Car and Driver Long Term Test Review: Our 2022 Bronco Badlands Sasquatch Keeps on Bucking

[NVCowboy]

It's hilarious after all the push back people here have gotten on 5 tire rotations that these guys got it when they didn't want it, with a mismatched tire to boot.

I could see noise complaints when stacked up against the rest of their fleet, those should all be whisper quiet. My 6G is my quiet ride, the 03 F250 and 88 Bronco 2 are both significantly louder.

I feel the same about the noise levels, for the same reason. I guess a 7.3 diesel and all the negativity lowered my expectations. I also think there are some misaligned tops out there. I hope someone figures out the magic to properly align the tops. Then we can all lower our expectations and enjoy our Broncos.

Side Note: stopped at a light and lost my crap looking for a beeping noise that I’d never heard before, till I figured it out - crosswalk sound assist for sight impaired. Face palm indeed. Sound intrusion? Perhaps.

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[kodiakisland]

It's not interesting, it rather sucks ass. I fought a long time to decrease the noise with the hardtop. I was able to get it quieter, but I know that it's still not as quiet as some. It's now about equal with the factory soft top in a brand new 2023.

Yeah, it's quite comical the amount of weather stripping, foam pipe insulation, and memory foam I've used to make mine a vehicle two people can have a conversation in at highway speeds. As is, mine sucked ass, and that has nothing to do with unreasonable expectations.

 

[Arrowbear Rider]

Why wait till 900 plus miles to use premium?

I'm going to wait until break in is complete to go up in octane because I don't want to put my foot into it until after it's broken in properly. So why spend more or be tempted to get on it until after break in?

 

[Cysquatch]

I've had my Bronco Badlands MT Lux for 6 days. IMO, where the Bronco shines best is off-road, and let's face it that is what it is marketing as, I can forgive a lot as it is better off-road than my ZR2 Bison. The technology that they put in the Bronco is much better than many, if not all off-roaders, "always" being able to turn on 4H, 4L, the lockers and even undue the stabilizer bar while it's under load is game changing for every 4x4 I've driven before, than the camera system makes off-roading solo so freaking easy.

I can't tell you how many times my Bison won't let me turn on the front locker, usually when you need it most. So in most off-roaders you have turn everything on you want before you start, what I find so far with the Bronco, is you only need to turn it on when you need it. Hopefully it turns out to be a vehicle I can trust.

I am surprised at the level of air noise I get over 50 mph, in mine, it's all coming from the back, I also get it from the driver's window when I put it down to smoke and then put it back up. If I start off with it closed, it's perfectly quiet. Am I going to take it to the dealer and complain, nope. But in my traded in $32K Mazda Miata club, they solved the problems that making a call on the highway by putting speakers in the headrest and multiple mics around the cabin.

I think what people want is a vehicle that don't have to forgive some things about it. Unfortunately there are very very few vehicles under 100K or at all that are perfect. Sure I wish the backseats in my Bronco were exactly like my past 3 Honda Elements. I wish the gauges were fully digital and I had at least a digital old-school tachometer. I wish it road on the road like my ZR2, man, I wish it had a diesel, but I again think about off-roading it and I realize there is nothing better off-road at this price.

I'm sure the aftermarket will fix the noise from the top. The Bronco has never been marketed as a luxury SUV, hell you can get an Escalade with magnetic, air suspension, 4x4 low and a diesel if you want that.

It seem that us Americans always want to complain about something.

You lost me at Mazda Miata

 

[Cysquatch]

Forscan is pretty quick and painless to add sport mode. But the first time using it might make anyone a bit nervous.

Sport mode should've been included in sasquatch, silly to not. It's good, I like it, but I use it maybe 5% of the time. If Ford applies an OTA that resets it, I'd be in no rush to add it back.

It’s hilarious that my BaseSquatch has Sport mode standard.

I added all the others via Forscan. If you haven’t tried Baja yet, you’re in for a treat. The shift points are crazy!

 

[MadMan4BamaNATL]

Why wait till 900 plus miles to use premium?

Break in for the Bronco is 1000 miles, so I want to get close before moving to the full HP that premium fuel unlocks. This isn’t scientific or anything.

I tend to be a bit liberal with my right foot while driving, so the de-tuning from regular seems good to me during break in. However, regular seemed to make the rig feel sluggish and I couldn’t take it anymore, so I moved up to plus, which seems to have made a slight difference. This could be placebo effect, but if it’s in my head, then it’s real.

 

[Fivefingerheist]

Im used to the noise, 28k in basically 15 months, no regerts

WHAT DID YOU SAY?! Haha, seriously my soft top is quite quiet (when there is no wind buffeting the sides). I more so notice the cabin pressure is not the same as non-convertibles at highway speeds. So, I need to yawn to pop my ears so I can hear.

