TFL: 2021 Bronco vs Wrangler vs Defender - Off-Road Trail Comparison Video

[Nothing Left]

Yep 10yr warranty. That's not an expiration date as there are plenty of early hybrids with well over 100K miles still getting the job done.
If you base life span on warranty I suppose any gas only car/truck is considered dead at 5yr/50K miles.
In either case would you use a new part or a rebuilt engine/battery? Currently an Escape rebuilt battery is $1800 from Dorman with a core replacement. 2yr warranty much like you would get with a rebuilt engine.

Not so much on the Escape Hybrid. The original battery is expected to last 80k miles. Mine crapped out at 87k miles. The replacement OEM battery was 9,200 plus 1,200 in freight/install with a new 10yr warranty. Aftermarket replacements can be found for what you are saying, but they also are only expected to last about as long as the 2 yr warranty. So essentially you can expect to replace that battery every 2-3 years. The really crappy part is when the battery went out, the car cut power to about 20% and limped to the side of the 5 lane freeway with my daughter driving it. Flatbed home and sat for 6 weeks while I fixed it. I've replaced an ICE with a 1 yr warranty, but certainly don't expect to replace it again in 2-3 years. Hybrids = not for me.

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[TFLtruck]

Really drawing a hard line, to keep TFL from earning ~$0.18 from you viewing the video. OK.

Not even $0.18, I wish! Each view is equivalent to roughly $0.002

 

[Deleted member 3063]

The problem is the extra 800 lbs you're carrying around when you're not using the electric power. I agree it makes some sense for commuting. But for long wilderness trips, the battery is a very heavy anchor.

Really curious where you got that 800# figure. An Escape PHEV (one with the bigger battery) come in at 3870#. While a fully loaded gas Escape weighs 3668 for a 200# difference.

I understand the Bronco is a bigger and all that but 800#?

 

[Gamecock]

Neither will it in your OEM 25mm tire clearance right?

An inch of clearance will certainly make a difference...certainly more than 10mm of limitation on the up-travel of a wheel...and actually with the lift difference, clearance is bigger than that on all of the sprung weight...so all angles improve, and bumpers, skids, and frame all move up close to an inch and a half....significant and defintiely noticeable. That little bit of wheel travel difference would hardly be noticed, as it is so small...but 33s to 35s with a bit of lift and the resulting change in clearance and angles...definitely noticed.

 

[rkj__]

Not so much on the Escape Hybrid. The original battery is expected to last 80k miles. Mine crapped out at 87k miles. The replacement OEM battery was 9,200 plus 1,200 in freight/install with a new 10yr warranty. Aftermarket replacements can be found for what you are saying, but they also are only expected to last about as long as the 2 yr warranty. So essentially you can expect to replace that battery every 2-3 years. The really crappy part is when the battery went out, the car cut power to about 20% and limped to the side of the 5 lane freeway with my daughter driving it. Flatbed home and sat for 6 weeks while I fixed it. I've replaced an ICE with a 1 yr warranty, but certainly don't expect to replace it again in 2-3 years. Hybrids = not for me.

I definitely understand your concern for the lifespan of a cheaper battery option. Totally different scenario, but I put a cheap aftermarket battery replacement in my iPhone, and it's lifespan ended up being about 25% as long as the original battery. It was cooked after about 6 months.

 

[TeocaliMG]

An inch of clearance will certainly make a difference...certainly more than 10mm of limitation on the up-travel of a wheel...and actually with the lift difference, clearance is bigger than that on all of the sprung weight...so all angles improve, and bumpers, skids, and frame all move up close to an inch and a half....significant and defintiely noticeable. That little bit of wheel travel difference would hardly be noticed, as it is so small...but 33s to 35s with a bit of lift and the resulting change in clearance and angles...definitely noticed.

As I said, to each their own. Wheel travel gets results, and obviously so does larger tires. I have yet to see an obstacle failed because a slightly oversized tire kissed the frame. But I have certainly seen situations where even the slightest bit more flex or jounce protection would have made the difference. Ideally you can have both.

 

[fergthulhu]

Great video comparison, it's good to see them out on the trails. Pretty much cemented what I thought, Bronco is a bit piggy, but perfectly capable on any sort of trail I would attempt. Can't wait to see Tommy swear more getting that Defender down.

