Test Drive Causing Me to Re-evaluate

[BroncoAZ]

ford was asked why they did not include a Supercab in the gen3 at launch and they said no one bought them.

[/QUOTE]

I did in 2020.

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[Bulletbill]

I got to test drive a WT this weekend and I came to the exact opposite conclusions. Compared to the Wrangler JK in my driveway, the WT was much quieter, more responsive, and an overall smoother ride than the Jeep. I did find Sport mode a little jerky when compared to Normal mode. I think the dash issue is overblown - especially when you compare it to Jeep. Everyone will form their own opinions. For me, the test drive was confirmation, but I am glad I pushed to MY22 so I can (hopefully) benefit from some refinements on the first round of production.

Jk is an older model, by at least 5 years. We are comparing it to the JL. Most will concede that it is way nicer than Jeep’s previous gen.

 

[Bulletbill]

Ok, I respect opinions, but frankly, you didn’t test drive the Bronco in anything near it’s off road ability. Go to Off Roadeo. Use the tech, use the capability. It’s every bit as good as a daily driver as the 4 Runner and kicks the sh*t out of the TRD Pro off road, hands down. Only the newest Jeeps (not sure on availability)with 35s can equal the Bronco off road and they still can’t compete with daily livability. Maybe the dash is softer in the Jeep or Toyota, you will need it in the Jeep when it pegs your head to the dash from the ride or the 4 Runner when you can’t run the trail without $15k in aftermarket parts and add ons. When you mentioned soft roading on fire roads, I got your comparison, but head to head, you need to do more testing, off road or on.

And only the badlands Bronco or Sasquatch can compete with a Jeep. Most buyers can’t afford the options that make it better than a jeep.

An interesting comparison for the mass media reviewers would be a stock Black Diamond vs a stock Jeep Willys vs a stock 4Runner venture. Probably never see it as all anyone can talk about is the Sasquatch package.

You don’t need to drop 50k to get a capable off roader that will meet 90% of the public’s off road use. I have off-roaded in a JL sport before and it was extremely capable. Would a base model Bronco be as capable? That’s a test I’d like to see.

 

[Bulletbill]

Go to Off Roadeo. Drive it off road. Use the tech and the full capabilities. Then report back. There is a reason BMW has their driving experience. There is a reason Ford built Off Roadeo. It keeps the loyal and coverts the doubters. (I have done both, BMW still leading the way, but damn, Ford has built something special that can’t be experienced in a dealer test drive).

Out of curiosity, how many of the off-roadeo Bronco’s were stock Black Diamond trim level or below, with no Sasquatch?

 

[Mattwings]

Out of curiosity, how many of the off-roadeo Bronco’s were stock Black Diamond trim level or below, with no Sasquatch?

Only a couple of Badlands are non SQ. It’s interesting, most of the attendees are interested in Badlands after driving a bit of everything here, due to the ride quality and overall improvement in off road performance with the stay bar disconnect. The trails are probably doable in a stock BD, but the underbelly would suffer a bit on the rocks. I would also imagine they want the bigger axles for durability spend 99% of their lives in low range with inexperienced drivers.

 

[Heelabaloo]

Ok, I respect opinions, but frankly, you didn’t test drive the Bronco in anything near it’s off road ability. Go to Off Roadeo. Use the tech, use the capability. It’s every bit as good as a daily driver as the 4 Runner and kicks the sh*t out of the TRD Pro off road, hands down. Only the newest Jeeps (not sure on availability)with 35s can equal the Bronco off road and they still can’t compete with daily livability. Maybe the dash is softer in the Jeep or Toyota, you will need it in the Jeep when it pegs your head to the dash from the ride or the 4 Runner when you can’t run the trail without $15k in aftermarket parts and add ons. When you mentioned soft roading on fire roads, I got your comparison, but head to head, you need to do more testing, off road or on.

