Long Distance Trip as first big trip on Bronco

[The_waiting_game]

I'm excited to be very close to finally getting my Bronco. I had a 12/7 scheduled build date and now show a 12/21 delivery date (fingers crossed). I plan on driving it around a bit for the first few days but won't really be putting many miles in it. I will be traveling to Colorado for the new year with my girlfriend. We both would have bigger cars, she drives a grand Cherokee. I would love to travel to Colorado in my new Bronco just to get a really good feel of the driving but I am concerned about my first big trip being a little over 1K miles each way. Most of the driving would be on a highway and I know that kind of driving isn't really recommended for a new car. I probably would put less than 100 miles on it before the big drive. Do you guys think this is a good idea or have any recommendations on how to handle the drive?

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[lenitech]

I just drove from Sacramento to Moab. I bumped the cruise control up an down a few miles every few minutes. When I hit about 900 miles I noticed the transmission is now shifting buttery smooth. I would not worry about a long trip.

 

[pfd799]

Use the gear selector buttons on the shifter to change your RPM on the highway every now and then and you’ll be fine

 

[Merc4x4]

I'm excited to be very close to finally getting my Bronco. I had a 12/7 scheduled build date and now show a 12/21 delivery date (fingers crossed). I plan on driving it around a bit for the first few days but won't really be putting many miles in it. I will be traveling to Colorado for the new year with my girlfriend. We both would have bigger cars, she drives a grand Cherokee. I would love to travel to Colorado in my new Bronco just to get a really good feel of the driving but I am concerned about my first big trip being a little over 1K miles each way. Most of the driving would be on a highway and I know that kind of driving isn't really recommended for a new car. I probably would put less than 100 miles on it before the big drive. Do you guys think this is a good idea or have any recommendations on how to handle the drive?

I'm no expert, but I did something similar. Took a 600+ mile highway trip in a single day shortly after picking it up.

The idea is to put increasing load on the engine with breaks between.
1/4 -> 1/2 -> 3/4 -> full throttle acceleration through a few gears with normal back-road driving in-between. I spread that out over the first 100-200 miles. (Dealer is 50 miles away, so miles added up quickly)

First time out I was getting used to the truck, so I didn't go much above 1/4 throttle.
On the way back from the dealer I spattered some 1/2 throttle pulls.
The next time I took it out I would do 3/4 and full throttle pulls.

Anyway, give it a few full throttle pulls up to 80 or so before sitting on the highway for an extended time. If the rings don't seat in the first few hundred miles, they never will.

You need to vary load, not rpm. Give it the beans on the highway during your drive, I'm surprised how well the Bronco handles at 95.

On the flip side, how many owners even know about break in procedures, let alone follow them?
How many test drives have new cars gone on with people going full throttle out of the dealership, only to be sold to someone else?

The owners manual doesn't even mention an engine break-in, just some paragraph about getting used to your new car for the first 1000 miles.

It's a good idea to get used to a car before going to fast. The Bronco may handle and accelerate sporty, but it doesn't brake like a sports car.

 

[knownhuman]

Thanks for this thread. My wife just scheduled a road trip for right after I should theoretically be taking possession, and this thread is just what I needed to hopefully take the bronco.

 

[The_waiting_game]

Thanks for this thread. My wife just scheduled a road trip for right after I should theoretically be taking possession, and this thread is just what I needed to hopefully take the bronco.

No problem! I know for sure it would survive the trip but I didn't want to do anything that would affect the long term life of the Bronco. I think everyone's answers really calmed my nerves, thanks everyone!

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