Changed my order after driving 3 different models

[Bifftws]

Changed my order after being able to test drive 3 different model, engine, transmission options in the last week. Notice, beware of manual transmission with 35" tires! Thanks again to the Granger folks for having 2 demos to drive. My original order was a 2 door Big Bend manual transmission.

Summary of 3 test drives:

1. 2 door Outerbanks, 2.3-auto, 32" tires. Exactly what I expected. Decent power (similar to my Ranger), drove fine in city traffic and was smooth at highway speeds. Bigger screen was nice. Great over washboard dirt road. Good option for someone who is mainly going to use as daily driver on city streets and not taking it hard core off road. Not worth the price of spending money trying to pretty up an off road rig. Better off buying an SUV.

2. 4 door Big Bend 2.3 manual with 2" lift and 35" tires. Was very disappointed. Very underpowered with the 35" tires. Struggled to stay up with traffic unless you revved it out over 3-4k rpms. Struggled at highway speed. Had it in 6th gear at 70mph and put my foot to the floor. Nothing happened took 4-5 seconds to increase speed by 1 mile an hour. Big tires overwhelm the engine. Was not able to drive a manual with 32" tires but my guess is only marginally better. Clutch and shifter was fine, nothing special, no better or worse than the Wrangler manual transmission. Probably over 10 seconds 0-60 with the 35" tires. Would be concerned off roading if it didn't have the crawler gear. Wanted to cry as I had my heart set on a manual.

Front end whistled like crazy at anything above 25mph. Definitely needs to be addressed by Ford. If you want big tires and a manual you will need a tune and 91 octane gas to make this drivable in a 4 door.


3. 2 door Wildtrack 2.7 auto. This was awesome. Exactly was a Bronco should be. Plenty of power, shifts good with the added power. Handled the 35" squatch tires easily with more in the tank. Drives great with the squatch package, a bit floaty at highway speed but expected with the suspension setup. If you have the money this is the Bronco to get. Was considering returning to Granger after driving the Big Bend and just cancelling my order after the disappointed manual test drive. Now more excited than every after driving the 2.7. Well worth the extra money to upgrade the engine to the 2.7 if you are getting an auto transmission.


So after an eventful day, I changed my order from a manual Big Bend 2 door to a Base 2.7 auto. Will have to go with 275 tires due to 3:73 gears and give up the rear locker that I wanted but I am not going to do any serious off roading with it anyway.

More excited than ever to get my new toy.

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[Gamecock]

Changed my order after being able to test drive 3 different model, engine, transmission options in the last week. Notice, beware of manual transmission with 35" tires! Thanks again to the Granger folks for having 2 demos to drive. My original order was a 2 door Big Bend manual transmission.

Summary of 3 test drives:

1. 2 door Outerbanks, 2.3-auto, 32" tires. Exactly what I expected. Decent power (similar to my Ranger), drove fine in city traffic and was smooth at highway speeds. Bigger screen was nice. Great over washboard dirt road. Good option for someone who is mainly going to use as daily driver on city streets and not taking it hard core off road. Not worth the price of spending money trying to pretty up an off road rig. Better off buying an SUV.

2. 4 door Big Bend 2.3 manual with 2" lift and 35" tires. Was very disappointed. Very underpowered with the 35" tires. Struggled to stay up with traffic unless you revved it out over 3-4k rpms. Struggled at highway speed. Had it in 6th gear at 70mph and put my foot to the floor. Nothing happened took 4-5 seconds to increase speed by 1 mile an hour. Big tires overwhelm the engine. Was not able to drive a manual with 32" tires but my guess is only marginally better. Clutch and shifter was fine, nothing special, no better or worse than the Wrangler manual transmission. Probably over 10 seconds 0-60 with the 35" tires. Would be concerned off roading if it didn't have the crawler gear. Wanted to cry as I had my heart set on a manual.

Front end whistled like crazy at anything above 25mph. Definitely needs to be addressed by Ford. If you want big tires and a manual you will need a tune and 91 octane gas to make this drivable in a 4 door.


3. 2 door Wildtrack 2.7 auto. This was awesome. Exactly was a Bronco should be. Plenty of power, shifts good with the added power. Handled the 35" squatch tires easily with more in the tank. Drives great with the squatch package, a bit floaty at highway speed but expected with the suspension setup. If you have the money this is the Bronco to get. Was considering returning to Granger after driving the Big Bend and just cancelling my order after the disappointed manual test drive. Now more excited than every after driving the 2.7. Well worth the extra money to upgrade the engine to the 2.7 if you are getting an auto transmission.


