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Had to drive the 2.3

Jtorral

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With ordering just over a month away I decided to try the 2.3. So, headed to damerow ford today which is where my reservation is and met with Kyushu. He handed me the keys to a new ranger to take for a spin to help me decide on powertrain.

My conclusion is now inconclusive.

First of all, the 2.3 exceeded my expectations with a quick ramp up to 75mph on the highway. Overall it was not sluggish in any way. At first I thought there was hesitation from a dead stop but it turned out to be the stupid auto engine stop. I disabled that and no more hesitation.

Here is why I am now more confused than before ....

I want the BL with sasqauatch. Love the manual option. However, after driving the ranger with the 10 speed auto, i have to say it has me thinking twice about the manual. I already had a Jaguar F type with a 6 speed which I adored. But driving the F is a different experience than driving an off road vehicle.

So, at this point. I will either get the 2.3 with the manual or the 2.7 auto. No longer am i torn about performance. If the 2.3 is plenty enough, the 2.7 is just icing.

Lastly, I saw a gt500 in iconic silver at the dealer. Wow! It has some dark flakes which really darkens it just perfectly. That with black accents is tops. Needless to say my color choice has been made.

BTW, awesome team at Damerow ford.
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BroncoJay

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I go back and forth on the 2.3 vs 2.7 debate
I like power.. I just don’t wanna settle for the 2.3 and then think damn I wish I had the extra push...

But for everything I hear the 2.3 surprises many..
 

Funkster

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I saw a YouTube video about the 2.3 and the 4 cylinder not being great long-term with high mileage. Seems to make sense to me if you run the engine hard off-road the engine will wear out much quicker. I plan on having mine for a long hall going with the 6 cylinder.
 

Ricepuddin

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I saw a YouTube video about the 2.3 and the 4 cylinder not being great long-term with high mileage. Seems to make sense to me if you run the engine hard off-road the engine will wear out much quicker. I plan on having mine for a long hall going with the 6 cylinder.
Here are some off-road 4cyl. That youtuber has no idea what he's talking about.


Also I've spent a lot of time pushing 4cyl around race tracks and various other competitive driving. If they can survive me driving 11/10 you'll probably be fine

Ford Bronco Had to drive the 2.3 437835


Ford Bronco Had to drive the 2.3 1987-nissan-patrol-fanta-limon-rally-car-paris-dakar-15555


Ford Bronco Had to drive the 2.3 Best-Rally-Cars-Of-All-Time-1087x725


Ford Bronco Had to drive the 2.3 12794621893-987109ce23-o-1512583250
 

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hemiblas

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With ordering just over a month away I decided to try the 2.3. So, headed to damerow ford today which is where my reservation is and met with Kyushu. He handed me the keys to a new ranger to take for a spin to help me decide on powertrain.

My conclusion is now inconclusive.

First of all, the 2.3 exceeded my expectations with a quick ramp up to 75mph on the highway. Overall it was not sluggish in any way. At first I thought there was hesitation from a dead stop but it turned out to be the stupid auto engine stop. I disabled that and no more hesitation.

Here is why I am now more confused than before ....

I want the BL with sasqauatch. Love the manual option. However, after driving the ranger with the 10 speed auto, i have to say it has me thinking twice about the manual. I already had a Jaguar F type with a 6 speed which I adored. But driving the F is a different experience than driving an off road vehicle.

So, at this point. I will either get the 2.3 with the manual or the 2.7 auto. No longer am i torn about performance. If the 2.3 is plenty enough, the 2.7 is just icing.

Lastly, I saw a gt500 in iconic silver at the dealer. Wow! It has some dark flakes which really darkens it just perfectly. That with black accents is tops. Needless to say my color choice has been made.

BTW, awesome team at Damerow ford.
I own a Ranger.....AT 6000 feet elevation it is pretty sluggish off the line. Everything is up here, but the Ranger is more sluggish than everything else. After about 15mph its pretty quick. If you are just driving normally it is fine, but if you like to mash the throttle a lot from a stop the turbo takes a while to spool
 

Ricepuddin

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Like I said toys not for the long haul don't see any license plates and they probably all have a spare engine in the garage.
Like I said toys not for the long haul don't see any license plates and they probably all have a spare engine in the garage.
this car was rally crossed, autocrossed, tracked and daily driven . No spare motor.

