, solid axle Bronco would be awesome. That might really be a Wrangler killer because people like me would seriously cross shop it.
 
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wny pat

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Happy Thanksgiving. Time to watch Detroit win one.
 

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Well, for a “clean sheet” design with “no budget” and “no interference from management” AND the JK / JL to copy, Ford got a lot wrong. Then again, the reality is that everything about the underpinnings of the Bronco was constrained by the fact Ford chose to share a platform with the global Ranger, so at its heart, it’ll always be a Ranger and those parts bins they’re forced to choose from are a limiting factor. That’s why there’s no solid axle heritage edition, which IMO would have been something real Wrangler owners would actually cross shop. And how amazing would it have been to have the H2 sized Bronco with much lower NVH, a more family friendly interior, and an unapologetic on road focus (think full size Bronco Sport) for family use and mall crawling. Then Ford could have made a hard core Heritage edition that was true to the early Bronco roots… slightly smaller than the JL, more Spartan, solid axles, and entirely designed to excel in the most severe off road conditions imaginable. That would have made a splash and been awesome.

But so much of what Ford failed on was entirely preventable and their own fault. I get the IFS. I don’t think it should be on the “real” Bronco, but whatever. If the IFS was well executed it could have been more comfortable on the highway and still fairly robust off road. But judging from the real world trails pics making the rounds, now that the Bronco is in consumer hands, it’s simply not up to the task of more difficult trails with 33”+ tires. So, the advent of aftermarket companies now rushing SFA conversion kits to market tells the tale of how well executed that IFS is. Also, with 35s at least, several professional independent reviews have noted any advantages of the IFS on road manners vs the SFA on the JL disappear. So, what’s the point? The Bronco wants to be king of the everything, but ends up just a compromise vehicle that doesn’t even outperform the vehicle it was supposed to “kill” and that’s with their team standing in Jeep’s shoulders and using the JK/JL as a starting point. It’s not an impressive result.

The entire interior is “cheap looking and feeling” save for the 12” sync screen. Motor Trends words, not mine. No usable grab handles. Weak front end components. No quieter on the highway than the JL. No better driving experience than the JL with 33s or 35s (with any of the “off toad” biased versions) but all the drawbacks of IFS off road. A top design that literally resulted in sales delayed months and months. And the top is still an issue. Frameless doors that multiple professional reviewers literally make “boing” cartoon jokes about given how much these doors flex and wiggle when opened or closed. Access to the rear is demonstrably worse than the JL. Inexplicably: no rear heat vents so rear passengers freeze. The dash materials are awful and the rest of the interior panels don’t match, and look “low rent” (again, professional reviewer’s words, not mine). You can’t remove the roof panels with the roof rack installed. Even after Ford “fixed” the Hard top, people are still having problems. Did I mention the highway noise? Because apparently you can’t even have a conversation on the phone at highway speeds. Ford could have done so much better, and I wish they had.
[/QUOTE



Thank god you took the time to post you opinion. Here is mine, the vehicle is bigger on the inside, and is actually useable by families. Your interior comment is an opinion and not fact. Personally I like the track ford took with it and understand the reason it used some of the plastics it did, good luck getting all the dust off your French seamed soft touch wrangler interior. As for quoting motor trend great job picking a source that is obviously biased toward jeep. Turn on and watch their channel and notice how much stilantis advertising there is and how many shows are sponsored by mopar. Also most of the celebrities blatantly show their bias. I’ve seen no legitimate sources knock the bronco off road and my personal experience with it has been amazing. You probably should watch the video where a stock one tackles the rubicon trail with no issues and goes toe to toe with a 100k wrangler trail rig and holds its own. Are there things ford could do better? Yes. Rear vents for one but it has improved on so many things the jeep just plains sucks at and they have had plenty of time to address but sheeps like you have just blindly bought the product. As for SLA vs IFS the benefits of the it are not disputed. The bronco will go 99% percent of where the Jeep will off road and ride and handle better than the jeep 100% of the time on road. Ohh and btw as for not having innovation….. 35 inch tires and suspension from the factory, jeep still doesn’t, an entire suite of driving aids, jeep is still no, the entire locker and sway bar system plus trail turn on the bronco, keeps lockers are slow, sway bar can’t be disconnected on the fly and no trail turn. Power seats? Not if you have a jeep. There is a 2019 rubicon 4 door in my garage with fox shocks and a 2 inch lift and I can tell you compared to the bronco it’s an expensive side by side. You are dismissed.
 

wny pat

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Oh boy. You’re deep in to the Kool Aid. Rationalization. Intellectualization. Excuses. “I happen to like my low rent interior, now go enjoy your superior premium interior.” Is that supposed to be some kind of burn? Lol. Is TFL biased too? Is the world against the Bronco? Hardly. Remember how the Ford social media team threatened TFL and told them they wouldn’t send them any more Broncos to test if they didn't print the Ford company hype chapter and verse? In real life, the first generation Bronco is a mediocre design and a disappointment by any objective measure. Can it be improved? Yes, and they’re actively fixing some of those inherent design problems right now. Other problems, like the frameless doors, won’t be addressed until the redesign, if there even is a second generation. As for the Broncos on the Rubicon, I guess you missed the pictures of the thrashed front ends, ripped off fascias, dented skid plates, and cracked bumpers at the hotel in Tahoe. The reality is much different than the hype. Did the stock Broncos make it? Sure. With thousands of dollars in damage. I believe a Kia Sorrento also tackled the Rubicon, and looked about the same as a Bronco afterwards. A stock Wrangler Rubicon can go run the trail off the lot with no damage whatsoever. In fact, a ton of them do it every year at the Rubicon Jamboree. Enjoy your Thanksgiving., and your Bronco.
 

