First In-Depth Owner’s Review: 2021 Bronco Badlands 4-Door 2.7L

[John Bronco]

…but every once in a while during the trail turn assist I would hear a loud pinging noise. Almost like a spring or something being sprung. It didn't sound normal.

First off, Congrats!
curious if your locker was engaged when using trail assist. The sound you described is a pretty common sound when a locker disengages while bound up.
btw, please no bronco wave!

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[PrevCYBRTRKrez]

First Thoughts and impressions.

ORDERING: I’ve had a lot of questions about ordering, luck, VIP status, etc... I made my reservation within the first few minutes of the launch live stream. If there was a race to get a reservation in I had to be close to the top in the country. Even before the end of the livestream the reservation website started getting slow and throwing up errors. I believe the timestamp of the reservation is what allowed me to get my Bronco so soon despite the spec I ordered. I have bought a total of 7 vehicles in a span of 20 years through this Ford dealership. I doubt that qualifies me for any kind of VIP status and even my salesman couldn't verify any sort of special treatment.

I ordered the first day I could in January. When I placed my order my salesman told me of the “deadly sins” (which I already knew) but I wanted that spec and decided to risk it even if it meant waiting longer. I had an order priority code of 19 through my dealership. I'm not exactly sure what all the codes mean but that is what's listed on my order receipt. I do know I was #1 on the list for the dealership and there were approximately 200 people behind me with an order submitted. Again I think that's because of my reservation timestamp.

COLOR: When I first laid eyes on the race red Bronco in person I knew that was the right color. We were between Area 51, Velocity Blue and Race Red. Velocity blue was a close second but the red just pops and looks fantastic in person. The MIC top color is lighter than the fender flares but when installed it's hard to tell the difference between the two. It goes together very well.

SIZE: The size is perfect. I thought maybe the 4 door was going to be a bit too big and look a little funny. I actually like the looks of the 2 door better in photos but the 4 door pulls it off and looks great! There is plenty of seating for 4 big guys comfortably. The seats are darn comfortable with a good amount of space in the rear to haul. Overall height… it's just a tad shorter than my F150. With the sasquatch package and no roof rack the height to the top of the roof is 75 inches give or take. It fits comfortably through my 7ft garage door. I dont have the roof rack but I would guess it would still fit in a 7ft door without any problems.

[Part 2 Continued in next post]

Excited for you!! Would you mind to measure the size of the Ford Emblem on the rear tailgate?

 

[SirBenimen]

Excited for you!! Would you mind to measure the size of the Ford Emblem on the rear tailgate?

5 inches long 2 inches high.

 

[shoelessjoe]

DRIVABILITY: Comparing this to my 2016 F150 the Bronco with the sasquatch is pretty dang good! It’s obviously noisier but it's really not that much noisier. I do have the hardtop with the sound deadening. I downloaded a Db app on my phone to measure noise levels and according to my phone the Bronco was only 6 Db louder than my F150 at 50mph. Take that for what it's worth but it's not overly noisy.

This thing is torqy! My wife is used to driving a corolla and it was hard for her to feather the gas when taking off. As a passenger It felt kinda jerky at first. She has since got used to the torq and is fine but there was a small adjustment period for her. I myself enjoy the torque and speed. Makes for a fun ride! It corners and handles nicely. Some body roll but not bad. I haven't experienced any “canoeing” or darting thus far and this thing eats Michigan potholes for breakfast.

The little off road driving I did, I used mud and ruts mode. In this mode I noticed it held the gear for longer and revved up to a higher RPM. I was able to shift with the plus and minus buttons on the automatic shifter in this mode to find different gears. The badlands doesn't have a sport mode and according to a forum member the work around is to put it in Baja mode and then shift into 2H instead of 4H. That did work but it does remove traction control and states its for off road use only. Going down a seasonal logging road at good speed it just eats up the holes, bumps, puddles etc… It's incredibly smooth and controlled. It's pretty amazing really.

One of the issues I had was with the G.O.A.T. mode selector dial. It seemed it was bound up on something like a piece of plastic maybe from the moulding process? I had to turn it pretty hard to get it to free up. It's working normally now, but it took me a minute to figure it out as the dial wasn’t working as it should at first.

