Test Drive Causing Me to Re-evaluate

[Bituman]

It includes at least the black hood liner you can see in many pictures.

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/heres-additional-sound-deadening-material-in-the-engine-bay-of-2021-bronco-high-package-.12518/

Yeah you’re right, I forgot about the hood liner which the WT I drove probably did not have since it was Mid. I did pop the hood for a look, but didn’t make a point to look for a hood liner. Thanks for pointing that out because that would have mitigated noise to some extent. I really think it was the tires that I was mostly hearing via the soft top. But the sales manager referred to something in the body. Maybe I misunderstood what he was talking about.

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[Bulletbill]

I felt the same way about opening the doors when I went for a test drive. I opened and closed them multiple times and came away thinking how the window catching on the weather stripping would ruin it over time, not to mention it was weird how the windows spring out and Shake in the door as you open it.

On top of that I kinda felt they went overboard on the street feel, to the point where it felt like my wife’s pilot, only taller and almost dead feeling with the steering. I also was not a fan of the tiny steering wheel. Just felt to small for the vehicle.

I loved the 12” screen but I was disappointed you couldn’t change the background colors like you can in the Jeep.

I also had a terribly time seeing the 8” drivers display while driving East with the setting sun at my back. I turned the screen to full bright, but it was still very washed out and hard to see.

The soft top was awful. The wavy back windows and sag in the back really distract from the look of the Bronco. On top of that we had it so it was flipped to the back, and in this position the fabric hung down in the rear seat passengers face, the salesman adjusted it, but I was surprised it was an issue at all.

The power felt great to me (2.3l). The back seat view was awesome compared to my JL, but the front seat view felt obstructed by the thickness of the front roll bar.

I still think it’s a great vehicle, but my desire to get it has waned, especially after the test drive. I hope Ford fixes some of the issues I noticed before MY23 which is when I would like to get mine with the Mod top.

Not trying to high jack the OPs review, just thought I’d share some similar insights.

 

[Mayo Nayze]

This morning I test drove a WT at the dealer that I have a reservation at. Had an order but 99ed it to get a MY22. After this ~12 mile test drive, mostly freeway and city streets, I’m questioning whether I want to continue with a Bronco purchase. This coming from someone that owned Broncos from 1989 through 2017. There is nothing particularly wrong with the new Bronco. But driving it caused me to understand more clearly that Ford’s target was a better execution of a Jeep Wrangler. With the Bronco, they succeeded brilliantly at that. Maybe I’ll end up with a Bronco in 22 or 23, I’m just not as enthusiastic as I had been. Here are some test drive observations.

One thing I wanted to do was make sure a WT would fit in my garage. I had done all kinds of measurements using data from this site and for sure, the WT fit. That was not a surprise, but great to validate my research. My wife‘s car is missing, but it would easily fit too. No clearance problems either. Easily another 5.5-6 inches of overhead clearance.

When I first sat in the driver’s seat I was amazed at how much looking out the windshield reminded me of an EB. The raised edges of the hood are very reminiscent of an EB. Very thoughtful design feature from Ford.

One bad thing is the window fit. As everyone knows, without a frame the window must come down just a little to open and close the door. So long as you open the door slowly, all is well. But if you open the door quickly, the window hangs up a little on the molding and sort of vibrates back and forth. I seem to recall others here mention that. I’m not sure this hurts anything, it’s just not something I had thought much about.

Of course, this was a soft top. I was surprised at how noisy the Bronco is. I have seen posts claiming that the soft top was fairly quiet. I suppose this is subjective, but I thought the noise was excessive. Maybe the more aggressive tires were at fault. I have had two soft tops (see my avatar for one and an old P911-C4 for another) so I am used to a soft top. I honestly think my 74 EB with a BC Broncos safari top was slightly quieter. I mentioned this to the dealer sales manager and he said he was surprised because his soft top OB was really quiet. He claimed that the OB had sound deadening within the body. I had never heard that. Obviously I think a MIC top, particularly with the headliner, would quiet things down a little. I had planned on a color matching modular top which would also probably be quieter. By the way, the sales manager confirmed to me that the color matching top would be MY23, even though as recently as March it was listed at a MY22 option. Crap…

As has been opined by others on this site, the dash was a somewhat underwhelming. The plastic just seemed cheap. By the way, this was a Mid trim level, yet I don’t think Lux (which is what I ordered) would be any different. My personal car is a 2017 4Runner Limited and my work vehicle that gets most miles is a 2015 Tundra SR5. I would say the Tundra’s interior is pretty pedestrian, but the quality of the plastic and overall quality is noticeably better than the Bronco. The 4Runner interior is way superior. This is when I reminded myself that Ford wasn‘t trying to create something fancy, but just something overall better than a Wrangler. Again, I think they have done that in spades.