It’s understandable that the purists will see this as ultimate off roading machine. Maybe that’s true. But what they’re not taking into account is that 70% or more of purchasers will not be challenging their $50k Broncos at the King of Hammers or ever utilize the full function of the vehicle. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Some people just want a unique truck that that drives better than a Jeep that we can take to the beach, drive around town, or on forest roads, take off the top and doors and enjoy some nice spring, summer, and fall days. I may do an off-rodeo, sounds like fun, but I‘m not Sasquatching and I don’t necessarily need to do that to understand that it’s a very capable off-roader. Just like I don’t need to drive a 700+ hp Cherokee ”Hellcat” on a race track to know that it’ll boogie - nor does anyone ‘need’ that kind of hp to drive somewhere (unless you’re always late b/c you have a wife like mine that doesn’t know that clocks exist ). To each their own.

The value of this discussion has been the honest takes on some of the less than impressive aspects of the Bronco. This thing ain’t cheap and the more we know about the quirks, the better off we are. Will it bother me if the window goes ‘boingy-boing’ every time I open the door? Is there enough power with a 4 cyl? Is the soft top as bad as it looks? Ford has made some odd decisions that limit the customers options too. Jeep at least let’s customers a-la carte leather seats, adaptive cruise, and other options on many models. Ford makes you pay through the nose to get them. Lots to consider when spending this kind of money and has less to do with “not getting it” and more to do with getting something you’ll like for the money you lay down regardless of how you intend to use it.

 

[Bulletbill]

Only a couple of Badlands are non SQ. It’s interesting, most of the attendees are interested in Badlands after driving a bit of everything here. The trails are probably doable in a stock BD, but the underbelly would suffer a bit on the rocks. I would also imagine they want the bigger axles for durability spend 99% of their lives in low range with inexperienced drivers.

I plan on going to one of the rodeos at some point, unfortunately they are all a little far off the beaten path. I’d make a family trip out of it, but I was told my youngest can’t go for the ride along, so I’ve been trying to carve out a period of time where it’s just me that goes. Sadly, more difficult than you might imagine.

 

[guest001]

Been away from a computer for a few days. Saw this thread and wanted to contribute my 2c.
I test drove a 4D Badlands on thursday. Some of my impressions:

1. Wasn't impressed by the 2.3L engine and I'm not an aggressive driver.
2. I expected a ride "like a truck" and that's what it felt like to me. It was smooth on the road. Made a couple of u-turns and was surprised at how tight the turning radius was.
3. Didn't notice any window noise or rubbing against the weather stripping. The doors are very light. I guess that is good for removing them, it's just something that was noticeable to me.
4. I thought the B&O sound was pretty good. I played with the controls for a bit.
5. Didn't put the soft top down since it had rained earlier in the day and was still overcast. Also my order is for a 2D so the soft top issues are not a concern for me. My dealer did say that they have noticed the rubbing/scratching of the paint on this model and are talking to Ford about it.
6. The backseat seemed to be a little less roomy than I would have guessed based on the size of the vehicle from the outside.

I was starting to lose my interest but this helped bring it back, at least for now. The test drive did reinforce my choice of 2.7L 2D order. I don't need extra space for gear or other people and I think it will be quick enough for me.

 

[Bituman]

Ok, I respect opinions, but frankly, you didn’t test drive the Bronco in anything near it’s off road ability. Go to Off Roadeo. Use the tech, use the capability. It’s every bit as good as a daily driver as the 4 Runner and kicks the sh*t out of the TRD Pro off road, hands down. Only the newest Jeeps (not sure on availability)with 35s can equal the Bronco off road and they still can’t compete with daily livability. Maybe the dash is softer in the Jeep or Toyota, you will need it in the Jeep when it pegs your head to the dash from the ride or the 4 Runner when you can’t run the trail without $15k in aftermarket parts and add ons. When you mentioned soft roading on fire roads, I got your comparison, but head to head, you need to do more testing, off road or on.

