My driving impressions for the 2.3 vs 2.7L engines

[SoccerDude]

I have the 2.7 in my Ford Edge (FWD), I have it tuned. It eliminates any sort of lag and adds a nice amount of horsepower. On the higher of the 3 tunes when I launch it will even scratch when shifting into second. I have a six speed too, not the new 10 speed. There is a lot more to these engines than they come from factory with, I would assume there will be lots of aftermarket tunes etc for both. Just based on the early popularity

Same vehicle with the same engine. I am wondering why the tune though. The 2.7L in the 2015 Edge Sport we have feels plenty of power with no noticeable lag. I can't imagine wanting to tune it higher and I drive pretty heavy footed. I would actually argue it feels overpowered for the vehicle use/size, this coming from a former G37 and Trans Am owner.

On another note I would have never even considered the Edge of it didn't have the 2.7L motor.

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[mC.242]

I don’t know anything about Ford AT.

I have experience with Dodge Durango R/T, it’s a piece of s#%^.
On the other end it’s much better on Mini Cooper S. And BMW X2 M35i is really great at manual shifting with AT.

Can’t just say manual shifting with AT sucks. Some manufacturers know how to make a great AT, some other are way behind...

For me it's the lack of a clutch - makes the process this weird middle ground that do

I don’t know anything about Ford AT.

I have experience with Dodge Durango R/T, it’s a piece of s#%^.
On the other end it’s much better on Mini Cooper S. And BMW X2 M35i is really great at manual shifting with AT.

Can’t just say manual shifting with AT sucks. Some manufacturers know how to make a great AT, some other are way behind...

My issue is the lack of clutch puts you in a weird middle-ground between MT and AT that never feels right. It just doesn't feel natural.

 

[The Driving Viking]

If I go 2.3 I'm getting the 93 Octane Ford performance Tune. Game changer. It transforms the 2.3.

It pretty much will give me all the power I will ever need. It seriously wakes up the engine.

 

[Dads_bronze_bronco]

So the control of the 7MT or the low end torque of the 2.7...

 

[Canyonero02]

I currently own a 2019 F150 3.5EB with the 10 speed. The trans has been pretty flawless in the 18 months and 27k miles I've had it. Every once in a while it'll shift a little funny from 1st to 3rd when I take off after starting it in the morning. It definitely "learns" after a couple thousand miles. It never hunts for gears. I'm very happy with it so far.

 

[5280Bronco]

So the control of the 7MT or the low end torque of the 2.7...

Pretty much.

 

[RockEye]

Ask anyone with a vehicle where a V8 is an option, if it's reasonably priced, they get the V8. No one ever regrets it. Jeep Grand Cherokee has one as an option, and they're working on a Wrangler with one.

Eco-boost is such a compromise on a vehicle that shouldn't be compromised.

I'll stick with my normally aspirated Rubicon JLU until Ford smartens up.

I still haven't found confirmation from Jeep that they plan to even produce the V8 Wrangler. As far as I have found, it's still a concept at this point.

it doesn‘t void the warranty but it could shorten it. It only covers for 3/36k as opposed to 5/60k factory drivetrain warranty. I don’t care either way but wanted to point that out.

While a warranty gives you a little piece of mind, it's a beautiful day when you surpass warranty time/miles because you can finally do anything you want without fear of voiding the warranty.

 

[Dads_bronze_bronco]

I still haven't found confirmation from Jeep that they plan to even produce the V8 Wrangler. As far as I have found, it's still a concept at this point.



While a warranty gives you a little piece of mind, it's a beautiful day when you surpass warranty time/miles because you can finally do anything you want without fear of voiding the warranty.

Yeah the worst thing in the world is a lifetime drivetrain warranty. You spend your entire ownership worried about the warranty only to be told something isn’t covered or you somehow voided that warranty by not getting a required inspection at some point or something.

 

[Blackcat]

Not sure if this will be an option on the Bronco, but my F150 has 'Sport' which basically holds the gears longer. That is some fun driving.

 

[ScoobyDrew]

I know there are other threads out there, but I wanted to get our thoughts out there to everyone. My wife and I drove both on Tuesday (2.3L Ranger and 2.7L F-150) and I have included our thoughts below. We currently own 3 manual transmission cars and two automatics, so we drive them both! These thoughts are with us buying the 4 door, just an fyi.

2.3L:
Transmission that I would personally recommend with the 2.3L would be the manual, hands down. Ability to manually select the gears to ensure the motor is where it wants to be is imperative (3k and above). We both felt the auto felt slightly disconnected from the motor and it was like an awkward dance some of the time while driving. Its not a deal breaker for the 2.3L/auto combo, its just something that I would need to drive more to get used to. Even discounting the piped in sound, the 2.3L sounds great, love its growl. Its power delivery reminds me of our V70R 5 cylinder. From a start, its a bit slow, but once the turbo hits, its a really fun motor. Great rush to the top of the rev range.

