How well will Bronco with Sasquatch drive and handle on the streets ?

[Zero_chance]

I hope it’s much better than a Jeep..I rented one to drive 12hrs down too NC to visit my parents Last month..of course enterprise didn’t have the car I rented but they said we have a brand new 2020 Sahara with 600miles on it that would be fun at the beach..like an idiot I said hell yea...omg..NEVER AGAIN and that solidified itself that I will never own a Jeep...my sister and husband have owned 5wranglers and they laughed at me when I said I rented one for a road trip..and they are diehards..I’m 6’2 and my brother in law is 6’4 I asked him wtf do you do with ur arm if your doors or windows are up I couldn’t move lol

6’5” and drove my wife’s wrangler from MA to AZ three times in two weeks during our move with no issues personally. 2014 sport. It drives like a Cadillac compared to the old 94 YJ I had but at the end of the day is still a solid axle short wheelbase. I think the IFS on the Bronco is going to make it much more easy on the road but once you start lifting it and adding huge mud tires, that comfort level will decrease. If you don’t intend on taking it off road, you may not be super thrilled with the Sasquatch package. Just like Rubicon owners who complain about the ride and tire noise while they’re driving to the mall. Buy for the purpose you intend, not what looks cool and you’ll be a lot happier in the end.

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[BroncoKong Jr.]

It should drive better than an equivalent Wrangler. And the tread on those MTs doesn't look too aggressive. But it's still a refrigerator box on wheels.

 

[Dads_bronze_bronco]

I have 154000 miles on a lifted Rubicon Unlimited. It’s not that bad, especially at lower speeds around town. Those big tires start to be less desirable the faster you go. At 65 or 70 the noise really jumps, as does the wandering. I did notice the move from 285/70’s to 295/70’s made it much more noticeable. You just have to pay attention though. It’s manageable and you get used to it.

FWIW, the new Tahoe I recently rented was more wander-y than my Jeep.

I did have real death wobble around 120000 miles. The bushings has worn on the track bar. At the same time I did tie rod and ball joints. Big tires wear these things out.

The difference between my wife’s Audi and the Jeep are night and day. After driving her car for days it is really noticeable. But, you get used to it.

It will be interesting to see how much difference the IFS and 500- 700 lbs makes. (The curb weight on the base 2dr is 3lbs more than my ‘08 JKUR!) But my guess is Squatch at speed will be noisy, more wander-y experience than many SUVs.

 

[battlebornNV]

with the two door having a four inch longer wheel base and independent front suspension it should have better highway manners than the Jeep two door. Time will tell....

 

[Ocarwolf]

I did multiple trips between New Jersey and Louisiana in my 95 Bronco and I loved every second.

have to imagine it’ll be better than that

 

[DonsBronc]

I drove my 1977 Bronco with 35 Mud Terrains and no AC 750 miles each way to go wheeling a few years back. I also drove to to Carlisle 400 miles each way and it rained most of the time, that time was on All Terrains. Both rides kind of sucked, but more because of no AC.

I am sure the new Bronco will ride better on the street with 32's or 33's but with a moderns suspension the new bronco should drive better than any Jeep even with the Sasquatch option

 

[Frank N]

Why is everyone worried about the 35's? The size has almost zero to do with the ride and handling. If anything, the extra sidewall will make it more compliant, assuming Ford does a better job explaining that these things don't need 55 pounds of air in them (looking at you FCA). These goodyears aren't even actual M/Ts, more of a hybrid tire than anything.. Also, coming from a 2dr JK, the 2007+ jeeps are not the highway penalty boxes that the TJ and older jeeps were. I routinely run 80 in mine and have bounced it off the limiter more than once. Do they drive differently than an accord or a camry, absolutely, but this isn't a model T or something.

I agree, 35's on 17 give a nice ride. I run RT on mine which is in the middle of AT and MT, and that's what the pics of the 35's I saw look more like, these dont look like 75lb Toyo Mt or KM3's

And IFS is a HUGE difference for highway driving, all for the better.

 

[WheelMe]

I have a '19 Ranger with an upgraded Ford Fox 2"-lift suspension, 32" hybrid A/T-M/T tires. Prior to the suspension upgrade, the FX4 suspension was too soft and squishy, like a Lincoln (!), but one could mall-crawl all-day long. Post upgrade, the suspension firmed up, and the new tires are a bit louder, but I still daily-drive comfortably without issues. It's a GREAT TRUCK!

If the Squatch-Bronc rides close to an FX4 Ranger, it'd be a great daily-driver; the 35" tires may be loud or not, depending on tread pattern (K02s are relatively quiet, no?). Seeing how the 2-door bounces up and down on desert run videos, I'm confident the vehicles will ride just fine on flat pavement.