So after an eventful day, I changed my order from a manual Big Bend 2 door to a Base 2.7 auto. Talked to Granger about putting in a 2" lift and I will find aftermarket 35" wheels and tires to put on it. I will have to give up the rear locker I wanted but I am not going to do any serious off roading with it anyway.

More excited than ever to get my new toy.

I’d be careful with that…that 2.3 you drove was a dog partially or maybe largely because it hadn’t been regeared for the 35s…and you’re ordering a truck with smaller gears. Adding 35s may give you the same performance problems you had with the 2.3, and it’s definitely not going to run like that Wildtrak with the tall rear.

 

[dgorsett]

Changed my order after being able to test drive 3 different model, engine, transmission options in the last week. Notice, beware of manual transmission with 35" tires! Thanks again to the Granger folks for having 2 demos to drive. My original order was a 2 door Big Bend manual transmission.

Summary of 3 test drives:

1. 2 door Outerbanks, 2.3-auto, 32" tires. Exactly what I expected. Decent power (similar to my Ranger), drove fine in city traffic and was smooth at highway speeds. Bigger screen was nice. Great over washboard dirt road. Good option for someone who is mainly going to use as daily driver on city streets and not taking it hard core off road. Not worth the price of spending money trying to pretty up an off road rig. Better off buying an SUV.

2. 4 door Big Bend 2.3 manual with 2" lift and 35" tires. Was very disappointed. Very underpowered with the 35" tires. Struggled to stay up with traffic unless you revved it out over 3-4k rpms. Struggled at highway speed. Had it in 6th gear at 70mph and put my foot to the floor. Nothing happened took 4-5 seconds to increase speed by 1 mile an hour. Big tires overwhelm the engine. Was not able to drive a manual with 32" tires but my guess is only marginally better. Clutch and shifter was fine, nothing special, no better or worse than the Wrangler manual transmission. Probably over 10 seconds 0-60 with the 35" tires. Would be concerned off roading if it didn't have the crawler gear. Wanted to cry as I had my heart set on a manual.

Front end whistled like crazy at anything above 25mph. Definitely needs to be addressed by Ford. If you want big tires and a manual you will need a tune and 91 octane gas to make this drivable in a 4 door.


3. 2 door Wildtrack 2.7 auto. This was awesome. Exactly was a Bronco should be. Plenty of power, shifts good with the added power. Handled the 35" squatch tires easily with more in the tank. Drives great with the squatch package, a bit floaty at highway speed but expected with the suspension setup. If you have the money this is the Bronco to get. Was considering returning to Granger after driving the Big Bend and just cancelling my order after the disappointed manual test drive. Now more excited than every after driving the 2.7. Well worth the extra money to upgrade the engine to the 2.7 if you are getting an auto transmission.


So after an eventful day, I changed my order from a manual Big Bend 2 door to a Base 2.7 auto. Talked to Granger about putting in a 2" lift and I will find aftermarket 35" wheels and tires to put on it. I will have to give up the rear locker I wanted but I am not going to do any serious off roading with it anyway.

More excited than ever to get my new toy.

Just keep in mind with the Base you get 3.73 gears, with the BB you can get 4.27's (and a rear locker), either might not like those 35's. A Basesquatch gets you 4.70 (like the WT you drove), and comes with 35's for a good value.

 

[Tricky Dick]

Big Bend manual comes with the 4.46 gears right? Nevermind dgorsett has the info.

I actually think 4.88 would be even more preferable than 4.70 with 35s.

 

[HPNQ420]

Just keep in mind with the Base you get 3.73 gears, with the BB you can get 4.27's (and a rear locker), either might not like those 35's. A Basesquatch gets you 4.70 (like the WT you drove), and comes with 35's for a good value.

I’ll bet when Mansquatch becomes available it has 4.88 gearing.

 

[Raptor911]

you like the Wildtrak BUT then ordered the BB base and plan to get 35s? It will not feel the same without the gears from the Wildtrak.

3. 2 door Wildtrack 2.7 auto. This was awesome. Exactly was a Bronco should be. Plenty of power, shifts good with the added power. Handled the 35" squatch tires easily with more in the tank. Drives great with the squatch package, a bit floaty at highway speed but expected with the suspension setup. If you have the money this is the Bronco to get. Was considering returning to Granger after driving the Big Bend and just cancelling my order after the disappointed manual test drive. Now more excited than every after driving the 2.7. Well worth the extra money to upgrade the engine to the 2.7 if you are getting an auto transmission.


So after an eventful day, I changed my order from a manual Big Bend 2 door to a Base 2.7 auto. Talked to Granger about putting in a 2" lift and I will find aftermarket 35" wheels and tires to put on it. I will have to give up the rear locker I wanted but I am not going to do any serious off roading with it anyway.

