- First Name
- MIke
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- Chapel Hill, NC
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- Azure Gray Wildtrak, BWM K1600B, Ford Maverick
- Your Bronco Model
- Wildtrak
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- #1
This is the second time I've been able to test drive a Bronco Badlands. Consequently, I won't go into as much detail here. You can read the first review here.
This past weekend my wife and I drove a Cyber Orange Badlands 2.3L auto with lux package and leather and the upgraded 33" wheels at University Ford in Durham, NC. You do NOT need a reservation to drive this vehicle, but it helps. They don't require that a salesman go with you, so my wife and I took it out alone. However, unlike Crossroads in Apex, which is more loose with how long you can drive, University wants you back in about 15 minutes. I made a reservation to make sure it was there. We checked in with the receptionist inside, they contacted the Bronco test drive coordinator, who then sent a salesman out to help us with the test drive. We only had to wait about 2 minutes total before we were playing with the Bronco. Everyone was helpful and very pleasant to deal with. This one was very similar to the first one except it had the automatic transmission and lux package. My take is that the 2.3L feels a lot stronger with the automatic transmission than it does with the manual. Seems backwards, but that's just how it seemed to me. I have been dead set on the 2.7L, but this drive made me at least pause and consider how wedded I am to that. Also, the stereo with the lux package is light years better than the one in the high package. It's still not great, but it was at least sufficient. After we finished the test drive, the sales manager came out to chat with us. I happen to know the owners at University, so I also chatted with the GM, who is their son. Once the sales manager understood that I have two reservations (one at Stephens in WVA and one at Chapman in PA), he said there was no way he could match the below invoice pricing and encouraged me to keep both of the reservations at the current dealers. I at least appreciated the honesty. He said if we wanted to buy the one we had just test driven, they would sell it on the spot for 10k over MSRP and then hold it on the lot for 6 months. During that 6-month period, they would not let anyone drive it other than the buyer. I declined but figured I'd pass that along in case it strikes someone else here as something they are interested in.
After driving the Bronco, we drove a mile down the street to Sport Durst Jeep. A friendly salesman came out. I told him we had just driven a new Bronco and wanted to compare it with a Wrangler. I told him the model I was most interested in would be a 4xe Rubicon. They had just finished prepping one they had taken off the truck that afternoon, so he got the keys, gassed it up, and let us take it out alone. We had some conversation about comparing the two with him, but he was not at all pushy and agreed they both had plusses and minuses. He did not try to denigrate the Bronco at all. Instead, he focused on what he really liked about the Wrangler. I appreciated his approach. I liked the Wrangler a LOT more than the last time I had driven one. The ride was actually pretty good. The interior is comfortable. The dashboard and controls in some ways seemed nicer than those in the Bronco. However, the rear seat is really tight, and that crossbar could be fatal for anyone over about 5'6" I think.
Some thoughts:
I have no real need to make an immediate purchase, which is part of why I deferred my orders to next year. But a lot to me will depend on timing for my build. We're planning a month-long trip next June as soon as our youngest daughter gets out of school for the Summer. If the Bronco doesn't look like it'll be ready then, I'll probably just buy a Jeep right before the trip and then sell it when we get the Bronco. But I tend to think I'll have the Bronco by April or May. We'll see.
Regardless, both vehicles are impressive.
This past weekend my wife and I drove a Cyber Orange Badlands 2.3L auto with lux package and leather and the upgraded 33" wheels at University Ford in Durham, NC. You do NOT need a reservation to drive this vehicle, but it helps. They don't require that a salesman go with you, so my wife and I took it out alone. However, unlike Crossroads in Apex, which is more loose with how long you can drive, University wants you back in about 15 minutes. I made a reservation to make sure it was there. We checked in with the receptionist inside, they contacted the Bronco test drive coordinator, who then sent a salesman out to help us with the test drive. We only had to wait about 2 minutes total before we were playing with the Bronco. Everyone was helpful and very pleasant to deal with. This one was very similar to the first one except it had the automatic transmission and lux package. My take is that the 2.3L feels a lot stronger with the automatic transmission than it does with the manual. Seems backwards, but that's just how it seemed to me. I have been dead set on the 2.7L, but this drive made me at least pause and consider how wedded I am to that. Also, the stereo with the lux package is light years better than the one in the high package. It's still not great, but it was at least sufficient. After we finished the test drive, the sales manager came out to chat with us. I happen to know the owners at University, so I also chatted with the GM, who is their son. Once the sales manager understood that I have two reservations (one at Stephens in WVA and one at Chapman in PA), he said there was no way he could match the below invoice pricing and encouraged me to keep both of the reservations at the current dealers. I at least appreciated the honesty. He said if we wanted to buy the one we had just test driven, they would sell it on the spot for 10k over MSRP and then hold it on the lot for 6 months. During that 6-month period, they would not let anyone drive it other than the buyer. I declined but figured I'd pass that along in case it strikes someone else here as something they are interested in.