I tested out the stay bar disconnect and the trail turn assist on an old logging road. All the features worked great but every once in a while during the trail turn assist I would hear a loud pinging noise. Almost like a spring or something being sprung. It didn't sound normal. I went looking through the manual and apparently it’s considered normal and Ford says it's part of the antilock brakes? I don’t know enough to know what all is going on when that feature is activated but it can be startling if you're not expecting it. It was wet sand where I tested this feature out and it states in the manual it's meant for slick conditions. Maybe that's why I was getting the noise? Maybe it wasn't “slick” enough?

Airflow is good in the back seat. I had this question come up a few times. I have the MIC hardtop with sound deadening but I did feel like the cooling was more than adequate. My wife drove with the salesman in front and myself in the back to fill up with gas. While in the back seat I actually thought the hardtop was letting in a draft so I started feeling around the seams for an air leak. It was actually coming from the front cab vents. The AC was on which was quiet enough I didn't notice it was on. So there is good airflow in the entire cab. Will it keep warm enough in the -20’s we sometimes get in northern Michigan? I’ll let you know!

As far as 0-60 mph, drive mode characteristics, or other drivability questions, I am going to wait until the break in period is over. (1000 miles). I’m almost certain the Bronco is detuned from the factory until the break in period is complete to protect the drivetrain. My mustang was that way and I could feel it once the break in period was complete.


FIT AND FINISH: The overall quality of materials is pretty darn good. The MIC hardtop is easy to take off. The back portion does take 2 people to do but it's actually surprising light. I was able to take off the second row myself but it's not recommended. The top fits together nicely and it's easy to re-install. I had the Bronco out in a steady rain and didn't notice anything that would resemble water leakage. I will say that when washing the Bronco there are a ton of nooks and crannies for water to hide, especially in the MIC top. No leaking but it's a PITA to get the vehicle dry after a wash. Water drips out from the top down the side of the vehicle for a long while. A blower might help but I was trying to use a drying towel and it seemed like a losing battle.

I think the seats are really comfortable and the feel of the MGV seats is nice. I opted for the floor liners and while they are good with good coverage they are more flimsy than say weathertech or husky. I got them for the bronco logos and they snap into place in the front and the rear liner is one piece so that's nice. The rear seats fold down easily. The quality of the hard top case that was supplied is actually really high quality. I dont have the door storage case but I imagine it's the same quality and wouldn’t hesitate to buy them. I do like the looks of the interior and I’m loving the big screen of the high package. It's very responsive compared to my syc3 in my F150. Pretty close to smartphone responsiveness. Audio is ok. A tin can kind of sound but they do offer soundbars as an accessory addon. I do not have the upgraded speakers the lux package has but the sound system is probably the thing I dislike the most but overall it's not a big deal for me. The first time I tried closing the hood it was difficult to do. The spring in the latching mechanism wouldn’t allow the hood to fully seat. I ended up dropping the hood from 3 or 4 feet to get it to latch. I couldn’t even push it shut. I thought maybe it was the bumpers and made adjustments to those but that didn’t do it. I ended up opening and closing the hood several times to work the spring a bit and that seemed to work.
It comes with a prop rod not struts. Not a big deal for me but it might be for some others.

OVERALL: I really love this thing. It's good looking, it's very capable on road and a beast off road. It catches eyes everywhere! People are talking to you at stop lights, approaching you as you are parking asking to look at it. The jeep guys and gals are pretending they don't care as you pass them, but you can tell they are looking out of the corner of their eye trying to catch a look. I know Ford could have done a better job rolling these out but I suspect that the unforeseen issues threw a wrench in their plans and the only option was to delay and delay and delay. I'm a Ford sympathizer and optimist. No one wanted the scenario that we’re in, especially Ford. For crying out loud their factory flooded. They took over the MIC production. I truly believe they are doing everything they can to fulfill customer orders and the hiccups in the rollout will eventually be forgotten and the Bronco will be a hit for years to come. Those willing to wait will be rewarded with an excellent vehicle and if you can't wait and want to buy a jeep or tacoma instead that's fine too. I'll be happy to pull you out on the trail!

I’ll be posting photos and short videos on instagram.

I will try to answer questions the best I can and will post updates on Bronco 6G as they come, good or bad.

If you see me out and about just wave or say hi! I plan to have this thing out on the trails throughout the state of Michigan this summer. Silver lake sandunes, drummond island, etc… Do Bronco owners have a “Bronco wave”? Maybe just number 1 ?

What part of Michigan do you reside in?

