They are not really comparable. The Bronco roof comes off…it’s has a frame…it comes with usable tires and wheels…it has WAY more real world clearance. Way more. Don’t look at the published numbers, look underneath that Defender.
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Quick Survey - Bronco or Defender?
- Thread starter Montducati
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As a recovering LR owner, I was one of those waiting eagerly for the new Defender to come out-was it going to be the rig to get me out of my LR3?
And then it was released and like a lot of people I was underwhelmed. No removable top, unibody, very mall crawler oriented. Yeah LR builds an amazing degree of off road chops into every LR product, but still the wheel choices leave few tire choices and the short sidewalls make if iffy to lower your air pressure for off road.
We did drive one. It was really nice. We just didin't see it fitting our lives, or our budget. The model with the "skip top" as the wife calls them starts at $62K and it's not a full removable top but a big canvas top. I was pretty much resigned to driving my LR3 into the ground and then upgrading to a LR4.
And then Ford released the Bronco and life was golden, well, at least once they get around to bringing mine close enough.
And then it was released and like a lot of people I was underwhelmed. No removable top, unibody, very mall crawler oriented. Yeah LR builds an amazing degree of off road chops into every LR product, but still the wheel choices leave few tire choices and the short sidewalls make if iffy to lower your air pressure for off road.
We did drive one. It was really nice. We just didin't see it fitting our lives, or our budget. The model with the "skip top" as the wife calls them starts at $62K and it's not a full removable top but a big canvas top. I was pretty much resigned to driving my LR3 into the ground and then upgrading to a LR4.
And then Ford released the Bronco and life was golden, well, at least once they get around to bringing mine close enough.
Well I have both on order.
A fully loaded bronco, especially the LE I ordered comes in around 70k.
Yes, I believe the bronco makes for a better pure off-roader and removable top/doors is fun.
I bought my daughter a base model and she loves it.
I have 2 other vehicles that are open top so its not as much as a deal breaker to me to have an SUV with removable roof.
The flip side to that removable roof is the wind noise. My daughters truck sounds like you're about to blast off on the space shuttle rolling down the road.
Lets talk cost.
Fully loaded bronco /LE is not cheap either and they have basically the same build and material quality as my daughters base model.
Plastic Fantastic.
The Defender has a much higher level of materials and build quality.
Much more comfortable for longer trips.
Now a bronco for 40k that is plastic this and that and whistles like a space shuttle with a hole in it isn't as bothersome to me at 40k but it may bother the heck out of me paying 60-70k.
Just something to consider.
The Defender I ordered has the 4 cylinder so I get 18" tires which I would def swap out.
They're both great just a little different approach.
A fully loaded bronco, especially the LE I ordered comes in around 70k.
Yes, I believe the bronco makes for a better pure off-roader and removable top/doors is fun.
I bought my daughter a base model and she loves it.
I have 2 other vehicles that are open top so its not as much as a deal breaker to me to have an SUV with removable roof.
The flip side to that removable roof is the wind noise. My daughters truck sounds like you're about to blast off on the space shuttle rolling down the road.
Lets talk cost.
Fully loaded bronco /LE is not cheap either and they have basically the same build and material quality as my daughters base model.
Plastic Fantastic.
The Defender has a much higher level of materials and build quality.
Much more comfortable for longer trips.
Now a bronco for 40k that is plastic this and that and whistles like a space shuttle with a hole in it isn't as bothersome to me at 40k but it may bother the heck out of me paying 60-70k.
Just something to consider.
The Defender I ordered has the 4 cylinder so I get 18" tires which I would def swap out.
They're both great just a little different approach.
Bingo. Yeah it would never compete with the Bronco off road. But if you're in the market for a lux suv that is super capable and don't mind the high price it's awesome.
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Yep. Especially if you have many Little’s.
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I switched from Diet Coke to Diet Pepsi. That was the first in a long line of good decisions including buying a Bronco over a Defender. TBH, I didn't know what a defender was until after I had my Bronco. Who makes the Defender?
Never considered a Defender. I bought a base 
That being said, if I were dropping 60k on a vehicle instead of the 30 I am, I’d find an inline 6 defender without hesitation.
That being said, if I were dropping 60k on a vehicle instead of the 30 I am, I’d find an inline 6 defender without hesitation.
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The defender is too pretty and small. It’s not the defender it used to be. Also not topless. I didn’t even look.
Considered it. Thought I'd get more bang for the buck with the Ford, and less time back at the dealer for issues. Second guessing myself now .
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Also, if you're going to "do a survey" , at least add a poll to the thread so we can vote!
LOL!!
I'm not sure I can add a whole lot here that I haven't already said elsewhere. I find it funny how aggressively defensive some people get about the Defender around here. Drive what you like and be friendly on the trails, I say!
