- First Name
- Joseph
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2020
- Threads
- 1
- Messages
- 111
- Reaction score
- 192
- Location
- Satellite Beach, FL
- Vehicle(s)
- Ford Maverick
- Your Bronco Model
- Base
- Thread starter
- #1
Well, I was finally able to pick up my 2 Dr base manual from Stephen's last week. The delivery process was great, but this write up is after spending 5 days and 1800 miles in my Bronco. Note this is not organized and are just my thoughts. I should point out, that much of what I will say are things that I either knew or should have known, but was still interesting to experience it. For reference, I have previously owned a Wrangler JKU hardtop, a JLU softtop, and a Gladiator (Willys) Hardtop. I currently drive a Maverick 2.0EB XLT/4k/FX4/Lux/sunroof.
My initial impression is that this is a big vehicle even in 2 door. It also strikes me as a much higher quality vehicle compared with the Mav. I use this comparison as my price on the two was about the same. The doors on the bronc close with a nice thud. I like the tail gate damper. While I don't have the remote access, it is still a push button start (the mav still uses a key). The screen is nice and the wireless carplay works great. The mav has a dimmer screen and only wired car play. I also have a rear power outlet, which was a nice surprise as I thought you couldn't get it on the base. I like the interior color and the plastics seem nice than my Mav, but they still seem to scratch up quite easily. A few days of bags in and out and it's noticeable. But overall, this almost feels like a bargain!
I like the visibility of the 2 door. The further aft B pillar means a good lateral sight line and the those large rear windows mean very little blindspot to the rear. I don't find the thick A pillar to be a problem either. One oddity is that looking out the front end reminds me of looking out the back of a late 50's/early 60's chevy. It's square with risers and almost has fins. It's just kinda strange, I almost prefer the front of my Mav and the Wrangler. From outside, it looks good though. The 2 door is not the easiest to get into the backseat. Yes, we did it once before and that was ok. But after 5 days, even my 8 y/o would just climb over the seats! The seats do tilt and slide forward, but still not the easiest to get into, and then if you have a bag or something, even more difficult. She was 5 when I first planned to get this, so there's been a change in our lifestyle. I'll probably get some flak for this next comment, but the space is small. We flew to Stephen's with carrry ons, and they filled the cargo area. I think this would be challenge to take a trip in, where would the cooler and beach chairs go? Plus room for the dog, etc... As such, it's use will be more limited and I'm glad I kept my Mav. If I had to do it again, I would seriously consider the 4 door as that's what both of my Wranglers were. However, I do appreciate the drivability and ease of parking! I'm also not sure about the top design, visually it's got a big side bump, it doesn't seem to flow smoothly etc... and it's not mine, it's what you see on them, just looks different in person.
One of my biggest issues right now is that this thing is loud! like train noisy loud. I can't hold a conversation with someone in the back seat. I know it's a removable top, but this is far louder than my hardtop wrangler, I would say even louder than my softtop one. The only one comparable and that was the Gladiator, but it had the Willys package, so those mud tires were loud. The noise isn't road noise, but wind noise and it seems to come from everywhere. the header, the tops, the windows, it even sounds like coming from the rear. Until about the 50's it's not bad but begins to climb, by the time you get to 70 it's noisy and turning up the radio is the only solution, but then that just creates a headache. I took off the front panels to see if they could be seated differently, which didn't help, but caused more issues. Taking the top off with the roof rack off is a PITA!!! But the unfinished edges cut a couple of my fingers taking them off and moving them. I'm not sure why it's this rough unfinished edge!
Drivability is nice and it will take me a while to get reaccustomed to a manual. I've driven many over the years and I learned to drive on a manual car. This is my first larger vehicle/truck with one and it is different. I get a little jumpy/bouncy in first. Not that I'm bucking or anything, just that it seems the softer suspension coupled with trying to keep up with traffic gives a little jolt. 2nd and 4th are super smooth but 5th requires a little learning and additional actions, this is possibly due to the revised transmission, but will just take some time for me to get used to it. I do agree with those that said they want the shifter a little higher, I like to sit high so my arm ends up dangled down to grab the shifter. One design choice I don't understand is the placement of the parking brake. Ok, I get it, it's not a hand brake. But the button on the left underside of the dash is cumbersome at best. It means I have to take my hands off the steering wheel to disengage it while I'm getting ready to go, instead of just there on the right that I can flip with my finger after I put it in gear. It just isn't a natural motion and I have to lean forward to actually reach it. Maybe a future change would suffice here. The clutch throw seems long and stiff to me, maybe it will get better, but I have to sit closer than I like to fully engage. Overall, I'm on the fence regarding the manual. I like it, but we'll see how it goes in the long term.
