Looking for honest feedback from former JL owners

[pfd799]

I ordered my Bronco in August 2021, expecting a lengthy wait and needing to replace my current vehicle I ordered a 4xe at a great price from the fine folks at Chapman. Just before my 4xe was delivered I was surprised with a build date for my Bronco. I have never owned a Jeep before and was pleasantly surprised by how much I’ve liked it, especially the sky one touch roof, and though it rides better than I expected the Bronco I test drove definitely has the better road manners, off roading will be very rare for me so I’m really curious about the comparison as a DD now that some of you have had your Broncos awhile, especially if you have a soft top Bronco and had a hard top or sky one touch JL.

TLDR: Pleasantly surprised by JL, wondering if any JL owners have any regrets or input, particularly softop Bronco owners.

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[stuckinohio]

I had a JLUS (4 door sport) for 3 years which I always liked. I had both tops for it. I sold that for my OBX 2 door that I picked up on Black Friday. The only thing I was never happy with about the JL was the interior roominess, or rather lack thereof. Mainly the B pillar and the seats not dropping low enough and not going back far enough. But I'm 6'3" and 300 pounds, so others may not feel the same.

The Bronco is 100% times better as a daily driver. There's really NO comparison. Dump the Jeep and get your Bronco.

 

[Blackcat]

I'm a current JL owner (actually the wife's but I get to drive it on the weekend.) I love the JL, but hate it on the highway and I feel like I'm constantly steering, but that's just part of the solid axle, I guess. That said, I'm getting a Bronco for myself because of it's better on road handling that the JL.

 

[stuckinohio]

Oh, and I've removed the MIC and installed the Trektop, which I also love.

My wife tolerated the Jeep but actually likes the OBX and is considering keeping it as her daily driver when my 2 door Badlands ever comes in.

 

[da_jokker]

I always wonder about this, because you listen to Jeep owners and they always say that the Bronco drives so much better.

I have no issues with my Jeep. It drives perfectly. But then again, as it stands right now I haven't messed with the steering geometry (aka no lift). Unless people are saying that the JL drives worse than the JK?

 

[FrostedNuts]

Long time, multi Jeep owner. Most recently a 2020 JL Rubicon Unlimited (6-cyl, 8speed auto). Sold it when the market went crazy during pandemic (for much more than I paid!). Bronco 2-dr base manual came in this month, I hadn't even driven one prior to my order. Its SO much better than my JL. It stings a little to even say that out loud.

Handling, confidence, power, economy, comfort of the seats (I had the upgraded brown leather in the JL and a host of other luxury options). I cant believe this bronco was basically half the cost of the Rubicon. Highway? forget it. My JL didn't death wobble, but it sure got skittish over broken pavement and certain bridge approaches. The Bronco? 1-finger stability at 75 indicated (81 GPS, with my tire change). There truly isn't really a comparison. Also, as much (if not more) legroom in the BACK of my 2-dr, compared to the 4-dr JL (which also had more room the previous JK 4-dr). Shoulder width diminished in the rear seat, because it is inboard of the fenders in the back, but the front seats are downright cavernous. I'm 6'5 285 (no small fellow) and the driving position of the bronco, and head and shoulder room, as well as visibility are far superior.

I'm a dyed in the wool Jeep aficionado, as are many of my friends and club members. Many are shopping for Broncos after driving mine. Fact.

 

[Wanted33]

We enjoy our JL. And from the looks of it we're going to have it a long long time. Ford is doing everything they can to keep me out of a Bronco.

 

[ATX_Bronco]

I'm a current JL owner (actually the wife's but I get to drive it on the weekend.) I love the JL, but hate it on the highway and I feel like I'm constantly steering, but that's just part of the solid axle, I guess. That said, I'm getting a Bronco for myself because of it's better on road handling that the JL.

^^This^^

We have a Hardtop JLU Rubicon and a Softtop Badlands Sasquatch.

I prefer the interior on the JLU for comfort, layout, and noise level.

However the Bronco is SOOO much better handling. To the point where I will always choose it before my wife's JLU.

 

[Nateandapril]

I’m a long time Jeep guy. Owned close to a dozen over the years. What is said in others’ comments are also my thoughts. Always steering those damn things. Always require some sort of maintenance, Jeep got lazy over the years and made less quality products like the Dana 35, stamped steel control arms, AX 5 transmissions, the dreaded 2.5 and 3.8 motors, EGR problems and cracked radiators, and any other number of things that frustrate even us long term Jeep guys. In contrast, the Bronco is durable, steady on the road, plenty of power, tried and true engine and driveline, quality interior, etc. Ford just watched Jeep get lazy and then improved on all the things that Ford could to bring a good product to market

 

[BigJ2]

I ordered my Bronco in August 2021, expecting a lengthy wait and needing to replace my current vehicle I ordered a 4xe at a great price from the fine folks at Chapman. Just before my 4xe was delivered I was surprised with a build date for my Bronco. I have never owned a Jeep before and was pleasantly surprised by how much I’ve liked it, especially the sky one touch roof, and though it rides better than I expected the Bronco I test drove definitely has the better road manners, off roading will be very rare for me so I’m really curious about the comparison as a DD now that some of you have had your Broncos awhile, especially if you have a soft top Bronco and had a hard top or sky one touch JL.

