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Picked up a Badlands

Rcarpen22

Badlands
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So, I am a little hesitant to post for the potential flaming, but here it goes… I picked up a 4-door Badlands over the weekend. I have two reservations, a very early (day 2 I think) and an October Granger one. I didn’t place an order in the first round because I have been fully on board the BaseManSquatch train essentially since they announced it. However, the more things have pushed out, the worse that decision seemed to get. I actually reached out to my local dealer and asked them to give me first dibs if anyone decided they didn’t want their order when it came in, but I figured it would be a long shot to get a combination of options I wanted. That said, the only thing I was really completely committed to was a manual transmission. Well, late last week a dealer in another state had a customer decline to take their order. It was a manual Area 51 Badlands, which I really like. I was pretty set on a 2-door, but figured I could always trade it later for the BaseManSquatch. So the moral of the story is that if you’re really ready for a Bronco and fairly flexible on options, pay attention and just be ready to pull the trigger quickly. I did not get a deal, but I paid MSRP with no ADM or prep fees. I think in this market that is very fair. Also, after taking one look in person and driving it for a few days, I am not likely going to trade it. Pictures really just don’t do any justice to Broncos. They look so much better in person. Right off the bat, I can say it definitely drives better than our 2020 JLU on the highway. It’s noticeable, but I don’t mind the solid axle on the Jeep and never found it to be as bad as some people make it out to be. I find it humorous all the strong opinions on the differences between the two vehicles. They are so similar. The Bronco is definitely better in some ways and I think the Jeep is better in some ways, but I love both of them. Not really having a huge brand loyalty, I feel like I can answer questions objectively if anyone has any. I am really looking forward to comparing the off-road performance and will try to post up some info when I can get around to that.

One thing this forum will get a kick out of, the Jeep developed the dreaded rear main seal leak literally on the way to pick up the Bronco. In response, the Bronco decided to give me the airbag light. I assumed the Bronco would have some minor issues given how early we are in production. So, not really unexpected…. Oh, one last point, the Jeep crushed the Bronco in fuel economy on the way home. I’m not sure how much that’s impacted by hardtop Jeep vs big wind-catching open convertible top on the Bronco, but a 4ish hour highway trip yielded 19.2mpg in the Bronco and almost 27mpg in the Jeep. I don’t really care about fuel economy, but I thought it was an interesting stat.

Quick edit: I meant to add that this is a straight up bare Badlands. It has zero options. No mid, nothing. But it does not at all feel like a stripped vehicle. After driving this, I honestly think even a base with no options would feel well-equipped. The only thing I wish I had was heated seats and that’s easy enough to add.

Ford Bronco Picked up a Badlands D167C532-4ABA-4628-AD13-E02FD1317C17
Ford Bronco Picked up a Badlands BCE9E580-A5F8-4D91-AA00-747314237DC1
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BuzzyBud

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So, I am a little hesitant to post for the potential flaming, but here it goes… I picked up a 4-door Badlands over the weekend. I have two reservations, a very early (day 2 I think) and an October Granger one. I didn’t place an order in the first round because I have been fully on board the BaseManSquatch train essentially since they announced it. However, the more things have pushed out, the worse that decision seemed to get. I actually reached out to my local dealer and asked them to give me first dibs if anyone decided they didn’t want their order when it came in, but I figured it would be a long shot to get a combination of options I wanted. That said, the only thing I was really completely committed to was a manual transmission. Well, late last week a dealer in another state had a customer decline to take their order. It was a manual Area 51 Badlands, which I really like. I was pretty set on a 2-door, but figured I could always trade it later for the BaseManSquatch. So the moral of the story is that if you’re really ready for a Bronco and fairly flexible on options, pay attention and just be ready to pull the trigger quickly. I did not get a deal, but I paid MSRP with no ADM or prep fees. I think in this market that is very fair. Also, after taking one look in person and driving it for a few days, I am not likely going to trade it. Pictures really just don’t do any justice to Broncos. They look so much better in person. Right off the bat, I can say it definitely drives better than our 2020 JLU on the highway. It’s noticeable, but I don’t mind the solid axle on the Jeep and never found it to be as bad as some people make it out to be. I find it humorous all the strong opinions on the differences between the two vehicles. They are so similar. The Bronco is definitely better in some ways and I think the Jeep is better in some ways, but I love both of them. Not really having a huge brand loyalty, I feel like I can answer questions objectively if anyone has any. I am really looking forward to comparing the off-road performance and will try to post up some info when I can get around to that.

