Those that owned a JLU Rubicon and made the switch...

[395N]

The Bronco does drive better on the road, no doubt.
My JL is lifted about 3 inches with 37s and it drives very well, not Bronco well, but well for SFA.
80 MPH is great and so is the tracking. My trips include 500-600 miles on road to get the trail heads, only issue has ever been high wind conditions on the 395 and 80 in NV. Not certain if the Bronco suffers from this as well being as they are shaped similarly.
The main reason to get a Jeep (IMO) is the ability to lift and fit 37s with very little drama and the magic of SFA off road.
If you don't need the ground clearance or desire SFA, Bronco is a good choice.
I don't give two shits about top and doors off. If I was shopping for IFS right now, I'd wait to see what the 6th Gen 4Runner has in store.

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[BroncoBoy22]

People are too general with “off-road” too. Bronco will be better at high speed stuff. Jeep will be better at rock crawling

 

[aknavy]

People are too general with “off-road” too. Bronco will be better at high speed stuff. Jeep will be better at rock crawling

This is true. I don't do alot of high speed stuff at all. Until I totaled my 2022 Rubicon, I was happy and had not thought to look elsewhere. It did everything I wanted it to do, but on longer road trips it's a but uncomfortable.

 

[aknavy]

After too many hours calling too many dealers looking for an appropriately optioned Bronco that isn't $5k or more over MSRP, I gave up and ordered a 2024 Rubicon XR on 35's for 7% under MSRP. Good job Ford dealers, you could have had a convert, but your greedy ways kept me with Jeep.

Either vehicle was going to be a compromise - one for better on road, one for better off road. So I was agnostic about the choice. I'd rather get the new Jeep, and when I'm tired of it, order a Bronco optioned the way I want it and play the waiting game. Jeep should take 8-10 weeks, not an unknown amount of time.

The Jeep setup for TOAD is super easy, and I like the manual transfer case. The people that I do go off road with are 95% Jeepers, so I'd be the only Bronco in the group if/when I make the change.

Thanks for those that answered my questions, I appreciate it. And if you come across a Badlands Sasquatch or a Wildtrak (4 door) with the Lux package in red or black on the west coast in the next couple weeks that isn't marked up, I'm still interested. Just not interested in paying ADM.

 

[graham5david]

I had a 21 jt diesel rubicon. The 2.7 ecoboost tows my boat better than the jt. Is way more comfortable and drives 100 times better. The diesel got better mileage but you couldn't tow anything over 65mph uphill without it overheating. The only thing better about a jeep rubicon the stereo. The jeep was constantly in the shop.

 

[GroovyGeek]

The bronco that I bought is a black diamond . It has better seats, steering, horse power and torque, along with wash out floors. and lux package.

Lux package on BD? At least as of 23MY you can only get a mid package on the BD. It that I would ever get a lux package on anything that would see serious dirt...

Like @white pony I switched from a 2014 JKU. Similarly I drove it around socal, AZ, NV, and UT deserts - only easy to medium trails. My primary consideration for switching is that I needed a vehicle that I can sleep in the back and the Bronco was the only one of the current generation of (somewhat) moderately priced 4x4s that I can do it in without seat deletes and specialized platforms (I am 6ft). In addition to getting this I also got much more refined road handling for my daily driving and getting to location. I ended up with the 2.7L and it is much more snappier than the Pentastar.

It is not all roses. Road noise with the MIC is actually somewhat worse than the JKU with the hard top. The MIC transmits heat much, much easier than the hard top which can be problematic in the desert. The plastic on the inside and outside of the Bronco is much more easily scratched and it's long term resistance to the socal sun is unknown. The MGV seats are truly horrible in hot weather and Bronco has chosen to force that down the throat of BD (and now BB and base) owners for some mysterious reason.

The big unknown of course is the long term reliability of the Bronco. The JKU often felt ancient in every respect, but with that came hardware with decades of history.

There are multiple threads of former Jeep owners here that you may find helpful. So far I am happy with the decision, but I would have never bought another Jeep on account of the somewhat constrained interior space. If I had it my way I would have replaced the JKU with a 6g 4Runner but alas the redesign keeps getting pushed out and, bring a long term owner, I would never buy anything newer than the 3rd model year post redesign. I wanted a fixed cab and alas Ford did not give thet to us.

 

[aknavy]

Lux package on BD? At least as of 23MY you can only get a mid package on the BD. It that I would ever get a lux package on anything that would see serious dirt...

Like @white pony I switched from a 2014 JKU. Similarly I drove it around socal, AZ, NV, and UT deserts - only easy to medium trails. My primary consideration for switching is that I needed a vehicle that I can sleep in the back and the Bronco was the only one of the current generation of (somewhat) moderately priced 4x4s that I can do it in without seat deletes and specialized platforms (I am 6ft). In addition to getting this I also got much more refined road handling for my daily driving and getting to location. I ended up with the 2.7L and it is much more snappier than the Pentastar.

