- Joined
- Jul 8, 2020
- Threads
- 11
- Messages
- 107
- Reaction score
- 439
- Location
- Phoenix, AZ
- Vehicle(s)
- 2010 F-150 Raptor, 2021 Bronco FE
- Your Bronco Model
- First Edition
- Thread starter
- #1
My wife has wanted a Bronco ever since rumors started swirling. We talked about getting her one on the way home with her Gen 1 Raptor 6 years ago. A year and nearly a week ago was the reveal. She was still working that night when it started so I decided to wait for her. While I waited I hopped on Ford.com and found that reservations opened already. I reserved her First Edition 4 minutes after reservations opened while the world was still watching the reveal. In hindsight that was the absolute best thing I could have done. Originally had the reservation set for an extremely close dealer but ended up switching to a confirmed no markup dealer (Sanderson Ford) which we have worked with in the past. Didn't hear anything until January when we were told to submit the BnP printout, got it over early March. Then when the black mod top was nixed we contacted the salesman in late March to switch to the MIC top and ensure the order was modified.
Ordered: 3/12
VIN & Production Week Scheduled for 6/7 (Pre-Delay): 4/15
Production Week Delay Email: 5/15
In-Production: 6/26
Built: 6/29 (Blend was 6/25 but that was when MAP started flooding so kind of a cool story)
Arrived at the final rail destination: 7/13
Rolled off the rail car: 7/15
Delivery: 7/19
If you want to track your rail car, get the rail car number from your dealer. Then follow the instructions for tracing it through CSX or whichever rail provider your Bronco is being transported by. Why track your rail car? Because you can score pictures like this! PSA: We found the rail car sitting in the open on the side of the road. Do not trespass into rail yards or private property.
Your two longest periods of the delivery process (from my perspective) will be it moving from MAP to the origin rail hub (~1 week) and it sitting in the railyard (~1 week). Tell your dealer to "hot tag" your Bronco to get it out of rail yard jail by front loading it for final mile convoy delivery. Unconfirmed: Apparently Ford is preemptively hot tagging Broncos to expedite deliveries, per my dealer.
Update #1:
First day driving (but most riding) impressions; Wow! It feels like a lighter, more nimble and refined Gen 1 Raptor.
The Good:
Exterior
- As many have said, Cyber Orange looks GREAT! These pictures are not edited with a filter, the above pics are what high noon looks. That metallic really pops and totally changes the dynamic of the color. In lower light or overly exposed pictures (bright) it can look blah overly yellow or orange with no definition. However, in person it is much different. A true metallic color with lots of definition. Beyond happy with this color choice, especially in AZ!
- Your first time seeing a Bronco on its own up and close is an experience. The guy we were working with at SDHQ really said it best, you really don't appreciate the Bronco's appearance until you see one on its own. I seen the pair at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale but I couldn't fully appreciate the look until now.
- The MIC top COLOR looks great! I was concerned it would be a slivery gray and it is definitely not. Much closer to the color of the black plastic than I expected.
- Taking off/putting on the tops is so easy.
Interior
- It looks incredible inside, very fitting for the Bronco. The view out onto the U shaped hood is a really cool sight.
- The rubber floor mats are excellent! The big Bronco logo on the rear passenger mat is a nice touch.
- Everything you touch in regular driving looks and feels great.
- The B&O Stereo is amazing all things considered, it is a big open space with not a lot of speakers. I am beyond thrilled with the sound quality and loudness. I have it set up with some extra midrange, bass, faded to the rear just a bit and surround mode.
- Wind & tire noise, what wind & tire noise? Compared to our very loud Gen 1 Raptor 6.2L V8 and MT tires, it is damn quiet. I even forget we are in a removeable top vehicle at times and that it is supposed to be acceptably noisy at times.
- The A/C is adequate in the back seats! It was 100 degrees out and humid (for AZ at least) today, sat in the back for 10 minutes and was not uncomfortable with it set to auto at 75 degrees. Will further test this at more extreme temps to confirm it is acceptable for kiddos. I am curious what a brutal 110 or 115+ day will feel like back there.
- Tons of head room in the front and back rows.
On-Road Driving
- Far from a harsh and unforgiving ride. Like I said above, it feels more refined than our Raptor does even after a full suspension refresh. I heard a lot of initial feedback that it feels squishy and did not inspire confidence, that is unfounded.
