I feel like this is a lot of us right now

[TeocaliMG]

I’m clueless when it comes to desert racing. Will the Bronco R run Baja in full time 4x4, awd, or strictly 2wd?

Good question, I don't know 100% honestly but I am hoping it is actually running full time to really put the driveline through its paces. Maybe they are doing a mix on off? It wouldn't be bad to test a ton of on off cycling at speed either. That's my biggest gripe when it comes to modern 4x4 systems. I want it to activate on the fly.

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[Carolina Jim]

offer value where people want it. Like the infotainment

If Apple and/or Microsoft get off the fence and enter auto manufacturing, this is all your gonna hear about. Performance metrics will become an anachronism. Suggest you buy a Bronco now & put it up for a rainy day.

 

[Hack]

People also referenced Mustangs as a parallel. The 2011-2014 generation was an excellent handling car and actually made it on to Car and Driver's best handling cars list of the same period. Many of the reviews at the time expressed incredulity that the Mustang still had a solid rear due to the excellent ride and handling. When Ford was questioned why the 2011-2014 Mustangs didn't have IRS, Ford claimed that they tested cars with IRS in the development phase, but they weren't any faster around a track. The jump to IRS in the S550 Mustang wasn't near the revolutionary upgrade journalists had led everyone to believe it would be after years of criticising the solid rear in the older Mustangs.

The SRA was good on smooth pavement, but if you drove over a bump, it wanted to toss you off the road. IRS was such a huge improvement it's difficult to even explain. The SRA Mustangs were either overly stiff or allowed too much body motion. IRS did a lot better job of accommodating pavement irregularities while still controlling the car's body motions and providing much better grip.

The thing is - Mustang is a completely different application. Nobody cares too much about controlling body motions in an SUV. Especially if it's somewhat under powered with a relatively small engine. No one really cares about high speed cornering grip over bumps, either. My '99 F250 super duty pickup has a solid front axle. Even though I've driven it a lot, I'm not sure I can translate my experience with that vehicle to any generic statements about how good or bad a SFA is for on-road driving. The F250 is setup very stiffly for heavy loads and the suspension is antiquated. However, for what I use it for it seems fine. Gets around on road no problems and it has held up well to plowing duties. I often use chains and it gets so much traction for pushing snow around - especially with that heavy V10 - at least in my F250 I think the SFA is great. I've never had any problems with it in 10 years of ownership. And it has about 1/4 million miles on it.

 

[Jake_zx2]

People also referenced Mustangs as a parallel. The 2011-2014 generation was an excellent handling car and actually made it on to Car and Driver's best handling cars list of the same period. Many of the reviews at the time expressed incredulity that the Mustang still had a solid rear due to the excellent ride and handling.

You seem to forget that this praise always came with a caveat... either “for a Mustang” or “for this price range”. Once they went IRS, that caveat was completely dropped... it was just an excellent handling car, with some even calling it a “world class sports car chassis”

When Ford was questioned why the 2011-2014 Mustangs didn't have IRS, Ford claimed that they tested cars with IRS in the development phase, but they weren't any faster around a track.

I’m not sure where you heard this... the sole reason S197 didn’t get IRS was cost. It was said that adding IRS would’ve cost around $500/car sold, and it wasn’t seen as being worth it, especially with knowledge that their sole competitor was dropping out of the race. Additionally, the standard S550 GT was faster around the track than the S197 Boss 302 (the most track focused mustang prior to S550) with less power and more weight. IRS was a massive improvement over SRA

 

[Hack]

I did watch a little in "car" video of the Bronco R (or whatever they are calling it) on YouTube. Yep that little engine makes terrible noises. It probably will turn off enthusiasts like me who enjoy a good V8 noise.

 

[Hack]

The S550 is an excellent car as well, but claiming that their improved track performance come primarily from their independent rear suspension versus the previous solid axle is foolish.

Nothing personal, but you don't know what you're talking about. There was a huge improvement in track performance with the IRS Mustang. Like Jake already said, the 2015 GT with more weight and less power is faster around a road course than the 2012/13 Boss 302.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Having read about 20 pages of replies between two threads....my money is on the marketuing angle as somebody mentioned.

Rubicon = crawling = SFA VS. Raptor = Baja/ prerunning = IFS.

Either system will acomplish what 99% of soccer moms or off roaders will ask of it. The other 1% will be collateral damage .... prerunner loving Jeep owners will move to IFS Broncos , SFA rock crawling purists will move to SFA Jeeps.

I fit in the 99%, so no dog in this race, other than my affection for Broncos.


Edit: bad math, lol

 

[Toyhoarder]

Wrangler appeals to the masses and hardcore enthusiasts. And it hasn’t been out of production for 25 years.

I give the new Bronco a 7 year run max and no significant updates.

 

[Carolina Jim]

I give the new Bronco a 7 year run max and no significant updates.

Maybe...but one thing I've damn sure learned in life is the products you buy & really love are sure to disappear - or at a minimum the front company changes suppliers and future versions are never the same.

My motto is...'buy early and buy often'. Get a Bronco in MY1...another in MY3...and for good measure another in MY5.

 

[TeocaliMG]

Wrangler appeals to the masses and hardcore enthusiasts. And it hasn’t been out of production for 25 years.

I give the new Bronco a 7 year run max and no significant updates.

Unfortunately I dont doubt that the Bronco may not have some incredibly long production run, it dies when the wrangler dies, which may be sooner than a lot of us want. I'm no futurist but times are a changin

 

[EvlNvrDys]

I fit in the 99%, so no dog in this race, other than my affection for Broncos.

That last line right there says it all... the AFFECTION FOR BRONCOS. That is exactly what the Bronco name should mean to people. We all have our own version of what that is. Either you like Broncos or you don't. Don't tell us if it doesn't have "this" or doesn't have "that" it's a deal breaker. Because in the end, if it doesn't stand out to you as a Bronco, then simply don't buy it.

 

[Toyhoarder]

That’s fair.

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