Haven't 100% decided on a Bronco yet, but we really want one...

[userdude]

I personally think the Bronco is far to small for three kids plus two adults but I bought a four door to haul around my two dogs. The middle rear seat is kind of awful with the little hump in in where your ass would typically rest.

THat being said I love my Bronco but just be warned you typically will only see the really in love or the really in hate people on line. The people who just drive the damn thing (my boss) won't ever be posting on a forum.

The 2.3L is plenty enough power, I have had the same engine going on 5 years coming from a Ranger to the Bronco. I hauled some weight in that ranger and couldn't have even told you I could notice it back there. I am sure the 2.7 is nice but I wouldn't get to hung up there.

My older brother would've loved that hump in the middle... then he would've looked almost as tall as me sitting there. lol

Also a vote for the 2.3L. The 2.7L is maybe more extendible (second turbo, slightly larger block), but the 2.3L has been around for decades and gets 300HP stock. Get the Ford Performance tune, it's even better (w/93).

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[HeliPilot]

If you go in expecting a Telluride experience, you'll be disappointed. If you go in expecting a 1980's Jeep Wrangler experience, you'll be pleasantly surprised. It truly boils down to expectations. It will never be a "Luxury" ride, but it is absolutely better than anything I ever expected it to be. It will leak. It will be noisy. The top will remove paint where it rubs on the body. Every single removable top Jeep we owned did the same thing. We LOVE our BADLANDS.

 

[Bullitt]

I've owned a lot of vehicles over the years and my Bronco is my favorite for several reasons but mainly it's because the fun factor is off the charts! It does everything so incredibly well and looks good doing it. I also love the fact that it's so modular. You can modify easily and make it your own. Take off the doors, remove the top, add some decals, stripes, etc.

I've owned mine now for about 2 years and have about 28,000 miles of smiles. (a good mix of off-road, highway and local miles) I went with the 2.7, Lux Package with Sasquatch. Perfect for the mountains here in Colorado. My family, friends and pups love my Bronco...especially my grandson, who is in the last photo.

As was said before, the interior plastics aren't top of the line and it is louder than a typical SUV, but considering all of the other positives, I'm ok with the rather minor complaints.

Wishing you and your family the best in making your decision.

 

[MNBigfoot]

And go into this knowing that the $29,500 (at release) Bronco and the $74,000 Bronco have the same quality interior. Thousands of posts on here of people complaining about the quality of their $60k+ vehicles, when they should have known what they were buying.

And do lots of research into trims, lots of people spent a ton of money only to realize that the capabilities of the high dollar trim had no better mechanics than the bottom dollar trim.

 

[Tacoman]

Hey neighbor! We have had 3 Broncos since 2022, traded up each time, not because of any issues! These are Fun Vehicles and we use our Braptor for long road trips and love it......it is what it is, a Bronco, but hey I have had 7 Wranglers and loved all 7 with No issues there either....

 

[prospectfour]

Overall you have to ask yourself (and your wife) what you expect the Bronco to be and to do for your needs.
I love mine.
But it is pretty much exactly what I imagined it would be (and better in some ways), coming from a soft top Jeep owner.
It drives better than a Jeep, rides better.
It will not be nearly as "cushy" or quiet as a solid-roofed SUV, no matter what top you go with or what you do. It is not the intended purpose of it TO be that.
A lot of used ones are hitting lots now because of several reasons that we can all speculate and agree/disagree on.
MY opinion is that it is the "new and shiny thing that is hard to get" period is over, and it is definitely not some luxury-brand ultra-plush and quiet SUV.
I think more than a few assumed it was more quiet and such solely based on demand and pricing of the upper models.
Have you driven a Bronco yet?
If not, I would suggest starting there vs. asking opinions on here, of which you will get a large variance of.
And I'm not talking a guided 5 minute jaunt down a 45mph street and back.
Take it for an hour or more.
Side streets, streets that are in some disrepair, interstates at speed.
Put all 3 kids in the back seat and see how they fit and how they feel about the time spent back there.
Then make your decision based on your experience, or at least it being the largest factor in your decision. Not others' opinions that may not equate to your use-case and/or expectation.

