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

[KingWillard]

I would give the build quality a rating of fair based on my experience with 3k miles on my Black Diamond 2 dr 2.3 manual. Issues I’ve had are roof rattle, window rattle when partially or fully rolled down on roughy terrain, a little of a loose fit of the fabric on the back of the rear seats, and some of the interior plastic scratching easily. I wouldn’t consider any of these as major issues though, and otherwise it seems very solid and nice. Just one person’s perspective, but I don’t feel like the quality is poor, and I don’t have any regrets about buying the Bronco. Quite the opposite.

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[RedHotFuzz]

or just have the rose colored Ford glasses on.

They're blue.

"What's with all the complaining? Everything looks great to me!" - hardcore Ford homers.

 

[StevieD23]

They're blue.

"What's with all the complaining? Everything looks great to me!" - hardcore Ford homers.

My bad, Velocity Blue Ford glasses

 

[KTP 30]

I would say all cars built since covid are going to be of poorer quality. From supply chain issues to manpower shortages on the assembly line. It has all been worse since then.

That's BS it falls on management regardless whoever they have working. They have inspectors they have a whole line of people to make sure everything is right. They've been building cars for over a hundred years it All falls down on making money. Bottom line.

 

[UberGadgetFreak]

10 days of having mine and just hit 1,200 miles (road trip for work account for 950 of those - all highway). Things so far:
Coolant Hose - was touching the idler pulley on arrival - tied back
Top rattle - one of the latches isn't as tight as the other.
Passenger side Seat rattle - seems the cables under the seat were not strapped down and they would tap on something on bumpy roads. Had to add a few zip ties.
Window rattle - not sure why Ford couldn't get this right. My Mustang also has frameless windows and does not rattle at all and Windows feel solidly mounted and guided, but the Bronco windows have some slop in them by comparison, so its either all the way up or down, or rattle.
Hood level - was not leveled on arrival. Had to adjust the hood stops.
Side Decal bubbles - yeah, I caught the passenger side deal with bubbles under it.


None of these are really major issues. All of these could be quickly addressed with a little focus on QA/PDI to check them out. I don't consider those bad build quality given the stuff I've seen on other vehicles. However, I find it interesting the hood not being aligned right, the seat thing, and the decal issue all being on the right side of the vehicle, it makes me wonder.... The right side is going to get another shakedown when the rain clears.

 

[BigTex22]

I bought a 2021 Ford F-150 King Ranch in February and now a 2021 4-door First Edition with the MIC 2.0 top. Across the board, the quality is extremely high. And I’m not a Ford “fanboy” - we also own a BMW and have owned Japanese vehicles in the past. Ford has really upped their game, in my opinion.

 

[JaxGtc]

Five weeks and 1,800 miles, zero issues. Fit and finish are good and the vehicle is exactly as advertised. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Ford hit a home run. MT got people to post 13 pages on their article- that was their objective. The two things have nothing to do with each other.

 

[R11]

Five weeks and 1,800 miles, zero issues. Fit and finish are good and the vehicle is exactly as advertised. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Ford hit a home run. MT got people to post 13 pages on their article- that was their objective. The two things have nothing to do with each other.

…including one of the early responses on this thread, which cited this forum’s general propensity for speculative complaining as proof of low build quality

Does my basequatch have a rattle here and there (that can probably be fixed pretty easily)? sure. Not a big deal to me, and certainly not “poor quality”.

I do think the QC might have some improving to do - coolant hose and decal bubble stuff is weaksauce.

But again, “poor” is hyperbole, the standard model for clicks and runaway threads.

 

[heavyD]

They're blue.

"What's with all the complaining? Everything looks great to me!" - hardcore Ford homers.

This is why Ford communities are not my favorite. There are just so many blue oval lifers that have extremely low expectations of vehicle quality that is makes for a lot of divisive threads. When I was on Mustang forums many or us were having documented issues with the MT-82 transmission and and the blue oval lifers made it painful for posters with legit issues. For the most part is seems there are a lot of good posters here and like all Ford forums you just have to learn to navigate through the blue oval fanatics that treat any criticism of Ford like an attack on their family.

 

[Rover72]

I have owned many Fords (trucks & cars - more than any other other brand) as well as other manufactures cars & trucks. The Bronco's I have driven and seen are up what I would consider standard Ford quality.
Fit & finish is not high end and acceptable for me.