After driving the Bronco, we drove a mile down the street to Sport Durst Jeep. A friendly salesman came out. I told him we had just driven a new Bronco and wanted to compare it with a Wrangler. I told him the model I was most interested in would be a 4xe Rubicon. They had just finished prepping one they had taken off the truck that afternoon, so he got the keys, gassed it up, and let us take it out alone. We had some conversation about comparing the two with him, but he was not at all pushy and agreed they both had plusses and minuses. He did not try to denigrate the Bronco at all. Instead, he focused on what he really liked about the Wrangler. I appreciated his approach. I liked the Wrangler a LOT more than the last time I had driven one. The ride was actually pretty good. The interior is comfortable. The dashboard and controls in some ways seemed nicer than those in the Bronco. However, the rear seat is really tight, and that crossbar could be fatal for anyone over about 5'6" I think.
Some thoughts:
- The Bronco seems to have more room inside. More head room (esp in the back). More trunk space. More hip room. Definitely more room in front of you.
- The windshield and narrow dash in the Jeep made my wife feel a bit claustrophobic. Almost as soon as she got inside, she was done with the test drive. In fact, she refused to drive it herself. Despite that, she says she would not object to me getting one.
- While there may be value off-road for the front of the Jeep seeming more narrow than the Bronco, my wife really preferred the easy sightlines with the hood of the Bronco.
- In part b/c of the bigger hood, the Bronco felt bigger behind the wheel and more truck-like. This was both good and bad. Good in that you had a commanding position and felt like you were in a larger, powerful vehicle. Bad in that it also helped the Jeep feel more nimble. I know they are very close to the same size, so I'm talking about quick perceptions based on visual cues and drive characteristics.
- Both had good power and pickup up to highway speeds. We took both out on higher speed highways and passed other vehicles with ease.
- The transmissions in both seemed smooth and worked well around town and on the highway.
- The ride in both was smooth until you hit a pothole or bump in the road. The Bronco absorbed it effortlessly. The Wrangler was very skittish.
- Seats were comfortable in both, but slight advantage Bronco here (not exactly a direct comparison since these were power leather seats in the Bronco).
- Personally, I like the front of the Wrangler more, but I like the side and rear of the Bronco more.
- The Bronco had a soft top. It was fine but did get a bit noisy over 70mph. We could still have a conversation with both of us in the front seat. Might be harder to talk to anyone in the back (but we didn't stop and swap positions to try that).
- The Wrangler had a hard top. It was significantly more quiet than the Bronco's soft top. I presume the Bronco hard top is about the same in terms of noise. If so, I'll be very content with that.
- The Bronco wins on in-the-cabin tech, but I do like some of the old-school controls in the Wrangler. Of course, despite the tech advantage, the Bronco doesn't yet have a hybrid, either.
- The steering in the Wrangler was mushy and somewhat vague. By that I mean that it sort of wanders no matter what you do, and you constantly have to adjust. It's not actually bad, it's just that it requires consistent attention. By contact, the steering in the Bronco was dialed in and on-point. I felt you had better control with the Bronco and the steering was more responsive. I preferred the steering the Bronco, but the steering in the Wrangler was not as bad as I remembered from prior gens.
I have no real need to make an immediate purchase, which is part of why I deferred my orders to next year. But a lot to me will depend on timing for my build. We're planning a month-long trip next June as soon as our youngest daughter gets out of school for the Summer. If the Bronco doesn't look like it'll be ready then, I'll probably just buy a Jeep right before the trip and then sell it when we get the Bronco. But I tend to think I'll have the Bronco by April or May. We'll see.
Regardless, both vehicles are impressive.
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