Ordered a Badlands Manual but...

[BlueBronco]

I have had my 2.3 manual BL since August and have close to 3k miles on it. Half that mileage with 33's and the other half with 37's. I think the 2.3 has plenty of pep when paired with the manual and have said that manual transmissions are the "self-Sport" mode. However, I have since added the true Sport mode via FORscan and it is even more fun to drive. I was also worried that it would be kind of a dog and slow off the line after adding the 37's but that is not the case at. As far as a direct comparison to the 2.7, ask me next week...

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[JoeSpeed]

Love my 2.3 manual, got 33s on it with 4.7, doesnt need more power imo

youll be fine with the Mansquatch

 

[Russ.Gil]

I have had my 2.3 manual BL since August and have close to 3k miles on it. Half that mileage with 33's and the other half with 37's. I think the 2.3 has plenty of pep when paired with the manual and have said that manual transmissions are the "self-Sport" mode. However, I have since added the true Sport mode via FORscan and it is even more fun to drive. I was also worried that it would be kind of a dog and slow off the line after adding the 37's but that is not the case at. As far as a direct comparison to the 2.7, ask me next week...

Awesome glad to hear it's been great to you, I plan on uping my BL to 35s or 37s so I'm glad to hear that hasn't caused any kind of performance drop for you. Did going larger affect ride quality or MPGs harshly? Or was it negliable? Also I'm looking forward to hearing about your test drive with the 2.7

 

[Russ.Gil]

Love my 2.3 manual, got 33s on it with 4.7, doesnt need more power imo

youll be fine with the Mansquatch

Appreciate the post man glad you're loving it.

 

[calgecko]

I had an eco boost mustang with the same 2.3... the first one I had (for 3 months) was a stick shift.. I was not a fan (and ALL my prior cars have been stick shifts) .. I quickly started realizing how much quicker the automatic transmission was based on all the reviews I read and groups I was in for the ecoboost mustang.. so when I had the opportunity to get rid of it (because the dealer - Future Ford of Roseville, lied to me about it being a 'new' car - it was actually pre-owned and the DMV caught them on their lie), I had the dealer take it back and refund me all my money after I had already put 4500 miles on it - and I bought an automatic version from another dealership - NIGHT AND DAY ... the auto helps the eco boost stay in the boost range better on acceleration, and shifts WAY faster than a human can.. so it was a no brainer for me. For the Bronco - there's nothing about a manual transmission in an off road vehicle that is appealing, so I'll gladly go with the auto in that as well - if it's ever built.

 

[Russ.Gil]

I had an eco boost mustang with the same 2.3... the first one I had (for 3 months) was a stick shift.. I was not a fan (and ALL my prior cars have been stick shifts) .. I quickly started realizing how much quicker the automatic transmission was based on all the reviews I read and groups I was in for the ecoboost mustang.. so when I had the opportunity to get rid of it (because the dealer - Future Ford of Roseville, lied to me about it being a 'new' car - it was actually pre-owned and the DMV caught them on their lie), I had the dealer take it back and refund me all my money after I had already put 4500 miles on it - and I bought an automatic version from another dealership - NIGHT AND DAY ... the auto helps the eco boost stay in the boost range better on acceleration, and shifts WAY faster than a human can.. so it was a no brainer for me. For the Bronco - there's nothing about a manual transmission in an off road vehicle that is appealing, so I'll gladly go with the auto in that as well - if it's ever built.

Oh man sorry to hear your dealer tried to pull a fast one that's shitty. I'm glad you're loving the auto it's just not for me personally. It's not really about quick gear shifting or anything like that for me. Donno, just what I've always driven, and when I drive my wife's car I just get bored because it's automatic and I feel like I don't have to think as much? I dunno, may be dumb but it's just my personal preference

 

[BOLD Renegade93]

That was my biggest concern is that it would feel boring I'm glad to hear you don't feel that way and it's definitely helped rest my concerns. I have seen some tuning kits coming out for the 2.7l so hopefully we manual fans will get some good tuning and performance kit for our 2.3's

They will. Ford already offers one for the Ranger and there are some aftermarket tunes out there for the 2.3 in the Focus RS

 

[Russ.Gil]

They will. Ford already offers one for the Ranger and there are some aftermarket tunes out there for the 2.3 in the Focus RS

Awesome, well, now all I have to do is join the "be patient" club. Which is fine by me. Gives me time to save up some cash for a bigger down payment so I can deal with the fact that I'm buying a $50,000 car... Scary shit haha never owned a "new" car before and I'm pretty excited to get this thing.

 

[blsbikes2]

Glad to hear it that really helps me feel better about my firm stance on manual

I test drove a manual 2 door Big Bend and was very pleased with the accleration and smoothness. 2nd gear pulls hard and the steering felt great in sport mode. I have driven manuals for decades (my last 2 'fun' drives were a 2004 Honda S2000 and a 2008 Bullitt Mustang) and the Broco has a good setup. My production week is 2 weeks away!!