The engine was adequate. I have to admit that I drive with a bit of a heavy foot, but the Bronco seemed a bit slow off the line. From about 20 mph up, it performed very good. The transmission was smooth. I couldn’t feel the shifts. I was hoping the engine performance would be noticeably better than the 4Runner. I think it was better, but not by as much as I had hoped. Actually, I have to admit that I forgot to try the sport mode. That may have improved the engine performance a bit and I’m kicking myself for forgetting that.

I really did like the handling of the Bronco. It’s turning radius is superb. The SAS on the WT really smooths out rough pavements. I drove over a pavement that had been trenched and patched for a water line and it was smooth sailing over that bumpy pavement. I think this was the most favorable thing about the Bronco. The brakes were great, although there was an audible squeak at times.

In summary, I think the Bronco is a great execution of an off road vehicle for the masses. For sure it will take a big bite out of Wrangler sales. But for me I would give up a bit of the fancy off road stuff for a quieter, better fit and finish interior vehicle more like the 4Runner or some of the high end trucks on the market. My off roading needs are mostly rough forest service roads and snowy roads in AZ higher elevations. I guess I’m re-evaluating what I really need. This vehicle is my present to myself as I head into retirement. I still may end up with a Bronco. But I’m beginning to think I might need to give a nice F-150 or F-250 a look and build myself another EB to satisfy my almost life long Bronco addiction.

Which dealer in AZ had the test drive?

 

[hemiblas]

"The engine was adequate. I have to admit that I drive with a bit of a heavy foot, but the Bronco seemed a bit slow off the line. From about 20 mph up, it performed very good. The transmission was smooth. I couldn’t feel the shifts. I was hoping the engine performance would be noticeably better than the 4Runner. I think it was better, but not by as much as I had hoped. Actually, I have to admit that I forgot to try the sport mode. That may have improved the engine performance a bit and I’m kicking myself for forgetting that."

Keep in mind you are comparing a 4 runner that has 31 or 32 inch tires to a wildtrak that has 35" tires...There is a huge huge difference there. Put some 35s on the 4 runner and see what it does......or drive a Bronco with the 2.7 and some 32s and see how it goes....Off the line the 2.7 will be slow due to turbo spool as well and as you mentioned once it gets going...its pretty quick.

 

[AzScorpion]

I appreciate your feedback and opinions. I have been in the Bronco twice. Once as a passenger, and once as a driver. It drove just like my Ranger. I knew what I was getting into. It’s a truck and knowing that makes me understand what I am purchasing. Both times solidified my decision and I cannot wait.

I was just able to test drive a Badlands 2.3 on 33's yesterday, I was hoping to find a 2dr but no one in my area has one. I would say it's very similar to my Ranger but mine is tuned and it was a little hard getting use to the lack of power I'm use to. Besides that I loved everything about it and the MGV is far nicer than the leather in my Lariat. Fit and finish is about what I expected and people need to remember this isn't a Lexus it's an off road SUV.

No offense to anyone but I hate the whole soft top look! We only drove around town and at 45 mph it had a lot of road noise from the rear and I cant imagine what it's like at 70+ mph. I'm glad I was able to drive it as I wouldn't want to fly out to IA and not like it and have to fly back empty handed. I would defiantly recommend trying one so you're not disappointed when yours shows up.

 

[BackcountryBirds]

Yep, those wanting a "better" as in more daily driver and on road friendly jeep are going to be very satisfied. Those of us that came from the full size bronco, half ton trucks, and modern SUVs are likely going to be a bit disappointed on a few things.

There are so few legitimate full size SUV off,-roaders that alot of compromises are being made.

It's a great IFS jeep, it's an ok everything else.

 

[kodiakisland]

WT? EB? OB? ???

Interpreter needed to make sense of this post. Your shorthand may not match that of other folks!

We were newbies once, but it seems so long ago.

 

[AzScorpion]

Which dealer in AZ had the test drive?

Mine was at Peoria Ford

 

[GreyBronco]

Thank you for the post. I already expect it to be like you describe. I have never purchased a new vehicle and usually I do test drive them unless I know from the start that they dont run. I expect it to be very much like a truck and have those fitting issues and possibly need tuning to get it to where I want it. That's why for me the base was my choice. I expect to take off the doors and quarter panels, and more than likely the front and rear bumpers and add those items from a vendor like summit racing, which is down the road from me. This will be awesome.

