Motor Trend says Bronco has "poor build quality". Fact or Bias?

[andrusoid]

The latest SUV of the year issue of Motor Trend says the Bronco has "poor build quality". After carefully shaking down a 4dr Big Bend in my garage during a test drive, this reeks of bias in my opinion. Sure, there is the MIC roof issue, but the overall build quality is excellent and remember this is a modular vehicle most body panels are designed to be easily removable. Slapping it with poor build quality is laughable. I think MT is desperately trying to justify their choice of Land Rover for SUV of the Year. It may be a great SUV, but it’s a unibody crossover with low profile tires like all the rest, hardly an off-road machine. Obviously, MT is passing up the most exciting new vehicle launch in decades for a niche market crossover with little fanfare.

I think that with all the production starts and stops, it definitely affected QC on some vehicles. I've had mine for a week now and every thing seems super solid. Doors and tailgate have a solid ka-chunk feeling when closed. Interior and such is what I expect from a truck. It's probably. something to do with the Herbie theory. Different vehicles that roll down the line get different levels of build quality. Not saying my truck is a Herbie, but seems pretty good to me. Maybe that's just an effect of the BTSD we are all suffering from, but lovin' mine.

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[RedHotFuzz]

for those wanting the best of the best fit and finish.....its available right now, the G Wagon. you can go buy one right now for $200,000-300,000!!!

G-Wagen starts under $140k (well-equipped). Yes, far beyond Bronco pricing and far beyond my pay grade, but let’s at least get the numbers right.

I’ve owned multiple sub-$30k VWs that were extremely well-built, reliable, and had stellar interiors. It’s perfectly fair to expect good-quality plastics that fit well together in a $50k vehicle in the year 2021. I’ll never understand the need to defend American automakers’ poor materials choices. Even Hyundai has figured this out.

 

[LeBronco]

G-Wagen starts under $140k (we’ll-equipped). Yes, far beyond Bronco pricing and far beyond my pay grade, but let’s at least get the numbers right.

I’ve owned multiple sub-$30k VWs that were extremely well-built, reliable, and had stellar interiors. It’s perfectly fair to expect good-quality plastics that fit well together in a $50k vehicle in the year 2021. I’ll never understand the need to defend American automakers’ poor materials choices. Even Hyundai has figured this out.

You are not getting a G Wagon for $140k right now!!!! They are being market adjusted just like everything else.
I’m not defending. Mine is 100% perfectly acceptable. I have ZERO issues with fit and finish. Mine is perfect.
however there are multiple here on this site that expect Mercedes finishes for $50k you have to realize what you are buying and set your expectations accordingly.

 

[ajlangley79]

There’s a lot of hard plastics. Problems with the 2.7 and obviously MIC top. I haven’t cancelled my order, I have some weird soul-tie to this truck but I am considering some other vehicles

I was stuck on it to. I'm a die hard ford guy but ended up going with a Jeep when I kept getting the run around on my order. What other vehicles are you considering?

 

[tn3sport]

Motortrend??? Didn't they pick the Dodge Neon as the car of the year way back when???
And their SUV of the year for 2022 is the Genesis (rebadged Hyundai). Tiger Woods, known for his excellent driving on the golf course, couldn't keep that vehicle on the road...

There is clearly bias in MT's picks. Clear track record of that...
Bronco perfect? Far from it. But, its doing well enough to make every other vehicle maker step up their game. The QC or design will continue to evolve. I actually observed zero issues and nothing but excitement when I drove one at the Off-Rodeo.

 

[Sherminiator]

Based on some posts here, wrong rear seats, test equipment shipped with vehicle, scroll down to the weld thread... I think QA is strongly lacking on the Bronco and it's fair to say the build quality is questionable. There were also a few design decisions that are simply bad, shocks lower is a perfect example.

The other issue is that the Bronco has been one of the most watched launches in recent memory and every little single thing that goes wrong with it gets blown out of proportion too.

 

[Efthreeoh]

If you think Ford has ever made a quality product, or GM, or Chrysler or AMC or any defunct American brand, there is nothing I can say to disabuse you of such a notion.

I do. My last 1999 F150 was a bit disappointing, but it lasted a good decade with a lot of abuse. My other 5 or 6 Fords were excellent vehicles.

 

[omega145]

“Poor quality” is relative. Coming from an 18 year old economy car. The build quality and material is good for me.