 

[Lèòn]

WHAT DID YOU SAY?! Haha, seriously my soft top is quite quiet (when there is no wind buffeting the sides). I more so notice the cabin pressure is not the same as non-convertibles at highway speeds. So, I need to yawn to pop my ears so I can hear.

Best top and I drive 75-80, plus I use all 5 gears (whaddya mean theres 7?)

 

[mpeugeot]

Yeah, it's quite comical the amount of weather stripping, foam pipe insulation, and memory foam I've used to make mine a vehicle two people can have a conversation in at highway speeds. As is, mine sucked ass, and that has nothing to do with unreasonable expectations.

I have owned at least 4 convertibles, including ones that were damn near full race cars, and NONE were as loud inside as my Bronco. The wind noise in my Bronco is just unreal. I am not convinced that it is all the top either, as I am wondering about the windshield frame as well.

In particular, my Miata removable hardtops were damn near the same noise level as any other car... that was 2 different vehicles with two different removable hardtops. This includes the fact that the Miata was a frame-less window design and speeds well into the triple digits. At speeds above 100 MPH, the Miata removable hardtops were less noisy inside than my 95 Trans Am hardtop (both tested at speeds up to 140 mph) and also a frame-less window design.

In the Trans Am, above 140, air would rush from one side of the car to the other right across the back of your neck. The Bronco, under some wind conditions experiences the same effect, this is in large part due to the size of the windows and I certainly don't blame that noise on the top. It's just one more source of noise in the cabin which occurs on particularly windy days.

 

[JediMcMuffin]

I have owned at least 4 convertibles, including ones that were damn near full race cars, and NONE were as loud inside as my Bronco. The wind noise in my Bronco is just unreal. I am not convinced that it is all the top either, as I am wondering about the windshield frame as well.

In particular, my Miata removable hardtops were damn near the same noise level as any other car... that was 2 different vehicles with two different removable hardtops. This includes the fact that the Miata was a frame-less window design and speeds well into the triple digits. At speeds above 100 MPH, the Miata removable hardtops were less noisy inside than my 95 Trans Am hardtop (both tested at speeds up to 140 mph) and also a frame-less window design.

In the Trans Am, above 140, air would rush from one side of the car to the other right across the back of your neck. The Bronco, under some wind conditions experiences the same effect, this is in large part due to the size of the windows and I certainly don't blame that noise on the top. It's just one more source of noise in the cabin which occurs on particularly windy days.

I'm confused why people think a brick in the wind should be quiet?

 

[mpeugeot]

I'm confused why people think a brick in the wind should be quiet?

I don't expect it to be quiet, but I certainly don't expect to need to turn the radio past 20 in order to hear it either. The noise level inside is somewhere between 85-90 dB typical, with bursts to 95-100 depending on wind conditions.

Maybe that will help put it in perspective. I would consider anything below 80 dB as acceptable. We are talking noise levels that are simply above the threshold at which hearing damage will begin to occur, and considering that I travel 6 hours twice weekly in this vehicle, I shouldn't have to worry about causing hearing damage due to the noise.

At idle, not moving, the dB meter shows about 50 dB inside the vehicle.

 

[Hot cheetos]

I'd be curious to know if the wind noise is a random issue with hard tops or more 4 door owners than 2 door owners? I feel for those that it is not possible to hear without yelling.

I haven't had my 2 door over 65 mph yet, but at that speed I was impressed with how quiet it was relative to what I am driving.

Also add me as another person that is not a fan of the digital tach. With all the menu options, I'd love to see them add a real tach.

 

[mpeugeot]

I'd be curious to know if the wind noise is a random issue with hard tops or more 4 door owners than 2 door owners? I feel for those that it is not possible to hear without yelling.

I haven't had my 2 door over 65 mph yet, but at that speed I was impressed with how quiet it was relative to what I am driving.

Below 65 my hardtop wasn't unliveable, but above 70 and through 80 MPH, it got really bad really fast.

 

[Hot cheetos]

Below 65 my hardtop wasn't unliveable, but above 70 and through 80 MPH, it got really bad really fast.

Well, I am about to find out on my trip down to St Louis Friday I guess because I usually like to set the cruise around 80mph. It does sound like mine is probably quieter than yours though because "liveable" at 65mph isn't the wording I would use.

 

[mpeugeot]

Well, I am about to find out on my trip down to St Louis Friday I guess because I usually like to set the cruise around 80mph. It does sound like mine is probably quieter than yours though because "liveable" at 65mph isn't the wording I would use.

I feel really lucky, in that this is the only significant issue that I have had with my Bronco despite putting 62,000 miles on it already.

It is a brilliant vehicle in every other respect.

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