It is not all roses. Road noise with the MIC is actually somewhat worse than the JKU with the hard top. The MIC transmits heat much, much easier than the hard top which can be problematic in the desert. The plastic on the inside and outside of the Bronco is much more easily scratched and it's long term resistance to the socal sun is unknown. The MGV seats are truly horrible in hot weather and Bronco has chosen to force that down the throat of BD (and now BB and base) owners for some mysterious reason.

The big unknown of course is the long term reliability of the Bronco. The JKU often felt ancient in every respect, but with that came hardware with decades of history.

There are multiple threads of former Jeep owners here that you may find helpful. So far I am happy with the decision, but I would have never bought another Jeep on account of the somewhat constrained interior space. If I had it my way I would have replaced the JKU with a 6g 4Runner but alas the redesign keeps getting pushed out and, bring a long term owner, I would never buy anything newer than the 3rd model year post redesign. I wanted a fixed cab and alas Ford did not give thet to us.

I could have sworn I have seen Badlands with the lux package, but maybe my eyes have decieved me. I have looked at so many window stickers I'm cross eyed.

I was happy with my prior JLU, so I expect to be happy with the new one.

 

[aknavy]

 

[GroovyGeek]

I could have sworn I have seen Badlands with the lux package, but maybe my eyes have decieved me. I have looked at so many window stickers I'm cross eyed.

I was happy with my prior JLU, so I expect to be happy with the new one.

BD = black Diamond
BL = Badlands

Yes the BL has the lux package. BD does not.

 

[Trooper19]

Got my jk new in 14 , great jeep as a 4dr. Made me miss my superior 88 xj.
Once I sat in a 21 badlands bronco I was hooked. I ordered a 22 , never regretted the change to a Bronco.

 

[stampede1]

It boils down to what you use your vehicle for. Broncos are more comfortable and drive great on the road. But jeeps are better off road when it comes to more challenging trails. Also, parts or cheaper for Jeeps... everything about a Bronco is extra $

If your plan is to put bigger tires and decent lifts, AND actually off road, Jeep is the better choice. Bronco's don't like to be lifted higher than Sasquatch without having to beef up a lot of the front end.. CV axles and Steering components are the Bronco curse when you start going larger and heavier tires and lifts.

I have never owned a Jeep, but if the Bronco had been brought back, I would have bought one. I also think that the Jeep, through decades of all kinds of American off roading experience, is a true icon. That said, I get the impression from reading all the posts about Jeep vs. bronco is that the Bronco is the more versatile vehicle because it is so much more forgiving on the highway and that realistically most people will not need that extra capability that the Jeep offers over Bronco off road. The bottom line is we are all better off having both to choose from and to have the two companies compete for continuous improvement.

 

[stampede1]

The Bronco does drive better on the road, no doubt.
My JL is lifted about 3 inches with 37s and it drives very well, not Bronco well, but well for SFA.
80 MPH is great and so is the tracking. My trips include 500-600 miles on road to get the trail heads, only issue has ever been high wind conditions on the 395 and 80 in NV. Not certain if the Bronco suffers from this as well being as they are shaped similarly.
The main reason to get a Jeep (IMO) is the ability to lift and fit 37s with very little drama and the magic of SFA off road.
If you don't need the ground clearance or desire SFA, Bronco is a good choice.
I don't give two shits about top and doors off. If I was shopping for IFS right now, I'd wait to see what the 6th Gen 4Runner has in store.

Which trails do you commute to? And that is a nice rig!

 

[395N]

Which trails do you commute to? And that is a nice rig!

The good ones up the 395N , DV, and into NV.
I'll leave it at that.

 

[mcinfantry]

And all fairness, people buy jeeps, throw larger (heavier and stiffer) tires on them and a lift kit, and then complain how poorly they drive.

I have a stock JKUR and it drives almost as good as the bronco.

But that is an advantage for the Bronco. You can lift the Bronco, spend all the money to beef up the steering and drive axles, diff drips, and it still should drive nice.

2020 stock JLUR is nothing similar to a Sasquatch badlands

at all

bronco much better on road

 

[7sKnuckledragger]

2014 JKUR, bought stock
Installed 4.88’s
Cromoly shafts, gusseted and capped the C’s, sleeved the front, Adam’s shafts and thousands more into it… took it all over the place but I hated driving it on the street and it felt fat on the trail so I would only wheel my TJ. I bought this to daily but I found I preferred my Ram CCLB 2500 to this around town or on the highway. So it’s sold and waiting for the bronco. I need a flat tow vehicle for my motorhome so my options are limited. I do like the gladiator but I’ve got a truck, my wife has an F150 so the last thing I need is a third truck….hoping the bronco makes a good daily/light trail adventure wagon. Bottom pic is the TJ

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