Price: Seems to be more of a difference on the 2-doors. I have a four-door D110SE, so a 4-door with an inline 6 and plenty of standard options. After that I added the off-road / advanced off-road packs (adds air suspension), and I added the Clearsite rear-view mirror (camera) and adaptive cruise. It was about $10-$12k more than my loaded 4-door Badlands but with a lot more features. It is NOT some $100k rig.
Removable Top / Doors: LOTS of people here are ride or die for the removable top and doors. I'm super happy I didn't end up with my Bronco based on all of the noise and general quality complaints about the MIC (multiple inconsistent colors). I was never going to take the entire top off, or the doors, and the weather where I live means the individual panels would be off a fraction of the time. My multi-day road trip from VA to The Badlands and back with two people + two dogs was especially comfortable.
Off-road: I never expected the Defender to be "better" than the Bronco off-road, but it's still very impressively good. I was also never going to do any serious rock crawling with the Badlands (I just wanted a black leather interior, and Ford forced my hand), so the Defender works for me. It's been off-road, and I'm not as dumb (and don't pay my bills with click-bait) like the TFL guys, so I know not to air down weak tires on 20's. I almost went to 18's already, but just switching to Wildpeak AT3's have made a great deal of improvement.
Reliability: This was a real worry of mine. The Defender has been fine. Had a PCV valve replaced (recall - wasn't causing me problems) and a wiper arm was mis-adjusted so the tip of the blade was touching the painted body panel a little. No fuel pump issues on the trail or poorly hardended engine parts or anything.
Price / Dealer: I had no issues at all. Was given a price, vehicle arrived in 90 days, and they stuck to the deal. Granted, there are games about finding a dealer with allocations (otherwise you wait and wait), but I think that's pretty even between the vehicles.
In the end, I'm very happy, but still hoping a more Lux Bronco arrives - with a plug-in hybrid system would be even better. THAT would be a temptation I may not be able to ignore.
Price: Seems to be more of a difference on the 2-doors. I have a four-door D110SE, so a 4-door with an inline 6 and plenty of standard options. After that I added the off-road / advanced off-road packs (adds air suspension), and I added the Clearsite rear-view mirror (camera) and adaptive cruise. It was about $10-$12k more than my loaded 4-door Badlands but with a lot more features. It is NOT some $100k rig.
Removable Top / Doors: LOTS of people here are ride or die for the removable top and doors. I'm super happy I didn't end up with my Bronco based on all of the noise and general quality complaints about the MIC (multiple inconsistent colors). I was never going to take the entire top off, or the doors, and the weather where I live means the individual panels would be off a fraction of the time. My multi-day road trip from VA to The Badlands and back with two people + two dogs was especially comfortable.
Off-road: I never expected the Defender to be "better" than the Bronco off-road, but it's still very impressively good. I was also never going to do any serious rock crawling with the Badlands (I just wanted a black leather interior, and Ford forced my hand), so the Defender works for me. It's been off-road, and I'm not as dumb (and don't pay my bills with click-bait) like the TFL guys, so I know not to air down weak tires on 20's. I almost went to 18's already, but just switching to Wildpeak AT3's have made a great deal of improvement.
Reliability: This was a real worry of mine. The Defender has been fine. Had a PCV valve replaced (recall - wasn't causing me problems) and a wiper arm was mis-adjusted so the tip of the blade was touching the painted body panel a little. No fuel pump issues on the trail or poorly hardended engine parts or anything.
Price / Dealer: I had no issues at all. Was given a price, vehicle arrived in 90 days, and they stuck to the deal. Granted, there are games about finding a dealer with allocations (otherwise you wait and wait), but I think that's pretty even between the vehicles.
In the end, I'm very happy, but still hoping a more Lux Bronco arrives - with a plug-in hybrid system would be even better. THAT would be a temptation I may not be able to ignore.
Comparing a Truck with an SUV is apples to oranges IMO.
A better comparison would be the body-on-frame Ineos Grenadier.
Which is a much better "Defender" than the new SUV by Land Rover that they named the "Defender".
And personally, its a really hard decision between the Grenadier & the Bronco.
But top off & doors off won for the fun factor.
A better comparison would be the body-on-frame Ineos Grenadier.
Which is a much better "Defender" than the new SUV by Land Rover that they named the "Defender".
And personally, its a really hard decision between the Grenadier & the Bronco.
But top off & doors off won for the fun factor.
This is very similar to my view (less owning an lr3).
IIRC the Bronco and Defender buzz started around the same time, and I was intrigued by both. We were looking for a "jeep" type vehicle - looking at everything from restored classics, NAS defenders, new jeeps, etc. Really just something to enjoy with our toddler boys. I was disappointed by the new defender, and jumped on the bronco.
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Looking at the two together is really informative, and reinforces my own decision.This thread needs pics.
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