The 2.3 engine does not sound loud. the 2.0 in my Mav is buzzy at best, this seems quiet and smooth. On my trip I ranged from 20.9 MPG to 24.5 MPG, as measured by me and not the gauge. I was going about 75 MPH on the highway when I could. The onboard gauge is about 0.5 to 1.0 MPG off which always drives me nuts. My Mav is almost 2.0 MPG off, so this is an improvement. I do still have the base steely road tires on there. Will be interesting to see how much this changes when I put on the 33" Badlands that I have. This next comment is really a strange one. Going up the mountains and such, the 2.3 felt underpowered and weak. Almost like it didn't want to go. However, that was just the feel, if I looked at my speedometer, it was maintaining speed and I could still accelerate, definitely better than my Gladiator and maybe better than my wrangler. This might just be owing to the quietness of the motor coupled with the manual and not hunting back and forth between gears. As a comparison, the lightest Bronco is similar to the heaviest Ranger, so in Base it's ok, but if I went up maybe not. If I didn't want the manual, I would opt for the V6. It drove nice in the F-150's I've tried so it should be good here. I haven't driven and Auto 4 cyl, so maybe it's a little better there, but these are just my impressions.
Around town drivability I didn't really notice much difference with the IFS vs. the wrangler. Even on the highway with smooth road they were the same. But going around a corner and hitting a pot hole, or debris, or other road imperfection, the Bronco felt stable and planted. Much much better than any Jeep I've ever had. It felt confident and I never felt uneasy driving it. That alone should convince anyone of the benefits here.
After 5 days, my back hurts and I'm sore. It took me a bit to get the seats adjusted which was better, but I still wish it had better support. The manual lumbar adjust me helped. I may need to keep working on it, but my last 4 hour drive was better than my first.
So after 3 years, I'm still glad I have the 2 door manual, though many things for me changed and I would have considered it differently. I probably have many other thoughts I forgot to put down, but feel free to answer any questions!
My initial impression is that this is a big vehicle even in 2 door. It also strikes me as a much higher quality vehicle compared with the Mav. I use this comparison as my price on the two was about the same. The doors on the bronc close with a nice thud. I like the tail gate damper. While I don't have the remote access, it is still a push button start (the mav still uses a key). The screen is nice and the wireless carplay works great. The mav has a dimmer screen and only wired car play. I also have a rear power outlet, which was a nice surprise as I thought you couldn't get it on the base. I like the interior color and the plastics seem nice than my Mav, but they still seem to scratch up quite easily. A few days of bags in and out and it's noticeable. But overall, this almost feels like a bargain!
I like the visibility of the 2 door. The further aft B pillar means a good lateral sight line and the those large rear windows mean very little blindspot to the rear. I don't find the thick A pillar to be a problem either. One oddity is that looking out the front end reminds me of looking out the back of a late 50's/early 60's chevy. It's square with risers and almost has fins. It's just kinda strange, I almost prefer the front of my Mav and the Wrangler. From outside, it looks good though. The 2 door is not the easiest to get into the backseat. Yes, we did it once before and that was ok. But after 5 days, even my 8 y/o would just climb over the seats! The seats do tilt and slide forward, but still not the easiest to get into, and then if you have a bag or something, even more difficult. She was 5 when I first planned to get this, so there's been a change in our lifestyle. I'll probably get some flak for this next comment, but the space is small. We flew to Stephen's with carrry ons, and they filled the cargo area. I think this would be challenge to take a trip in, where would the cooler and beach chairs go? Plus room for the dog, etc... As such, it's use will be more limited and I'm glad I kept my Mav. If I had to do it again, I would seriously consider the 4 door as that's what both of my Wranglers were. However, I do appreciate the drivability and ease of parking! I'm also not sure about the top design, visually it's got a big side bump, it doesn't seem to flow smoothly etc... and it's not mine, it's what you see on them, just looks different in person.
