My Cactus Gray Big Bend just delivered. First pics & early impressions

[PREMiERdrum]

I thought this was a cool look.

"A chicken in every pot and a Bronco in every garage."

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[1st4rd]

Around here it's bourbon, and tonight's specialty is a Blueberry Old Fashioned made with Redemption High Rye.

hmmm.... I love me some rye old fashioneds but not into much fruit. I still may have to try to make that.

 

[desibull]

Fantastic! Enjoy! I ordered a CG as well so love the pics even more!!

 

[calx]

Congrats, this is more or less my same order too! Very excited!

 

[porjos]

The Big Bend has the best looking stock rims in my opinion...or as the ole lady says, shoes to match the top

 

[Rhyno78]

Just got these pics in from my salesman... she has arrived safely! I'll add more pics once I get her home later today. Let me know if you have any requests!

Big Bend 4 door
2.3L Auto
MIC roof
Mid Package
Signature Lights

7/13 9:45pm reservation
6/21 build week
6/24 blend date
6/25 gate release
6/28 left MAP via convoy
6/29 delivered to my dealer

UPDATE:

Crappy driveway pics but here she is!


Early impressions:

- Has that bank vault feel like a F-150. Solid and substantial.

- Rides REALLY nice. Shook it around a bit out in the woods just to see what she can do. Incredibly surefooted. Much more confident feeling than other off roaders I've been in.


- I know it's a learning transmission but it hunts for gears quite a bit. I'm assuming that will calm down soon as we get used to eachother.


- Hate the auto start/stop. I've just been turning it off at startup, the button is easy.


- The interior is solid and super comfortable.


- Don't be in a hurry to get out of a parking lot with it! Lots of questions and pictures.


Overall? This thing is a damn home run. The engineers, designers, and awesome crew at MAP absolutely nailed it.

UPDATE 2:
After the baby went to bed, we left the kids home, popped the front panels off, and hit some of the back roads. Roof operation is SO easy and well thought out, with tactile feedback when a latch is fully opened or closed.

55 miles an hour on a country road with all that open air was absolutely perfect, and damnnear spiritual.

Congrats!! This is my exact build RCA

Just got these pics in from my salesman... she has arrived safely! I'll add more pics once I get her home later today. Let me know if you have any requests!

Big Bend 4 door
2.3L Auto
MIC roof
Mid Package
Signature Lights

7/13 9:45pm reservation
6/21 build week
6/24 blend date
6/25 gate release
6/28 left MAP via convoy
6/29 delivered to my dealer

UPDATE:

Crappy driveway pics but here she is!


Early impressions:

- Has that bank vault feel like a F-150. Solid and substantial.

- Rides REALLY nice. Shook it around a bit out in the woods just to see what she can do. Incredibly surefooted. Much more confident feeling than other off roaders I've been in.


- I know it's a learning transmission but it hunts for gears quite a bit. I'm assuming that will calm down soon as we get used to eachother.


- Hate the auto start/stop. I've just been turning it off at startup, the button is easy.


- The interior is solid and super comfortable.


- Don't be in a hurry to get out of a parking lot with it! Lots of questions and pictures.


Overall? This thing is a damn home run. The engineers, designers, and awesome crew at MAP absolutely nailed it.

UPDATE 2:
After the baby went to bed, we left the kids home, popped the front panels off, and hit some of the back roads. Roof operation is SO easy and well thought out, with tactile feedback when a latch is fully opened or closed.

55 miles an hour on a country road with all that open air was absolutely perfect, and damnnear spiritual.

Congrats!! This is my exact build except carb grey. Still don't have a build date but love the pics and the reviews. Enjoy it!!

 

[DebbieEF]

Just got these pics in from my salesman... she has arrived safely! I'll add more pics once I get her home later today. Let me know if you have any requests!

Big Bend 4 door
2.3L Auto
MIC roof
Mid Package
Signature Lights

7/13 9:45pm reservation
6/21 build week
6/24 blend date
6/25 gate release
6/28 left MAP via convoy
6/29 delivered to my dealer

UPDATE:

Crappy driveway pics but here she is!


Early impressions:

- Has that bank vault feel like a F-150. Solid and substantial.

- Rides REALLY nice. Shook it around a bit out in the woods just to see what she can do. Incredibly surefooted. Much more confident feeling than other off roaders I've been in.


- I know it's a learning transmission but it hunts for gears quite a bit. I'm assuming that will calm down soon as we get used to eachother.


- Hate the auto start/stop. I've just been turning it off at startup, the button is easy.


- The interior is solid and super comfortable.


- Don't be in a hurry to get out of a parking lot with it! Lots of questions and pictures.


Overall? This thing is a damn home run. The engineers, designers, and awesome crew at MAP absolutely nailed it.

UPDATE 2:
After the baby went to bed, we left the kids home, popped the front panels off, and hit some of the back roads. Roof operation is SO easy and well thought out, with tactile feedback when a latch is fully opened or closed.

55 miles an hour on a country road with all that open air was absolutely perfect, and damnnear spiritual.

Congratulations Ross on your beautiful Big Bend!

 

[PREMiERdrum]

It's a small detail, but the Big Bend badge looks great on Cactus Gray.

The color use in the badges was a bit of a puzzling choice, as different models' badges look so much better with different paint colors.

 

[BadAss bronco dude]

Just got these pics in from my salesman... she has arrived safely! I'll add more pics once I get her home later today. Let me know if you have any requests!

Big Bend 4 door
2.3L Auto
MIC roof
Mid Package
Signature Lights

7/13 9:45pm reservation
6/21 build week
6/24 blend date
6/25 gate release
6/28 left MAP via convoy
6/29 delivered to my dealer

UPDATE:

Crappy driveway pics but here she is!


