- First Name
- Sean
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2020
- Threads
- 29
- Messages
- 1,438
- Reaction score
- 5,284
- Location
- Sacramento
- Vehicle(s)
- Nissan Sentra, Mercedes GLC
- Your Bronco Model
- Badlands
- Thread starter
- #1
Got to meet the Bronco in person yesterday. These are the two making the rounds in CA, so one BD and one OBX. Both soft top with no Sasquatch. Lux package on the OBX. Due to events outside my control, I got there late and missed the presentation. My wife went ahead, saw the presentation and got us a place in line. She mentioned they had hosed out the BD earlier in the afternoon, but everything was dried up already. She mentioned a few other things they had discussed, but nothing I didn't already know. I didn't take a bunch of pics or spend a lot of time going over every detail. I just wanted to get an overall impression and look at a couple of things to confirm my build, and we wanted to see how easily my short wife could get in and out of the Bronco. (I did get some quick videos of that.)
Would've been nice to see Badlands, Sasquatch, or MIC top, but seeing them wouldn't change my build anyway.
Here are my overall impressions:
(Yes, the videos are vertical. I wanted to get her full height in the video, and there wasn't room to back up farther.)
5-foot Wife meets Outer Banks (Non-Sas, rear seat)
5-foot Wife meets Black Diamond (Non-Sas, front seat)
Would've been nice to see Badlands, Sasquatch, or MIC top, but seeing them wouldn't change my build anyway.
Here are my overall impressions:
- I wasn't struck by the size/presence as much as others have been. That said, I wasn't disappointed either. So I guess my expectations were just on point.
- I actually liked the Cactus Gray in person. It was the first overcast day we've had in a couple weeks, so the green tint was evident to both me and my wife. (Though I'm wondering if this is also one of those colors that some people just see slightly differently, like that thrice-cursed dress.) Wife REALLY liked the CG. If CO ultimately isn't an option for 22, then CG is my backup color.
- Very pleased with the overall feel and build quality. Nothing felt cheap to me. I didn't run my hands over every little surface or anything, cause the feel of the dash isn't going to change my decision, but everything I touched felt good. Doors and swing gate had a good weight and feel to them, as well as their handles. Aux switches were more robust than I expected. GOAT mode selector also felt more substantial than I expected - better than the puck in my wife's MB GLC.
- The Outer Banks with Lux felt quite plush. Between the larger screen, leather, and feel of everything else, I think anyone looking for a luxury feel would be pleased unless they just have unreasonable expectations. Some elements not as good as my wife's MB, but the overall feel was close. I think the brown leather helped that impression for me, though I didn't like the overall combo of colors in the OBX. Brown and black seats, plus the brownish dash and doors that don't quite match, plus the bright blue trim was too much. Need to get the total number of colors down or have the trim match the exterior. No surprise here.
- Didn't like the tube steps on the OBX. With a 5' 0" wife, I was wondering if this was going to be something I would want to add to my Badlands later on. (Primary goal for this event was to see how easy it was for my wife to get in/out, more on that in a bit.) I'm 5' 10" and the tube steps actually made getting out more difficult for me. They weren't needed for getting in, and they felt too close to be a natural step getting out. Bu they also stick out, so I had to step around them when getting out. Doubtful I'll be adding anything like this to my BL.
- I climbed into the back seat of the OBX behind the driver seat. The seat was actually farther back than I would have preferred it for driving, and I still felt comfortable in the back. I like it more than than the GLC. Objectively, probably not more space, but it felt more open and spacious because you're up higher with a better view and more headroom.
- Surprised by the solid ruggedized feel of the steering wheel-mounted controls. Not just typical buttons with a rubberized texture. More like a fully-rubberized membrane over top of each bank of buttons. But the 'actuation distance' of each button was still long enough that you could easily feel the push of each button through the membrane. In my experience, that's often not the case with rubberized buttons, so a good job by Ford on this. Same with the Hero switches.
- My initial impression of the deriver instrument cluster was underwhelming. It seemed set farther into the dash than necessary, and it felt like there was a lot of dead space around it that could have been used to make it larger. On further reflection, making it bigger would probably result in elements being hidden behind the steering wheel, so I'll give Ford the benefit of the doubt that this was the right call.
- While I didn't fiddle much with seat position in the BD, it was close to where I would want it, and the overall view out of the windshield was good. Definitely a longer hood than my Sentra or my wife's GLC. It seems like the trail sights do a good job of indicating where you're leading corners are. What actually surprised me about the sights was that it made the front end seem narrower than I expected. My impression was that it felt more... nimble? than I expected. That may just be the trail sights doing their job. Won't really know until I can drive one.
- Really like the rubberized flooring in the BD. Solid look and feel on the floorboards. I'm glad I got the rubber floor mats, because I like the look and feel of them, but I'd be plenty happy with just the bare floors. Really liked the feel of the of the cargo area floor in the BD. Actually glad I'm not getting the mat for back there.
- I like the MGV in the BD, and I'm glad it will be in my BL. That said, I have no idea how anybody would mistake it for leather, or even leatherette. It has a completely different look and texture. (I don't say that negatively, and I probably tend to notice surface texture a little more readily than most.) I have smooth leather in my Sentra, the wife's GLC has their MB Tex leatherette vinyl (which has a good textured leather feel, but has some wear issues), and the OBX at the event was a textured leather. The MGV doesn't feel like any of them. The closest comparison I can think of would be a linen texture combined with a rubberized coating. The BD seats have a vague digi-camo look to them as well, which probably further impacted my impression of them. Overall, the MGV has a good quality feel to it. My purely subjective guess based on the feel is that it will probably be slightly better than leather in heat/cold.
- Ford should just be honest and acknowledge that the 4-door has 2 cupholders (4 if you get leather). No rational person would think to put a cup of liquid in those door nets. Their dimensions would require the net to stretch to accommodate a cup in one direction, which means it's not going to secure it as well front to back. I'll be picking up one of the various Molle-attached cupholders for the rear, though it's sad you have to impact leg space for this. Also, there is no reason the MGV shouldn't have the same fold-down armrest and cupholders as the leather. Ford just got lazy when it came to the rear seat with the MGV. It should have the armrest, cupholders, and the rubberized flooring on the back. All of these are no-brainers. (The fact that we can be this nitpicky is also a good indicator of just how goo a job Ford did with everything else.)
- I was surprised by the HD bumper. I expected it to stick farther out, but it wasn't as bulky as I thought it would be. A very quick feel inside the end caps didn't turn up any obvious bolts or holes that could be used to easily add aftermarket lights. My guess is that aftermarket solutions will require drilling, but I could be wrong.
(Yes, the videos are vertical. I wanted to get her full height in the video, and there wasn't room to back up farther.)
5-foot Wife meets Outer Banks (Non-Sas, rear seat)
5-foot Wife meets Black Diamond (Non-Sas, front seat)
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But, because of nerve damage in her left leg the side steps are a must for her. Getting in like your wife did is a no go for mine. I wish that black OBX was on the east coast circuit. I've got an OBX on order, and we could really see how entering/exiting would work out for her. But, I'm sure she'll be fine with the steps, and grab handle.
