Delivered 2.3L Manual Bronco Black Diamond owner's review: the Good and the Bad

[Lakelife36]

Nice to read about your manual, I'm looking forward to a base 2d with the manual and feel that with the smaller wheels and 2d will be plenty of power compared to my old 2002 Tacoma V6 manual, but better.

Good to read that you can shut off the start & stop, because I often (especially on mountain roads) double clutch on downshifts (yes it has syncs) and match the rpms or just pausing in neutral for a moment on up shifts to let the rpms drop, I just like to and it smooths out my shifts; especially when driving "expeditionally" in the snow. I just love driving manuals, and have driven cars with no syncs in the tranny, so double clutching and matching rpms manually just became part of how I drive manuals. Depends on where I'm driving and how I'm feeling, but it comes natural to me without thinking about it.

My current car, a place holder until I get a Bronco, is a fun little car (Mazda3) that would have been great in a manual, but those are rare and pricey (or beat up) when found. But, it's the first automatic that I've owned in over 35 years and I'm missing driving a manual... even in stop and go traffic it didn't bother me too much, it's just muscle memory and timing, unless it was complete stops every few feet, than it's just muscles and a pain.

So, it would be a bummer if I couldn't turn the start & stop off.

Yes, "expeditionally" is a made up word from expedite. But when you can go around curves on a snow covered mountain road and the CHiPper following you can't pull you over for speeding because you hardly hit your brakes, your driving "expeditionally".

Expeditiously

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[Arrowbear Rider]

Expeditiously

Thanks for the assist, I am hearing impaired and sometime I can't figure out spelling or pronounce a word incorrectly, otherwise my speech is OK. Add that an old friend's wife use to accuse me of making up words when I said them incorrectly, and last night when I couldn't figure out how to spell expeditiously, and spell check wasn't helping it actually came up with the spelling I used but with a -before "ally", so I assumed I wasn't correct... but I thought the word was using was real. Oh well. HAHA

 

[NC_Pinz]

that'll take some getting used to!

What will take more time to get used to is that you pull to engage and push to disengage. Based on its placement down and to the left of the steering wheel, I would have thought it was more intuitive to do the opposite like you if you had a foot operated e-brake with hand disengagement.

 

[bloominguez]

What will take more time to get used to is that you pull to engage and push to disengage.

Not sure you'll need to push to disengage all that often. From the manual, page 198, something that caught my eye:

=============================================
AUTOMATICALLY RELEASING THE ELECTRIC PARKING BRAKE
1. Close the driver door.
2. Shift into gear.
3. Press the accelerator pedal and pull away in a normal manner.
=============================================

I've never owned a vehicle with this style parking brake, happy to be corrected. But it appears to me you don't have to disengage it. Just drive away, the parking brake will be released automatically.

 

[NC_Pinz]

Not sure you'll need to push to disengage all that often. From the manual, page 198, something that caught my eye:

=============================================
AUTOMATICALLY RELEASING THE ELECTRIC PARKING BRAKE
1. Close the driver door.
2. Shift into gear.
3. Press the accelerator pedal and pull away in a normal manner.
=============================================

I've never owned a vehicle with this style parking brake, happy to be corrected. But it appears to me you don't have to disengage it. Just drive away, the parking brake will be released automatically.

You can allow it to disengage automatically, but I won't. Just not in my nature because I'm an old school guy. My wife has had two vehicles with electric parking brakes with the similar automatic disengage feature. We never use it. Manually set and manually disengage.

My issue with the Bronco's is that the whole motion is opposite of the '75 Bronco's disengagement so it isn't intuitive.

 

[Dvanderm]

Nice build! I think the BD is probably the best deal on a manual trans you can get until the BaseManSquatch becomes a reality. I also have come to really like the MGV. Like you, I am perfectly happy with the power of the 2.3 and I think the fun of driving the manual significantly outweighs how fast it is. Awesome that you tried out the hill descent. I haven’t done that yet, but glad to hear it works well with the stick. I think it will be a while before people get tired of new reviews/pics of delivered Broncos. Nice write-up and super nice Bronco!