More excited than ever to get my new toy.

 

[Tdifonzo]

Agree with the above. The gearing was the problem, not the engine.

 

[iamchewby]

I drove a manual BL with stock 33s and I don't know what you're talking about. That thing ran like a stabbed rat. 100% they put the 35s on and didn't re-gear.

 

[RagnarKon]

Others have mentioned this... but be careful of the axle ratios when making your decision.

Big Bend by default has a 4.46 ratio... so the smaller 2.3L engine is going to have a harder time moving the 35" tires than if it had the 4.7 ratio that is standard on the Sasquatch package and Badlands trims.

Generally speaking...

• Larger axle ratio = more torque, more "get up and go", lower top speed, lower mpg
• Smaller axle ratio = less torque, less "get up and go", higher top speed, higher mpg

 

[FJ 432]

Thanks for the write up. First one that I've seen comparing the different models likes/ dislikes.

 

[Wanted33]

When I saw the BB build at Granger I was wondering how the 2.3 would handle those 35's. Thanks for your review Todd. I would expect a 2 door with less weight would do some better under the same circumstances.

 

[Primm907]

I was dead set on a Wildtrak from the jump, but I've recently been considering what I would lose if dropping down to a Base w/Sas. Honestly not that much that I care enough about to justify a $9k difference. At least if I'm realistic about my actual use case...

So, definitely considering going the Basesquatch route now with a few options and plenty of cash left over to add some tasty aftermarket bits.

 

[ramblinwreck]

you like the Wildtrak BUT then ordered the BB base and plan to get 35s? It will not feel the same without the gears from the Wildtrak.

Not just the gears, which will make a huge difference in driveability, but also the suspension. If you want 35s, better to spend the money up front and get a Sasquatch. You will spend more money and end up with a less enjoyable rig to go base and add 35s.

 

[Rick Astley]

2. 4 door Big Bend 2.3 manual with 2" lift and 35" tires. Was very disappointed. Very underpowered with the 35" tires. Struggled to stay up with traffic unless you revved it out over 3-4k rpms. Struggled at highway speed. Had it in 6th gear at 70mph and put my foot to the floor. Nothing happened took 4-5 seconds to increase speed by 1 mile an hour. Big tires overwhelm the engine. Was not able to drive a manual with 32" tires but my guess is only marginally better. Clutch and shifter was fine, nothing special, no better or worse than the Wrangler manual transmission. Probably over 10 seconds 0-60 with the 35" tires. Would be concerned off roading if it didn't have the crawler gear. f

Bronco is your typical small displacement turbocharged car. Then you apply the driver who expect this:



Buuuuuuuut they completely forget about the realities of small displacement turbocharged applications.




FWIW: that 2.7 you're so excited about. You didn't mention this so we don't know if you were aware of this or not. But that same 70mph full throttle application where you (for some strange reason) were expected brisk acceleration in 6th gear, yea, that 10 speed auto in the 2.7 would have downshifted from 10th down to about 5th or 6th to give you acceleration.

Did you by any chance put the Bronco Wildtrak in sport mode, and engage manual gear selection, then plop it into 10th gear on the freeway at 70 MPH and bury the accelerator while staying in 10th gear? No? Surprising.


I'm mentioning this as:

• Someone who owns a Ranger with 2.3 10AT for the past 14K miles and has observed that it will, in fact, require a sphincter-clenching crunch of the transmission to drop 4-5 gears to give you ANY passing power. Same as the 2.7 had to do which you're praising
  
  
• Also drove a 2.3/MT equipped Badlands (33" optional tires, 4-door) and noticed that, GASP! The manual transmission also needed to be downshifted out of the fuel-efficient 6th gear to have passing power on the freeway.

So it's fairly apples to apples.

That being said, people have their own opinions, and typical American fashion is to always need the largest motor rather than focus on the subtleties of driving. (Full disclosure: I love the 7.2 ltr Ford-Edsel big-block V8 in my Thunderbird!)

My personal feedback from putting about 45 miles on the 2.3 MT Badlands test drive was posted in my build thread so instead of mucking up your thread further i'll give a link. It also talks about clutch pick-up points, pedal pressure, shift gates and a few other things that a few people might be interested in more so than "Didn't have enough power, total POS".

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/thre...dlands-2-3-mt-2-door.15102/page-7#post-750296

 

[peta8368]

isn't the Granger package $6000? Sasquatch on the base 2.7 is $5790. so isn't it cheaper to go base sasquatch with 2.7? You'd get the shorter gears, front and rear locker, as well as a warranty.

Peter

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