Comfortable Commuter?

[mpeugeot]

Have you stopped driving it as much lately? You re mileage has seemed to slow down alittle...you were on pace to to get to a 100k several months ago i thought.

Ya, I no longer am commuting 700 miles every weekend, but I should hit 100k in June at the latest. I have a 2500 mile trip at the end of May, plus regular miles daily.

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[bjpatten]

So I'm switching jobs from a commute of about 15 minutes and 7 miles to over an hour and over 50 miles (all one way, so double for a day's worth of driving).

What is something you've done to make it a littler more tolerable and more comfortable?

Drive my Charger. I drive about an hour and 50 miles each way. Drive the Motorcycle on days its not extremely hot and the Bronco on the weekends.

 

[604Bronco]

I would say I added nothing for comfort, other than the hard top I suppose. I've driven my Bronco for several hours at once, and it was amazing. I found the MGV seats to be comfortable, and I have no complaints.

The hard top is more from a noise perspective, as the soft top was quite loud (especially on the high way). But other than that, all good!

 

[1st 75th ranger]

So I'm switching jobs from a commute of about 15 minutes and 7 miles to over an hour and over 50 miles (all one way, so double for a day's worth of driving).

What is something you've done to make it a littler more tolerable and more comfortable?

good question
yeah mine 21 4d softy 2.7 bd is a great commuter already i did full borla touring exhaust with full k&n air intake with bov and my mls is at 24 ish even 26 with tail wind lol
also upgraded the stereo factory was garbage
co axle alpines deck and pods alpines in kickers with tailgate sub kicker pro yes amp and processor lol iwent the other way on tires 36x12.5x17 mts lol they do bark at 85mph

 

[rblume73]

If your back starts aching after a while, invest in a gel seat and back. It will help absorb the smaller road vibrations that you don't notice. I've heard a beaded seat cover helps also.

 

[YOLO]

Man, I don't know. I think the Bronco is very comfortable. I drove it from LA to Seattle within the first two weeks of owning it, and have used it a bunch for a similar commute (about 45 miles each way). There's quite a bit of wind noise, even with my hard top, but I either tune it out or drown it out with some music. I imagine the soft top is quite a bit louder and more fatiguing. But in terms of physical comfort, I have no problems whatsoever with the manual MGV seats. I quite like them, actually.

 

[broncobase1]

Washers under the front seat helped a good bit. It took me a long time to get the seat dialed in exactly how I wanted it - I find I sit much higher than I have in other vehicles in the past.

Good seat covers helped a lot.

A good sounding upgrade on the radio.

And going from the soft top to a hard top helped with the noise by a lot. It's still not quiet by any stretch of the imagination, but I can take phone calls on the road that way, whereas with the soft top it was ... not impossible but not comfortable.

I'd never describe riding in the Bronco as comfortable - the F150 is a floating couch by comparison. I wouldn't equate it to chinese water torture or anything, but comfortable isn't a word that comes to mind. But I'd rather commute in the Bronco anyway because it's way more fun to drive.

My other two cars are a Pontiac Vibe (Toyota Matrix) and a Mazda 6 midsized sedan. Even with the soft top I find the Bronco more comfortable than these cars. The front seats fit me perfectly and the high position is great in my opinion. I also occasionally rent full size pickups (Dodge Ram, Chevy) and I much prefer driving the Bronco on a long trip over them. The Bronco's handling was better than I expected, the steering is accurate and doesn't require many corrections. In this respect its better than the cars.

 

[Brsox]

According to most of the ranking groups... the X5 is on the lower half of the ratings for reliability... (As is the Bronco), and with a lowest starting MSRP of $65,700, It's not really that price competitive either, unless comparing the bottom Bimmer to a well optioned OBX.

It almost certainly is a far more comfortable commuter, but it's really not in anyway comparable to a Bronco.

I've gotta call you out on this one. Not sure which ranking groups you're speaking of but if you look at JD power or Consumer reports for 2023, BMW is rated much much higher than Ford for reliability. Consumer reports has BMW in the number 3 spot for reliability and the X5 in the top 10 for most reliable vehicles. Having owned 8 BMWs, I have found them to be of very high quality. Expensive to repair for sure, but extremely high quality.

Even a "base" X5 40i comes basically loaded with a 375hp turbo 6, so you'd have to compare it to a loaded Badlands or Wildtrack, which you can easily option up to $70k. So, apples to apples, options wise, they're fairly even, price wise. Sure, you can get a stripped down Big Bend with a 4 cylinder and cloth seats for $45k.

