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- Kyle
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Apologies in advanced, this is a long post so turn back now while you still can.
There are probably no shortages of this topic but I wanted to share my personal experience from Bronco Off-Roadeo Texas this past weekend in the hopes of giving back to this community that has provided tremendous amounts of insight and much needed humor during this time. Maybe this info will be helpful to a couple folks here.
A little about me. It wouldn’t be stretching things to say this forum is probably the first & last thing I look at on my phone most days, and probably more than a few other checks to see what’s new throughout the day. Bless my wife, with me talking about the Bronco so much (from color/trim choice/MIC top/2-door vs 4-door) somehow over the past year I’ve seen her go from tolerating this hobby (obsession) to actually mildly interested.
I not an off-roading expert by any means. I have fond memories of my dad picking me up from daycare when I was very young in his Jeep CJ-7 (doors/top off, naturally) but we never did much off-roading growing up, mostly camping/fishing/hiking. I have 2 boys of my own now and for the past couple years, I’ve been looking for fun things we can do together, create a few memories, and have something to bond over. I guess there may be a few folks in this community who can relate to that sentiment.
Reservation date 7/25/20, 2/24/21 order date. 2-door, Badlands, 2.3/manual, CG, no other bells or whistles. I know, I know. I’ll be lucky to see my Bronco before 2023 but we’re in it for the long haul and I’ll tell you why…
BRONCO OFF-ROADEO TEXAS!
I cannot say enough good things about the experience this past weekend. My dad and I had a fantastic time, and I would strongly encourage anyone who is on the fence to make your reservations and go.
Day 1
We got to the base camp to check in where we were given a Bronco branded Yeti water-bottle and some other cool swag. I may have bought 4 different Bronco hats, got a little too excited/carried away.
Next we got acquainted with our group and instructors (more on them in a minute), it was awesome to meet fellow enthusiasts and hear which Bronco everyone chose - I think there was only one FE on our group and the majority we getting BL with sas, I think I may have been the only non-sas order in the group.
Our instructors were very knowledgeable, friendly, encouraging, and patient.
Day 1 really covers a lot of the basics and gets you more familiar with the Bronco. Before hitting the trails we got to pick our Bronco which we were pretty excited about - initially I had thought one would just be randomly assigned to us so it was a pleasant surprise that we pick. We ended up in a VB WT 2-door with soft top(more on the Bronco itself later).
First day trails were perfect for easing you into not only learning all the Bronco features but getting your feet wet with off-roaring basics. Huge shout out to my dad, he used to do a lot of off-roading when he was younger so he was the perfect co-pilot and gave me some good tips/tricks. At one point he was helping spot other drivers and offering friendly advice (see picture below) which I’m sure the instructors appreciated haha! The video below is me going up one the the steeper rock climbs, you can’t really tell from the video but at one point all I could see was the top of the hood and the sky so listening to the spotter was crucial and we made it up and over no problem, which was a good confidence boost!
Day 2
We got to try out the 2-door OB sas. This is where things kick up a few more notches. Tighter turns, more rocks to climb up and down. One thing I appreciated about the instructors and the experience overall is they really taught us how to overcome certain obstacles without being solely dependent upon technology. Of course, having the front/rear lockers was a game changer for more than a couple hurdles but they want to instill and apply the fundamentals first before just resorting to lockers. There were a few instances where if I had just kept my momentum up a bit more I wouldn’t have even needed to use my lockers. I don’t want to give too much away, you really need fo experience it for yourself if you haven’t already. But, Day 2 was considerably more challenging than the first day but in the best possible way. Also, taking in the scenery and being outdoors was incredible; this was an awesome way to experience some Texas country.
High points & takeaways regarding the Bronco itself
There are probably no shortages of this topic but I wanted to share my personal experience from Bronco Off-Roadeo Texas this past weekend in the hopes of giving back to this community that has provided tremendous amounts of insight and much needed humor during this time. Maybe this info will be helpful to a couple folks here.
A little about me. It wouldn’t be stretching things to say this forum is probably the first & last thing I look at on my phone most days, and probably more than a few other checks to see what’s new throughout the day. Bless my wife, with me talking about the Bronco so much (from color/trim choice/MIC top/2-door vs 4-door) somehow over the past year I’ve seen her go from tolerating this hobby (obsession) to actually mildly interested.
I not an off-roading expert by any means. I have fond memories of my dad picking me up from daycare when I was very young in his Jeep CJ-7 (doors/top off, naturally) but we never did much off-roading growing up, mostly camping/fishing/hiking. I have 2 boys of my own now and for the past couple years, I’ve been looking for fun things we can do together, create a few memories, and have something to bond over. I guess there may be a few folks in this community who can relate to that sentiment.
Reservation date 7/25/20, 2/24/21 order date. 2-door, Badlands, 2.3/manual, CG, no other bells or whistles. I know, I know. I’ll be lucky to see my Bronco before 2023 but we’re in it for the long haul and I’ll tell you why…
BRONCO OFF-ROADEO TEXAS!
I cannot say enough good things about the experience this past weekend. My dad and I had a fantastic time, and I would strongly encourage anyone who is on the fence to make your reservations and go.
Day 1
We got to the base camp to check in where we were given a Bronco branded Yeti water-bottle and some other cool swag. I may have bought 4 different Bronco hats, got a little too excited/carried away.
Next we got acquainted with our group and instructors (more on them in a minute), it was awesome to meet fellow enthusiasts and hear which Bronco everyone chose - I think there was only one FE on our group and the majority we getting BL with sas, I think I may have been the only non-sas order in the group.
Our instructors were very knowledgeable, friendly, encouraging, and patient.