Have had unacceptable problems with new Fords at some point (transmission 70k - starters at 100k). Have owned Toyota Tundra & Honda Accord + Pilot and find the quality / longevity noticeably better. Why isn't Ford quality at least equivalent to Toyota and Honda?

Broncos are standard Ford quality and may get better in their 2nd year on. Jeep probably is marginally better quality and is not a Bronco though. BTW, I just ordered a Jeep Rubicon after waiting too long, only for Ford to change the allocation math that I signed up for. After deep diving into Jeeps, they are a great product and since refined over many years probably more reliable / bit better fit & finish than a Bronco. I will still purchase my Bronco when it comes in, maybe September 22, and will give a better analysis then.

 

[IsThisThingOn]

Like most things in life, everything is based on expectations. I think the "hype" over the past 2 years has created unreasonable expectations and over inflated pricing. I absolutely love my Black Diamond but would be lying if I said it is worth the $50k+ I paid for it. And I think there lies the problem. We are paying a mark up to first in line for a iconic car during a pandemic which has created various shortages and increasingly high demand. Bronco pricing has created unrealistic expectations.

If I had to do it again, I would get a base model and customized it myself into the BD trim. Would have been significantly cheaper to do.

Just my 2-cents.

 

[lakesinai]

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.

Agreed. Ive got 1,200 miles and 3 weeks on my OBX. No build quality issues. Some argue about design choices, but thats different. In my opinion:
1. I love the Roast/Onyx leather interior with Area51. Looks sharp, comfortable on the road.
2. I like the tan dash, hard material. Deflects the glare, easy to clean, a Retro look. I dont understand the whining about that. Its a design choice. Try it for awhile when you get your car.
3. The 2.7 turbo Engine is great. Car tracks well at 75mph. Auto trans has too many gears but works great.
4. Mic top flawless. No rattles or leaks or squeaks. There is some road noise compared to a f150, but it is removable so goes with the genre. By the way, if the roof rattles, the latches can be adjusted.
5. There is a roof whistle at some speeds, whether the roof is on or not! A solution (source) will be found.
6. Paint is perfection
7. All 5 doors on the 4dr open and close perfectly.
8. MPG isnt as bad as advertised. I just averaged 21 MPG on a mostly highway road trip. My non-Sas OBX has the less fuel-friendly 4.27 axle & rear locker, 4dr and 2.7 engine. The non-rear-locker, non-Sas OBX has the more fuel friendly 3.73 axle, should get 22+ mpg on highway.

 

[amexboi]

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.

 

[markregel]

Agreed. Ive got 1,200 miles and 3 weeks on my OBX. No build quality issues. Some argue about design choices, but thats different. In my opinion:
1. I love the Roast/Onyx leather interior with Area51. Looks sharp, comfortable on the road.
2. I like the tan dash, hard material. Deflects the glare, easy to clean, a Retro look. I dont understand the whining about that. Its a design choice. Try it for awhile when you get your car.
3. The 2.7 turbo Engine is great. Car tracks well at 75mph. Auto trans has too many gears but works great.
4. Mic top flawless. No rattles or leaks or squeaks. There is some road noise compared to a f150, but it is removable so goes with the genre. By the way, if the roof rattles, the latches can be adjusted.
5. There is a roof whistle at some speeds, whether the roof is on or not! A solution (source) will be found.
6. Paint is perfection
7. All 5 doors on the 4dr open and close perfectly.
8. MPG isnt as bad as advertised. I just averaged 21 MPG on a mostly highway road trip. My non-Sas OBX has the less fuel-friendly 4.27 axle & rear locker, 4dr and 2.7 engine. The non-rear-locker, non-Sas OBX has the more fuel friendly 3.73 axle, should get 22+ mpg on highway.

Some design choices like frameless doors and removable top is a compromise but is what makes the Bronco a Bronco.

 

[Hossfire]

It seems to be true, that Motor Trend really did say this. They even made it a bullet point at the head of the article. They also said that it has “Poor ride quality”. It is a fact, and not bias, to report that they said this.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/2022-ford-bronco-pros-cons-review/

The "poor ride quality" is a little suspect. Larger tires will give you more road noise. The on-road praise for the Bronco's IFS vs. Jeep's solid axle has been universal.

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