 

[PrevCYBRTRKrez]

5 inches long 2 inches high.

Thanks! I'd like to buy another and have it painted Velocity Blue and Black.

 

[MIwildtrak51]

DRIVABILITY: Comparing this to my 2016 F150 the Bronco with the sasquatch is pretty dang good! It’s obviously noisier but it's really not that much noisier. I do have the hardtop with the sound deadening. I downloaded a Db app on my phone to measure noise levels and according to my phone the Bronco was only 6 Db louder than my F150 at 50mph. Take that for what it's worth but it's not overly noisy.

This thing is torqy! My wife is used to driving a corolla and it was hard for her to feather the gas when taking off. As a passenger It felt kinda jerky at first. She has since got used to the torq and is fine but there was a small adjustment period for her. I myself enjoy the torque and speed. Makes for a fun ride! It corners and handles nicely. Some body roll but not bad. I haven't experienced any “canoeing” or darting thus far and this thing eats Michigan potholes for breakfast.

The little off road driving I did, I used mud and ruts mode. In this mode I noticed it held the gear for longer and revved up to a higher RPM. I was able to shift with the plus and minus buttons on the automatic shifter in this mode to find different gears. The badlands doesn't have a sport mode and according to a forum member the work around is to put it in Baja mode and then shift into 2H instead of 4H. That did work but it does remove traction control and states its for off road use only. Going down a seasonal logging road at good speed it just eats up the holes, bumps, puddles etc… It's incredibly smooth and controlled. It's pretty amazing really.

One of the issues I had was with the G.O.A.T. mode selector dial. It seemed it was bound up on something like a piece of plastic maybe from the moulding process? I had to turn it pretty hard to get it to free up. It's working normally now, but it took me a minute to figure it out as the dial wasn’t working as it should at first.

I tested out the stay bar disconnect and the trail turn assist on an old logging road. All the features worked great but every once in a while during the trail turn assist I would hear a loud pinging noise. Almost like a spring or something being sprung. It didn't sound normal. I went looking through the manual and apparently it’s considered normal and Ford says it's part of the antilock brakes? I don’t know enough to know what all is going on when that feature is activated but it can be startling if you're not expecting it. It was wet sand where I tested this feature out and it states in the manual it's meant for slick conditions. Maybe that's why I was getting the noise? Maybe it wasn't “slick” enough?

Airflow is good in the back seat. I had this question come up a few times. I have the MIC hardtop with sound deadening but I did feel like the cooling was more than adequate. My wife drove with the salesman in front and myself in the back to fill up with gas. While in the back seat I actually thought the hardtop was letting in a draft so I started feeling around the seams for an air leak. It was actually coming from the front cab vents. The AC was on which was quiet enough I didn't notice it was on. So there is good airflow in the entire cab. Will it keep warm enough in the -20’s we sometimes get in northern Michigan? I’ll let you know!

As far as 0-60 mph, drive mode characteristics, or other drivability questions, I am going to wait until the break in period is over. (1000 miles). I’m almost certain the Bronco is detuned from the factory until the break in period is complete to protect the drivetrain. My mustang was that way and I could feel it once the break in period was complete.


FIT AND FINISH: The overall quality of materials is pretty darn good. The MIC hardtop is easy to take off. The back portion does take 2 people to do but it's actually surprising light. I was able to take off the second row myself but it's not recommended. The top fits together nicely and it's easy to re-install. I had the Bronco out in a steady rain and didn't notice anything that would resemble water leakage. I will say that when washing the Bronco there are a ton of nooks and crannies for water to hide, especially in the MIC top. No leaking but it's a PITA to get the vehicle dry after a wash. Water drips out from the top down the side of the vehicle for a long while. A blower might help but I was trying to use a drying towel and it seemed like a losing battle.

