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Some photos and assessment of the New Hampshire Off Road Rodeo from 9/25
So got back on Sunday from the New Hampshire Offroad Rodeo. Have to say I was very impressed with how well Ford put everything on. So with NH it is a little different in that you aren’t in the middle of a desert but on a ski mountain. So there are no high speed runs and things like that. Like literally we only put 6 miles on these things and we were on the trails for about 7 hours.
That said though, those 7 hours were all on the trail and rock crawling.
The instructors were great folks, very knowledgeable, pleasant to talk to, and made the day very enjoyable.
The biggest take away I got was even though these things have all this tech and “hero switches” they are extremely capable just in 4 low.
For reference all of the rigs there were the flowing: They were ether a Badlands or had the Sasquatch package with full skid plates.
All of them were 2.7L auto.
Mix bag of wildtrak, badlands, black Diamond, and outer banks. I think there may have been a base or big bend snuck in there as well.
We were in a 4 Door Wildtrak.
So pros: Extremely capable Offroad, super comfortable ride (no aches or pains at the end of the day), surprisingly nimble even on super tight trails, 1 pedal/trail turn assist were both cool feature BUT! Could be used incorrectly depending on the situation. We had lots of rocks and mud on Saturday so made for a really fun day. Me and my brother rode in the front with plenty of room (I’m 5-10 and he’s 6-3). I could actually sit behind him with his seat all the way back. Front hardtop sections are easy to remove. Hero buttons and other tech were easy at hand and easy to use. No damage occurred!!
Cons: I have to agree that the plastics are cheap feeling (one could argue easy to clean, but still the dash and. console all had a cheap feel). While the hand grabs are easy at hand they did seem a little looser then I would like. Cargo area is smaller then a 4Runner so it may not actually work for my wife’s vehicle replacement. 35” tires were awesome but we were able to find some situations where we bottomed out on obstacles (now this is situation dependent for sure) it did make us joke that 37” would be better. The rear trailing arms and mounts are probably the biggest Achilles heel on these things just because how low they hang (again all situation dependent and we didn’t break anything, but when you’re on the trail these are the biggest thing to watch)
Overall: I think Ford did an excellent job with this event, it was totally worth the time and money to go and learn first hand what these things can do. I think Ford hit the sweet spot between the Wrangler and 4Runner. They rode awesome and super comfortable for sure. I would say all the Offroad features worked as they should. I got to play with a badlands a bit and the sway bar disconnect is legit. Lockers engage super fast as well.
Fit and finish left something to be desired (these are probably still prototypes but still there were some issues), the plastic quality was also a problem to me, and I wish the rear cargo area was the same size as a 4Runner.
Do I want to still keep my reservation…. This is a tough one. Since this went from being my vehicle to a replacement for my wife’s, we made the call to stick with her 4Runner to see what Toyota does as a response to the Bronco. If I could afford it as a third vehicle for fun I would buy this in a heartbeat.
My brother who was on the fence now wants it so I might just give my reservation to him now and tweak my order to his preferences.
Where I would recommend it though is someone who ether A) likes the look of a Wrangler and being able to take the top and doors off, but doesn’t want to deal with the crappy ride. Or B) someone who wants more Offroad capability of a 4Runner.
I know some wrangler fan boys will be jumping at the bit here but I bet the Bronco can do 99/100 things a wrangler can do or better without any of the ride/solid axle comprises. These thing handle the trail in both 33” and 35” tire versions without any issues
So got back on Sunday from the New Hampshire Offroad Rodeo. Have to say I was very impressed with how well Ford put everything on. So with NH it is a little different in that you aren’t in the middle of a desert but on a ski mountain. So there are no high speed runs and things like that. Like literally we only put 6 miles on these things and we were on the trails for about 7 hours.
That said though, those 7 hours were all on the trail and rock crawling.
The instructors were great folks, very knowledgeable, pleasant to talk to, and made the day very enjoyable.
The biggest take away I got was even though these things have all this tech and “hero switches” they are extremely capable just in 4 low.
For reference all of the rigs there were the flowing: They were ether a Badlands or had the Sasquatch package with full skid plates.
All of them were 2.7L auto.
Mix bag of wildtrak, badlands, black Diamond, and outer banks. I think there may have been a base or big bend snuck in there as well.
We were in a 4 Door Wildtrak.
So pros: Extremely capable Offroad, super comfortable ride (no aches or pains at the end of the day), surprisingly nimble even on super tight trails, 1 pedal/trail turn assist were both cool feature BUT! Could be used incorrectly depending on the situation. We had lots of rocks and mud on Saturday so made for a really fun day. Me and my brother rode in the front with plenty of room (I’m 5-10 and he’s 6-3). I could actually sit behind him with his seat all the way back. Front hardtop sections are easy to remove. Hero buttons and other tech were easy at hand and easy to use. No damage occurred!!
Cons: I have to agree that the plastics are cheap feeling (one could argue easy to clean, but still the dash and. console all had a cheap feel). While the hand grabs are easy at hand they did seem a little looser then I would like. Cargo area is smaller then a 4Runner so it may not actually work for my wife’s vehicle replacement. 35” tires were awesome but we were able to find some situations where we bottomed out on obstacles (now this is situation dependent for sure) it did make us joke that 37” would be better. The rear trailing arms and mounts are probably the biggest Achilles heel on these things just because how low they hang (again all situation dependent and we didn’t break anything, but when you’re on the trail these are the biggest thing to watch)
Overall: I think Ford did an excellent job with this event, it was totally worth the time and money to go and learn first hand what these things can do. I think Ford hit the sweet spot between the Wrangler and 4Runner. They rode awesome and super comfortable for sure. I would say all the Offroad features worked as they should. I got to play with a badlands a bit and the sway bar disconnect is legit. Lockers engage super fast as well.
Fit and finish left something to be desired (these are probably still prototypes but still there were some issues), the plastic quality was also a problem to me, and I wish the rear cargo area was the same size as a 4Runner.
Do I want to still keep my reservation…. This is a tough one. Since this went from being my vehicle to a replacement for my wife’s, we made the call to stick with her 4Runner to see what Toyota does as a response to the Bronco. If I could afford it as a third vehicle for fun I would buy this in a heartbeat.
My brother who was on the fence now wants it so I might just give my reservation to him now and tweak my order to his preferences.
Where I would recommend it though is someone who ether A) likes the look of a Wrangler and being able to take the top and doors off, but doesn’t want to deal with the crappy ride. Or B) someone who wants more Offroad capability of a 4Runner.
I know some wrangler fan boys will be jumping at the bit here but I bet the Bronco can do 99/100 things a wrangler can do or better without any of the ride/solid axle comprises. These thing handle the trail in both 33” and 35” tire versions without any issues
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