Not that great in rain due to window design

[Gassyjack]

Part of me wishes ford would have stayed more retro with a full frame door with the vent window.

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[GroovyGeek]

Part of me wishes ford would have stayed more retro with a full frame door with the vent window.

Yup, full frame door and a fixed roof would have made it a far more general purpose vehicle which would sell better in the long term. As things stand today they aped the most idiosyncratic aspects of the Wrangler and implementated them poorly in most cases. My prediction is that this will limit their long term addressable market to at most 50% of the people who would normally buy a Wrangler. Toyota is left to own the larger part of the market for people who want a pretty capable offroader but will never rock crawl, or just want a burly looking vehicle for grocery shopping The Landscruiser/4runner combo will likely outsell the Wrangler and Bronco combined.

 

[GroovyGeek]

That is WAY more than 3/4"; I measured it at 1 inch, and that's NOT a full size pix! That being said, yes, not great in the rain.

The drip is there even with 1/4 inch gap. Particularly at the front of the window. Crack the window, pour some water in that area and see where it goes.

 

[GroovyGeek]

silnylon tarp and some magnets. Throw it over the rear of the top and open the rear window. Secure with magnets ( the bed is magnetic).

I would have to think about an almost instant solution to your use case, but I’ve used the silnylon tarp this way before to create a “cocooned” area around a vehicle opening.

That is a possibility. I actually have a home made awnjng that uses suction cups to secure a tarp against the glass. Did not bring it with me this time.

Last night I ended up opening the rear window, closing the tailgate, then tucking the window down against the spare (there is a convenient hole in one of the metal brackets on the window to do so). This leaves only a small gap between the MIC and the glass. It rained moderately and the inside did not get wet, and I was getting decent ventilation with temps in the upper 70s

 

[BlackDiamond894193]

No, I am not talking about traction, transmission, or anything related to performance. I am talking about the ability to crack the windows to get some air when you are just waiting for the rain to pass or are taking a nap... In a drizzle, not a torrent.

The frameless door design is a giant liability in this department. The glass bulges slightly outwards and there is no gutter above it to catch drips or direct rain. In fact water that rolls off the hard top has a direct path to the cab at the front of the 1st row seats. In the images below the front window is cracked at most 3/4 inch. The rear windows don't seem to suffer from thisnissue

Really disappointed at this design oversight. Any suggestions for decent wind deflectors that may alleviate this issue? Are wind deflectors even a possibility with frameless doors?

 

[BlackDiamond894193]

When you buy a Bronco, I would hope you know what you’re getting before buying. It’s not a luxury vehicle. I’m just glad to have one and enjoy driving it.

 

[GroovyGeek]

When you buy a Bronco, I would hope you know what you’re getting before buying. It’s not a luxury vehicle. I’m just glad to have one and enjoy driving it.

Giving Ford a pass for bonehead oversights with the statement "not a luxury vehicle, what did you expect" is not doing anyone favors. No it is not a luxury vehicle... But it costs almost as much as one... And even econoboxes have rain gutters.

Coming from a Wrangler I knew exactly what I am getting into. And the fact that rain gutters are sold as third party accessories indicates that others have noted this too. Perhaps Ford will give the hard tops a rain gutter when they redesign them... a decade or two from now when they have finally figured out how to make them.

 

[Rusty Sheckelford]

I've had A LOT of vehicles (convertibles and hardtops, framed and frameless doors) and you just described every vehicle i've ever owned. I don't think I've ever had a single vehicle where this wasn't an issue.

If the rain is light enough, I simply leave the wipers off on my fullsize bronco and it will hardly leak at all, but that only works for so long.

 

[BlackDiamond894193]

Giving Ford a pass for bonehead oversights with the statement "not a luxury vehicle, what did you expect" is not doing anyone favors. No it is not a luxury vehicle... But it costs almost as much as one... And even econoboxes have rain gutters.

Coming from a Wrangler I knew exactly what I am getting into. And the fact that rain gutters are sold as third party accessories indicates that others have noted this too. Perhaps Ford will give the hard tops a rain gutter when they redesign them... a decade or two from now when they have finally figured out how to make them.

Lol. All I’m saying is why not enjoy it for what it is. Life is too short. If it’s that big of a deal, trade it in for something else instead of complaining about it.

 

[vzqhsg]

No, I am not talking about traction, transmission, or anything related to performance. I am talking about the ability to crack the windows to get some air when you are just waiting for the rain to pass or are taking a nap... In a drizzle, not a torrent.

The frameless door design is a giant liability in this department. The glass bulges slightly outwards and there is no gutter above it to catch drips or direct rain. In fact water that rolls off the hard top has a direct path to the cab at the front of the 1st row seats. In the images below the front window is cracked at most 3/4 inch. The rear windows don't seem to suffer from thisnissue

Really disappointed at this design oversight. Any suggestions for decent wind deflectors that may alleviate this issue? Are wind deflectors even a possibility with frameless doors?

No different then my 09 JK. It did have a small gutter, but they stopped short on the front doors so if it were raining hard the water ran into the well and soaked the carpet. Maybe the eng. that designed the Bronco got canned from Jeep and hired at Ford? Hmmmmmmm

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