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Compared to a Defender - some general thoughts and concerns.

DryYourTears

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Congrats DYT, great vehicle! It’s one of the alternatives I’m considering to the WT I have on order. The “Lux” Bronco you mention would be another alternative if that ever happens.

If you have test driven a Bronco, how does the Defender compare with respect to engine performance? I’d really like to have your opinion.
Thank you! I really kind of hope Ford moves forward with a "lux" Bronco. Give me tech and a really nice interior, but keep the rubber floor.

I haven't managed to test drive a Bronco. The closest I've gotten is sitting in one (coincidentally, the Defender in "normal" ride height feels like a Badlands, and "off-road" in the Defender feels a bit taller than the sasquatch). I'm going to see if the local Ford dealer will buy my Escape (Carvana, otherwise), and while I'm there I might see if I can get a ride in their demo Wildtrack. If I do, I will definitely report back!

I don't care what anyone says here, the defender is pretty awesome bud. Congrats!
Thank you!!
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DryYourTears

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So, I only have two pictures to add today (by request), and it's the quick shot I took right before I drove away from the dealership, and one in the driveway. This morning we loaded up the dogs for a planned ride out near Shenandoah (Skyline drive, possibly), and the second we left it started raining, and never stopped. Despite that, we were out for a few hours on some remote backroads along the Blue Ridge Mountains. The dogs immediately loved the back seat. It's deeper than the Escape we came from, and the old guy of the pair dozed right off. My hound seemed to enjoy the views.

I'm REALLY enjoying the drive. It's been a long time since I had a vehicle that really made me excited (my 03 Ranger FX4 Level-II, probably), and it's a nice feeling. The thing is just so damn cool. It's comfy, has all the tech stuff I wanted, and it just feels so planted and solid. I keep going out in the garage just to look at it. 😁 Don't get me wrong, the Bronco is still cool as heck, which is why I will stick around here,, but this is the one I was able to get!

Pics! I'll have to wait to get cool off-road or at least mountain view background pics. I feel like it often looks long in pictures and very proportional in-person, but I feel that way about the Bronco as well. They're both very close in dimensions.

Ford Bronco Compared to a Defender - some general thoughts and concerns. defender1


Ford Bronco Compared to a Defender - some general thoughts and concerns. defender2
 

Thed

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I'm so peanut butter and jelly right now.
 

Xploit

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I don't care what anyone says here, the defender is pretty awesome bud. Congrats!
The Defender kills the bronco IF your priorities aren't OFF ROADING and OPEN AIR. For a typical daily with light/moderate off roading, the Defender is hard to beat. The build quality is fantastic, and it just feels way more premium. I ordered a 90 with the P300 engine as it felt great to me on the test drive. I added air suspension, black top, cold weather, larger screen, clear sight rear view mirror, the black package and 19" gloss black rims with off road tires. Same as the picture attached.

Ford Bronco Compared to a Defender - some general thoughts and concerns. Screen Shot 2021-07-30 at 11.41.19 AM
 
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TankCommander

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The Defender kills the bronco IF your priorities aren't OFF ROADING and OPEN AIR. For a typical daily with light/moderate off roading, the Defender is hard to beat. The build quality is fantastic, and it just feels way more premium. I ordered a 90 with the P300 engine as it felt greta to me on the test drive. I added air suspension, black top, cold weather, larger screen, clear sight rear view mirror, the black package and 19" gloss black rims with off road tires. Same as the picture attached.

Ford Bronco Compared to a Defender - some general thoughts and concerns. Screen Shot 2021-07-30 at 11.41.19 AM

How long before your get your 90?

This is one of 2 backup vehicles if I don't get an early 2022 Bronco. I'm considering spending a little more to get the retractable fabric roof.
 

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Xploit

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How long before your get your 90?

This is one of 2 backup vehicles if I don't get an early 2022 Bronco. I'm considering spending a little more to get the retractable fabric roof.
Who knows... I ordered on July 19th. I have a feeling I wont get it until November. I did see a black 4 door bronco soft top on the road over the weekend in Wicker Park (Chicago) and it looked great too. I just ended up liking the Defender more. It just dawned on me that I probably wouldn't be without a top much and def not without doors often.

I saw that fabric roof. Its definitely cool, but I value the rigidness of a solid top. I didnt go with the panoramic for the same reason.

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siddious33

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My Defender 90 should be at the dealer this week. Fingers crossed. Mine will be a 2022 Defender 90 X-Dynamic S. Black roof, pano sunroof, cold weather pack, air suspension pack, clear sight mirror, three zone climate control, tow hitch (not the towing package), front undershield, interior protection pack and the 20 inch gloss black wheels. It's Tasman Blue with the ebony interior.

While it's not exactly what I would've ordered (I would've wanted the offroad package and full towing package and offroad tires) I was able to find one in transit to a dealer less than two hours away from me and no one had claimed it yet. It's close enough to what I would've ordered. While I would have liked to have had the rear locker, I am fine without it since I'll almost surely never NEED it. And I can switch the all-season tires to all-terrain tires easily enough, whenever I feel like it.
 

TankCommander

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My Defender 90 should be at the dealer this week. Fingers crossed. Mine will be a 2022 Defender 90 X-Dynamic S. Black roof, pano sunroof, cold weather pack, air suspension pack, clear sight mirror, three zone climate control, tow hitch (not the towing package), front undershield, interior protection pack and the 20 inch gloss black wheels. It's Tasman Blue with the ebony interior.

