Drove a 4dr Badlands today.

[AwakeOnABus]

I had a July 14th Res for a Badlands. In the end, the discombobulated shenanigans from Ford Launch and the 3,500lb tow capacity saw me cancel the reservatioin to wait all of this out. I could not buy a vehicle that I'd never seen.

Turns out, Wyatt Johnson in Nashville has 2 mannequins. Both have soft tops, follow cruise, lane keeping, and the bigger display.

One is a 4dr Cyber Orange Badlands, 2.3L 7 speed.
One is a 4dr Antimatter Blue Wildtrack, Sasquatch, 2.7L auto

We drove the 7 speed.

INSIDE: The layout is fantastic! It just felt natural and easy to see out, and it did not give me that disorienting feeling that some vehicles give you the first time you drive them. Tech is well done. The cameras were amazing, crawl mode was ... perfect. -things like adjusting mirrors could be done instinctively by feel (while driving) just minutes after I got in the Bronco for the first time ever. I wasn't crazy about the "gauge cluster" dash display, but I don't know what I would change. Phone conversations w/ the soft top at interstate speeds were easy. That was a surprise. The person on the other end could hear the "ocean waves" sound of the wind over the soft top, but we were still easily able to communicate. If I purchase, I'll have a hard top and factory or aftermarket sound insulation.

RIDE: It was an easy driver on the interstate. The front end was SOFT over bumps, but the back-end was much stiffer and jumped over bumps that the front end soaked up. Lane changes were confident and secure. I can only guess that it would be at quite at home on a fire road.

POWER: I could not live with the 2.3L. In a small town or rural area, it would be fine. I couldn't do it in Nashville.

We took it back, got in the 4runner and drove away, and I realized how much I love the 4runner. If it had Ford's Tech and was supercharged, it would be darn near perfect. Hahaha...

Having finally seen, sat in, and driven a Bronco, I'm now much more likely to buy one. I'm going to try to get back and drive the 2.7 auto - as that (with Sasquatch) is what I would've ordered - had I not dropped my reservation in April. I may be a 2022 buyer - unless I find one that was dropped by the reservation holder during production. *Seeing the interior in the Wildtrack also made me think that Wildtrack/SAS would be my choice over the Badlands.

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[shoelessjoe]

I drove a 4DR Wildtrak a few weeks ago and it was a BLAST!!!!! 2.7 has plenty of gitty up for me. Rides great on the 35s. Love all the goodies.

 

[AwakeOnABus]

**Update: Drove a 4dr Wildtrack, 2.7 auto today.

Leather Interior, Soft Top, Lux Package.

It was fun, the 2.7 is AMAZING in this vehicle. Of note - the tailgate "table" rattles like crazy if you don't put some foam in it somewhere. The sliding, lockable drawer in the back also rattles.

I'm 6' tall and the seat was uncomfortable - the back - between the shoulder blades where the bronco logo is - felt like Rocky Marciano punching me in the back after a while. After that, I could not stand to just rest in the seat. (I don't remember this about the cloth seats in the 2.3 Badlands.) This would definitely not be a trip car for us.

At the end of the day, this was the last gasp for the Bronco for me. We had driven an F-150 Raptor before, and I couldn't imagine choosing the Bronco over the Raptor. This 19 month or so trip was a fun one, but it won't be a Bronco for us. I't'll be a Raptor (3.5 - not the coming V8).

 

[Corsair]

**Update: Drove a 4dr Wildtrack, 2.7 auto today.

Leather Interior, Soft Top, Lux Package.

It was fun, the 2.7 is AMAZING in this vehicle. Of note - the tailgate "table" rattles like crazy if you don't put some foam in it somewhere. The sliding, lockable drawer in the back also rattles.

I'm 6' tall and the seat was uncomfortable - the back - between the shoulder blades where the bronco logo is - felt like Rocky Marciano punching me in the back after a while. After that, I could not stand to just rest in the seat. (I don't remember this about the cloth seats in the 2.3 Badlands.) This would definitely not be a trip car for us.

At the end of the day, this was the last gasp for the Bronco for me. We had driven an F-150 Raptor before, and I couldn't imagine choosing the Bronco over the Raptor. This 19 month or so trip was a fun one, but it won't be a Bronco for us. I't'll be a Raptor (3.5 - not the coming V8).

That you didn’t remember the “cloth” seats on the Badlands being uncomfortable bodes quite well for the comfort of the MGV. Unless it wasn’t a Badlands… lol

 

[AwakeOnABus]

^^ hahaha.. touché. It was a Badlands - It's been a couple of weeks, and I have other things in life to be concerned with - even thought one wouldn't know that by the colossal amount of time I've spent on here.

 

[BroncoTodd]

@AwakeOnABus: As @Corsair alluded to, Badlands is not offered in a cloth interior.… unles perhaps you drove a Bronco Sport?

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