One thing that I'd like to caution folks about the 2.3L with 10 speed auto - having installed slightly larger tires (32" vs. stock 31"), I feel the little 2.3L huffs and puffs a bit, requiring the 10-speed auto to shift frequently to get into the torque band, even on relatively flat terrain - the power's not always there when I need it. Downshifts are at times slow, so to pass on the freeway at a moment's notice, dip into that throttle hard and hope that the turbo spools up fast, or you're not passing. Alternatively, put the tranny in SPORT mode all day long, and most of these problems go away. This is the reason I'm opting for the 2.7L, as the Bronco is heavier and comes with bigger tires.

 

[privateer35]

As a former Jeep owner I will agree that "it rides like a Jeep" is a phrase new Jeep owners should familiarize themselves with. Mine was a 95 with 2 inch body lift and 33's. It was fun to drive around town. Loved it. The mild off roading I did was fun. But I took it on one road trip to a college football game where I had to drive 2.5 hrs each way. Miserable. It was awful. That set up was not meant for freeway driving. Loved my Jeep and have missed it since I sold it but if refinement and comfort is a big deal for people, I steer them away from them.

Could you describe what made it so awful? In other words... around town is fine, but road-tripping is a hard pill to swallow?

 

[Frank N]

One thing that I'd like to caution folks about the 2.3L with 10 speed auto - having installed slightly larger tires (32" vs. stock 31"), I feel the little 2.3L huffs and puffs a bit, requiring the 10-speed auto to shift frequently to get into the torque band, even on relatively flat terrain - the power's not always there when I need it. Downshifts are at times slow, so to pass on the freeway at a moment's notice, dip into that throttle hard and hope that the turbo spools up fast, or you're not passing. Alternatively, put the tranny in SPORT mode all day long, and most of these problems go away. This is the reason I'm opting for the 2.7L, as the Bronco is heavier and comes with bigger tires.

Thank you thank thank you...I was debating the 4 or 6, leaning towards the 6, but no longer. v6 all the way.

 

[Frank N]

Could you describe what made it so awful? In other words... around town is fine, but road-tripping is a hard pill to swallow?

It's the SFA, solid front axle, of the Jeep on a short wheel base compounding the issue. Same thing with the XJs I used to have...

 

[Big Island Bronco ?♂️]

It will all come down to your perspective of what a good handling and driving vehicle is. My neighbor just bought a 2020 Gladiator and it’s the first solid axle vehicle he’s ever owned. He absolutely hates the way it handles going around turns and on the freeway. Says compared to his 2019 dodge ram that it drives like a tank. Then I let him Drive my lifted 2000 Cherokee and now he thinks his gladiator handles like a sports car ?

 

[rcbickle]

Good question, but for me, not that worried. This is for use on my property and on adventures. I can tolerate a lot to get it from here to there. My FX4 has aggressive tires and I can hear them, but it is tolerable.

 

[JT1]

I have a '19 Ranger with an upgraded Ford Fox 2"-lift suspension, 32" hybrid A/T-M/T tires. Prior to the suspension upgrade, the FX4 suspension was too soft and squishy, like a Lincoln (!), but one could mall-crawl all-day long. Post upgrade, the suspension firmed up, and the new tires are a bit louder, but I still daily-drive comfortably without issues. It's a GREAT TRUCK!

If the Squatch-Bronc rides close to an FX4 Ranger, it'd be a great daily-driver; the 35" tires may be loud or not, depending on tread pattern (K02s are relatively quiet, no?). Seeing how the 2-door bounces up and down on desert run videos, I'm confident the vehicles will ride just fine on flat pavement.

One thing that I'd like to caution folks about the 2.3L with 10 speed auto - having installed slightly larger tires (32" vs. stock 31"), I feel the little 2.3L huffs and puffs a bit, requiring the 10-speed auto to shift frequently to get into the torque band, even on relatively flat terrain - the power's not always there when I need it. Downshifts are at times slow, so to pass on the freeway at a moment's notice, dip into that throttle hard and hope that the turbo spools up fast, or you're not passing. Alternatively, put the tranny in SPORT mode all day long, and most of these problems go away. This is the reason I'm opting for the 2.7L, as the Bronco is heavier and comes with bigger tires.

Doesn't the Ranger FX4 have 3.73s? Bronco base is the only version with gears that tall. Everything else is in the 4.xx range. That should eliminate a bunch of what you're seeing with bigger tires on your ranger.

 

[JT1]

It's the SFA, solid front axle, of the Jeep on a short wheel base compounding the issue. Same thing with the XJs I used to have...

XJ's were GREAT to drive compared to the TJs. That entire generation of jeep SFAs suffered because of the ridiculously short control arms on the front of them. New ones are a completely different animal.

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