While it's not exactly what I would've ordered (I would've wanted the offroad package and full towing package and offroad tires) I was able to find one in transit to a dealer less than two hours away from me and no one had claimed it yet. It's close enough to what I would've ordered. While I would have liked to have had the rear locker, I am fine without it since I'll almost surely never NEED it. And I can switch the all-season tires to all-terrain tires easily enough, whenever I feel like it.
Please post some pictures when you get it. Front, side and rear shots would be nice and appreciated. Thanks, Jim
 

HideoutBronco

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1. No way, hopefully it beats your jeep, but it still has a removable roof.
2. won't come close to the defenders air suspension, but it will be better than your jeep.
3. again, probably in between, the defenders interior is in another league.

That said I'm in the same boat as you, I was excited about the defender, and I absolutely love it's interior, rugged yet premium. But it's really just a discovery with defender styling, that and the reliability concerns, and the bronco announcement killed it for me :p

I just wish ford did a better job on the interiors in the bronco, those release bronco interiors were awesome.
I am there with you. I had a purchase agreement signed on a First Edition D90 and cancelled it when the Bronco came out. It is a LR6 or a Discovery 6...not a Defender.
 

Losy

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I like the looks of the Defender a lot.
Can't really compare them to a Bronco due to price point, cost of maintenance, repairs and reliability. I am going to sell my AMG GL63 SUV that is a beast in the snow and on the mountain roads. I am just over Luxury car repairs and parts. Replacing one air shock and compressor for the shock on a Benz or Land Rover is more expensive in parts than a set of 2.5 Kings or Fox shocks for the Bronco.
The saying goes don't buy a Ferrari and complain about the cost of the oil change compared to your Toyota. I guess I am guilty of that.
 

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Rubicon 2 Badlands

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I was regretting liking the Defender because I doubt I could justify getting the one I would want (better engine, leather, moonroof, sound system, and the advanced four-wheel-drive stuff) and my builds always landed in the 70K range. I really love the Panega Green with a white roof but hated that you could not get the steel wheels with the better engine. Also, I did not want to drive a luxury brand associated with exclusivity, with a sparse dealer network, questionable reliability, and higher than average ownership costs.

I liked the idea of a boxy, rugged, large (but not huge) vehicle that is very good on the tarmac in addition to doing well on the trail. I now own a JK Wrangler, and don't like the narrowness of the cabin, the cheapness of the materials (a little better in the JL but nothing like the Defender), and the highway manners. I live on the east coast, and I want to explore North American with my vehicle, but I find this a little too taxing in the Jeep. I am not an extreme rock crawl kind of guy but want some ability.

I expect the Bronco will be better than the Defender on the trail, but I worry about a few things and would appreciate hearing from others.

  1. Road Noise: My JK has the hardtop with the sound damping carpet which I am not sure how much it does. I hope Bronco does a better job than Jeep and get within the ballpark with Defender here.
  2. Handling: Same as above in expect better than Jeep but hope close to Defender. I drove the Toyota 4 Runner before buying my 2016 JKU, and despite IFS, I found the drive worse than the JK in 2016. The 4-Runner felt crude. I have heard that driving the new Ranger will give someone a good idea of how the Bronco will drive. But I also heard that the Bronco has a different frame.
  3. Cabin fit and finish. I really hate the interior of my JKU. The JLU is better, and I like the look of the Bronco as much as I like the Defender, which is saying a lot, but not sure about the touch and feel. Has anyone sat in both vehicles?
I get it. I was looking into a Defender also. The guy that works on my Jeep owns a British automotive repair shop and is a great mechanic. He warned me about Land Rover engines. He is excited to see my Bronco when I get it. Off-road, I don't think the Defender will be close, if that means anything. Also, the configuration of the Defender confuses me. Wheels that are too big with undersized tires, that clearly do not belong off-road makes no sense. ....and that is my $0.02

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mcdoogs

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My BD Bronco is scheduled to be built 10/4, and my P300 110 S Defender (with offroad, tow, and air suspension packs and 18” steelies) is scheduled to be built 10/1, so hopefully in November I’ll have them both and post up some side by side comparison pictures and give a detailed break down if anyone cares.
 

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My BD Bronco is scheduled to be built 10/4, and my P300 110 S Defender (with offroad, tow, and air suspension packs and 18” steelies) is scheduled to be built 10/1, so hopefully in November I’ll have them both and post up some side by side comparison pictures and give a detailed break down if anyone cares.
That will be a fun November. So much fun having something exciting in the driveway to hop into,.
 

siddious33

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Please post some pictures when you get it. Front, side and rear shots would be nice and appreciated. Thanks, Jim
It got there today! I'll have more photos to come. Looking like I will pick it up on Friday!

IMG_3664.jpg
 

siddious33

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I get it. I was looking into a Defender also. The guy that works on my Jeep owns a British automotive repair shop and is a great mechanic. He warned me about Land Rover engines. He is excited to see my Bronco when I get it. Off-road, I don't think the Defender will be close, if that means anything. Also, the configuration of the Defender confuses me. Wheels that are too big with undersized tires, that clearly do not belong off-road makes no sense. ....and that is my $0.02

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I see this a lot (and I don't necessarily disagree if you're offroad a lot, especially on rocks) but I have my $.02 counterpoint. lol.

Putting bigger wheels on lets you put on bigger brakes, which I'm sure is part of how the Defender gets it's high tow rating. (I know you can get 18's on it with smaller brakes, but I'm going to bet that's why you cannot get 17s...)

Tow rating was important to me because of pulling a travel trailer a few times a year, plus an enclosed trailer sometimes for my dad. The Defender 90 has the same tow rating as the 110, both of which are FAR more than the Bronco or the Wrangler. Some of that comes from suspension sure, but some of that also comes from brakes I have to imagine.
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