Obviously, they are different vehicles. You can't pop the top off of an X5 or take it rock crawling. But, by the same token, the performance, handling and ride quality of a Bronco can't come close to the BMW.

Like I said, I love my Bronco. But, the level of material and build quality doesn't come close to my wife's BMW.

 

[Tricky Mike]

. I've heard a beaded seat cover helps also.

 

[zuke]

I've gotta call you out on this one. Not sure which ranking groups you're speaking of but if you look at JD power or Consumer reports for 2023, BMW is rated much much higher than Ford for reliability. Consumer reports has BMW in the number 3 spot for reliability and the X5 in the top 10 for most reliable vehicles. Having owned 8 BMWs, I have found them to be of very high quality. Expensive to repair for sure, but extremely high quality.

Even a "base" X5 40i comes basically loaded with a 375hp turbo 6, so you'd have to compare it to a loaded Badlands or Wildtrack, which you can easily option up to $70k. So, apples to apples, options wise, they're fairly even, price wise. Sure, you can get a stripped down Big Bend with a 4 cylinder and cloth seats for $45k.

Obviously, they are different vehicles. You can't pop the top off of an X5 or take it rock crawling. But, by the same token, the performance, handling and ride quality of a Bronco can't come close to the BMW.

Like I said, I love my Bronco. But, the level of material and build quality doesn't come close to my wife's BMW.

Your original statements that "Hard to believe a lot of Broncos are priced higher than an X5." and "But let's be honest...is it anywhere even close to the quality of an X5?" rubbed me the wrong way, and frankly sounds like fan boying... it seemed like you were going out of your way to compare the rough and tumble Bronco to a luxury SUV, When it simply isn't even a valid comparison.

But since you're making the comparison I do at least agree with some of what you're saying, The quality of the materials used to build the X5 are much better than those used to build the Bronco.

I hadn't looked at the JD Powers report for the 2023 specifically, But that is about "Luxury SUVs" If you do a straight comparison of Midsize SUVs, on JD Power, The X5 comes in at #19 of the top 20... The Bronco isn't even in the ratings for 2024 that I can see you have to go back to 2022 to find it, and yes, it's overall rating (78) was lower than the Bimmer's overall rating (80).

I like RepairPal as far as reliability ratings go since they are based more on hard numbers than JD Power and Consumer Reports, which tend to be more subjective reports. They don't have enough data to rate the Bronco yet, But they aren't fans of the Bimmer. BMW X5 Repair Pal

Sure, a Base X5 is way better equipped than a Base Bronco.... But an optioned out Wildtrak or Badlands isn't even comparable, there simply isn't ANY apples to apples comparison between the two vehicles...

 

[DriveAllNight]

A lot of opinions, but everyone is different, what they are used to and what their tolerances are.

In my mind there are 4 major factors: Seating, Noise, Suspension, and Tires.

Doing the MIC wind soundproofing is one of the most significant changes I made to make life better. The Bronco is too damn loud when traveling especially if you want to talk to anyone.
Sound deadening the floor should make a huge difference, (I've only done the cargo area so far) but can't wait to get rid of some road noise. I can't stress enough what a good idea this is.

Tires are easy, but not cheap. If you are doing a lot of highway miles put on highway biased tires, it will make a huge difference over Mud or All Terrain tires, or get less aggressive AT tires. Nope they won't be nearly as good off road but that's the trade off. If you can swing a second set of rims, you can have 2 sets, one for commuting and one for fun.

Suspension, not as easy or cheap, but there are lots of options in all price ranges, and if your not looking for a lift it won't be nearly as expensive.

Seats - some people swear by the seat jackers for a better angle that helps or just lift with washers. If you want to swap out the seats for more cushion of more leg support there are lots of options, throw in ventilation and your riding in style.
Personally I'm still debating on Raptor seats - damn those things are comfy.

Anyway, bottom line, there are things you can do to make the ride more distance friendly if you want to commute in a Bronco.

 

[Nc211]

One of these, because non adjustable seat belt heights suck;

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FR9F1D5/

One of these clamped to the console Grab handle for a simple phone mounts;

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079Z1CH9B/

And as stated by others, audio books, and a quality sound system.

I've been commuting on I-95 in Viriginia for 20 years now, (32 Miles, that take anywhere from 40 minutes to 90 minutes), one of the worst commutes there is, But having a good book, or good music on a quality audio system can make most any commute tolerable.

Oh dear god! You must be in the Lorton-ish area heading towards DC for the commute? I’m out west in the L’burg area and head east to Tyson’s and back (20 miles or so each way). But have done the I-95 boogie more than too many times with going to NC over the last decade+. You absolutely have my sympathies!!

