Looking for honest feedback from former JL owners

[CGCarolinaBronco]

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’ve owned 4 Jeeps. 2dr 4dr and a JT. I sold my Gladiator to purchase a 21 BB Bronco. My JT was an Overland. Supposedly the comfort package. Leather seats were very uncomfortable. Not very roomy. It was beautiful, but was rough driving. Felt every little bump in the road. I had it 2 years. The Bronco is so much more comfortable and has lots of room inside. Drives like a dream. And definitely an eye catcher. Absolutely no regrets whatsoever. Would purchase a Bronco before a Jeep any day!!!

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[395N]

Like everyone has said..Bronco drives way better on road. I drove a few Sasquatch Broncos off road and they did fine, but in the end there is just something that makes the Jeep feel more at home off road and its the SFA IMO. I like the JL interior better than the Bronco the after market support is unreal.
This isn't my DD so I live with the steering being less than the Bronco.

 

[Haashank]

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 have owned a tj,yj,and a lj. Got rid of them over the last few years. I wouldn't take any of them back in place of my bronco. They may have something if they ever get around to fixing the problems that have plagued the jeep for the past 50 years.

 

[BigJ2]

Quick update… I’ve now had my Bronco for 6 months. I’m pretty sure I’ll be selling it in a few more months. It’s not that I’m just a “hardcore Jeep guy”. It’s more so I’m starting to see durability and inferior quality from Ford, pop up. Roof leaks, squeaks, random things falling apart, stop/start issues… etc. Keeping in mind, this is within 7 months of ownership. The cons of owning a JL aren’t outweighing the pros of the Bronco. I’ll be heading back. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Newdoc]

Quick update… I’ve now had my Bronco for 6 months. I’m pretty sure I’ll be selling it in a few more months. It’s not that I’m just a “hardcore Jeep guy”. It’s more so I’m starting to see durability and inferior quality from Ford, pop up. Roof leaks, squeaks, random things falling apart, stop/start issues… etc. Keeping in mind, this is within 7 months of ownership. The cons of owning a JL aren’t outweighing the pros of the Bronco. I’ll be heading back. Just my 2 cents.

Still waiting on my order but it will be interesting to see how the quality of the Bronco stacks up against the competition over time. We’re barely a year into production and there’s lots of quality issues floating around. Some objective data would be nice to have.

 

[AJKitebrder40]

I drove a Bronco a bit more the last few weeks, one thing I definitely feel going back and forth from the JL, is somehow the JL feels nimble compared to the Bronco. The Bronco feels kinda like a 4Runner to me, and the JL, while a rougher overall ride (I guess, it just doesn't feel as cushioned) feels big to me.

 

[AJKitebrder40]

Have any JL owners compared the manual JL to the manual Bronco by chance? The JL has some recall issues with the clutch, but from my experience it's been pretty solid, although the gearing is a little out of whack. I'd like to test drive a manual Bronco a bit more, but those aren't exactly easy to come by for a test drive.

 

[Mocopo]

I frequent the JL forums as well, and usually jump in when they ask similar questions the other direction. I have a JLUR-XR on order right now, expected to arrive any day. The Bronco is the wife's vehicle, one that she can drive comfortably to school and soccer practice, but still keep up with me on the trails. Off road, the differences between the solid axle JL and IFS Bronco won't start to impact performance until you are on trails rated 8 and 9, and by then you are doing aftermarket mods anyway, so may the richer man win. The real noticeable difference (noticeable by the average owner anyway) in performance is, as most have stated already, on road performance, where the Bronco will shine.

 

[bbmertz]

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.

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.

100% agree with @Blackcat & @Ish22. We've owned our very first JL 2-door for about 1-1/2 years and my wife and I now refuse to drive it on the highway since it takes so much steering effort to keep it in the lanes. (I brought it into the dealer since I assumed the steering was defective, but they assured me that it was within Jeep specs.) I'm sure it makes it easier to navigate off-road, but we use it mostly for city driving.

It was such a pleasure to drive my daughter's Bronco BB 2-door and not worry about steering it straight. We plan to order a Bronco OB 2-door once the order banks reopen in the Fall and then trade-in the Wrangler when we take delivery in 2025!