Interesting seeing the mileage on the electric and a real-world case of trail turn assist. All in all a very good video.

 

[Aaonter]

Not to mention that the non squatch badlands has slightly more wheel travel too (and you can throw 35's right on it anyway)

You could but would get fender damage. Ford had to reduce travel to save the fenders but the second issue you would run into is gearing. The Sas package put lower gearing in the axles.

 

[TeocaliMG]

You could but would get fender damage. Ford had to reduce travel to save the fenders but the second issue you would run into is gearing. The Sas package put lower gearing in the axles.

Right, I know why they did it, but my whole point with the following post was that they baked in excessive tire clearance with the HOSS setup. This is great if you are going to through larger tires than 35's on the Squatch with minimal effort. It also means that 35's can be run on the Badlands at reduced clearance. Reduced clearance doesn't mean guaranteed rub, it just means you might be more limited with tire choice and wheel offset.

I understand not everyone wants to deal with the hassle however much it may or may not be. If I was really going to wheel hard I would consider modified fenders way before I entertained the idea of reduced wheel travel. Also in my case, with the manual, I get the lower gearing, but I think that 4.33s plus the 10 speed is more than adequate for 35's I just refrain from saying so to spark needless arguing on the subject.

 

[Kahless01]

Really curious where you got that 800# figure. An Escape PHEV (one with the bigger battery) come in at 3870#. While a fully loaded gas Escape weighs 3668 for a 200# difference.

I understand the Bronco is a bigger and all that but 800#?

the 4xe is 5-700lbs heavier than the non electric version.

 

[midwestpilot]

Right, I know why they did it, but my whole point with the following post was that they baked in excessive tire clearance with the HOSS setup. This is great if you are going to through larger tires than 35's on the Squatch with minimal effort. It also means that 35's can be run on the Badlands at reduced clearance. Reduced clearance doesn't mean guaranteed rub, it just means you might be more limited with tire choice and wheel offset.

I understand not everyone wants to deal with the hassle however much it may or may not be. If I was really going to wheel hard I would consider modified fenders way before I entertained the idea of reduced wheel travel. Also in my case, with the manual, I get the lower gearing, but I think that 4.33s plus the 10 speed is more than adequate for 35's I just refrain from saying so to spark needless arguing on the subject.

Well now I’m arguing because you said that. You’re wrong and I’ll tell you why.

Why.

Now be careful next time you start running your mouth in my bronco forums.

*sidebar, just got off work and finally watched that video. Good to see that bronco just clear things with ease.

 

[Aaonter]

They claimed the wheel travel of the Bronco (Badlands) is 17% greater than the Wrangler. This is true, and is very beneficial offroad especially at high speed. Nobody cares though because 17% more wheel travel on IFS does not equal 17% more RTI score (how the the claim has been interpreted and spread). Regardless, the two door Badlands non-squatch RTI is about deadnuts even with the 2 door Wrangler, and the 4 Door is just shy, in Squatch form its a little less yet.

Having tested the 2dr wrangler and knowing the score of the bronco this is completely untrue. The 2dr wranglers articulation is a lot better than the 700. I got 820. The Bronco tested on a 20 degree ramp. This is 30 degree.

 

[L8apex]

Not even $0.18, I wish! Each view is equivalent to roughly $0.002

Just out of curiosity do you guys have an amazon store? May be another revenue stream and it's how I "support" most YouTube channels. If I'm buying something off of Amazon and I can find it in someones store I'll use their link.

TrailRecon Example.
https://www.amazon.com/shop/trailrecon

 

[Superstition]

4. Why didnt he show ANY front camera/360 camera footage? hmmmm

I agree! I own a JK Rubicon on 35's and one of the best features I was sure to order on my Badlands/SAS was the trail camera. The camera will be unbelievably helpful on rocky trails like in the video and my passengers will complain less when I don't kick them out of the Jeep to spot me.

 

[BroncoBoy22]

Really drawing a hard line, to keep TFL from earning ~$0.18 from you viewing the video. OK.

Yup they can have your $0.18

I’ll take mine elsewhere

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