 

[zuke]

Oh dear god! You must be in the Lorton-ish area heading towards DC for the commute? I’m out west in the L’burg area and head east to Tyson’s and back (20 miles or so each way). But have done the I-95 boogie more than too many times with going to NC over the last decade+. You absolutely have my sympathies!!

Stafford to the Newington exit, (one past Lorton) so I avoid the absolute worst of it, I've worked in Tysons too, and that commute from Stafford was pure hell . Are young going east on 7? That sounds like a lot of stop and go ..

 

[Brsox]

Your original statements that "Hard to believe a lot of Broncos are priced higher than an X5." and "But let's be honest...is it anywhere even close to the quality of an X5?" rubbed me the wrong way, and frankly sounds like fan boying... it seemed like you were going out of your way to compare the rough and tumble Bronco to a luxury SUV, When it simply isn't even a valid comparison.

But since you're making the comparison I do at least agree with some of what you're saying, The quality of the materials used to build the X5 are much better than those used to build the Bronco.

I hadn't looked at the JD Powers report for the 2023 specifically, But that is about "Luxury SUVs" If you do a straight comparison of Midsize SUVs, on JD Power, The X5 comes in at #19 of the top 20... The Bronco isn't even in the ratings for 2024 that I can see you have to go back to 2022 to find it, and yes, it's overall rating (78) was lower than the Bimmer's overall rating (80).

I like RepairPal as far as reliability ratings go since they are based more on hard numbers than JD Power and Consumer Reports, which tend to be more subjective reports. They don't have enough data to rate the Bronco yet, But they aren't fans of the Bimmer. BMW X5 Repair Pal

Sure, a Base X5 is way better equipped than a Base Bronco.... But an optioned out Wildtrak or Badlands isn't even comparable, there simply isn't ANY apples to apples comparison between the two vehicles...

You may have misinterpreted things I said. The bottom line is that you can get a pretty sweet X5 for $70k and you can get a pretty sweet Bronco for $70k. Both fun and exciting vehicles in their own right. But, when you look at the build quality and quality of materials used, you can't help but agree that the Bronco is severely overpriced. For $70k, you could get a brand new Lexus GX550 Overtrail. Compare sheet metal, paint, panel gaps, interior materials, etc to the Bronco and it's laughable.

With my 2 year wait, retail price protections and private offer, I was able to get my Heritage for $44K. Still quite a high price. In my opinion, a loaded Wildtrack should be a $50k vehicle, tops. Jeep has done the same thing with their ridiculous price increases. When did a four door Rubicon become a $70k vehicle?? There are an awful lot of Broncos and Wranglers gathering dust on dealer lots these days and it's probable gonna get a lot worse.

 

[zuke]

You may have misinterpreted things I said. The bottom line is that you can get a pretty sweet X5 for $70k and you can get a pretty sweet Bronco for $70k. Both fun and exciting vehicles in their own right. But, when you look at the build quality and quality of materials used, you can't help but agree that the Bronco is severely overpriced. For $70k, you could get a brand new Lexus GX550 Overtrail. Compare sheet metal, paint, panel gaps, interior materials, etc to the Bronco and it's laughable.

With my 2 year wait, retail price protections and private offer, I was able to get my Heritage for $44K. Still quite a high price. In my opinion, a loaded Wildtrack should be a $50k vehicle, tops. Jeep has done the same thing with their ridiculous price increases. When did a four door Rubicon become a $70k vehicle?? There are an awful lot of Broncos and Wranglers gathering dust on dealer lots these days and it's probable gonna get a lot worse.

I don't think either of us is really misinterpreting the other, I think we just disagree....

The average new car is around $47000 right now, and that includes things like the $18,000 Mitsubishi Mirage...

All inventory is building up, because most all vehicles are currently overpriced, when this happens the discounts will start appearing, and the purchase price of Broncos will likely be much lower than MSRP.

You can buy a Rubicon for $51,890, a Badlands for $50,095. These vehicles are the quintessential versions for off-road use, that's why I'm running a stripped to minimum Badlands myself, and what I'd buy again, despite it being almost $10,000 more now then when I bought. I would in no way buy a $70,000 Badlands, and 100% agree with you that it's not a good value..

But for me, all the luxury SUVs wouldn't work either, and aren't comparable, well maybe the GX550... But I'd be more likely to buy the slightly more comparable Landcruiser, or 4Runner.

My simple stance is, the luxury marques you're talking about aren't comparable to a Bronco, and if someone is cross shopping them, they shouldn't be looking at Broncos at all.

And I think that's where our disagreement lies, I'm fine with that if you are.

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