You want the v6 go for it it's going to have some good power. But the 4cly isn't going to be less reliable because it's a 4cyl and it's capable of the same longevity. If ford did a good job engineering them.

IMG_4561-Edit.jpg
 

351HO

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I am choosing the 2.7 V6 for these reasons:
  • The current generation of the 2.7 has BOTH direct injection as well as port injection. This will help keep the intake valves clean and will reduce carbon build up issues common among direct injected engines.
  • The 2.7 block is partly made out of compacted graphite iron, which is incredibly durable and is currently used in several diesel engines.
  • The higher output of the 2.7 means that the engine won't be working as hard and should in theory have a longer lifespan. (This is only true if you can resist the addictive urge to mash the right pedal constantly)
Obviously the added power and insane torque is great, but I see that as a bonus and not the primary reason for choosing the V6.
 
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Mattwings

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To me it’s a question of the overall handling of the vehicle vs. power. The 2.3 is shorter, lighter and more centralized. Without driving one and or having both tested in real work conditions it’s hard to know what that translates to in everyday ownership. But my experience tells me the 2.3 will be a better off road mill as long as your tire choice remains 35” or smaller. At the end of the day, the 2.7 makes more power than even a modified 2.3 (just use the Ranger/Ford Motorsport tune as an example) and it does not need a catch can or tune to do it, so cost of ownership is likely lower on the 2.7 (my experience with the 2.7 also indicates fuel economy will be very close between the two).The other item to consider, 2.7 can be modded to 400hp and 450lb ft of torque with a tune and premium. That will put you right with a hemi powered Jeep if and when they come out.
 

Marauder

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I go back and forth on the 2.3 vs 2.7 debate
I like power.. I just don’t wanna settle for the 2.3 and then think damn I wish I had the extra push...

But for everything I hear the 2.3 surprises many..
Mine is the 4-cylinder versus the 6... I’m currently driving a SUV rental w/a 4 while our 6 is sidelined and I noticed it lacked that explosiveness on the highway.

Example: if Im on the highway and traffic sort of slows, but then picks back up, I find I can’t get it to accelerate at an appreciable rate without trying to really “Gun” the pedal. If I don’t, it leads to a big enough gap that someone inevitably changing lanes in front of me; which annoys the piss out of me.

My assumption is the Terrain SLT we’re in is just the 170 HP 9-Speed; which is fine except that detail. So, I recognize that’s 100 HP below the Bronco, but I think the $2K bump is an easy upgrade for my piece of mind. I like knowing I’ll get more and possibly better trade in IF that Warthog or Bronco Raptor is too much to not get.

I expect having this Bronco for +10-years like my current car, but I also know my current car is undervalued on the market, so I’m not motivated to trade it in or sell it for under what I’m currently appreciating it at.
 

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JesseS

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Glad to hear the 2.3 has plenty of power, and I plan to tune it and run Super, my decision was made due to weight, trying to keep it down on my BD as much as possible as I will be towing it a LOT!
 

Hey19

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Drove my brothers Ranger, I don't know what they weigh with 4 doors, but it should move the 2dr Bronco just fine IMO.
 

Flourman

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I keep telling people, the 2.3 is putting out same/better numbers than the 351w’s that were in the 95 FSB’s. It will push the Bronco around fine. The 2.7 is going to be a rocket.

Almost the same as my current 3.5Ecoboost puts out better numbers than the Triton V10’s which were no slouch of a motor.
 

Spooled

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Drove my brothers Ranger, I don't know what they weigh with 4 doors, but it should move the 2dr Bronco just fine IMO.
4x4 crew cab rangers are about 4,400 lbs. Base 2 door auto Bronco is 4,339. The heaviest 2.3 2-door Bronco is almost 5,000lbs. The 2.3 should still be fine at that weight with 4.70 gearing.
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