 

[tsielski]

We've had 3 jeeps; 95 YJ, 2003 TJ Rubicon, and a 2012 JK. Can't talk about the latest JL, though I have driven a friends. Drove both the YJ and TJ to well over 100K miles. Both had mild lifts and larger tires and both were really good vehicles. Not sure about the jeep being a bit more nimble" than a Bronco comment previously, but all our Jeeps, and the JL I drove, all had that "vagueness" to the steering which I attributed to the solid front axle.
The JK, while initially nice, began to leak terribly whenever it rained after a month of ownership, and it was a hard top; multiple trips back to the dealer and every "repair" to moldings etc and within a short while always filled with water after a rain. Took a walk with that dealers service manager around their lot and every JK there had some water inside.
The previous two jeeps didn't leak at all. Personally done with jeep. I hope jeep fixed whatever issue it had with the JK in the latest JL.
Traded the JK for a Toyota FJ, which tho heavier, rode comparatively much better with it's independent front suspension. Drove that to aprox 150K miles. If Toyota had continued to import the FJ (it's still available in SW Asia, Europe, and Australia I believe), would probably still be driving one.
The Bronco, IMO, drives similarly to the FJ, albeit with a more nimble feel. The Bronco feels solid and planted. Yes it can give a slightly rough reaction to bumpy roads at slower around town speeds, but at highway speeds, its fine. I love the Bronco. Despite the crazy price for fuel, I still try to find reasons to drive it somewhere.

 

[SasquatchMansquatch]

Compared to my jlu, the bronco is a bit more comfortable to drive, a little more family friendly. I'm happy with the switch.

 

[Tech Tim]

Have driven and wheeled JL/JTs since they were introduced. Owned and wheeled a JK for almost four years, have wheeled TJs, YJs, CJs, XJs, ZJs and even old school flatties (along with a lot of other 4x4s).

If you are larger in statue, the Bronco is so much more comfortable inside.

Being 6'-6", this is the first vehicle that I don't have the seat slid all the way back and with the seat dropped to it's lowest height, I can see out of the windshield with room to spare above my head.

Comfort wise, it feels more like my OBS F350.

But, the JL/JTs feels like a fighter jet cockpit in comparison. Everything seems to be laid out a little tighter and you have much better viz over the hood and fenders for off-road use.

The power is no comparison. The Ford 2.7 V-6 is much more fun than the 3.6 Pentastar V-6.

The auto transmissions in both are great. Shifts are nice and smooth and plenty of gears to make sure the shifts feel seamless.

The IFS is smoother on road. But wheeling an IFS take a little different technique than wheeling a live-axle. That said, I have taken my Bronco everywhere that I've taken a JL or JT and have been very impressed with it's off-road capabilities.

The bigger issue will be when people really start lifting the Broncos. A smaller lift won't be too bad, but on the bigger lifts, if the manufacturer doesn't get the geometry right, it will cause all sorts of handling issues and potential failure issues.

Being a live axle, the JL/JTs are pretty straight forward lift-wise and easy to get 37s to live under them comfortably.

Pros and cons to both. Drive 'em both and see which one fits you better.

 

[BroncoSarge]

Had a JK and a JL. To be honest, the JK was way better, but that’s another story. The constant steering correction on the rubicon was a huge factor. Even upgraded the steering box and didn’t change. Secondly, the interior room is a big difference. It doesn't feel cramped. Lastly the ride doesn’t feel as stiff.

 

[BSheppard]

Had a JK and a JL. To be honest, the JK was way better, but that’s another story. The constant steering correction on the rubicon was a huge factor. Even upgraded the steering box and didn’t change. Secondly, the interior room is a big difference. It doesn't feel cramped. Lastly the ride doesn’t feel as stiff.

I thought I might be the only person that likes the JK better than the JL.

I have had my JK for almost 10 years and it’s going to be a keeper.

 

[BroncoSarge]

I thought I might be the only person that likes the JK better than the JL.

I have had my JK for almost 10 years and it’s going to be a keeper.

The JK was better in every way.

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