 

[Russ.Gil]

I test drove a manual 2 door Big Bend and was very pleased with the accleration and smoothness. 2nd gear pulls hard and the steering felt great in sport mode. I have driven manuals for decades (my last 2 'fun' drives were a 2004 Honda S2000 and a 2008 Bullitt Mustang) and the Broco has a good setup. My production week is 2 weeks away!!

S2000 was a great car, Dude congratz on the build date Idk how you sleep I'd be so damn excited haha

 

[Compta38]

add that newly released Panda Motorworks module that's plug and play for a good little boost of hp and torque. It also doesn't void warranty.

 

[HeliPilot]

I test drove a 2 dr 2.3L auto, and a 4 dr 2.7L auto back to back. The 2.7 was noticeably quicker even though it had 2 extra doors. I bought the 2.7.

 

[webspoke]

2.3 manual badlands here, started on 33's. The power is good when on boost. Also the torque in gear, like 6th on the highway at 70+ is very good, no need for downshifitng to climb hills etc. Same with 3-4-5 around town, you can stay in one gear, and anywhere above 2000rpm it will build boost an accelerate away.

It got a bit more sluggish when I added SAS wheels and tires, but with the Forscan added sport mode, it drives great. Still pulls hills in 6th gear with 35's.

 

[Cheshire]

So I just confirmed my order for the 2022 Badlands, I had a 21 MY order that had to get converted over and made some changes to it. I wanted to test drive it too just to make sure I'd actually enjoy driving it since I'm getting it as a daily driver and ORV. I loved it but I have some concerns. Namely the 2.3L Inline 4.

So I should start by saying the top thing that attracts me to the Bronco is that it checks all my boxes for my requirements
1. Has to be Manual (I refuse to drive automatics they're incredibly boring to me.)
2. Has to have 4 doors (got a family and plan to have more kids so a 2 door anything is a no-go.)
3. I live in NE Washington near the Idaho state line and our winters are always snowy so, I gotta have AWD or selectable 4x4

Until the bronco was announced that left me with pretty much 2 options, Another Subaru or a Jeep.

I test drove a Jeep Rubicon and the ride on the road was horrible in my opinion and the newer Subaru's feel soulless (I think my 2011 2.5i was the last good year in my opinion)

Anyways back to the matter at hand now that you have background info. My concern is that I test drove the Wildtrek 2.7L with the auto (because I've yet to find a manual one to test out) and I'm concerned that the 2.3L isn't going to be anywhere near as snappy as the 2.7L. To be clear, I'm not buying the thing for its 0-60 time to begin with and it's nowhere near my top concern. At the same time, however, there's a fun factor that comes from hitting the accelerator and getting that burst of speed.

Does anyone out there have a 2.3L with the manual that they've been driving and can you share your experience? Did you test drive a 2.7L? How do you think it compares? I mean I know on paper there's a loss of about 40hp and 80ft-lb of torque but I guess what I'm asking is is it a noticeable difference?

I put 4200 miles on my 4Dr Squatch 2.7L. Before I got it, I drove the dealer's 4Dr Squatch 2.3L mannequin. My impression was that I would be more than happy with the 2.3L. You can notice the difference between the two engines, but the difference is not that great imo. Caveat, I only drove the 2.3 for about 20-25 minutes, but it was enough time to mash on the throttle and I liked it. I plan to get a 2Dr manual Squatch as well.

 

[bikearch]

So I just confirmed my order for the 2022 Badlands, I had a 21 MY order that had to get converted over and made some changes to it. I wanted to test drive it too just to make sure I'd actually enjoy driving it since I'm getting it as a daily driver and ORV. I loved it but I have some concerns. Namely the 2.3L Inline 4.

So I should start by saying the top thing that attracts me to the Bronco is that it checks all my boxes for my requirements
1. Has to be Manual (I refuse to drive automatics they're incredibly boring to me.)
2. Has to have 4 doors (got a family and plan to have more kids so a 2 door anything is a no-go.)
3. I live in NE Washington near the Idaho state line and our winters are always snowy so, I gotta have AWD or selectable 4x4

Until the bronco was announced that left me with pretty much 2 options, Another Subaru or a Jeep.

I test drove a Jeep Rubicon and the ride on the road was horrible in my opinion and the newer Subaru's feel soulless (I think my 2011 2.5i was the last good year in my opinion)

Anyways back to the matter at hand now that you have background info. My concern is that I test drove the Wildtrek 2.7L with the auto (because I've yet to find a manual one to test out) and I'm concerned that the 2.3L isn't going to be anywhere near as snappy as the 2.7L. To be clear, I'm not buying the thing for its 0-60 time to begin with and it's nowhere near my top concern. At the same time, however, there's a fun factor that comes from hitting the accelerator and getting that burst of speed.

Does anyone out there have a 2.3L with the manual that they've been driving and can you share your experience? Did you test drive a 2.7L? How do you think it compares? I mean I know on paper there's a loss of about 40hp and 80ft-lb of torque but I guess what I'm asking is is it a noticeable difference?

I went to school in Moscow Idaho!!! I have the 2.3 and it is fine/powerfull enough... though I do have the 10speed auto.....

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