I notice that these are the type of comments that get likes but it's biased rather than rating current build quality of the Bronco against other current SUV/Off Roaders. A reviewer shouldn't be coming from the perspective of an 18 year old economy car because all modern cars have a better build quality than an 18 year old economy car. Not saying I agree with the overall "poor quality" rating but its pretty silly to say "I owned a 2002 Honda Civic and this new Bronco is soooo much better!"

 

[Efthreeoh]

The other issue is that the Bronco has been one of the most watched launches in recent memory and every little single thing that goes wrong with it gets blown out of proportion too.

Right, like two small voids in a weld. Lol.

 

[broncoj11]

I was stuck on it to. I'm a die hard ford guy but ended up going with a Jeep when I kept getting the run around on my order. What other vehicles are you considering?

That’s definitely fair. I’m looking really hard at a rivian R1T or maybe the new Trailboss or at4

 

[Frankie945]

I bet Land Rover doesn’t have a active forum as big as this one with peeps pointed out absolutely everything and bitching about everything.

 

[rugbysecondrow]

Unfortunately there is no benchmarking associated with the various criticisms on B6G. This roll out could be among the best, the worst or somewhere in between. Without a comprehensive, detailed and empirical comparison, there is absolutely no authoritative basis of judgement for the 2021 bronco vs other vehicles regarding overall quality.

This. If you watch the news, you see murder, rape, arson...you really get only the negative side of town, and the least statistically accurate depiction. I am starting to think the forum here is no different.


What we have are anecdotes, not data. I think people are coupling their opinions on manufacturing delays with quality issues, which isn't accurate. So far as I can tell, the MIC top is the only statistically significant and concerning issues to date...the rest is just noise.

I also think we, on the forum, have a few issues. 1) people built the Bronco up too much. The expectations some people had for the Bronco were unreasonable for any vehicle with a $29k base price. A magical unicorn of a vehicle, buikt up over decades of mythology...and absence made the heart grow fonder. 2) I think all issues are magnified. 1 person has issue "A", then 49 pages ensue about how terrible Ford is and how the Bronco is shit. This doesn't mean it isn't a real issue for the OP, but it isn't statistically significant for the cattle call of responses that always assume the worst and call for a herd of tweets to Ford executives. 3) This is going to ride more like a truck than a car or modern SUV. It has modular parts (doors top etc). The feature may sometimes be a flaw. The nature of this unique vehicle will present more problems and more first year problems. This is part of the deal.

If people choose to look, there are many, many happy Bronco posts that folks never see because they never make it to the front page.

 

[Old Hound]

I find it hilarious how so many people are just on here to complain about Ford and Bronco's in general. But every one of them are doing the pee pee dance waiting for there Bronco. Or if they have got it they are grinning from ear to ear. If you don't like the vehicle
then move on, I'm getting tired of reading all the negative and stupid comment on the site.
If you have something constructive to add to a discussion then great, but if all you are going to do is complain then move on from the Bronco, THIS IS GETTING RIDICULOUS.

 

[WildtracMoose]

The latest SUV of the year issue of Motor Trend says the Bronco has "poor build quality". After carefully shaking down a 4dr Big Bend in my garage during a test drive, this reeks of bias in my opinion. Sure, there is the MIC roof issue, but the overall build quality is excellent and remember this is a modular vehicle most body panels are designed to be easily removable. Slapping it with poor build quality is laughable. I think MT is desperately trying to justify their choice of Land Rover for SUV of the Year. It may be a great SUV, but it’s a unibody crossover with low profile tires like all the rest, hardly an off-road machine. Obviously, MT is passing up the most exciting new vehicle launch in decades for a niche market crossover with little fanfare.

They, MT, need to redefine categories like (off-road) when they review these vehicles.

 

[rugbysecondrow]

As someone who has come from 20+ years of Acuras my expectations were high and probably too high based on the brand and the type of cars/suvs I have had vs a Ford truck in its first year. (No offense) After being on this site for more than 18 months and seeing all of the quality issues here to say I am starting to feel a little paranoid to drive it; especially given the continual failures at my dealer. I’ve been more and more worried and that is a feeling that I shouldn’t have. I should be feeling joy and excitement not worried that my engine is going to blow up at 1,000 miles or my roof is going to leak or one of a dozen other things. Ford has done nothing to reassure me and prove to me otherwise. So yes, Ford’s quality is crap.

Honestly, you should probably get off the forum then. If you constantly hear "the sky is falling", eventually you will have no choice but to look up and worry.

People here have convinced themselves of dread.

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