You’re right, I didn’t test the Bronco in terms of its off road capability. I tested it more so in how 95+% of my use will be. So the only thing I’ll disagree with you on is its merit as a daily driver. For that use, it is not as good as my 4Runner Limited, to ME it just isn’t. And perhaps that’s not a fair comparison because what I drove was soft top, cloth seats, low end (but adequate) radio. My 4Runner is optioned out quite a bit higher end. Once I get the WT version I ordered, probably in late 2022 or early 2023, I may change that opinion. Here’s the thing. I built a 74EB that by the time I was done it was a super off road machine, 35” tires, 3.5” SL, 1” BL, Smeding 427 cid windsor 390 hp at the rear wheels, built C4, Detroit locker in the back, and on and on…. Without breathing hard, it would have sailed thru anything that I have seen via the videos of the Texas Off-Roadeo. Thing is, I hardly ever drove it for that or anything else. I discovered all the fun I had was in the building and not in the driving it was set up to do. Test driving that WT reminded me of that same situation, i.e., getting a vehicle that was optimized to do something I likely wouldn’t spend much time doing. You are right, I am going to try again at the Vegas Off-Roadeo because that just gives me more windshield time than I had last weekend. But I think you are getting a little too caught up in Bronco vs Jeep vs 4Runner, etc. in terms of wheeling capabilities. That’s not the point. All of them will handle very well most off road I’ll be doing here in AZ. Problem is, like you, I’m a huge Bronco fan and I’m trying to come to terms with the fact that a 6G Bronco might not be the optimum use case for me. As I mentioned in another post, I’m giving thought to building a 2G Bronco for another fun project and to satisfy my Bronco fandom.

 

[jimmy234]

I think this is an excellent post, OP. Very balanced and reasonable.

The offroad lifestyle segment is booming right now. Seemingly everyone wants a wrangler, bronco, defender, 4runner, hummer (soon), etc. When I drive on the interstates and state highways these days, it's like driving through a candy machine full of jelly-bean-colored wranglers. I don't see that changing anytime soon with the bronco becoming more and more available.

But there are quality-of-life tradeoffs to most of these offroad vehicles (excepting maybe the defender), and unfortunately I think a lot of buyers who didn't necessarily "grow up" with these vehicles and knew them front and back, come to realize after a few months that they made a mistake. Especially people coming from "regular" cars, I think some of the cumulative everyday stuff doesn't come across during a 20-minute test drive.

Road noise, ride quality, fit and finish, reliability (jeep... we'll see how the bronco does in the years ahead)... not as great as people may think, and it may take a few months for those things to become real for some people. Just stay realistic with your needs and likes.

 

[Deputy909]

That’s exactly why I pursued the test drive. I realized that I was going to have to re-order in a couple months for MY22. Like you, I have never purchased a vehicle without at least a test drive and figured I’d need to do that.

Which dealer did you use?

 

[BroncoAZ]

That Lexus GX460 is looking pretty darn good after looking at the specs. V8 and body on frame with enough ass to tow my boat and enough space for a camping trip. The cost with a couple extras is $9K more than my 2 door BL high with manual transmission. I keep on eyeballing the base model Bronco to keep as a beach toy to save some coin over the badlands. My wife has a 2021 Tacoma TRD OR, but that Lexus might make a really nice daily driver for her.

 

[Bituman]

Which dealer did you use?

Camelback Ford

 

[Deputy909]

Camelback Ford

I went out to San Tan. MSRP, but the taxes are about 2% less.

 

[Bituman]

I think this is an excellent post, OP. Very balanced and reasonable.

The offroad lifestyle segment is booming right now. Seemingly everyone wants a wrangler, bronco, defender, 4runner, hummer (soon), etc. When I drive on the interstates and state highways these days, it's like driving through a candy machine full of jelly-bean-colored wranglers. I don't see that changing anytime soon with the bronco becoming more and more available.

You forgot to mention all the overlanding stuff strapped to the top and sides of all those “offroad lifestyle segment” vehicles. I really like that phrase…ha.

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