One thing this forum will get a kick out of, the Jeep developed the dreaded rear main seal leak literally on the way to pick up the Bronco. In response, the Bronco decided to give me the airbag light. I assumed the Bronco would have some minor issues given how early we are in production. So, not really unexpected…. Oh, one last point, the Jeep crushed the Bronco in fuel economy on the way home. I’m not sure how much that’s impacted by hardtop Jeep vs big wind-catching open convertible top on the Bronco, but a 4ish hour highway trip yielded 19.2mpg in the Bronco and almost 27mpg in the Jeep. I don’t really care about fuel economy, but I thought it was an interesting stat.

Quick edit: I meant to add that this is a straight up bare Badlands. It has zero options. No mid, nothing. But it does not at all feel like a stripped vehicle. After driving this, I honestly think even a base with no options would feel well-equipped. The only thing I wish I had was heated seats and that’s easy enough to add.

Ford Bronco Picked up a Badlands BCE9E580-A5F8-4D91-AA00-747314237DC1
Ford Bronco Picked up a Badlands BCE9E580-A5F8-4D91-AA00-747314237DC1
Beautiful Bronco! Congratulations!
Are you planning any mods? If so, when and what?
 
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Rcarpen22

Rcarpen22

Badlands
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What are the specs on the Jeep? 27mpg sounds like it defies the laws of physics.
No, it’s pretty common for highway mileage on the 2.0 turbo. We hit mid to high 20s on pretty much all of our road trips. It’s a 2020 2.0 turbo, 8-speed auto JLU Willys. This trip was a net drop in elevation, which contributed, but we got 25mpg on a trip up the east coast. My wife gets about 19 around town.
 

BaseSquatch

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Congrats on your Bronco! No one has any right to flame you for this. If anything, they should be happy that a cancelled order went to a different reservation holder, instead of some random rich guy. We should all be hoping that reservation holders are taken care of, before the general public has access.
 

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broncosor

Badlands
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What are the specs on the Jeep? 27mpg sounds like it defies the laws of physics.
It doesn’t. I rented a Sahara with the 2.0 on got 25MPG on a 1000 miles road trip.
The Jeep clearly beats the Bronco in MPG. Bronco is heavier, a littler bigger, with steeper gearing ratio, and a little more power too. All of that combines to worst MPG.

OP how does the power on the 2.3 compares with the JLU, assuming you have the 2.0?
 

j_anderson

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Congrats!
 
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Rcarpen22

Rcarpen22

Badlands
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Beautiful Bronco! Congratulations!
Are you planning any mods? If so, when and what?
Thanks, I love Area 51 and I also really like the orange Badlands accents. I know that is not necessarily a popular opinion😆. No big mods planned. I’d like to score some door bags and I’m looking forward to BesTop offering a nice Bimini top. I plan to keep the top completely off most of the year and just drive something else if it rains.
 
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Rcarpen22

Rcarpen22

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OP how does the power on the 2.3 compares with the JLU, assuming you have the 2.0?
So, I haven’t studied up on the break-in period for the Bronco, but I’ve not pushed it yet. My unscientific butt dyno tells me the Jeep would win a drag race, but I honestly could not care less about an off-road vehicle being fast. In other words, the 2.3 is more than adequate, but I think the Jeep 2.0 is a maybe a bit quicker. The Getrag 7-speed is a LOT better than the manual unit in JLs in my opinion.
 

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broadicustomworks

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@Rcarpen22 no flame.
Right on, man.
Glad to see you get it, glad to see another forum member rolling down the road with one.
Keep us updated on your thoughts, comparisons with the JL, and so on.
 

Tadel001

Badlands
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Where are you located in Maryland? I am on the Eastern Shore. My badlands is supposed to be built Wednesday. After receipt and breakin, we have a few fun local areas near Annapolis to get the tires dirty!
 
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Rcarpen22

Rcarpen22

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Where are you located in Maryland? I am on the Eastern Shore. My badlands is supposed to be built Wednesday. After receipt and breakin, we have a few fun local areas near Annapolis to get the tires dirty!
I’m out in the Hagerstown area. I’d be up for some wheeling though. We take the Jeep all over. Just did Peter’s Mill Run last weekend and got the Jeep badge. We had two Jeeps and a Tundra. I’ll be kind of switching back and forth between the Jeep and the Bronco for off-roading. Let me know if you’re planning any trips.
 

cybersal

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@Rcarpen22 , am wondering where you are in MD, too. Am in the Baltimore area and still haven't seen a Big Bronco on the road yet. Congrats on your Bronco!!
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