One of the times we felt it was underpowered was on a decent hill, in traffic with someone who slowed and turned right in front of us. My wife then kicked it pretty good and I had this instant feeling I had to help it accelerate back up to speed on the hill. Not severe, just some, but I'm worried about 500lbs more mass being slowed and then needing to get back up to speed like that scenario. Its in no way BAD, just not as fast as I was anticipating. This wouldn’t be a problem for someone who doesn’t drive their car hard or aggressively, but we get on it a decent amount when we drive.

2.7L:
I'll refrain from any transmission recommendation for obvious reasons. V6 has power/torque all through the rev range, and didn’t have any kind of “peaky” power delivery feeling. More refined for sure, but it also had less character than the 2.3L for me, and I like to have that in a motor. I’m hoping that the Bronco’s lower amount of sound deadening will let this motor talk to the driver a bit. I can at least hope. Its quick, and it will have no issues moving the Bronco around. It did feel much different though, as it felt like the power was in the low/mid range for sure, and didn’t charge to the top with its power like the 2.3L. Just a different perceived power curve, so they have different personalities.

Seemed it was a bit less willing to kick down for passing, etc than the 2.3L but that could all be based on where the transmissions were at with their “learning” people talk about. Once it does, it hits you in the mouth. People won’t be disappointed with this motor and it will move the Bronco no problem, its just a different animal than the 2.3L, and delivers power in a different way, so its also about matching driving styles/wants with the motors.

Transmission:
Both had the issue we see in our Fusion with a delay between pushing the pedal down and when it reacts to throttle input, especially at low speeds when coasting at 10 mph or so and turning left across traffic, etc. Hope the “learning” can fix that a bit.

We also drove both of the trucks in “normal” and “sport” mode to see the differences. Normal is a bit more “muted” and doesn’t let you wind the motor out much, but its smooth and would be great for most non-aggressive drivers. Sport is different in good and bad ways as far as we could tell. You can wind the motor out more, get more speed, etc which is great. One thing I HATED that I hope is related to the learning part of the equation is that when I was going up the on ramp in both trucks and was giving it probably 70% or so throttle, I would let off to probably 30% when I hit the speed I wanted, and the transmission would hold the gear I was in...and hold…and hold. I had to almost let my foot off the gas entirely for it to up shift and cruise along. I was audibly telling the transmission to up shift as it’s a really unnerving behavior out of a transmission. Maybe someone with experience can chime in on that.

Final thoughts:
I think both motors will be up to the task for the Bronco, and it really depends on everyone’s personal expectation of “performance” from their Bronco. Here at altitude in Denver, and the way I like to drive, my wife and I will need to either get the 2.3L/stick combo which would require the ford performance tune for me, or the 2.7L auto. Its gonna come down to pricing and what we would need to cut out to get the bigger motor and still fit the budget.

No matter what motor you get, its going to be a great rig, a lot of fun and something we can all use to explore the world in ways we already do now (if you already wheel, etc.), or something that will allow us to explore our world more (my case). Can’t wait to see everyone on the road in their Broncos with huge smiles on their faces. Just thought I would share our thoughts. Good luck with all of your choices and make it your own!

Thx 5280. I too live in Denver metro. Did you happen to drive uphill to mountains? Any idea how the 2.3 would do going to Loveland pass fully loaded?

 

[centra28]

I just read the OP and I just want to say AWESOME POST. Thanks for sharing your unique and experienced perspective. Based on your detailed descriptions, I could really picture the difference in the motors!

 

[veblenesque]

Yeah the worst thing in the world is a lifetime drivetrain warranty. You spend your entire ownership worried about the warranty only to be told something isn’t covered or you somehow voided that warranty by not getting a required inspection at some point or something.

I like this sentiment.

Or at least I used to like this sentiment until I bought a GT350 with a $30,000 ticking time bomb.

 

[Bladerunner24]

honestly I think with these engines being twin turboed it will be quite a different experience. For instance the 2.7 will be 10hp shy of a Subaru sti?

 

[Stitches1974]

honestly I think with these engines being twin turboed it will be quite a different experience. For instance the 2.7 will be 10hp shy of a Subaru sti?

Subaru's website says the STI has the same HP as the 2.7, 310 HP.


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• Symmetrical AWD with Driver Controlled Center Differential
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• Available Recaro® performance seating
• Keyless Access with Push-Button Start

 

[Bladerunner24]

This will be a sick 4x4

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