I think the seats are really comfortable and the feel of the MGV seats is nice. I opted for the floor liners and while they are good with good coverage they are more flimsy than say weathertech or husky. I got them for the bronco logos and they snap into place in the front and the rear liner is one piece so that's nice. The rear seats fold down easily. The quality of the hard top case that was supplied is actually really high quality. I dont have the door storage case but I imagine it's the same quality and wouldn’t hesitate to buy them. I do like the looks of the interior and I’m loving the big screen of the high package. It's very responsive compared to my syc3 in my F150. Pretty close to smartphone responsiveness. Audio is ok. A tin can kind of sound but they do offer soundbars as an accessory addon. I do not have the upgraded speakers the lux package has but the sound system is probably the thing I dislike the most but overall it's not a big deal for me. The first time I tried closing the hood it was difficult to do. The spring in the latching mechanism wouldn’t allow the hood to fully seat. I ended up dropping the hood from 3 or 4 feet to get it to latch. I couldn’t even push it shut. I thought maybe it was the bumpers and made adjustments to those but that didn’t do it. I ended up opening and closing the hood several times to work the spring a bit and that seemed to work.
It comes with a prop rod not struts. Not a big deal for me but it might be for some others.

OVERALL: I really love this thing. It's good looking, it's very capable on road and a beast off road. It catches eyes everywhere! People are talking to you at stop lights, approaching you as you are parking asking to look at it. The jeep guys and gals are pretending they don't care as you pass them, but you can tell they are looking out of the corner of their eye trying to catch a look. I know Ford could have done a better job rolling these out but I suspect that the unforeseen issues threw a wrench in their plans and the only option was to delay and delay and delay. I'm a Ford sympathizer and optimist. No one wanted the scenario that we’re in, especially Ford. For crying out loud their factory flooded. They took over the MIC production. I truly believe they are doing everything they can to fulfill customer orders and the hiccups in the rollout will eventually be forgotten and the Bronco will be a hit for years to come. Those willing to wait will be rewarded with an excellent vehicle and if you can't wait and want to buy a jeep or tacoma instead that's fine too. I'll be happy to pull you out on the trail!

I’ll be posting photos and short videos on instagram.

I will try to answer questions the best I can and will post updates on Bronco 6G as they come, good or bad.

If you see me out and about just wave or say hi! I plan to have this thing out on the trails throughout the state of Michigan this summer. Silver lake sandunes, drummond island, etc… Do Bronco owners have a “Bronco wave”? Maybe just number 1 ?

Fantastic. Can't wait to get my hands on one of these. See ya at silver lake!

 

[Panzer948]

Congrats, thanks for the excellent review!

 

[Bdisco]

Thanks SirBenimen for the review.

 

[Markkelly1965]

Thanks for the update! Someday a carbonized grey Wildtrack will live at my garage. But a twinkle yet in my eye since my reservation wasn’t until October. So please keep the updates coming so I can live vicariously through your posts.

 

[KKCrunch]

I know Ford could have done a better job rolling these out but I suspect that the unforeseen issues threw a wrench in their plans and the only option was to delay and delay and delay. I'm a Ford sympathizer and optimist. No one wanted the scenario that we’re in, especially Ford. For crying out loud their factory flooded. They took over the MIC production. I truly believe they are doing everything they can to fulfill customer orders and the hiccups in the rollout will eventually be forgotten and the Bronco will be a hit for years to come. Those willing to wait will be rewarded with an excellent vehicle and if you can't wait and want to buy a jeep or tacoma instead that's fine too. I'll be happy to pull you out on the trail!

Loved everything about your post until the end where you decided to be a Ford apologist and profess that all will be forgiven and forgotten. That’s pretty easy to say from your chair with your Bronco in you garage.

Put this in the category of sour grapes if you want but I don’t think anyone with a day one or day two reservation that hasn’t hit the Build Date lottery at this point is ever going to forgive or forget #Ford giving them a giant middle finger Friday 6/25. How dare they start making dealer stock before honoring our reservations and pre-orders. This entire process has been nothing more than a sham and con.

 

[Vantcrst]

Like everyone else just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to write a great review. We look forward to hearing more about your new toy. We are all living vicariously through you while we wait for our Broncos so keep them coming!!

 

[2.3BigBend]

Do Bronco owners have a “Bronco wave”? Maybe just number 1 ?

(Bronco wave?

Please God, no stupid Bronco wave. It's annoying that people in Jeeps do this. I had 2 of them......let's let Jeep have those exclusive wave rights.

 

[SirBenimen]

Please God, no stupid Bronco wave. It's annoying that people in Jeeps do this. I had 2 of them......let's let Jeep have those exclusive wave rights.

I don’t disagree I just get a lot of waves so to be a nice guy I wave back… I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m waving regardless. The argument is whether it should it be a unique wave or just a normal wave?

 

[M&M Beer]

Are you giving rides to anyone in Michigan or loaning it out for test rides. LOL Great review thanks

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