Day 1 really covers a lot of the basics and gets you more familiar with the Bronco. Before hitting the trails we got to pick our Bronco which we were pretty excited about - initially I had thought one would just be randomly assigned to us so it was a pleasant surprise that we pick. We ended up in a VB WT 2-door with soft top(more on the Bronco itself later).
First day trails were perfect for easing you into not only learning all the Bronco features but getting your feet wet with off-roaring basics. Huge shout out to my dad, he used to do a lot of off-roading when he was younger so he was the perfect co-pilot and gave me some good tips/tricks. At one point he was helping spot other drivers and offering friendly advice (see picture below) which I’m sure the instructors appreciated haha! The video below is me going up one the the steeper rock climbs, you can’t really tell from the video but at one point all I could see was the top of the hood and the sky so listening to the spotter was crucial and we made it up and over no problem, which was a good confidence boost!
Day 2
We got to try out the 2-door OB sas. This is where things kick up a few more notches. Tighter turns, more rocks to climb up and down. One thing I appreciated about the instructors and the experience overall is they really taught us how to overcome certain obstacles without being solely dependent upon technology. Of course, having the front/rear lockers was a game changer for more than a couple hurdles but they want to instill and apply the fundamentals first before just resorting to lockers. There were a few instances where if I had just kept my momentum up a bit more I wouldn’t have even needed to use my lockers. I don’t want to give too much away, you really need fo experience it for yourself if you haven’t already. But, Day 2 was considerably more challenging than the first day but in the best possible way. Also, taking in the scenery and being outdoors was incredible; this was an awesome way to experience some Texas country.
High points & takeaways regarding the Bronco itself
- Super cool being around other Bronco enthusiasts and seeing the passion for this amazing vehicle.
- Seeing Velocity Blue on the 2-door WT and OB sas was amazing - awesome color choice for those who picked it, it was my original choice but after spending two days in two different Velocity Blue Broncos, I’ve decided while I love the color, it’s not quite as much my style as I originally thought.
- After seeing Cactus Gray in person on a Big Bend sas, I’m 100% confident it’s right color choice for my Bronco and already had my dealer update it for me when we got back. I see gray and green depending on lighting but I do think the green somehow comes thru more in photos, it’s definitely more gray in person. At least to my eyes but even when the green comes thru it doesn’t bother me - it’s got cool retro/rugged vibes. I dig it.
- 4-door Bronco looks fantastic and excellent choice for anyone! I do think the 4-door looks better in person than in pictures, something about the proportions just seem better when you see it live. Not telling y’all anything new here.
- 2-door Bronco is perfect for me. It was so fun to drive through the trails, up rocks, through water, and the final “high speed” dirt track at the end was the absolute highlight - the 2-door felt so easy to maneuver through tight turns. Corners extremely well. I felt like a kid at Christmas the entire time. In a way, it makes me more anxious to get Bronco but at the same time slightly more patient because I know the wait will be worth it. If that makes sense?
- Race Red and Cyber Orange. Wow - incredible colors on the Bronco. Both are much more striking seeing the real thing than when compared to online. If I wasn’t so set on Cactus Gray, it’d be a hard choice after spending a some time around these two colors. Both are killer/fun/interesting colors.
- Front/rear lockers - learning more about these features, when to use or not use was invaluable. I’m ashamed to admit, I really didn’t understand the concept or scenario for when I’d need lockers. Off-Roadeo completely changed that perception. I’m no pro, but I have a much better understanding of these features/tools overall. Side note: driving the Bronco just instills confidence, in general. While awareness of rocks and surroundings, and paying attention to your spotter are absolutely essential, the Bronco gave me 100% confidence that we could tackle the obstacles this trail threw at us.
- I was pleasantly surprised and amazed at how smooth the ride experience was. You definitely feel the bumps/rocks but your not being tossed/thrown around. The suspension felt excellent. I live in an area with a pothole or two, so I’m looking forward to the day to day on-drive experience, let alone the off-road.
- Only 2 very minor disappointments, and this is knit picking at best. 1) I really wanted to drive the manual but didn’t get the opportunity. There was only one manual in the whole group and I wasn’t fast enough to snatch it up. 2) We were hoping to get a 2-door BL at least once over the course of 2 days, but no luck, they had a couple there but we weren’t early enough to grab one. Tip for those looking to go, you do get to pick your Bronco each day (as mentioned) so if theres a certain door count, trim, color you want be sure to get there early (especially on day 2) so you can get the one you want. It’s first come first serve. Having said that, all the Broncos in our group had the sas package or BL, so you really can’t go wrong. We ended up in a 2-door WT on first day and 2-door OB the second day and both were outstanding. First day we had the soft top then we got to experience the MIC too day 2.
- Soft top vs hard top. I don’t really recall much difference in terms of noise. We had our windows down about 95% of the time so it was hard to really compare. I will say, the MIC top on the OB look perfect to me, no blemishes or imperfections outside or inside. It had headliner and I remember thinking the material seemed adequate.
- Interior of 2-door. My dad and I had plenty of room. We are both around 6ft, a little on stocky side. We never rubbed elbows or shoulders, plenty leg and shoulder room. Head room was fine as well. Never sat in the back seat but looking back there I remember being surprised how much leg room and seat room there was even with front seat in a comfortable position. Quality of interior materials seemed great to me - no complaints from me - everything seemed very rugged, practical, and clean.
- In the interest of full disclosure, I was very close to purchasing a Gladiator in early 2020 (pre-Bronco announcement); my dad told me at least 3 times while we were driving the Bronco this past weekend, “I’m so glad you didn’t get the Gladiator.” And I tend to agree.
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