Early impressions:

- Has that bank vault feel like a F-150. Solid and substantial.

- Rides REALLY nice. Shook it around a bit out in the woods just to see what she can do. Incredibly surefooted. Much more confident feeling than other off roaders I've been in.


- I know it's a learning transmission but it hunts for gears quite a bit. I'm assuming that will calm down soon as we get used to eachother.


- Hate the auto start/stop. I've just been turning it off at startup, the button is easy.


- The interior is solid and super comfortable.


- Don't be in a hurry to get out of a parking lot with it! Lots of questions and pictures.


Overall? This thing is a damn home run. The engineers, designers, and awesome crew at MAP absolutely nailed it.

UPDATE 2:
After the baby went to bed, we left the kids home, popped the front panels off, and hit some of the back roads. Roof operation is SO easy and well thought out, with tactile feedback when a latch is fully opened or closed.

55 miles an hour on a country road with all that open air was absolutely perfect, and damnnear spiritual.

Nice... Still waiting for my production date for my Badlands.. Just switched to soft top yesterday... Dealer said the mic top and 2.7

Just got these pics in from my salesman... she has arrived safely! I'll add more pics once I get her home later today. Let me know if you have any requests!

Big Bend 4 door
2.3L Auto
MIC roof
Mid Package
Signature Lights

7/13 9:45pm reservation
6/21 build week
6/24 blend date
6/25 gate release
6/28 left MAP via convoy
6/29 delivered to my dealer

UPDATE:

Crappy driveway pics but here she is!


Early impressions:

- Has that bank vault feel like a F-150. Solid and substantial.

- Rides REALLY nice. Shook it around a bit out in the woods just to see what she can do. Incredibly surefooted. Much more confident feeling than other off roaders I've been in.


- I know it's a learning transmission but it hunts for gears quite a bit. I'm assuming that will calm down soon as we get used to eachother.


- Hate the auto start/stop. I've just been turning it off at startup, the button is easy.


- The interior is solid and super comfortable.


- Don't be in a hurry to get out of a parking lot with it! Lots of questions and pictures.


Overall? This thing is a damn home run. The engineers, designers, and awesome crew at MAP absolutely nailed it.

UPDATE 2:
After the baby went to bed, we left the kids home, popped the front panels off, and hit some of the back roads. Roof operation is SO easy and well thought out, with tactile feedback when a latch is fully opened or closed.

55 miles an hour on a country road with all that open air was absolutely perfect, and damnnear spiritual.

Nice... Waiting for my production date for my cactus grey Badlands w/sasquatch package... Called dealer yesterday and switched to soft top. They told me the 3 things backordered on my car is the mic top. Til 2023... Secondly was the 2.7. And then the sasquatch package. But the latter 2 items aren't as backordered as the top... So I may still a 2021... Fingers crossed! Congrats!

 

[Rick Astley]

- I know it's a learning transmission but it hunts for gears quite a bit. I'm assuming that will calm down soon as we get used to eachother.


- Hate the auto start/stop. I've just been turning it off at startup, the button is easy.

Awesome to get your new rig, you're friken BEAMING from ear to ear! A good feeling to be sure!

To touch on just two points from your OP,

• We've had our '19 Ranger (Lariat, FX4, SCAB) for about 20K miles now, the transmission will slowly stop hunting gears as much.
  • However, and this is even worse, when it learns to suck and the hunting is done, it will simply race into 7th-9th gears as quickly as possible and sit there. The only "learning" as far as I can tell, is to learn how quickly the transmission can shift, not any ability or effort to "learn" effective driving, just "learning" how to maximize that 1/576th of a MPG improvement.
  • I've reset the ECU multiple times and pulled the battery other times to try and force a re-learning, to no avail in the long run.
    • My only suggestion on this is that after resetting the ECU (because we have more miles on the rig than you will), once the rig is fired up, push the "+" button on the gear selector to enable you to see what gear the vehicle is actually in (not sure if this is mandatory on Bronco, it is on Ranger, so YMMV). Then use the gear selector to "S" (sport). And plan where you can floor it on on-ramps or any straight-ish line, do so with as much tenacity and frequency as the local constabulary will allow. This will retard the trans-ECU from going back into "frustrating as all hell" mode and wanting to drive at 35 mph in 8th gear a little longer than normal... But it will "learn" how to make you dislike that transmission all on it's own
• Auto start/stop: You can get the dongle and use FORSCAN to disable stop/start. If you already have a laptop then parts will be about $35, plus the software. We ended up about $100 total investment to have FORSCAN and the OBDII dongle upgrade to disable start/stop.
  • This feature QUICKLY becomes annoying and fully disabling it, we feel, increased our safety. Where you're at it's probably flatter, but start/stop is scary and dangerous on a dark, wet, steep incline/decline such as you'll be driving regularly over here in the winter.
  • Plenty of posts on Ranger5g about how to do this and what to get, Bronco will be no different

 

[JSKBronco]

Is it just me or does the Cactus Gray really come off as a greenish blue?

 

[sasbend2]

Congratulations you definitely deserve it. Thanks for all of the updates and information. Also if
you make it north on interstate 71 or route 23 (Delaware or Morrow County) let me know, I would love to see your ride and thank you in person or just give you a thumbs up as you cruise by.

 

[Fordmanfrombirth]

That is one very sweet ride!

 

[El4short]

Man this is so exciting, really happy for you! Thanks for all the pictures, since I've got almost the same BB config (Area 51 and regular headlights). My reserve date is 7/23, so I'm settled in for a long wait. Your updates help a ton.

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