TLDR: Pleasantly surprised by JL, wondering if any JL owners have any regrets or input, particularly softop Bronco owners.

I’ll add my two cents here. I’ve owned a 4xe, turbo 4, as well as the standard V6 JL. The one thing the Bronco completely murders the JL in, is on road manners/comfort. I took the JLs on long road trips and always wondered why I was extremely fatigued at the end of the trip. Firstly, the steering… you begin to forget how much you actually correct it in the highway. On a windy day, staying straight is as hard as running from sinning. I thoroughly enjoy the Bronco on longer trips. I won’t sit here and lie like I’m a hardcore off-roader, but the times I did rough them both up, the JL seemed much more at home off-road. As for creature comforts… I’d say I prefer the JL. The interior materials are of much higher quality. For comparison, I’ve got a pretty loaded OBX and I had equally loaded Rubis, so I’d say that’s a fair comparison as far as interior goes. I do miss the Jeep from time to time… but to make me forget… I just drive longer. Both are AWESOME vehicles.

 

[da_jokker]

In contrast, the Bronco is durable... tried and true engine and driveline, quality interior, etc.

Are you talking about the 6G Bronco? Because it's sounds like you haven't read most of the threads on here

 

[Nateandapril]

Are you talking about the 6G Bronco? Because it's sounds like you haven't read most of the threads on here

I read the threads here but that is a fish bowl measurement of the different platforms that Ford put both of those motors in. The 2.7 in the F150 and the 2.3 in a few different platforms. You will always find a couple bad motor stories no matter which engine you choose to root for.

 

[Ish22]

I have a ‘19 JLUR and waiting for my bronco. 2 of the biggest reasons I’m making the jump are

1. Driving/steering. The JLUR is my first wrangler and I only test drove it on city roads before purchasing. I wasn’t expecting it to be as bad as it is on the highway. No wind you have to be conscious of your surroundings. If it’s windy be sure your in the far right lane with the utmost focus. Mine doesn’t wonder or wobble and I did the TSB right when it was released for a stronger steering box, handling only improved slightly. No where nearly enough to make me want to keep the truck long term.

2. Interior Comfort. Seats suck and cabin space is tight. I know I’m not driving a Cadillac but it’s difficult to go on an extended drive. I went out golfing about 60-75 min away and on the drive home my back started hurting. I’ve never experienced any back pain let alone from a drive home.

I was only able to test drive a bronco briefly before putting in my order so I’m really hoping the driving manners of the bronco are more similar to say a grand cherokee than wrangler. At least on the highway as I like to be able to load up the car and head out on a golf trip or impromptu drive to Nashville for a weekend.

 

[Bacon is Life]

As we await our OBX Sas, we are on our second JL Rubi (also owned three JK's). We are switching for two reasons... the aforementioned highway drive quality and simply to 'mix things up.' I feel the JL was a massive improvement over the JK... yet still lacks the refinement on road. But it's an off-road monster.

My only hesitation on the Bronco is this: resale. We flip our Jeeps every 3~ years, and the trade-in values have been amazing. Losing $3-6K over a span of three years is impressive. I suspect the Bronco will deliver in this department as well... but time will tell.

The way I look at it... when (if) our Bronco comes in and we are not satisfied, we can always go back to a Jeep. That is a great backup plan. But based on most of the previous Jeep owners comments (that moved to a Bronco), I suspect the Bronco will make us quite happy.

 

[AJKitebrder40]

So, I'm still debating too, but my things are more from a usability standpoint. I've really only had 4 vehicles in my life (I'm 41) - '89 XJ, '93 Toyota 22RE Pickup, '07JKU, '21 JLU Rubicon

I have a Bronco Badlands on order, huge plus is the MGV and spray out interior, but.......I went ahead and go the '21 JLU, here's a breakdown of what I'm looking at (any advice from owners of both would be great):

Handling - I find the '21 JLUR to be fine, longer trips which I do make 3-4 times a year can be tiring, but for most part I'm driving 20 minutes back and forth to the beach.

Day to Day Use: Beach and errands. I have Armorlite and Bartact seat covers in my JL, as I'm in sand with gear 250+ days a year, so.......spraying out the inside is a must. Here the Bronco wins with MGV, but the Armorlite in the JL works pretty well.

ORV Use: A mix of camping/hiking trips with some moderate off roading (mostly NC/TN mountains and forest roads in SC), nothing extreme, but basically I want to hit most of the easy/moderates at Uwharrie, Gulches, etc. Camping wise - I have the Deepsleep mattress for the JL and want to be able to camp inside it, it's helpful for surf trips.

Looks/Hardtop: I like the look of the Bronco, I'm not sure if it's recently bias, or what, but.......especially in the Sasquatch setup. I need a hardtop and roof rails for boards, which presents a problem getting it in the garage (barely 82" clearance) and there's no solid bikini top for the Bronco for running it topless all summer.

I'm back and forth on it, which is fine because my reservation was late (July 2021) and.....I'm not expecting my '22 build this year, Badlands, MIC, 7spd.

Any thoughts?

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