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skhubbard93

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I think they were fed a little bit of hype when it comes to options. Yes, it's true, you can get the sway bar disconnect, and you can get various options for engine and transmission and seats and features, but it's not as easy as saying, "I want the 12" screen, squatch, 17" steelies, vinyl seats and a sway bar disconnect." To the contrary, for me at least, trying to find the right combination of trim, packages and options to get what I wanted was a PITA. And ultimately wasn't really possible. Any one feature, sure. But all of the features I wanted? Nope.

I get why FMC did the different trim/types. And I also get why the marketing people then went in and screwed it all up with things like the heated steering wheel packaging. And I even get why weight limitations further constrained what is possible. But understanding it isn't the same as agreeing with it. And certainly isn't the same as liking it. Contrast that with Jeep - go on their site and do a B&P, and you'll see the difference. It's night-and-day.
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The YETI

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I think they were fed a little bit of hype when it comes to options. Yes, it's true, you can get the sway bar disconnect, and you can get various options for engine and transmission and seats and features, but it's not as easy as saying, "I want the 12" screen, squatch, 17" steelies, vinyl seats and a sway bar disconnect." To the contrary, for me at least, trying to find the right combination of trim, packages and options to get what I wanted was a PITA. And ultimately wasn't really possible. Any one feature, sure. But all of the features I wanted? Nope.

I get why FMC did the different trim/types. And I also get why the marketing people then went in and screwed it all up with things like the heated steering wheel packaging. And I even get why weight limitations further constrained what is possible. But understanding it isn't the same as agreeing with it. And certainly isn't the same as liking it. Contrast that with Jeep - go on their site and do a B&P, and you'll see the difference. It's night-and-day.
I totally agree, Jeep is far more a la carte with options across models. Ford forces you into the 10 speed auto on the Base 4 door, and you cannot option a rear locker on it. It is the only Ford truck that you cannot get a locker on. Admittedly I've never need the rear locker on my F150...
 

J Jernigan

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I went back and forth numerous times between BD and BaseSquatch. I ended up getting a build date for BaseSquatch and was going to make the switch back to BD (mid pkg).

I know i'll love the BaseSquatch but I think BD owners should be very happy with their choice.
I spent all day in a 2 door basesquatch at the off roadeo
and honestly I could live with what it offered for the dollar.
I have a two door ordered and wanted to see how it handled the terrain.
 

Rusty Sheckelford

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I guess there will be people who buy broncos and never take them off-road (in which case this is the perfect revew for them.... but I feel like no review of a BRONCO is complete without testing it's off-road chops in some degree.

Still a decent video though, thanks for posting.
 

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Joey.calc

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And there will be great knashing of teeth..
Anyone who wants it for off-roading will get a Rubicon or a Willy's (if they want the lower price point) anyways... which would still retain the solid axle.
Anyone who buys a Sahara doesn't want it for off-roading, so the IFS would be a great bonus to those who buy a Jeep and drive it like a Prius ;)
 

Lord Bronco

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Great video! My exact Bronco (but I have the soft top).

After almost four months of driving, I echo his great comments on the 2.3L manual as a daily driver. It is super fun, rides smooth but firm. I find it to be much sportier, though, than he said.

Note that he said the 4-cyl is superior to the 6 in the Jeep. I haven’t driven a Wrangler newer than my 2006 model, so I can’t speak to that, but I can say the Bronco 4-cyl EcoBoost is head and shoulders above the 6 in my 2015 4Runner.
 
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And there will be great knashing of teeth..
Will be interesting to see how they counter. I think once Bronco production is caught up and the average buyer will be able to test drive a Bronco and a Wrangler back to back and buy a Bronco off the lot at or below MSRP like they can with wranglers Jeep is going to be in a lot of trouble. 95% of people who buy wranglers and Broncos will never give a shit about the advantages of a solid front axle, they’ll just know the Bronco drove way better.
 

balucipher

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I think Jeep will keep the solid axle through the entire Wrangler lineup. It gives the Wrangler its character and as much as people cry about the handling, it is fun and a IFS Wrangler will lose a lot of its character. If Jeep keeps the SFA, they get to continue playing the tradition game, the offroad prowess claims, and doesn't look reactionary to the Bronco. They'll continue to sell boatloads of Wranglers in every trim, so no real need to dump money into developing an IFS Wrangler
 

prospectfour

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Anyone who wants it for off-roading will get a Rubicon or a Willy's (if they want the lower price point) anyways... which would still retain the solid axle.
Anyone who buys a Sahara doesn't want it for off-roading, so the IFS would be a great bonus to those who buy a Jeep and drive it like a Prius ;)
Couldn't agree more as an OBX buyer. Jeep will still sell plenty of Rubicons for someone who wants to offroad. For the rest of us, I really don't see any point in going with a Sahara if given the opportunity to test drive vs. an OBX.

The last two big selling points of a Sahara vs. an OBX in my mind are:
1. Your Jeep will be built in 12 weeks
2. One Touch Power Skytop

Over time, Bronco's will eventually be sitting on dealer lots and Ford will figure out how to make tops. The day to day drivability for someone like me who doesn't offroad is a big deal. For me the Bronco enjoyment will be taking my daughters out on our first open top ride on the way to swim class :cool:
 

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pfd799

pfd799

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I think Jeep will keep the solid axle through the entire Wrangler lineup. It gives the Wrangler its character and as much as people cry about the handling, it is fun and a IFS Wrangler will lose a lot of its character. If Jeep keeps the SFA, they get to continue playing the tradition game, the offroad prowess claims, and doesn't look reactionary to the Bronco. They'll continue to sell boatloads of Wranglers in every trim, so no real need to dump money into developing an IFS Wrangler
I agree that switching to IFS would be poor optics for jeep and sort of admitting a win for ford, but they’re going to have to do something. I think off road enthusiasts over estimate how much the vast majority of Wrangler buyers care about heritage in terms of mechanics, and they put up with the Wranglers poor handling characteristics because it was the *only* option for a top down SUV for the past 25 years. When you consider the vast majority of wranglers being daily driven today are bone stock and will do no off-roading that a compass couldn’t do those are sales Jeep is going to lose. When people start pulling their stock daily driver JK/JL wranglers into ford dealerships and test drive a Bronco they aren’t going to care about heritage, character, or IFS Vs SFA they’re just going to know the Bronco is much more pleasant to drive.
 
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pfd799

pfd799

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Couldn't agree more as an OBX buyer. Jeep will still sell plenty of Rubicons for someone who wants to offroad. For the rest of us, I really don't see any point in going with a Sahara if given the opportunity to test drive vs. an OBX.

The last two big selling points of a Sahara vs. an OBX in my mind are:
1. Your Jeep will be built in 12 weeks
2. One Touch Power Skytop

Over time, Bronco's will eventually be sitting on dealer lots and Ford will figure out how to make tops. The day to day drivability for someone like me who doesn't offroad is a big deal. For me the Bronco enjoyment will be taking my daughters out on our first open top ride on the way to swim class :cool:
That one touch top is a big selling point for sure, I hope ford comes out with something similar. I have it on my Bronco placeholder 4xe Sahara build 😎
 

prospectfour

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That one touch top is a big selling point for sure, I hope ford comes out with something similar. I have it on my Bronco placeholder 4xe Sahara build 😎
That's funny, the 4xe was my backup plan as well. I emailed my dealer to start building that out and received my OBX build date that same Thursday. Go get your 4xe quote and maybe a Bronco build date will follow :LOL:
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