EDIT: All that said, my OPINION here is that I love mine. Still do, wish I had the stronger steering components and the better Soft top now on the 24's, but such is life. I'd make the same decision to buy it now that I did a couple years and 45K trouble-free miles back.

Great answer, if you haven’t owned a Jeep you need to understand what you’re buying. Good luck OP!

 

[Splattered23]

I personally think the Bronco is far to small for three kids plus two adults but I bought a four door to haul around my two dogs. The middle rear seat is kind of awful with the little hump in in where your ass would typically rest.

THat being said I love my Bronco but just be warned you typically will only see the really in love or the really in hate people on line. The people who just drive the damn thing (my boss) won't ever be posting on a forum.

The 2.3L is plenty enough power, I have had the same engine going on 5 years coming from a Ranger to the Bronco. I hauled some weight in that ranger and couldn't have even told you I could notice it back there. I am sure the 2.7 is nice but I wouldn't get to hung up there.

The rear cabin room is one thing that does give me pause... though our oldest is going off to college sometime later this year and should be getting his own car soon. So if it's an issue it (hopefully!) won't be one for too much longer? haha

We are definitely not rich but we are still kind of snobs when it comes to our toys... vehicles, electronics, just whatever... we usually try and go for the best we can within our budget so we will probably try and shoot for the 2.7 but thank you for pointing that out either way!

My older brother would've loved that hump in the middle... then he would've looked almost as tall as me sitting there. lol

Also a vote for the 2.3L. The 2.7L is maybe more extendible (second turbo, slightly larger block), but the 2.3L has been around for decades and gets 300HP stock. Get the Ford Performance tune, it's even better (w/93).

Wow i didn't realize that the 2.3 gets 300HP stock!? Still going to aim for the 2.7 though as there will be times my wife needs to haul a trailer full of equipment and stuff for our kids scouts outings for the whole troop etc so i think the extra HP/Torque may be appreciated?

I've owned a lot of vehicles over the years and my Bronco is my favorite for several reasons but mainly it's because the fun factor is off the charts! It does everything so incredibly well and looks good doing it. I also love the fact that it's so modular. You can modify easily and make it your own. Take off the doors, remove the top, add some decals, stripes, etc.

I've owned mine now for about 2 years and have about 28,000 miles of smiles. (a good mix of off-road, highway and local miles) I went with the 2.7, Lux Package with Sasquatch. Perfect for the mountains here in Colorado. My family, friends and pups love my Bronco...especially my grandson, who is in the last photo.

As was said before, the interior plastics aren't top of the line and it is louder than a typical SUV, but considering all of the other positives, I'm ok with the rather minor complaints.

Wishing you and your family the best in making your decision.

Thank you for all the input and those pictures are AMAZING and make us want one even more! It is absolutely beautiful where you live... not jealous at all lmao

And go into this knowing that the $29,500 (at release) Bronco and the $74,000 Bronco have the same quality interior. Thousands of posts on here of people complaining about the quality of their $60k+ vehicles, when they should have known what they were buying.

And do lots of research into trims, lots of people spent a ton of money only to realize that the capabilities of the high dollar trim had no better mechanics than the bottom dollar trim.

Yeah we have looked at well equipped outer banks as well but once we add in all the features we want the pricing is pretty close so we are probably just going to go for a Wildtrak if we can find the right one. I bought my Tremor with exactly the specs i wanted and don't regret it at all so i want to get the best that we can for my wife as well. The HOSS 3.0 i'm reading makes it more durable so we are thinking the Wildtrak is worth it for that alone? Working the numbers more today i think we are going to give up the orange paint and go for a 23 Wildtrak. (Pending test driving in a couple days of course haha)

Hey neighbor! We have had 3 Broncos since 2022, traded up each time, not because of any issues! These are Fun Vehicles and we use our Braptor for long road trips and love it......it is what it is, a Bronco, but hey I have had 7 Wranglers and loved all 7 with No issues there either....