One of my biggest issues right now is that this thing is loud! like train noisy loud. I can't hold a conversation with someone in the back seat. I know it's a removable top, but this is far louder than my hardtop wrangler, I would say even louder than my softtop one. The only one comparable and that was the Gladiator, but it had the Willys package, so those mud tires were loud. The noise isn't road noise, but wind noise and it seems to come from everywhere. the header, the tops, the windows, it even sounds like coming from the rear. Until about the 50's it's not bad but begins to climb, by the time you get to 70 it's noisy and turning up the radio is the only solution, but then that just creates a headache. I took off the front panels to see if they could be seated differently, which didn't help, but caused more issues. Taking the top off with the roof rack off is a PITA!!! But the unfinished edges cut a couple of my fingers taking them off and moving them. I'm not sure why it's this rough unfinished edge!
Drivability is nice and it will take me a while to get reaccustomed to a manual. I've driven many over the years and I learned to drive on a manual car. This is my first larger vehicle/truck with one and it is different. I get a little jumpy/bouncy in first. Not that I'm bucking or anything, just that it seems the softer suspension coupled with trying to keep up with traffic gives a little jolt. 2nd and 4th are super smooth but 5th requires a little learning and additional actions, this is possibly due to the revised transmission, but will just take some time for me to get used to it. I do agree with those that said they want the shifter a little higher, I like to sit high so my arm ends up dangled down to grab the shifter. One design choice I don't understand is the placement of the parking brake. Ok, I get it, it's not a hand brake. But the button on the left underside of the dash is cumbersome at best. It means I have to take my hands off the steering wheel to disengage it while I'm getting ready to go, instead of just there on the right that I can flip with my finger after I put it in gear. It just isn't a natural motion and I have to lean forward to actually reach it. Maybe a future change would suffice here. The clutch throw seems long and stiff to me, maybe it will get better, but I have to sit closer than I like to fully engage. Overall, I'm on the fence regarding the manual. I like it, but we'll see how it goes in the long term.
The 2.3 engine does not sound loud. the 2.0 in my Mav is buzzy at best, this seems quiet and smooth. On my trip I ranged from 20.9 MPG to 24.5 MPG, as measured by me and not the gauge. I was going about 75 MPH on the highway when I could. The onboard gauge is about 0.5 to 1.0 MPG off which always drives me nuts. My Mav is almost 2.0 MPG off, so this is an improvement. I do still have the base steely road tires on there. Will be interesting to see how much this changes when I put on the 33" Badlands that I have. This next comment is really a strange one. Going up the mountains and such, the 2.3 felt underpowered and weak. Almost like it didn't want to go. However, that was just the feel, if I looked at my speedometer, it was maintaining speed and I could still accelerate, definitely better than my Gladiator and maybe better than my wrangler. This might just be owing to the quietness of the motor coupled with the manual and not hunting back and forth between gears. As a comparison, the lightest Bronco is similar to the heaviest Ranger, so in Base it's ok, but if I went up maybe not. If I didn't want the manual, I would opt for the V6. It drove nice in the F-150's I've tried so it should be good here. I haven't driven and Auto 4 cyl, so maybe it's a little better there, but these are just my impressions.
Around town drivability I didn't really notice much difference with the IFS vs. the wrangler. Even on the highway with smooth road they were the same. But going around a corner and hitting a pot hole, or debris, or other road imperfection, the Bronco felt stable and planted. Much much better than any Jeep I've ever had. It felt confident and I never felt uneasy driving it. That alone should convince anyone of the benefits here.
After 5 days, my back hurts and I'm sore. It took me a bit to get the seats adjusted which was better, but I still wish it had better support. The manual lumbar adjust me helped. I may need to keep working on it, but my last 4 hour drive was better than my first.
So after 3 years, I'm still glad I have the 2 door manual, though many things for me changed and I would have considered it differently. I probably have many other thoughts I forgot to put down, but feel free to answer any questions!
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