 

[Raptor911]

you don’t know how to buy a vehicle. I paid invoice for my gen1 and gen2. Just sold my gen2 and made 4K and it was 2.5 years old with 13k miles. I have a 2021 on order at sticker. Only reason I could not get the 2021 at invoice is because of the chip shortage. Btw I have 2 reservations for a bronco. 1 at invoice and the other at 4% under invoice. I also have the lightning reservation at 3% under invoice. I am also waiting on a warthog most likely at invoice.

A smart buyer never pays a markup.

75-80k is after a 10k markup? No sir, my 2021 at sticker, at least what I ordered is $76,500

Yah if you want a 10K markup.
Let's see that will be 75-80k. No thank you.

 

[Yamahamer]

Sorry about that @Yamahammer. WT=Wildtrak one of the seven current Bronco trim levels. OB=Outer Banks, another Bronco trim level. This web site shows the trim levels that are often abbreviated on bronco6G and you can probably figure out the abbreviations for those other trim levels, e.g., BB = Big Bend, BD = Black Diamond, etc.

https://shop.ford.com/configure/bronco/model/customize/blackdiamond

EB = early Bronco, the original Bronco built during model years 1966-1977, on this site would probably more appropriately called 1G, meaning First Generation. But us old Bronco nerds more often use the abbreviation “EB” and believe it’s charm will never be duplicated. There have been 6 generations of Ford Broncos (1G, 2G,…,6G). This web site is called 6G because it’s largely devoted to the sixth and latest generation of the Ford Bronco, which is currently being rolled out. Oops forgot, MY = model year, for example MY21 means model year 2021, which is the first year of the sixth generation (6G) of the Ford Bronco. Hope this clarifies things. And yeah, when I first started monitoring bronco6G and saw all the abbreviations, I thought WTF, which stands for…

Thank you! I thought "OB" might mean "Original Bronco"....but sounds like the one I had (and is in my avatar" is really an "EB".

 

[Ksjrb03]

This is the most spot on review I’ve seen yet, with my impressions. And your right, lux will not give you a nicer interior unfortunately. We all get the base interior, upper trim level interiors were left on the cutting room floor.

 

[JeebusCripes]

I felt the same way about opening the doors when I went for a test drive. I opened and closed them multiple times and came away thinking how the window catching on the weather stripping would ruin it over time, not to mention it was weird how the windows spring out and Shake in the door as you open it.

On top of that I kinda felt they went overboard on the street feel, to the point where it felt like my wife’s pilot, only taller and almost dead feeling with the steering. I also was not a fan of the tiny steering wheel. Just felt to small for the vehicle.

I loved the 12” screen but I was disappointed you couldn’t change the background colors like you can in the Jeep.

I also had a terribly time seeing the 8” drivers display while driving East with the setting sun at my back. I turned the screen to full bright, but it was still very washed out and hard to see.

The soft top was awful. The wavy back windows and sag in the back really distract from the look of the Bronco. On top of that we had it so it was flipped to the back, and in this position the fabric hung down in the rear seat passengers face, the salesman adjusted it, but I was surprised it was an issue at all.

The power felt great to me (2.3l). The back seat view was awesome compared to my JL, but the front seat view felt obstructed by the thickness of the front roll bar.

I still think it’s a great vehicle, but my desire to get it has waned, especially after the test drive. I hope Ford fixes some of the issues I noticed before MY23 which is when I would like to get mine with the Mod top.

Not trying to high jack the OPs review, just thought I’d share some similar insights.

I wonder if there are consistency issues between builds. I didn’t notice any window catching on both four doors.

I also have now test driven a badlands mid tier and a badlands lux. Both were soft tops. The mid tier was really loud but it wasn’t an engine sound loud. It sounded almost as if wind was coming from the top near the where the soft top and windshield come together. However I remember reading a post about mirror wind noise and I put my hand over the mirror and it stopped.

The lux Badlands didn’t have that same wind noise and it was also a soft top. It didn’t have the mirror issue either.

Neither had any window issues that I could tell. I know nothing about car manufacturing. Is there much variance in how car parts are manufactured and fitted? Can some have window issues because of how the doors are fitted to the vehicle and some be ok? Or are we to expect all builds to eventually have this issue?

 

[Bituman]

Ha…fake wood grain shiny stuff FTW!!!

(@Yamahamer FTW = for the win)

 

[Raptor911]

85% of this forum is subjective.

A lot of these drive reviews are so subjective and really should be taken with a grain of salt. Best advice drive one for yourself and gather your own insights...

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