Hello neighbor! You are probably 30-40 minutes from me... small world! Thanks for the input, it all helps. How do you feel about the Bronco vs Wrangler since you've owned multiple of each now?

 

[Brian_B]

Wow i didn't realize that the 2.3 gets 300HP stock!? Still going to aim for the 2.7 though as there will be times my wife needs to haul a trailer full of equipment and stuff for our kids scouts outings for the whole troop etc so i think the extra HP/Torque may be appreciated?

If you had to “stoop” to the 2.3 I don’t think you would be missing out on much. Those of us with manuals can attest to that - especially with the Ford Performance tuning. Then is roughly matches the stock 2.7 but with a couple hundred pounds less weight

 

[MNBigfoot]

Yeah we have looked at well equipped outer banks as well but once we add in all the features we want the pricing is pretty close so we are probably just going to go for a Wildtrak if we can find the right one. I bought my Tremor with exactly the specs i wanted and don't regret it at all so i want to get the best that we can for my wife as well. The HOSS 3.0 i'm reading makes it more durable so we are thinking the Wildtrak is worth it for that alone? Working the numbers more today i think we are going to give up the orange paint and go for a 23 Wildtrak. (Pending test driving in a couple days of course haha)

For MY24 Broncos, the Wildtrak will only get you a different set of shocks on the 4-door, and on the 2-door is will also get you a rear sway bar (speaking of mechanics). Every MY24 Sas Bronco and Badlands is supposed to receive the HOSS 3.0 rack, so the Wiltrak should be no more durable in terms of what most were referring last year.

 

[userdude]

Yes, the 2.3L has 300HP. You're also probably fine towing with it. The 2.7L is a nice engine, especially with the WildTrak. It's just the 2.3L isn't a big downgrade.

 

[userdude]

This is what it feels like driving a Bronco. If you don't enjoy yours, cool, but man I just love rollin' out my garage in my Bronco.

 

[Bugkillah]

For us, the bronco took the place of our jeep wrangler for weekend fun, but has a better highway ride (independent front suspension) to get to said weekend fun. And the better ride also allows for daily driver use and (shutters!) trips to mall. But it is a $30k vehicle with $15k worth of upgrades (atleast what we paid a year ago, ordered the year before that), not a $45k vehicle.

 

[HotRod76]

So interesting...my wife had a 2020 CX-5 GTR (turbo) and was rear-ended. That vehicle had every interior amenity imaginable. She had a Mazda RX-8 before that and I was worried that moving to a Ford (from Mazda) would be a rough transition for her. However, she found a new 2022 Cyber Orange Big Bend (cloth interior, manual transmission, soft top) and instantly fell in love with it.

I expected regret. I was ready to have to sell it and not get attached. That said, it's been a VERY smooth transition, and she loves it more than any vehicle she has ever owned (she actually washes it herself!). Has it had minor recalls? Yes. Has it had any issues? No. Will it? Probably. We have a good dealership so I'm not worried. We have taken it on very long (14+ hour 1 way) road trips and it has done great.

She surprised me by summing it up this way..."the GTR was the "nicest" vehicle I have ever owned, but the Bronco has made me smile more than any vehicle I have ever owned, and I learned that is what I wanted the most if I have to have a car payment."

Just know what you are getting (which is what you are already doing, great job!).

As others have said, it comes down to what you value. If you are looking for something practical, the CX-5 is a really nice vehicle. But the Bronco is just flat out fun.

Hope that helps.

 

[Glade Runner]

Yes, the 2.3L has 300HP. You're also probably fine towing with it. The 2.7L is a nice engine, especially with the WildTrak. It's just the 2.3L isn't a big downgrade.

This a good post.

I test drove both to see if I would regret the 2.3 which is the only way to get the Everglades. There a noticeable difference, but not that big a difference.

Then to put it in perspective I remembered my 95 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo with the V8. It was considered a beast at the time and had a whopping 185 HP. So the 2.3 is putting out 100HP more than my old V8. I decided I would be just fine and ordered the Everglades.

 

[Brian_B]

If you get another Kia you can get a free Club

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