I'm struggling with going with the 4-door BB with hardtop and 2.3M or the BD with the same setup. The price premium for the BD vs. BB is $2700. So the comment here about the BD being the best MT deal got me wondering if it is worth the extra.

The BD cost would also include the MGV seats, overhead auxiliary switches ($195) and rear-locking differential. Some things I would do after with the BB, like real leather seats that some forums have suggested, tinting, running boards. I liked the BB because I wouldn't have to remove the BD rock blockers to put on the running boards.

Not happy that I can't get some components of the Mid package with either, but just have to live with that I guess unless I change either to the 2.7A.

Any other thoughts on if the BD is a better deal over the BB?

 

[srick76]

I'm struggling with going with the 4-door BB with hardtop and 2.3M or the BD with the same setup. The price premium for the BD vs. BB is $2700. So the comment here about the BD being the best MT deal got me wondering if it is worth the extra.

The BD cost would also include the MGV seats, overhead auxiliary switches ($195) and rear-locking differential. Some things I would do after with the BB, like real leather seats that some forums have suggested, tinting, running boards. I liked the BB because I wouldn't have to remove the BD rock blockers to put on the running boards.

Not happy that I can't get some components of the Mid package with either, but just have to live with that I guess unless I change either to the 2.7A.

Any other thoughts on if the BD is a better deal over the BB?

Do you plan on off roading with your Bronco? The rear locker is a great option to have and although you can off road without it, it’s one of those things you won’t realize you need until you need it. Do you ever plan on adding accessories like extra backup lights or ditch lights? The aux switches are awesome to have pre-ran and already there. MGV seats and floor is a personal preference but I love the convenience of just wiping them off.

 

[Rcarpen22]

I'm struggling with going with the 4-door BB with hardtop and 2.3M or the BD with the same setup. The price premium for the BD vs. BB is $2700. So the comment here about the BD being the best MT deal got me wondering if it is worth the extra.

The BD cost would also include the MGV seats, overhead auxiliary switches ($195) and rear-locking differential. Some things I would do after with the BB, like real leather seats that some forums have suggested, tinting, running boards. I liked the BB because I wouldn't have to remove the BD rock blockers to put on the running boards.

Not happy that I can't get some components of the Mid package with either, but just have to live with that I guess unless I change either to the 2.7A.

Any other thoughts on if the BD is a better deal over the BB?

There are things I really liked on the 2021 BD. I would definitely not want to wheel without rock rails. I know aftermarket will be plentiful, but I like the stock ones. I also think that with the locker, steel bumpers, bash plates, etc, the BD is a pretty decent deal. I happen to really like the MGV interior. For those reasons, I am pretty sold on the BD. It seems like all you get with the BB is the ability to buy more stuff. I have never been able to make the BB make sense from a money standpoint. If you want real leather and heated seats, get a base and go Katzkins interior with heat. I own a Badlands with standard package. Granted, I drove it for 2 weeks before the engine crapped out. That was 13 weeks ago and I still don't have it back. BUT, there is nothing from the mid/high/lux package I cared about at all except for heated seats. I drove an Outer Banks Squatch pretty loaded at Off-Rodeo. I actually think the big screen looks silly. The standard screen is just right to me. So for my money (if I was doing it again), it'd be base with katzkins or BD with MGV and install aftermarket heaters myself. Now, all that said, I think the standard equipment on BD changed for '22, so not sure what you still get.

 

[Dvanderm]

Do you plan on off roading with your Bronco? The rear locker is a great option to have and although you can off road without it, it’s one of those things you won’t realize you need until you need it. Do you ever plan on adding accessories like extra backup lights or ditch lights? The aux switches are awesome to have pre-ran and already there. MGV seats and floor is a personal preference but I love the convenience of just wiping them off.

