Q&A and Pics From Bronco Super Celebration West – Day 2 (by irv0735)

[Used2jeep]

Not sure if you are sticking around there again @irv0735 but if you are, and willing, does that engineer have any thoughts on if the seats feel flat and not supportive after a few hours in them?

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[irv0735]

Can you please inquire about...

Will Ford offer a MIC black hardtop?
Will 37’s + 2ish inch suspension lift be available from Ford Performance?

Thanks man!

I'll add these to the list.

 

[irv0735]

Not sure if you are sticking around there again @irv0735 but if you are, and willing, does that engineer have any thoughts on if the seats feel flat and not supportive after a few hours in them?

If I can track him down again, I'll get his thoughts.

 

[dudleyl]

I was able to talk with a Bronco brand manager and one of the Endurance/Test drivers of the new Bronco (guy that drove Rubicon, Moab, KOH route and more) and gathered a few of the questions that you all had as well as got some general information.

General Information regarding the driving experience:

• Bronco is much more enjoyable to drive from 5-45 mph than a Wrangler. Above 45 mph, a Raptor is better. When a wrangler becomes harsh, the Bronco does not.
• Stabilizer bar disconnect is incredible and functions perfectly. He said when going offroad, he selects the disconnect button and it seamlessly engages/disengages at 25 mph. Even on simple gravel mountain passes, he likes it disconnected and said it lets the vehicle float, where a Wrangler gets unsteady outside of crawling. The Bronco does not.
• GOAT modes change a lot of parameters and work really well and are not intrusive. Throttle map, ABS settings, Stability Control, Traction Control, etc. He wasn't sure of everything, but he described it as this: For a sports car on a track in "track setting", the perfect lap is not affected by the settings, but prevents human error. He told the designers that's what he wants for offroad driving and feels like they executed. He said, "use them".
• Talked about how meticulous they were during testing. He was told to not intentionally damage them, but drive them hard. After each day, they would put them on a lift and inspect for any damage and address... Gave an example of a minor bend in the fuel tank skid plate and the engineers made changes to prevent it.
• Rock sliders are plenty sufficient. Showed pictures after Rubicon of slight bend to the slider. However, he did point out a scrape to the door panel and said the Wrangler Rubicon with them did not have the body damage. It was because of the way the Bronco body still goes out from the slider, where the Jeep is vertical.
• He talked about the fact that the fenders (not just the flares) are easily replaceable (bolt on). He expects SEMA to be insane next year after companies get their hands on the Bronco and how simple it is to swap out parts like that.
• Intake is on passenger side, snorkel has been discussed in meetings as an accessory. He hasn't seen for sure if it will be available from factory, but suspects it will be one of the accessories.

Brand Manager info:

• The trim level badge (Badlands) is final design.
• Cameras for 360 will be the front and rear that we have seen and one in each mirror near the lights that I already showed. There is no re-location consideration for when a winch is installed in front.
• This one will get a lot of heat... The interior is pretty much production as shown. The plastic, the finishes, etc... what you see is pretty much what you will get.
• Rear seat recline or fixed position? He was not sure.
• Additional speakers for premium sound? He was not sure.
• Storage under the rear seat cushion? No, it is flat plastic there.
• 4 down towable, even with upgraded 4 wheel drive auto - Yes.
• Build and Price this fall - he would not commit to September and said there is a lot that goes into it.
• Velocity Blue said to be available at the same time as all of the other colors
• Front license plate mounting? They have accommodations for this that they will be sharing soon. I took some more pictures of the various Bronco bolts that I think a mount could be bolted to.
• Confirmed the seats are Leather in this Bronco

Rock Slider attachments:

Pics to show seat height (33" tire so you can try to determine it):

Airbag size on steering wheel concerned someone:

Seat controls (yes the lever on the side is the height adjustment):

Fender flare connections:

A better overhead control shot (someone was asking about the various lights/indicators/words):

Plastic

 

[BadSquatch21]

They did not go into details. sorry. The driver seemed to think a 10mm "spacer" for the spring and you could put 35's on a Badlands no problem.

Thanks again. A spacer is what I speculated awhile back. Great to hear 35's fit no problem. Not much reason to need a manual Sasquatch if you're getting a Badlands it sounds.

 

[ausherpharmd]

Google says fall starts on September 22

 

[iamchewby]

Maybe I just missed it, but did anyone specify when the "color walkthrough" will be taking place?

 

[aternie]

So I understand that those seats (pictured) are leather, but will the vinyl seats also have carpet in the rear cargo area. If there is carpet back there, then that defeats the purpose of the washout interior in my opinion.

 

[Kevika]

Maybe I just missed it, but did anyone specify when the "color walkthrough" will be taking place?

Soon...

 

[rcamwilkes]

Someone asked about the Navy Pier on FE and if other options would be available and he said, we'll cover all of that in the upcoming walk-through.

Thank you for this abundance of information these past few days. Your help is incredible.

Did he say when this walk through would be taking place? Are you planning to attend?

 

[Garemlin]

So this is what a Badlands will look like. It has the washout interior. But the rear seat backs are carpet. That's a big fail. Even the Bronco Sport has rubberized coating on the rear seat backs.

 

[GiddyUp]

So this is what a Badlands will look like. It has the washout interior. But the rear seat backs are carpet. That's a big fail. Even the Bronco Sport has rubberized coating on the rear seat backs.

Maybe it's an option??

 

[BroncBro]

He was very blunt when I asked about the badge. Said what we see is to production spec (almost seemed like it was a sore topic for him).

I understood the VB availability as no delay in manufacturing compared to the other colors...Of course we do have to be careful with interpretations, someone even said, "Oh really?" and he confirmed "yes, available at the same time as the other colors".

Thank you! We need Velocity Blue on the colorizer ASAP. ?

 

[mikeandmiki]

Would you mind asking them to clarify the Velocity Blue availability? I’m pretty low on the reservation list so even late availability may be a player for me with all the folks that hate the interior and other things, I may be moving up in the world.

 

[irv0735]

Maybe I just missed it, but did anyone specify when the "color walkthrough" will be taking place?

It sounded like it will be some sort of documentation/pamphlet and he did not say when it would be released other than "soon".

So this is what a Badlands will look like. It has the washout interior. But the rear seat backs are carpet. That's a big fail. Even the Bronco Sport has rubberized coating on the rear seat backs.

If you look closely at the Bronco Sport pictures it looks like rubber on top of carpet... I'll check the back of the Sport here, but it seems like it is an optional accessory to add the rubber mats on top of the carpet. Might be a similar accessory available for the Bronco.

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