- The 10 speed is unbelievable. Not once did I feel a harsh shift or felt it was searching for the right gear.
- The driving position, arm rest positions are perfect. After riding right seat all day it felt huge but once I drove it for the first time it felt much smaller. Those gunsights really do make a huge difference when driving.
- The 2.7 sounds excellent (or maybe it is just the piped in sound enhancement).
- Haven't stomped on it yet but it has more than enough power.
The Bad & Ugly:
First and foremost, everything below IMO is livable all things considered. There are a couple of true issues sprinkled in that need to be addressed by Ford as the average consumer is not going to put up with it.
Functional
- The Sync 4 - Now Playing display both in the cluster and on the main screen at times does not show the correct song.
- The wireless charger caused a Pixel 5 to overheat and stop charging throughout the day.
- The edge of the top is SHARP, it sliced my hand open. Highly recommend using gloves or being extra careful.
- The GOAT mode dial has to be "cracked" the first time you use it. Think opening a water bottle for the first time. It is the oddest thing, I thought something was wrong until I gave it a solid toss and it made an audible and tactile crack/snap sensation then started freely spinning.
- Sasquatch without sidesteps is a pain to get in and out of, it is just awkward IMHO. RIP the seat bolsters. Maybe we are spoiled coming from a Raptor with side steps but our first real mod will be swapping the rock rails for side steps.
Aesthetic
- MIC top Honeycomb issue - The middle "honeycomb" layer of the 3 layer MIC top sandwich is visible on the outside & inside of the top. I definitely see how the guy who ceramic (coated or waxed?) his definitely helped make it pop. It is hard to see but is obvious once you identify it. I will monitor if it gets worse as it bakes in the 110+ heat more.
- Blue (adhesive?) sloppily applied on top on the inside in areas not covered by the sound deadening headliner.
- LOTS of sanding dust left over on the top, will be sure to wipe it off this weekend. When I put the top back on, you could see it fall out into the interior.
- Granted at the end of the day I don't care but the top looks pretty poor on the inside. I agree and see now why they offered free sound deadening headliner for all.
- The door hinges are not painted like mentioned in other threads, will take pictures when the doors are off. Also noticed in the swing gate area.
- Swing gate bolts were painted installed (hope they don't need to be removed anytime soon).
- Random paint boogers.
Side Notes:
- 15 MPG with driving it more conservatively than normal in mixed driving. Will see what happens after the break-in period is over and 91 octane usage begins.
- I wish the head rests in the front row were more substantial.
- There are some plastics in the interior that are extremely cheap feeling (Like the worse I have ever felt) and scratch prone. The center console (shifter/cup holder area) and dash would feel way better if they were thicker plastics.
- The door almost has a wobble to it when opening it.
- The rear swing gate is very easy to use/open, not sure about the negative feedback I have been seeing.
- Yes, the windshield is small, and the distance between the rear view mirror and dash is tiny. If you look out of the window it isn't bothersome. If you stare at how small the windshield is, yes it will feel small. The sun visors fill nearly half the windshield for perspective.
I hope the overwhelming feeling you have after reading this is continued excitement with a bit of understanding there are some teething pains especially with the MIC top. Do not let yourself become concerned, worried and questioning if you should continue. The Bronco hands down is worth the wait, go drive those dealer demos, attend the Off-Roadeo and experience it yourself!
Next update will be after finishing up break in this week followed by some wheeling this weekend in Table Mesa and Sedona! Lots of pictures to come from that. Will stop by one of my favorite photoshoot locations to take some pictures sometime this week with the DSLR.
Update #2:
Took the Bronco out for it's shakedown last Saturday. Arizona had some incredible monsoon action so we unfortunately did not make it up to Sedona for some rock crawling on Sunday. Nonetheless we still got to take her out for some moderate terrain in the Table Mesa area.
While we were airing down, had a Wrangler owner almost pass by us then reverse and stop. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, he has a Bronco on order and definitely was in awe.
Do not sleep on the GOAT modes, Trail Control and One Pedal! I used EVERYTHING, I feel spoiled by it. The biggest surprise was Baja mode, it is absolutely insane how powerful it feels by keeping the turbos in boost. Dare I say it is more fun than the Raptor.
Airing down is a MUST! Side note on airing down, if you go below 30 PSI TPMS and FordPass will yell at you. I ran 32F/28R, will try 25 all around next time out. Planning on going up to Sedona tomorrow since it will be broken in.
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