Mostly pavement, but live in Idaho so would definitely use it for some exploring off road. Not sure on the accessories like lights, so would have to think about it. How is the MGV quality? I was thinking of replacing cloth with some of the other aftermarket options mentioned in forums, like katzkin.com, leatherseats.com, etc. But if MGV is decent, I could consider going that route.
BTW, saw an old forum from last year with a poll about which trim had the best bang for the buck....636 responses and BD had by far the most...35%. next up was half of that %. Now that was way before people starting taking delivery and reflected different needs, but still interesting for what it was worth.

 

[Dvanderm]

There are things I really liked on the 2021 BD. I would definitely not want to wheel without rock rails. I know aftermarket will be plentiful, but I like the stock ones. I also think that with the locker, steel bumpers, bash plates, etc, the BD is a pretty decent deal. I happen to really like the MGV interior. For those reasons, I am pretty sold on the BD. It seems like all you get with the BB is the ability to buy more stuff. I have never been able to make the BB make sense from a money standpoint. If you want real leather and heated seats, get a base and go Katzkins interior with heat. I own a Badlands with standard package. Granted, I drove it for 2 weeks before the engine crapped out. That was 13 weeks ago and I still don't have it back. BUT, there is nothing from the mid/high/lux package I cared about at all except for heated seats. I drove an Outer Banks Squatch pretty loaded at Off-Rodeo. I actually think the big screen looks silly. The standard screen is just right to me. So for my money (if I was doing it again), it'd be base with katzkins or BD with MGV and install aftermarket heaters myself. Now, all that said, I think the standard equipment on BD changed for '22, so not sure what you still get.

Thanks...that sucks about your engine though....was it a 2.3? I see your point on the rock rails. Apparently there are not any companies making after market steps to put on the rails, but with all the running boards available, there will probably be some by the time I get delivery. I considered the Base at first, but this vehicle doesn't look good (IMO) with the 30" tires. With BB or BD, I will drive the 32s until they need replacing then replace with 33". The steel bumper is an option for the '22 BD ($575), but the bash plate is still standard.

 

[Rcarpen22]

Thanks...that sucks about your engine though....was it a 2.3? I see your point on the rock rails. Apparently there are not any companies making after market steps to put on the rails, but with all the running boards available, there will probably be some by the time I get delivery. I considered the Base at first, but this vehicle doesn't look good (IMO) with the 30" tires. With BB or BD, I will drive the 32s until they need replacing then replace with 33". The steel bumper is an option for the '22 BD ($575), but the bash plate is still standard.

My commitment to rock rails came after I almost put the pinch weld on a rock in the OB at Off-Rodeo. One guy did set a Badlands down on the rock rail. No biggie, that’s what it’s for, but I didn’t have any. Yeah, my Badlands is a 7-speed with 2.3. Still waiting on parts according to the dealer… 4 months later.

 

[srick76]

Mostly pavement, but live in Idaho so would definitely use it for some exploring off road. Not sure on the accessories like lights, so would have to think about it. How is the MGV quality? I was thinking of replacing cloth with some of the other aftermarket options mentioned in forums, like katzkin.com, leatherseats.com, etc. But if MGV is decent, I could consider going that route.
BTW, saw an old forum from last year with a poll about which trim had the best bang for the buck....636 responses and BD had by far the most...35%. next up was half of that %. Now that was way before people starting taking delivery and reflected different needs, but still interesting for what it was worth.

Another thing to consider is the tires. The BB tires aren’t very aggressive pretty much all seasons instead of all terrains. I love the MGV. Only a little sweaty of days in the 90’s when you don’t have the AC on. To me the BD has the look I wanted. I had originally reserved a BB and I’m sooo glad I switched when I ordered. Good luck.

 

[Lakelife36]

Do you plan on off roading with your Bronco? The rear locker is a great option to have and although you can off road without it, it’s one of those things you won’t realize you need until you need it. Do you ever plan on adding accessories like extra backup lights or ditch lights? The aux switches are awesome to have pre-ran and already there. MGV seats and floor is a personal preference but I love the convenience of just wiping them off.

Rear locker and aux switches are both options on BB. I've been having this same struggle, and the big differences are the MGV, auto 4x4, and rock crawl mode (if you care). All the extra trail armour can be customized aftermarket.

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