Coldsmoke

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Well, for a “clean sheet” design with “no budget” and “no interference from management” AND the JK / JL to copy, Ford got a lot wrong. Then again, the reality is that everything about the underpinnings of the Bronco was constrained by the fact Ford chose to share a platform with the global Ranger, so at its heart, it’ll always be a Ranger and those parts bins they’re forced to choose from are a limiting factor. That’s why there’s no solid axle heritage edition, which IMO would have been something real Wrangler owners would actually cross shop. And how amazing would it have been to have the H2 sized Bronco with much lower NVH, a more family friendly interior, and an unapologetic on road focus (think full size Bronco Sport) for family use and mall crawling. Then Ford could have made a hard core Heritage edition that was true to the early Bronco roots… slightly smaller than the JL, more Spartan, solid axles, and entirely designed to excel in the most severe off road conditions imaginable. That would have made a splash and been awesome.

But so much of what Ford failed on was entirely preventable and their own fault. I get the IFS. I don’t think it should be on the “real” Bronco, but whatever. If the IFS was well executed it could have been more comfortable on the highway and still fairly robust off road. But judging from the real world trails pics making the rounds, now that the Bronco is in consumer hands, it’s simply not up to the task of more difficult trails with 33”+ tires. So, the advent of aftermarket companies now rushing SFA conversion kits to market tells the tale of how well executed that IFS is. Also, with 35s at least, several professional independent reviews have noted any advantages of the IFS on road manners vs the SFA on the JL disappear. So, what’s the point? The Bronco wants to be king of the everything, but ends up just a compromise vehicle that doesn’t even outperform the vehicle it was supposed to “kill” and that’s with their team standing in Jeep’s shoulders and using the JK/JL as a starting point. It’s not an impressive result.

The entire interior is “cheap looking and feeling” save for the 12” sync screen. Motor Trends words, not mine. No usable grab handles. Weak front end components. No quieter on the highway than the JL. No better driving experience than the JL with 33s or 35s (with any of the “off toad” biased versions) but all the drawbacks of IFS off road. A top design that literally resulted in sales delayed months and months. And the top is still an issue. Frameless doors that multiple professional reviewers literally make “boing” cartoon jokes about given how much these doors flex and wiggle when opened or closed. Access to the rear is demonstrably worse than the JL. Inexplicably: no rear heat vents so rear passengers freeze. The dash materials are awful and the rest of the interior panels don’t match, and look “low rent” (again, professional reviewer’s words, not mine). You can’t remove the roof panels with the roof rack installed. Even after Ford “fixed” the Hard top, people are still having problems. Did I mention the highway noise? Because apparently you can’t even have a conversation on the phone at highway speeds. Ford could have done so much better, and I wish they had.
Seems the above post goes along way to validate the age old adage, “opinions are like butt holes….everyone has one and they all stink”.

I’m going out on a limb here to suggest that this guy doesn’t own a Bronco, hasn’t driven one, and likely hasn’t seen one in person to help form all these strong opinions. :rolleyes:

Some of us on this forum have had Jeeps AND own a Bronco and have used them in both on road and off road environments multiple times. This does provide a valid basis for directly comparing the different aspects of the vehicles,(without the subtlety of being influenced by biased reviews which are paid for by one camp or the other).

Having had multiple Jeeps and now the Bronco, I’ll say this; regardless of the MT review, or the opinions of the detractors, I am happy with the Bronco when comparing to my experience with the Wrangler. That is NOT saying the Jeep is bad, but given the choice again, I’d purchase the Bronco in a heartbeat over the current Wrangler. Different strokes for different folks. There’s more important shit to get all wrapped up in your undershorts about.
 

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Seems the above post goes along way to validate the age old adage, “opinions are like butt holes….everyone has one and they all stink”.

I’m going out on a limb here to suggest that this guy doesn’t own a Bronco, hasn’t driven one, and likely hasn’t seen one in person to help form all these strong opinions. :rolleyes:

Some of us on this forum have had Jeeps AND own a Bronco and have used them in both on road and off road environments multiple times. This does provide a valid basis for directly comparing the different aspects of the vehicles,(without the subtlety of being influenced by biased reviews which are paid for by one camp or the other).

Having had multiple Jeeps and now the Bronco, I’ll say this; regardless of the MT review, or the opinions of the detractors, I am happy with the Bronco when comparing to my experience with the Wrangler. That is NOT saying the Jeep is bad, but given the choice again, I’d purchase the Bronco in a heartbeat over the current Wrangler. Different strokes for different folks. There’s more important shit to get all wrapped up in your undershorts about.
Yeah wrangler boy wasn’t loved by his parents and failed reading comprehension.
 

BroncocnorB

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Yes Whiney Pat seems like a jeep fanboy. He refers to the 6th gen as 1st gen, and even goes on to say the front roof panels can’t be removed with roof rack in place. They can. Also the jeep interior is very tight - not good for big boys and girls. Oh well happy thanksgiving.
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